Tenting, that the Archduke fhall poffefs the dominions of Spain in as full a manner as their late K. Charles. And what is more remarkable, we broke this very article in favour of Portugal by fubfequent ftipulations; where we agree that K. Charles fhall deliver up Estramadura, Vigo, and fome other places to the Portuguese, as foon as we can conquer them from the enemy. They who are guilty of fo much folly and contradiction, know beft whether It proceeded from corruption or stupidity.

By two other articles (befides the honour of being convoys and guards in ordinary to the Portuguefe fhips and coafts), we are to guess the enemy's thoughts, and to take the King of Portugal's word whenever he hath a fancy that he shall be invaded. We are alfo to furnish him with a strength fuperior to what the enemy intends to invade any of his dominions with, let that be what it will. And until we know what the enemy's forces are, his Portuguese Majefty is fole judge what ftrength is fuperior, and what will be able to prevent an invafion; and may fend our fleets whenever he pleases upon his errands to fome of the farther parts of the world, or keep them attending upon his own coafts till he think fit to difmifs them. Thefe fleets muft likewife be fubject in all things, not only to the King, but to his viceroys, admirals, and governors in any of his foreign dominions, when he is in an humour to apprehend an invafion; which, I believe, is an indignity that was never offered before, except to a conquered nation.

In the defenfive alliance with that crown, which is to remain perpetual, and where only England and Holland are parties with them, the fame care in almoft the fame words is taken for our fleet to attend their coafts and foreign dominions, and to be under the fame obedience. We and the States are likewife to furnish them with twelve thousand men at our own charge, which we are conftantly to recruit; and these are to be subject to the Portuguese generals.

In the offenfive alliance we took no care of having the affiftance of Portugal, whenever we should be invaded; but in this it seems we are wifer; for that King is obliged to make war on France or Spain, whenever we or Holand are invaded by either; but before this we are to

Supply

fapply them with the fame forces both by fea and land, as if he were invaded himself. And this must needs be a very prudent and fafe courfe for a maritime power to take upon a fudden invafion; by which, instead of making ufe of our fleets and arms for our own defence, we muft fend them abroad for the defence of Portugal.

By the thirteenth article we are told what this af fiftance is which the Portuguese are to give us, and upon what conditions. They are to furnish ten men of war; and when England and Holland fhall be invaded by France and Spain together, or by Spain alone, in either of thefe cafes thofe ten Portuguese men of war are to ferve only upon their own coafts; where no doubt they will be of mighty ufe to their allies, and terror to the enemy.

How the Dutch were drawn to have a part in either of these two alliances, is not very material to inquire, fince they have been fo wife as never to obferve them; and, I fuppofe, never intended it; but resolved, as they have fince done, to shift the load upon us.

Eet any man read thefe two treaties from the begin ning to the end, he will imagine that the King of Portugal and his minifters fat down and made them by themfelves, and then fent them to their allies to fign; the whole fpirit and tenor of them quite through running only upon this fingle point, what we and Holland are to do for Portugal, without any mention of an equivalent, except thofe ten fhips, which, at the time when we have greatest need of their affiftance, are obliged to attend upon their own coafts.

The barrier-treaty between Great Britain and Holland was concluded at the Hague, on the 29th of October inthe year 1709. In this treaty neither her Majesty nor her kingdoms have any intereft or concern, farther than what is mentioned in the fecond and the twentieth ar ticles: by the former the States are to affift the QUEEN in defending the act of fucceffion; and by the other, not to treat of a peace, till France hath acknowledged the QUEEN and the fucceffion of Hanover, and promised to remove the pretender out of that king's dominions.

As to the first of thefe, it is certainly for the fafety and intereft of the States-General, that the Proteftant fuccesfion fhould be preserved in England; because such a

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Fopifh prince as we apprehended, would infallibly join with France in the ruin of that republic. And the Dutch are as much bound to fupport our fucceffion, as they are tied to any part of a treaty or league offenfive and defenfive against a common enemy, without any separate benefitupon that confideration. Her Majefty is in the full peaceable poffeffion of her kingdoms, and of the hearts of her people; among whom hardly one in five thousand are in the pretender's intereft. And whether the affiftance of the Dutch, to preserve a right fo well established, be an equivalent to thofe many unreasonable exorbitant articles. in the rest of the treaty, let the world judge. What an impreffion of our settlement muft it give abroad, to fee our minifters offering fuch conditions to the Dutch to prevail on them to be guarantees of our acts of parliament !" neither perhaps is it right, in point of policy or good fenfe, that a foreign power fhould be called in to confirm our fucceffion by way of guarantee, but only to acknowledge it; otherwife we put it out of the power of our own legiflature to change our fucceffion without the confent of that prince or state who is guarantee, how much foever. the neceffities of the kingdom may require it.

