Page:Life of William Shelburne (vol 1).djvu/312

286 the financial difficulties of France and the domestic troubles of Spain could be surmounted, and in the interval to rest satisfied with delaying the settlement of the outstanding questions with England, keeping them as a useful pretext for a rupture when a favourable moment arrived. Their only fear was lest Chatham should precipitate hostilities.

"Mon but," said Choiseul to Merci, "est de ménager les esprits en Angleterre; c'est ce que je recommande sans cesse à Monsieur de Guerchy, et je m'applaudis d'être parvenu à faire suivre mon plan en Espagne. Nous aurons certainement en 1770 la plus belle arme, une marine respectable et de l'argent en caisse. Les ministres du roi travaillent avec le plus grand zèle et la meilleure intelligence à ces trois objets; c'est ce que plusieurs fois j'ai fait connoître à M. de Starenberg."

In keeping with this policy of delay no real steps had been taken to carry out the demolition of the harbour of Dunkirk; while English traders were subject to numberless vexations in French ports, on the pretext that owing to the 8th and 9th clauses of the Treaty of 1713 not having been carried into effect, the remainder of the commercial clauses were void, notwithstanding the written declaration of the French Commissaries to the contrary. The Manilla ransom remained unpaid, and at the same time an adverse claim was set up by Spain to the possession of the Falkland Islands.