I  learn  from  Hamburg  that  they  have  brought  from  there  powder
for  these  ships,  it  having  been  bought  by  a  merchant  in  the  name
of  the  Queen.  Don  Antonio  has  sent  to  Orange  one  of  Dr.  Lopez's
men,  and  he  has  been  informed  that  ships  are  being  fitted  out  at
Rochelle  to  join  him.  The  only  Portuguese  who  came  with  him,
besides  Diego  Botello  and  Manuel  de  Silva,  are  Constantino  de
Brito  and  Tomas  Cachoro  who  they  tell  me  are  his  private  servants
Four  Portuguese  arrived  yesterday  with  letters  from  Vimioso,  ano
I  am  told  they  brought  a  tremendous  packet.
The  Queen-mother  sent  orders  to  the  French  ambassador  here  to
visit  Don  Antonio  on  her  behalf,  which  he  did  two  days  since.
Don  Antonio  had  already  sent  to  salute  Marchaumont  but  not  the
ambassador. — London,  17th  July  1581.
22  July.     116.    The  King  to  Bernardino  de  Mendoza.
^K  utr-^^ss!''  ^^th  regard  to  the  French  embassy  to  the  Queen,  and  the
negotiations  being  carried  on,  there  is  nothing  to  say  but  again  to
enjoin  you  to  discover  whether,  underneath  all  this,  there  is  any
private  league  or  understanding  between  them,  and  if  so,  for  what
purpose,  and  what  forces  they  would  employ.  The  arrest  of  Morton
in  Scotland  was  of  good  augury,  but  things  seem  to  have  slackened
since.  If  you  have  no  other  means  of  helping  forward  our  interests
in  that  country,  you  will  at  least  miss  no  opportunity  of  assuring
the  Queen  of  Scotland  of  my  goodwill  towards  herself  and  her  son.
160  SPANISH  STATE  PAPERS.
.  .. . II  if

1581.
