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INTERESTS OF GBEAT BRITAIN. 411birth to some new features in the British continental policyin the North,, as will be seen in the sequel of this inquiry.The happy influence which the formation of the quadruplealliance produced on the west of Europe, had not only implicated England as closely as possible in the political relations to which itgave rise, but one might even say thatshe became and continued the moving power in them. Theattempt to force upon Spain the acceptance of the conditionsprescribed by this alliance did not, it is true, after the fall ofAlberoni, re-establish any permanent peace, but still it restored tranquillity (Jan. 26, 1720); the pointsstill in disputewere to be decided at a general congress. Under thesecircumstances itmight be expected that England shouldtake a most livelyinterest in the affairs of the continent ;but yet she did not do so to the extent anticipated.Political activity and negotiation had become a necessaryresource to George I. It is possiblethat he was at first ledby the ambition of showing that it was not merely the government of a small but of a largestate to which he hadsucceeded, and that his growing power enabled him toparticipate in the direction of the common interests ofEurope but once; deeply involved in these interests, hecould not easily have drawn back without compromisingboth himself and his kingdom, even thoughhis inclinationmight have prompted him to do so. But in addition to this,at that very juncture (April, 1721) the reins of governmentwere held, and retained for twenty-one years in succession,by a minister, whose disposition,in this respect, coincidedwith that of his master, not it is true in evading the war, butin employing every method which negotiations and demonstrations could supply to avoid it. Such a course of policymight have been expected from the long and almost uniformly peaceful administration of Robert Walpole.The continental relations of England always require to beconsidered in two pointsof view :first, as regards their advantageous or pernicious influence on England itself; and,secondly, in relation to the whole system of European policy.In the British cabinet the first question had of courseat all times a preponderating weight.We shall thereforecontemplate our subject-matter first of all in this aspect;but nothing shall on that account preventus from surveying