The Virginia Gazette

HA GUE, March 29. The deputies of the states of the province of Holland, have delivered unto the Assembly of the States General, their opinion concerning the requisition of the Court of Great Britain, of the stipulated succours; which is in substance as follows:

"That having considered the two memorials presented by Sir Joseph Yorke, Ambassador extraordinary of the King of Great Britain, in which he claims the succours stipulated by treaty, their Noble and High Mightinesses have found that the guarantee and the succours stipulated and promised by all the treaties of alliance now existing between this republick and the crown of Great Britain, are only confined in the most explicit manner to the limits of Europe, as it is evidently and clearly expressed in the second article of the treaty of 1678, in the following words:

"The whole, however, within the extent of Europe only;" which has been confirmed, and finally ratified by the separate article of the treaty of the 8th of January, 1717. That it is incontestible that the present war began in America, and that its extension and communication to Europe, cannot be considered otherwise than an accessory event to those primitive troubles; and that it thus cannot be said, that the case of the alliance (Caus foederis) is in any respect applicable to the present war. That from these motives, it is further their opinion, that their High Mightinesses may excuse themselves from granting the succours required by the said Ambassador in his two memorials."

March 30. We find that the States General have, by their agent, Mr. Vanden Burgh Van Spierings Hock, given the following provisional answer to the English Ambassador's memorial: "That their High Mightinesses are very desirous to coincide with the wishes of his Britannick Majesty, by giving a positive answer to the memorial delivered by his Ambassador, but that their High Mightinesses foresee, that from the nature of the government of the republick, it is impossible to return an answer in three weeks time, as the memorial must be deliberated upon by the different provinces, and their resolutions waited for. That their High Mightinesses are assured his Majesty would not wish rigorously to keep to the before mentioned time, that their High Mightinesses might be able to conclude upon and answer in a manner conformable to the constitution of the republick, in which they had no right to make any alteration, and they promise to accelerate the deliberations upon that head as much as possible." It is further said, that the English Ambassador having read this answer excused himself from accepting it, on account of the King his master's orders, but said he did not doubt but that the representations which Count Welderen had orders to make to his Court would entirely fulfil the intentions of their High Mightinesses. It is also said, that Sir Joseph Yorke, communicated this his answer to the States General on the 28th of this month in a conference.