CHAPTER XII.

DISCUSSIONS MARINE TREATY. TEMPLE'S PUBLIC ENTRY.

HIS SPEECH SPECULATIONS. NEGOTIATIONS WITH SPAIN

AND SWEDEN ON THE GUARANTY AND SUBSIDY. D'1SOLA

THE AUSTRIAN MINISTER. — TRIPLE ALLIANCE IN DANGER.

*

1668-1669.

The ambassador now commenced his regular discussions with the Dutch minister.

With a view to the conciliation which he so much desired, it was important to remove the causes of discontent which existed in matters of trade and maritime rights.

Among these were the pretensions of the Dutch in reference to the East Indian seas, which, according to our East India Company, tended to exclude from these seas the commerce of all European nations. The particulars of these disputes are complicated and uninteresting*, nor did Temple ascribe much importance to them, except as they were connected with the larger questions of policy. According to him, "the noise made about the marine treaty," and the insinuation, that nothing but subtilty and injustice could be

present alliances between us, especially on their side, while the dangers were so great from the ambition and power, as well as the neighbourhood, of France: that great overtures would now be made us from thence to the prejudice of this alliance, and at all other times whenever they could hope we were ready to receive them. That though I could give him no jealousy of them now, but on the contrary assure him he might be at ease on that side, and that the King would only have the honour by it of setting them an example of his sincereness and constancy, which he would expect they would follow when the game begun with them, as it would after it ended with him; yet I would tell him that France was at all times capable of making us such offers, and of giving us our present account so well, though in exchange perhaps of danger to come (in case of no new revolutions), that whenever there should be in England a Prince less direct or less foreseeing than his Majesty, or either a weak or corruptible ministry, I could not answer what measures we should take. That upon this ground I thought fItcy c dd not do wiser than to root tit is allic the people and current not rely wholly upon

judgm,

concur with the dispositions of the Prince, they would be able to make a great noise in the world.

"I told him that many persons in England, either to make way for the French alliance, by weakening or breaking this, or else, perhaps, to discredit the most applauded counsels of the present ministry, had made a noise about the marine treaty as if it had been a ruining the nation, and, from thence took occasion to infuse into all people, as far as they could, that we should never find any fairness, or directness, or equality, in all we treated with the Dutch; but subtility and hardship and injustice, and when the occasion was, obstinacy and injury, in all matters of commerce between us, while we gave them reason to believe we thought their friendship necessary, or very convenient to us. That I had, ever since I knew him, maintained the contrary to his Majesty, assured him of the sincerity I had found in their proceedings, and been always made confidently believe by them, that his Majesty should find them ever reasonable and easy in what should be offered, in reducing matters of commerce to an equality, and to be reciprocal between us. That it was a small matter, that all my credit and, perhaps, fortune, lay at stake upon his making this good: but I am sure it was considerable * that the very safety of our alliance might, at one time or other, come to lie at stake upon it too. And, therefore, for my part, I thought they could not do in the world a wiser thing than to give us all reasonable satisfaction in these points, by consenting to any reglemens of commerce which might import equality, and be reciprocal between us. That any equality itself would be the same advantage to them, that a long arm against a short could be between two men with equal swords; for, considering their parsimony, industry, necessity of turning all their stock to trade, for want of land and multitude of people; and, on the other side, our native luxury, want of order or application, and our extent and cheapness of land, and ease of taxes, which made people choose to turn their money that way, they could never fail of advantage enough in any equality, and upon it would find the surest, the most commodious ally, and the best able to protect them that they could have in the world; being without any ambition or design among our neighbours, further than to keep the balance of Christendom; and yet, on the other side, the only power that was feared by France, and that were able, in conjunction of our fleets with theirs, to awe them by what they might suffer from sea into some consideration of what was fit for them to act by land."

It is scarcely possible, but that, when Temple alluded to the dangers to arise under a less direct and foreseeing king than his own master, he well knew that the danger was already great under Charles II. But, holding a strong opinion of the policy of the alliance, and instructed to maintain it, he did wisely in endeavouring to instil confi