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228 king William—to keep the Dutch high in their demands; whilst Marlborough induced the English court to demand indemnity for the immense sums which England had expended in these wars. Under these circumstances the offers of France were declined under the plea that England could not enter into any negotiations except in concert with the allies; and no means were taken to summon a congress. Had the English people known of the offers, there would have probably been a loud demand for peace; but these were kept secret, and the attention of the nation being then greatly engrossed by the question of the union, the matter was passed over. This was not, however, without exciting fresh resentment against Marlborough amongst the tory leaders, who came at some knowledge of these affairs. They looked on Marlborough with sufficiently hostile eyes for having deserted their ranks, and they now regarded him as a selfish man, who was endeavouring to protract the war for his own interested purposes, reckless of the pressure of taxation and the sufferings of the people.



In opening parliament on the 3rd of December, 1706, the queen had dwelt much on the glorious successes of her arms, and especially in the battle of Ramillies, and asserted that the war only now required continuing with vigour to compel France to submit to terms which should secure the peace of Europe for a very long time. Not a word was whispered of the liberal offers made by Louis; on the contrary, the queen and government were so elated by their successes that they now imagined that France might not only be resisted but conquered, and even compelled to give up so many of its provinces as should disable her for ever from troubling the peace of Europe. Both the lords and commons presented addresses to her majesty advocating the vigorous pursuit of the war, and intimating that nothing but the restoration of Spain to Austria ought to satisfy the allies.

Both houses voted thanks to the duke of Marlborough for his magnificent services. The lords delivered to him their formal compliments through the lord keeper; and now parliament was in haste to confer on him those substantial marks of their approbation which they had rejected when the queen solicited them prematurely. They not only granted him the pension of five thousand pounds a year which they had before refused, and which Anne had, however, bestowed on him for life out of the post-office, but they made this permanent to his posterity. They also brought in a bill to settle the honours and manor of Woodstock and the house of Blenheim, by consent of her majesty, with all the duke's honours and titles, on his heirs for ever, whether male or female. The duke had lost his only son, the marquis of Blandford, and, therefore, the female line was introduced, these honours and estates descending to the daughters according to priority of birth, and to the heirs male of their bodies.

During this session the queen was prayed by the commons to resettle the islands of St. Nevis and St. Christopher, which had been ravaged by the enemy; and to take measures for extirpating a nest of pirates which had located itself in Madagascar, and impeded our commerce in those seas. Likewise to recover and preserve the ancient