dland, Hudson's
Bay, and Nova Scotia, the last of which she held at that time, and
finally, treaties of commerce with France and Spain, and the
concession of the monopoly of the slave trade with Spanish America,
known as the Asiento, which Spain had given to France in 1701.

Negotiations continued, though hostilities did not cease; and in June,
1712, a four months' truce between Great Britain and France removed
the English troops from the allied armies on the continent, their
great leader Marlborough having been taken from their head the year
before. The campaign of 1712 was favorable to France; but in almost
any event the withdrawal of Great Britain made the end of the war a
question of but a short time. The remonstrances of Holland were met by
the reply that since 1707 the Dutch had not furnished more than one
third their quota of ships, and taking the war through, not over one
half. The House of Commons in an address to the throne in 1712
complained that--

"The service at sea hath been carried on through the whole
course of the war in a manner highly disadvantageous to your
Majesty's kingdom, for the necessity requiring that great fleets
should be fitted out every year for maintaining a superiority
in the Mediterranean and for opposing any force which the enemy
might prepare either at Dunkirk or in the ports of west France;
your Majesty's readiness, in fitting out your proportion of
ships for all parts of that service, hath not prevailed with
Holland, which has been greatly deficient every year in
proportion to what your Majesty hath furnished.... Hence your
Majesty hath been obliged to supply those deficiencies with
additional reinforcements of your own ships, and your Majesty's
ships have been forced in greater numbers to continue in remote
seas, and at unseasonable times of the year, to the great damage
of the navy. This also hath straitened the convoys for trade;
the coasts have been exposed for want of cruisers; and you have
been disabled from annoying the enemy in their most beneficial
commerce with the West Indies, whence they received those vast
supplies of treasure, without which they could not have
supported the expenses of the war."

In fact, between 1701 and 1716 the commerce of Spanish America had
brought into France forty million dollars in specie. To these
complaints the Dutch envoy to England could only reply that Hol