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HISTORY OP ENGLAND.

chap. Berry. The youth who was selected would, at the ut-“TiTos. most, he only fifteen years old, aud could not be sup-posed to have any very deeply rooted national prejudices.He should be sent to Madrid without French attendants,should be educated by Spaniards, should become aSpaniard. It was absurd to imagine that such a princewould be a mere viceroy of France. Apprehensions hadbeen sometimes hinted that a Bourbon, seated on thethrone of Spain, might cede his dominions in the Nether-lands to the head of his family. It was undoubtedly im-portant to England, and all important to Holland, thatthose provinces should not become a part of the Frenchmonarchy. All danger might be averted by making themover to the Elector of Bavaria, who' was now governingthem as representative of the Catholic King. TheDauphin would be perfectly willing to renounce them forhimself and for all his descendants. As to what con-cerned trade, England and Holland had only to saywhat they desired, and everything in reason should bedone to give them satisfaction.

As this plan was, in the main, the same which hadbeen suggested by the French ministers in the former con-ference , Portland did little more than repeat what he hadthen said. As to the new scheme respecting the Nether-lands, he shrewdly propounded a dilemma which silencedPomponne and Torcy.

If renunciations were of any value, the Dauphin andhis posterity were excluded from the Spanish succession;