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INTERESTS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 473from that peace,if so procured? Is it fit that we should goto war in order to prevent the ofpartition Poland ? In general policy I am ready to confess that this partition is unjust ;but it does not go,as is said, to overturn the balance ofpower in Europe," for which the right honourable gentleman,as it suits his argument, expresses greater or less solicitude ;for that country being nearly divided equally between threegreat powers, it can little contribute to the undue aggrandizement of either."It was not compatiblewith the plan of the minister atthis time to take up this subject on the different and highergrounds, which easily and spontaneously suggest themselves.The whole energies of England were thus left to be directed against France, who in this same year obtained agreat accession of power by drawing Spain from her neutralposition to become her active ally.This she effected by thealliance-compact of August 10, 1796, by which the weakerstate completely identified her fortunes with the more powerful, and which necessarily paved the way for its subsequentfate. This connexion became immediately of importance toFrance, inasmuch as it drew into her interest a naval powerwhose fleet she might expect in some measure would repairthe loss of her own. Experiencehas shown how vain thishope was. The war with Spain necessarily became a maritime one ; and, as formerly happened on the invasion of theUnited Netherlands, materially contributed to procure forEngland that sovereign command of the sea, which becameafterwards the subjectof so many complaints and reproaches.A war with Spain was besides ^generally very popular inEngland, and wished forparticularly by the British navy,since itpromised a rich booty to privateersas well as toships of the line.As longtherefore as Russia remained inactive, Austriacontinued to be the of principal ally England, and at thesame time the principalfoe which France had to encounteron the continent. If Austria were conquered or forced tomake peace,the weaker allies must follow of course. Thegreat object of the French government,which had been for1a short time in the hands of the Directory, was to accom-1In October,1795, after the completionof the new constitution and the