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HISTORY OP EXGLAND.

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XXIV.

11198 .

judged, because she meant to violate the Treaty of Loo,but because it would have been difficult for her, if she didnot protest, to insist on the full execution of that treaty.Had she silently acquiesced in the nomination of theElectoral Prince, she would have appeared to admit thatthe Dauphin’s pretensions were unfounded; and, if she ad-mitted the Dauphin’s pretensions to be unfounded, shecould not, without flagrant injustice, demand several pro-vinces as the price in consideration of which she wouldconsent to waive those pretensions. Meanwhile the con-federates had secured the cooperation of a most importantperson, the Elector of Bavaria, who was actually Governorof the Netherlands, and was likely to be in a few months,at farthest, Eegent of the whole Spanish monarchy. Hewas perfectly sensible that the consent of France, Englandand Holland to his son’s elevation was worth purchasing atalmost any cost, and, with much alacrity, promised that,when the time came, he would do all in his power to facili-tate the execution of the Treaty of Partition. He wasindeed bound by the strongest ties to the confederates ofLoo. They had, by a secret article, added to the treaty,agreed that, if the Electoral Prince should become Kingof Spain, and then die without issue, his father should behis heir. The news that young Francis Joseph had beendeclared heir to the throne of Spain was welcome to all thepotentates of Europe with the single exception of hisgrandfather the Emperor. The vexation and indignationof Leopold were extreme. But there could be no doubt