Chap. II. The Hiftory , &c. o /" the Imperial-Company at Oftend, 967 
frary foever the erecting fuch a Company in the Low-Coun- 
tries, might be to the Interefts of other Nations concern- 
ed in the fame Trade, they could, however, have no^ juft 
Claim to demand, or exped, that his Imperial Majefty 
ftiould forego fuch apparent Advantages for their Sakes, 
or, in plain Terms, hinder his own Subjeds from becom- 
ing rich, that theirs might remain fo. Yet this was, in 
plain Wortjg, the Cafe, and the Maritime Powers declared, 
in exprefs Terms, that they expeded his Imperial Ma- 
jefty Ihould do this, and that he was bound by Treaties 
to comply with their Demands. 
The States-General, who thought themfelves moft ag- 
grieved, were both the earlieft and the Ioudeft in their Com- 
plaints •, and as it is impoffible to give the Englijh Reader 
a fuller, or clearer Account of the Grounds upon which 
they were founded, than by laying before him the Me- 
morial prefented by M. Bruyninx , Envoy from the States- 
General to the Court of Vienna , which contains the Sub- 
ftance of all that was alledged againft the Emperor’s Right 
of eftabliftiing fuch a Company, we- have, with this View, 
made as ftiort and fuccind an Extrad of that very long 
Memorial, as is confiftent with the Defign of preferving 
its Senfe and Spirit. 
We muft at the fame Time obferve, that tho* the States- 
General themfelves were very ready and willing to take 
this Step, which they very well knew was abfolutely necef- 
fary for fecuring the Commerce of their Subjeds; yet 
they were not a little quickned therein by the Application 
of their own Eafi-India Company, who, as they felt the 
Danger moft, bore it with the leaft Patience, and there- 
fore ^preffed this Application might be made in Time, 
before the Letters Patent for this Company were adually 
o-ranted, or while they might be revoked, with a better 
Grace, becaufe of their turning lefs to the Difadvantage 
of the Subfcribers to the Company’s Capital, before their 
Money was adually paid, or veiled in Merchandize. Ac- 
cordingly, on the fifteenth of March 1723, M. Bruyninx , 
by Order from the States-General , adually prefented to 
the Minifters of his Imperial Majefty his famous Memo- 
rial, which was to the Purpofe following, viz. 
« Their High-Mightineffes, who have the Honour to live 
“ in «-ood Correfpondence and Amity with his Imperial Ma- 
te jefty, having nothing more atHeart than the Continuance 
« of the fame good Correfpondence and Amity which has at 
«« all Times fubfifted between his Imperial Majefty and 
<e this State, and between the Subjeds of both Parts, can- 
« n ot behold, without extream Grief, that the Inhabi- 
«« tants of the Aufirian Netherlands, Subjeds of his Im- 
« perial Majefty, are undertaking Matters no Ways con- 
“ "fiftent with the good Correfpondence and fincere Ami- 
es ty ; but are extreamly prejudicial to the State, and con- 
es trar y to this Treaties concluded between his Imperial 
64 Majefty and their High-Mightinefifes. Their High- 
44 Mightineffes have the more Reafon highly to complain 
46 in this Matter, becaufe the Inftances that have been 
44 made, and from Time to Time reiterated on their Part, 
44 to obtain proper Redrefs, have not only been fruitlefs, 
84 but his Imperial Majefty ’s faid Subjeds in the Aufirian 
«« Netherlands, extend even daily their Enterprizes, in 
44 which they feem encouraged and confirmed, by their 
64 obtaining of his Catholick and Imperial Majefties, as 
44 their High Mightineffes have been informed, a Licence 
44 to fail from the Aufirian Netherlands to the Eafi- Indies, 
44 particularly from Ofiend. 
«< Their High-Mightinefies forefeeing the unavoidable 
44 Troubles that muft attend this Affair, if his Catholick 
44 and Imperial Majefty fhould, contrary to all Expeda- 
44 tion and Equity, permit his Subjeds of the Aufirian 
44 Netherlands to proceed in their Undertakings, with re- 
44 fped to Navigation and Trade to the Eafi- Indies, con- 
44 trary to the Tenor and Letter of Treaties-, and if Op- 
64 pofition fhould be made to their High-Mightinefies, in 
44 cafe they attempt to make Ufe of their Right obtained 
44 by. Treaties. But their High-Mightinefies being de- 
44 firous of nothing more than to prevent fuch kind of 
44 Troubles, could not in the prefent Jundure avoid 
45 making fuch Reprefentations to his Imperial Majefty, 
44 that by the Treaty concluded in 1648, at Munfler , be- 
4 * tween his Majefty the King of Spain then reigning, and 
54 his Succeffors oh the one Part, and their High-Mighti- 
44 neffes on the other Part, Commerce and Navigation to 
44 the Eafi and Wefi- Indies wer e regulated and limited 1 itli 
44 regard to the Subjeds of Spain , upon the Foot they then 
44 were eftablilhed* without Power of farther Extension, 
45 and with regard to the Subjeds of this Slate , it wa£ 
44 agreed, that the former ftiould refrain from Places which 
44 the latter poffeffed. 
