ch would accrue from its success. He also declared that
his court would not desert the King of Prussia. Choiseul replied that
neither would France desert her allies, and that the negotiation only
concerned the interests of the two powers. On this understanding the two
courts sent representatives the one to the other; the English
representative chosen by Pitt was Hans Stanley, and M. de Bussy was sent
to London by Choiseul.

Soon after they arrived at their destinations Belle Ile was conquered.
Pitt knew how deeply the national spirit of France would be wounded by
this blow; he promised to restore the island if adequate compensation
were made, and Choiseul professed himself willing to make important
concessions. On July 15, however, he made proposals of a less favourable
kind than might have been expected. They were, briefly, that France
should cede Canada on certain conditions, one of which was that she
should have liberty to fish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and dry cod on
the Newfoundland shore, and should have Cape Breton in sovereignty for a
shelter for her ships, though she should not erect fortifications. She
would restore Minorca, and should receive back Guadeloupe and
Mariegalante; two of the neutral islands, Dominica and St. Vincent,
should be under her protection, and of the other two she should keep St.
Lucia and England should have Tobago. The rival claims in India were to
be settled on the basis of a treaty of 1755, before the late English
victories. England should restore either Senegal or Goree, for unless
France had one of them, her West India possessions would be useless, as
she would have no port for the shipment of negroes. Belle Ile was to be
restored, and France would evacuate Hesse and Hanau. After preliminaries
were signed England was not to help Prussia, nor France Austria, but
France would not surrender the territories conquered from the King of
Prussia, for they were conquered and held in the name of the
Empress-queen. This stipulation was made in favour of Austria which had
assented to the separate negotiation on condition that her interests
were guarded. The proposals were of a kind to suggest doubts as to
Choiseul's sincerity. As a matter of fact he was secretly arranging a
strict alliance with Spain as a means of forcing England to make
favourable terms.

[Sidenote: _SPANISH AND FRENCH MEMORIALS._]

Spain had three grievances against Great Britain. She complained that
her ships had wrongf