WILLIAM TUB THIRD.

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and, if renunciations were of no value, it was idle to citap.

„ XXIII.

offer England and Holland a renunciation as a guarantee ,09s.against a great danger.

The French Ministers withdrew to make their reportto their master, and soon returned to say that their pro-posals liad been merely first thoughts, that it was nowthe turn of King William to suggest something, and thatwhatever he might suggest should receive the fullest andfairest consideration.

And now the scene of the negotiation was shiftedfrom Versailles to Kensington. The Count of Tallard {^ssy Em_had just set out for England as Ambassador. He was afine gentleman: he was a brave soldier; and he was asyet reputed a skilful general. In all the arts and graceswhich were prized as qualifications for diplomatic mis-sions of the highest class, he liad, among the brilliantaristocracy to which he belonged, no superior and onlyone equal, the Marquess of Ilarcourt, who was entrustedwith the care of the interests of the House of Bourbonat Madrid.

Tallard carried with him instructions carefully framedin the French Foreign Office. He was reminded that hissituation would be widely different from that of his pre-decessors who had resided in England before the Revolu-tion. Even his predecessors, however, had consideredit as their duty to study the temper, not only of the Court,but of the nation. It would now be more than ever ne-cessary to watch the movements of the public mind. A

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