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

Let any man read these two treaties from the beginning to the end, he will imagine, that the King of Portugal and his minifters fat down and made them by themselves, and then fent them to their allies to fign; the whole spirit 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 those 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, in the year 1709. In this treaty, neither her Majefty, nor her kingdoms, have any intereft or concern, further than what is mentioned in the fecond and the twentieth articles: by the former, the States are to affist 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 firit of thefe, it is certainly for the fafety and intereft of the States General, that the proteftant fucceffion fhould be preserved in Eng

land;

land; because fuch a popish 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 defensive against a common enemy, without any feparate benefit upon that confideration. Her Majesty is in the full peaceable poffeffion of her kingdoms, and of the hearts of her people; among whom, hardly one in five thoufand is 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 unreafonable exorbitant articles in the reft of the treaty, let the world judge. What an impreffion of our fettlement must 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 sense, that a foreign power fhould be called in, to confirm our fucceffion, by way of a 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 ftate, who is guarantee, how much foever the neceffities of the kingdom may require it.

As to the other article, it is a natural confequence 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 fucceffion by our own laws,

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laws, which no foreign power hath any pretence to difpute.

However, in order to deserve these mighty advantages from the States, the reft 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 dependencies, and four hundred thoufand crowns a year from the King of Spain, to maintain their garrifons. By which means, they will have the command of 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 provinces. Further, they have li, 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 garrifons into Oftend, or where else they please, upon a rupture with England..

By this treaty, likewife, the Dutch will, in effect, be entire mafters of all the Low Countries; may impofe duties, reftrictions in commerce, and prohibitions at their pleasure; and in that fertile country, may fet up all forts of manufactures, particularly the woollen, by inviting the difobliged manufacturers in Ireland, and the French refugees,

refugees, who are scattered all over Germany. And as this manufacture encreaseth abroad, the clothing people of England will be neceffitated, for want of employment, to follow; and in few years, by help of the low interest 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-establifh the ftaples of wool abroad; and the Dutch, inftead of being only the carriers, will become the original poffeffors of those 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 must 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 clofed on the fide of the States: thus, all other nations are, in effect, shut out from trading with Flanders. Yet, in the very fame article, it is faid, that the States fhall be fa voured 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 worfe condition, as to our trade there, than be fore the war began. We have been the great fupport of the King of Spain, to whom 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 unreasonable obligation of being guarrantee, and that they fhall poffefs their barrier, and their four

hundred

hundred thousand crowns a year, even before a peace.

It is to be observed, that this treaty was only figned by one of our plenipotentiaries *; and I have been told, that the other was heard to fay t, he would rather lofe his right-hand, than fet it to fuch a treaty. Had he spoke thofe 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 honour, 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 chose to sacrifice the honour of the crown, and the safety of their country, than not ratify what one of their favourites had tranfacted.

Let me now confider, in what manner our allies have obferved thofe treaties they made with us, and the feveral 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 fea and land. By a convention fubfequent to this treaty, the proportions which the feveral parties should contribute towards the war, were adjufted in the following manner: the Emperor was obliged to furnish ninety thousand

men

* Lord Townshend. See John Bull, part 1. chap. 15. Vol. VII. + Duke of Marlborough.

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