The Virginia Gazette

London, Dec. 17.

THE following are the Contents of a Writing delivered at the Hague, to the President of the Week,
by the Marquis de St. Gilles, the Spanish Ambassador, That he had just received Letters from the King
his Master, who had order'd him to declare to their
High-Mightinesses, that since they continued to act as
Mediators between the Courts of Spain and Lisbon, the
King of Spain found himself obliged to acquaint the
Republick. that he had the greatest Reason to be dissatisfied
with the Court of Lisbon,for that notwithstanding
the Hostilities committed by the Spaniards against
the Portuguese at Buenos Ayres, and other
Spanish Colonies in America, were entirely unknown
to his Catholick Majesty, and those Hostilities were
ceased by his Majesty's Orders; yet the King of Portugal
had sent positive Instructions to his Troops in those
Parts, to treat the Subjects of his Catholick Majesty as
Enemies, and to attack them on all Occasions;and that
they had taken several of his Catholic Majesty's Subjects
Prisoners, and us'd them with the utmost Cruelty;
whereby it was evident how little the King of Portugal
was dispos'd to establish a good Understanding
with his Catholick Majesty. For this Cause, the King
of Spain has found himself under a Necessity to declare,
that for want of a publick Reparation, from the
Court of Portugal, his Majesty cou'd not consent to
any Proposition of Accommodation. Nevertheless, if
the King, of Portugal would disown all those Hostilities
in America, and accept of the Preliminaries of
Accommodation, as they were drawn up by the Ministers
of the Three mediating Powers at Madrid, his
Catholick Majesty might recede from some Demands he
might justly insist on. And moreover, that his Catholick
Majesty being unwilling to take Advantage of the
K. of Portugal, by his Superiority of Power, promis'd
not to commit any Hostilities against him, whilst the
Mediators, particularly their High Mightinesses and the
Court of France, employ their good Offices to determine
his Portuguese Majesty to take such Steps as Should be
requir'd.' This Paper being presented to the Assembly
of the States General, they have resolv'd to act in Concert
with his Britannick Majesty in this Affair, clearly seeing
thro' the Artifices of the Court of Spain, whose principal
View is to raise a Jealousy between that of Great
Britain and their High Mightinesses,making a Shew of
great Confidence in the latter, while she utterly rejects
the Mediation of the former.