Untitled - 24grammata.com

INTERESTS OF GREA.T BRITAIN. 401lities between Spain and France (1719) was the consequence of its discovery.Under these circumstances it was natural that a connexion should be formed between England and the regent;his interest and that of England were alike involved in themaintenance of the established order of things in Europe, assettled at the peace of Utrecht. He was compelled, in orderto provide for his own security, to oppose the plans of Spain.On the other hand, however extraordinaryitmight seemthat England and France should be allied, it is easy to perceive that no material alteration had taken place in thepolicy of England. Spain, under Alberoni, wished to ruleas France had done under Lewis XIV. ;England wastherefore guided by the same interest inoffering a strongopposition to the plans of Spain, as that which had formerlyengaged her in war with France. But other causes wereadded in reference to Spain, founded upon commercial advantages, which induced England to oppose that country,and (forit amounted to the same thing) to make the observance of the conditions of the peace of Utrecht the aim ofher policy and these were the;great concessions made bySpain in the treaty of Assiento.By the provisions of thistreaty, England obtained the right of furnishing SpanishAmerica with negro slaves for thirty years, and of sendingannually a vessel of 500 tons to the great commercial fairof Portobello. 1These privileges could not fail, on account of the smuggling to which they gave rise, of securing to England thegreater part of the trade of Spanish America and in ;proportion to the increase of profit, the British governmentbecame more anxious to insure the continuance of them, bymaintaining the peace.It would be superfluous to describethe events, which after the year 1714 caused the fall of Alberoni,and uponit the accession of Spain to the quadruplealliance, and thus led to the attainment of this object.Thus it becomes evident that the participation of Englandin the affairs of western Europe during the first half of thereign of George I., arose not merely from the personal in-1The fair of Portobello was at that time one of the most important in theworld, as at it the European goods required by the South American provincesof Spain were exchanged for the gold and silver of Peru.