44 Thefe Articles have always been religioufly bbferved, 
44 and the Inhabitants of the Spanifh- Nether lands, at pre- 
44 fent Aufirian, have never been permitted or tolerated 
44 to trade to the Indies . The faid Netherlands being fall- 
44 en under the Dominion of his Catholick Imperial Ma- 
44 jefty, have not thereby acquired larger Privileges than 
44 before ; nor can it ever be imagined that their High- 
44 Mightineffes, who have made fuch fignal Efforts, con- 
44 tributed fo much to the Recovery of the Spanifh Ne- 
44 therlands , and fo many other Parts of the Spanifh Mo- 
44 narchy, in Favour of his Catholick and Imperial Ma- 
44 jefty, purfuant to their Engagements on that Behalf, 
44 could poflibly, by entering into thofe very Engagements, 
44 depart from, or ever intend to depart from their Cha- 
44 raders, and their Right of maintaining themfelves 
44 therein to Perpetuity, obtained by the faid Treaty of 
44 Munfler ; or that his Catholick and Imperial Majefty 
44 had any Intention in recovering the faid Netherlands, to 
44 make Alterations in the faid Treaty, much lefs defign, 
44 contrary to the Stipulation therein fo plainly expreffed,; 
44 to caufe any Prejudice to the State* in a Point fo ef- 
44 fential and important to them, upon which it was fo 
44 ftrongly infilled in the Negotiations at Munfler , and 
44 without which that Treaty could not have been con- 
44 eluded. 
44 Moreover, it is exprefly ftipulated by the twenty- 
44 fixth Article of the Barrier Treaty, that Commerce and 
44 all Things relating to it, fhould remain, to all Intents 
44 and Purpofes, upon the fame Foot it was eftablithed at 
44 the Treaty of Munfler , and in the Manner expreffed in 
44 the Articles of the faid Treaty ; infomuch that the faid 
44 Treaty of Munfler is evidently confirmed by the Treaty 
44 of the Barrier , even at the Time his Catholick and 
44 Imperial Majefty was already in the Poffeffion of the 
44 faid Netherlands ; as likewife by the Guaranty of his 
44 Britanick Majefty. 
44 And whereas the Right of the States in this Particu- 
44 lar, is fo manifeft, that their High-Mightineffes have 
44 the utmoft Grounds to exped, from the fo mueh re- 
44 nowned Friendfliip and Equity of his Catholick and 
44 Imperial Majefty, that he will not favour, or tolerate 
44 any Prejudice to the faid Right of the State. They 
ctl therefore amicably require that the Patent, which is faid 
44 to have been granted for Navigation and Commerce of 
44 the Aufirian- Netherlands to the Indies, may not be pub- 
44 liftied, but withdrawn, or at leaft rendered ineffectual* 
44 and that fuch Orders may be given by his Imperial 
44 Majefty, that fuch kind of Navigation and Commerce, 
44 whether with Patents or without, may entirely ceafe, 
44 and that the Treaties in that Refped may be executed 
44 # ' 5 
4. This Memorial was no fooner tranfmitted to Eng- 
land, than it was tranfiated, and printed by Order of the 
Eafi-India Company, who directed that it ftiould be given 
to the Members at the Door of the Houfe of Commons, 
in order to quicken them in their Proceedings on a Com- 
plaint already exhibited to them on the Subjed of this 
new Company, of which the Subjeds of Great -Britain, 
had the very fame Right to exped the Abolition that 
the States-General had expreffed. 
The Method they took had, in every Refped, the wi£h~ 
ed for Effed ; for this Memorial, which lo thoroughly 
explained the Thing, had fo good an Operation on^the 
Members of the Houfe, that, upon the 30th of April, 
1723, Sir Nathaniel Gold reported from the Committee 
appointed to enquire into the Nature of a Subfcription faid 
to be carried on by feveral of his Majefty’s Subjeds, to 
promote an Eafi-India Company now ereding in the Au- 
firian Netherlands the Matter, as it appeared to them, and 
the Refactions of the Committee thereupon as follows^ 
viz. 
U 
