WILLIAM THE THIRD.

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Portland answered that, on this subject, he must be chap.understood to express only the opinions of a private man. ~fessTHe had however now lived, during some years, among theEnglish, and believed himself to be pretty well acquaintedwith their temper. They would not, he thought, be muchalarmed by any augmentation of power which the Emperormight obtain. The sea was their element. Traffic by seawas the great source of their wealth; ascendancy on thesea the great object of their ambition. Of the Emperorthey had no fear. Extensive as was the area which hegoverned, he had not a frigate on the water; and theycared nothing for his Pandours and Croatians. But Prancehad a great navy. The balance of maritime power waswhat would be anxiously watched in London; and thebalance of maritime power would not be affected by anunion between Spain and Austria, but would be most seri-ously deranged by an union between Spain and France.

Pomponne and Torcy declared that everything shouldbe done to quiet the apprehensions which Portland haddescribed. It was not contemplated, it -was not wished,that France and Spain should be united. The Dauphinand his eldest son the Duke of Burgundy would waivetheir rights. The younger brothers of the Duke ofBurgundy, Philip Duke of Anjou and Charles Duke ofBerry, were not named: but Portland perfectly under-stood what was meant. There would, he said, bescarcely less alarm in England if the Spanish dominionsdevolved on a grandson of Iiis Most Christian Majesty