Autograph letter signed : Utrecht, to The Duke of Leeds, 1707 December 20.

Reporting on the political situation; saying "The disorders are greater in Gelderland then in the other provinces, & spring from the same fountain with those which I have had the honour to relate to y'r Grace, that is, the desire of the Meaner sort to keep the Government in their hands & to excuse the Nobility from it (y'r Grace knows that the Gentry is so called in these parts) Gelderland has more Gentlemen then the other six Provinces together, and so, is more Inclined to be governed by a Stadholder than the rest. A citizen of the City of Arnhem (which is the second in the Province & next to Nimmeghen) got himself chosen by a few of his party to a vacant place in y'e Counsell of State of that Province. That counsell, wherein the Gentlemen have the Superiority, did not allow of that Choice, & forbad him to be acknowledged in that quality. A small walled town, called Wagheninghen, which Lyes in the district of Arnhem in obedience to that prohibition, did refuse to acknowledge the sayd Counsellor; whereupon this went with 4 or 500 men of the Rabble of Arnhem to besiege Wagheninghem, broke open the gate of the town with two pieces of Canon he had along with him, & took prisoners two of the Magistrates, who had most opposed him, which he brought to Arnhem. The Counsell of State met upon the news of it, & commanded the pretended Counsellor to release the Prisoners & to appear before them in order to answer for what he had attempted. He laughed at their commands, & kept in the town, where he had a strong party. So the Counsell was obliged to seek for reddress from the States General, & at last, with much ado, obtained two regiments of foot & one of horse to reduce Arnhem to obedience: which was effected last week; two of the Burghmasters of the contrary party to the Counsellor, having brought the Citizens to compliance & admitted the 3 Regiments into the town: But the guilty person, with some of his chief adherents, had removed betimes with their effects & retired to Delft, in the Province of Holland, where they Ly safe. We don't know yet what will be farther done, in order to punish the accomplices, & to prevent the like for the future."