Add MS 51377

Official correspondence and papers of 1st Lord Holland mostly as Secretary of State relating to French preparations for war and the loss of Minorca in 1756, preceded (ff. 1-29) by earlier papers relating to foreign affairs: 1741 - 1757. Mostly copies. Eng. and French Supplementary to Add MSS 31959 and 35895. See D. Pope, At 12 Mr. Byng was shot ... (1962), who made use of the present collection. Contents include:- (1) Observations on a memorial of Antoine Louis Rouillé, Comte de Jouy, French Foreign Minister, dated 21 Dec 1755. French Copy. See Henry Fox ..., pp. 302-303. Other copies with Rouillé's letter of 21 Dec and Lord Holland's reply, 13 Jan 1756, are in Eg MS 2694, ff. 190-201, 3458, ff. 149-167b, Add MSS 6862, ff. 96-109b, 15875, ff. 46-61b, 32862, f. 315 (reply of 13 Jan 1756 only), 34728, ff. 40, 41 (letters only, without the memorial), 35480, ff. 110-125b, ff. 34-45b. (2) Intelligence reports, etc., from:- (a) George William Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol, Envoy to Sardinia, ff. 30, 99, 101;- (b) George Whatley, in Marseilles, ff. 46, 56, 63, 66-75, 95, 187-190;- (c) Arthur Villettes, British Resident at Berne, ff. 48-55, 58-62, 93:- (d) George Cressener, British Minister to Cologne, ff. 88-90b;- (e) Joseph Miller, Consul at Barcelona (together with other reports from Spain). ff. 91, 96, 193, 234, 244-252;- (f) John Birtles, Consul at Genoa. ff. 102-104b;- (g) Richard Wolters, British agent at Rotterdam. ff. 109-118b;- (h) Col. the Hon. Joseph Yorke (Baron Dover 1788), Minister to the United Provinces. ff. 121-123b;- (i) Comte François Marie Joseph Justin de Viry, Sardinian Envoy to Great Britain. ff. 139-141b, 148, 171;- (k) Martinho de Mello e Castro, Portuguese Envoy to Great Britain. (3) Letters, etc., from:- (a) Lt.-Gen. William Blakeney (Baron Blakeney 1756), Lieutenant-Governor of Minorca, including (f. 78) minutes of a council of war held by him (printed by D. Erskine, Augustus Hervey's Journal, 1953, pp. 313-318). ff. 78-83b, 105-108b;- (b) Admiral the Hon. John Byng. ff. 121-131b, 173-183b;- (c) Lt.-Gen. Thomas Fowke, Governor of Gibraltar, together with (f. 197) a copy of a letter to him from Lord Holland. ff. 132-137b, 142-144b, 191, 197-204b, 212-219b;- (d) Capt. Augustus John Hervey (3rd Earl of Bristol 1775). D. Erskine, op. cit., pp. 210-212, 319-320, 322-323, has printed extracts, together with facsimiles of the first three or four accompanying plans (ff. 222b, 223) of the battle of Mahon. See also correspondence of Lady Hervey in Add MS 51397, ff. 1-168b. ff. 184-186b, 220-223b. (4) Two drafts, in the hand of Lord Holland, of the message of George II to Parliament, postponing the execution of Admiral Byng; 26 Feb 1757. ff. 260, 261.

Includes correspondence and papers of:

Francis Aiskell

Vice Admiral George Anson

James Banks

Roalnd Michel Barrin

William Wildman Barrington-Shute

John Birtles

Lieutenant-General William Blakeney

Admiral John Byng

John Clevland

Colonel Honorary Edward Cornwallis

George Cressener al. Gressener

Lieutenant General Thomas Fawke

Henry Fox

Vice Admiral Sir Edward Hawke

Captain Augustus John Hervey

George William Hervey

Sir Benjamin Keene

Captain Alexander Leith

Joseph Miller

Colonel Robert Napier

Frederick II King of Prussia

Sir Thomas Robinson

Antoine Louis Rouillé

William Stanhope

Louis Francois Arnaud de Viguerot du Plessis

Arthur Villettes

Comte Francois Marie Joseph Justin de Viry

George Whatley

Richard Whatley

Richard Wolters

Colonel Joseph Yorke

Captain James Young