the South Sea; as they did annually during the whole courfe of the war without the least moleftation, and from whence they imported into France in that time as much filver and gold as the whole species of that kingdom amounted to. With this immenfe and conftant supply of wealth, France was reduced in effect to bankruptcy before the end of the war. How much sooner must he have been so, if this fupply had been kept from her? The confeffion of France herself is on my fide. She confeffed her inability to fupport what she had undertaken, when the fued for peace as early as the year one thousand feven hundred and fix. She made her utmost efforts to answer the expectation of the Spaniards, and to keep their monarchy entire. When experience had made it evident that this was beyond her power, the thought herself juftified" to the Spanish nation, in confenting to a partition, and was ready to conclude a peace

2

peace with the allies on the principles of their grand alliance. But as France feemed to flatter herself, till experience made her defirous to abandon an enterprize that exceeded her ftrength; you will find, my lord, that her enemies beto flatter themselves in their turn, gan and to form defigns and take engagements that exceeded theirs. Great Britain was drawn into thefe engagements little by little; for I do not remember any parliamentary declaration for continuing the war till PHILIP fhould be dethroned, before the year one thousand feven hundred and fix: and then fuch a declaration was judged neceffary to fecond the refolution of our minifters and our allies, in departing from the principles of the grand alliance, and in propofing not only the reduction of the French, but the conqueft of the Spanish monarchy, as the objects of the war. plan had taken place, and we had begun to act upon it, two years before, when

This new

the

the treaty with Portugal was concluded, and the archduke CHARLES, now emperor, was fent into Portugal first, and into Catalonia afterwards, and was acknowledged and fupported as king of Spain.

WHEN your lordship peruses the anecdotes of the times here fpoken of, and confiders the courfe and event of the great war which broke out on the death of the king of Spain; CHARLES the second, and was ended by the treaties of Utrecht and Radftat; you will find, that in order to form a true judgment on the whole, you muft confider very attentively the great change made by the new plan that I have mentioned; and compare it with the plan of the grand alliance, relatively to the general intereft of Europe, and the particular intereft of your own country. It will not, because it cannot be denied, that all the ends of the grand alliance might have been obtained by a VOL. II. peace

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peace in one thousand feven hundred and fix. I need not recall the events of that, and of the precedent years of the war. Not only the arms of France had been defeated on every fide; but the inward ftate of that kingdom was already more exhaufted than it had ever been. She went on indeed, but the ftaggered and reeled under the burden of the war. Our condition, I speak of Great Britain, was not quite fo bad: but the charge of the war increased annually upon us. It was evident that this charge muft continue to increase, and it was no lefs evident that our nation was unable to bear it without falling foon into fuch diftrefs, and contracting fuch debts, as we have feen and felt, and ftill feel. The Dutch neither reftrained their trade, nor overloaded it with taxes. They foon altered the proportion of their quotas, and were deficient even after this alteration in them. But, however, it must be allowed, that they exerted their whole strength;

ftrength; and they and we paid the whole charge of the war. Since therefore by fuch efforts as could not be continued any longer, without oppreffing and im→ poverishing these nations to a degree, that no interest except that of their very being, nor any engagement of affifting an alliance totis viribus can require, France was reduced, and all the ends of the war were become attainable; it will be worth your lordship's while to confider why the true ufe was not made of the fuccefs of the confederates against France and Spain, and why a peace was not concluded in the fifth year of the war. When your lordship confiders this, you will compare in your thoughts what the ftate of Europe would have been, and that of your own country might have been, if the plan of the grand alliance had been pursued; with the poffible as well as certain, the contingent as well as necesfary, confequences of changing this plan in the manner it was changed. You will