As to the other article, it is a natural consequence that must attend any treaty of peace we can make with France; being only the acknowledgment of her Majefty as QUEEN of her own dominions, and the right of fuccession by our own laws, which no foreign power hath any pretence to difpute.

However, in order to deferve these mighty advantages. from the States, the rest of the treaty is wholly taken up in directing what we are to do for them.

By the grand alliance, which was the foundation of the prefent war, the Spanish Low Countries were to be recovered and delivered to the King of Spain; but by this treaty, that prince is to poffefs nothing in Flanders during the war; and after a peace the States are to have the military command of about twenty towns, with their dependences, and four hundred thousand crowns a-year from the King of Spain to maintain their garrifons. By which means they will have the command of all Flanders, from Newport on the fea to Namur on the Maese, and be entirely masters of the Pais de Waas, the richest part of

thofe

thofe provinces. Further, they have liberty to garrifon any place they fhall think fit in the Spanish Low Countries, whenever there is an appearance of war; and confequently to put garrisons into Oftend, or where else they please, upon a rupture with England.

By this treaty likewife the Dutch will in effect be en tire masters of all the Low Countries; may impose duties, restrictions in commerce, and prohibitions at their pleafure; and in that fertile country may fet up all forts of manufactures, particularly the woolfen, by inviting the difobliged manufacturers in Ireland, and the French refugees, who are scattered all over Germany. And as this manufacture increaseth abroad, the clothing-people of England will be neceffitated for want of employment to follow; and in few years, by help of the low intereft of money in Holland, Flanders may recover that beneficial trade which we got from them. The landed men of England will then be forced to re-establish the ftaples of wool abroad; and the Dutch, inftead of being only the carriers, will become the original poffeffors of thofe commodities, with which the greatest part of the trade of the world is now carried on. And as they increase their trade, it is obvious they will enlarge their ftrength at fea, and that ours muft leffen in proportion.

All the ports in Flanders are to be fubject to the like duties, that the Dutch fhall lay upon the Scheld, which is to be closed on the fide of the States: thus all other nations are in effect fhut. out from trading with Flanders.. Yet in the very fame article it is faid, that the States fhall be favoured in all the Spanish dominions as much as Great Britain, or as the people most favoured. We have conquered Flanders for them, and are in a worse condition as to our trade there, than before the war be-gan.

We have been the great fupport of the King of Spain, to whoin the Dutch have hardly contributed any thing at all; and yet they are to be equally favoured with us in all his dominions. Of all this the QUEEN is under the unreafonable obligation of being guarantee, and that they fhall poffefs their barrier and their four hundred thoufand crowns a-year, even before a peace.

It is to be obferved, that this treaty was only figned K 3

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by one of our plenipotentiaries; and I have been told, that the other was heard to fay, he would rather lofe his right hand than fet it to fuch a treaty. Had he spokethole words in due feafon, and loud enough to be heard on this fide the water, confidering the credit he had then at court, he might have faved much of his country's ho-nour, and got as much to himfelf; therefore, if the report be true, I am inclined to think he only SAID it. I have been likewife told, that fome very neceffary circumftances were wanting in the entrance upon this treaty; but the minifters here rather chofe to facrifice the honour of the crown, and the fafety of their country, than not ratify what one of their favourites had tranfacted.

Let me now confider in what manner our allies have obferved those treaties they made with us, and the severali ftipulations and agreements pursuant to them.

By the grand alliance between the Empire, England,. and Holland, we were to affift the other two totis viribus, by sea and land. By a convention fubfequent to this treaty, the proportions which the feveral parties fhould contribute towards the war, were adjusted in the following manner: the Emperor was obliged to furnish ninety thousand men against France, either in Italy, or upon the Rhine; Holland to bring fixty thousand into the field in Flanders, exclufive of garrifeus; and we fortythoufand. In winter 1702, which was the next year, the Duke of Marlborough propofcd raising ten thousand men more by way of augmentation, and to carry on the war with greater vigour, to which the parliament agreed,, and the Dutch were to raise the fame number. This was upon a par, directly contrary to the former ftipulation, whereby our part was to be a third less than theirs; and therefore it was granted with a condition that Holland fhould break off all trade and commerce with France.. But this condition was never executed; the Dutch only amufing us with a fpecious declaration, till our feffion of parliament was ended; and the following year it was taken off by concert between our general and the States, without any reafon alligned, for the fatisfaction of the

See John Bull, p. 203. vol. 5.

Lord Townshend. † Duke of Marlborough.

kingdom