Letters to England, circa 1684-85

Manuscript, in a single hand, of a letterbook containing several hundred diplomatic letters from Paris and dated between 16 August 1684 and 22 August 1685, during the time of Preston’s stint as envoy extraordinary to the court of France. The letters report on the Truce of Ratisbon; the French decision to declare an English vessel captured by privateers as "a good prize"; and imminent ratifications to be exchanged between France and Spain. Other letters mention Preston’s attempts to obtain redress for English citizens in France; and some letters contain personal information, as in a note in 1684 which mentions his wife’s pregnancy and his son’s illness. The principal recipient of the letters is Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland; other recipients include George Fitzroy, Duke of Northumberland; George Savile, 1st Marquis of Halifax; George Gordon, 1st Duke of Gordon; Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Carlisle; Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton; Sir Thomas Exton; Sir Stephen Fox; Sir Christopher Musgrave; and Sir John Werden (Worden).