ace-hunter, was the chief. Pitt laid his ultimatum to France before
the council on August 15. He had so far yielded to pressure as to offer
France a limited right of fishing, and the island of St. Pierre as a
shelter and port, provided it was kept unfortified. On the other crucial
question his demand was unchanged; the Westphalian lands were to be
restored to Frederick, and both parties were to remain free to help
their allies. His despatch was considered needlessly irritating, but he
would not allow a word to be altered. Bute would give no help against
him. Bedford, who had a violent temper, was so angry at being overborne,
that he declared that he would attend no more councils, and Newcastle
was reduced to whining despair. By the 18th, however, Bute came to an
agreement with the Newcastle faction and promised to help them against
Pitt.[39]

Lord Bristol, our ambassador at Madrid, was instructed to remonstrate
energetically with General Wall, the Spanish minister, on the subject of
Bussy's memorial. He was to say that as regards the prizes there were
courts whose business it was to decide such matters, that England would
not allow Spain any share in the fishery, but was willing to receive
representations as to the Honduras settlements, provided they were not
sent through France, and that any union of counsels with France would
hinder an amicable arrangement. He was, further, to demand an
explanation of the naval preparations which Spain was making. He could
obtain no satisfaction, and on August 31 sent Pitt a paper in which Wall
declared that his master concurred in Bussy's memorial, and, while he
protested that no offence was intended, maintained that Spain and France
had a right to mix in the affairs each of the other "for mutual
assistance". A declaration of war from Spain was, Bristol thought, not
far off.[40] On September 2 Stanley sent Pitt a copy of what he believed
to be an article of a secret treaty between France and Spain, and wrote
that he was assured in Paris that Spain would immediately declare war,
and that a treaty between the two powers only needed signature.[41]
Intercepted letters between Fuentes and Grimaldi proved that a treaty
had been signed between them on August 15. This was the famous family
compact, the purport of which was not yet known in England. A fresh set
of proposals was made by Choiseul, and Stanley was led to believe one
day that peace was unlikely, and another that France would agree