who held any thing of that kind.  The Marquis de la Fayette was one of these.  They had given him a military command, to be exercised in the south of France, during the months of August and September of the present year.  This they took from him; so that he is disgraced, in the ancient language of the court, but in truth, honorably marked in the eyes of the nation.  The ministers are so sensible of this, that they have had, separately, private conferences with him, to endeavor, through him, to keep things quiet.  From the character of the province of Bretagne, it was much apprehended, for some days, that the imprisonment of their deputies would have produced an insurrection.  But it took another turn.  The Cours intermediaire of the province, acknowledged to be a legal body, deputed eighteen members of their body to the King.  To these he gave an audience, and the answer, of which I send you a copy.  This is hard enough.  Yet I am in hopes the appeal to the sword will be avoided, and great modifications in the government be obtained without bloodshed.  As yet none has been spilt, according to the best evidence I have been able to obtain, notwithstanding what the foreign newspapers have said to the contrary.  The convocation of the States General has now become inevitable.  Whenever the time shall be announced certainly, it will keep the nation quiet till they meet.  According to present probabilities, this must be in the course of the next summer; but to what movements their meeting and measures may give occasion, cannot be foreseen.  Should a foreign war take place, still they must assemble the States General, because they cannot, but by their aid, obtain money to carry it on.  Monsieur de Malesherbes will, I believe, retire from the King’s Council.  He has been much opposed to the late acts of authority.  The Baron de Breteuil has resigned his secretaryship of the domestic department; certainly not for the same reasons, as he is known to have been of opinion, that the King had compromitted too much of his authority.  The real reason has probably been, an impatience of acting under a principal minister.  His successor is M. de Villedeuil, lately Comptroller General.

The ambassadors of Tippoo Saib have arrived here.  If their mission has any other object than that of pomp and ceremony, it is not yet made known.  Though this court has not avowed that they are in possession of Trincomale, yet the report is believed, and that possession was taken by General Conway, in consequence of orders given in the moment that they thought a war certain.  The dispute with the States General of the United Netherlands, on account of the insult to M. de St. Priest, does not tend as yet towards a settlement.  He has obtained leave to go to the waters, and perhaps from thence he may come to Paris, to await events.  Sweden has commenced hostilities against Russia, by the taking a little fortress by land.  This having been their intention, it is wonderful, that when their fleet lately met three