human objects,--not far, by any means.

Chapter V. -- CONGRESS OF SOISSONS, SIXTH CRISIS IN THE SPECTRE-HUNT.

The so-called Spanish War, and dangerous futile Siege of Gibraltar, had
not ended at the death of George I.; though measures had already been
agreed upon, by the Kaiser and parties interested, to end it,--only
the King of Spain (or King's Wife, we should say) made difficulties.
Difficulties, she; and kept firing, without effect, at the Fortress
for about a year more; after which, her humor or her powder being out,
Spanish Majesty signed like the others. Peace again for all and sundry
of us: "Preliminaries" of Peace signed at Paris, 31st May, 1727, three
weeks before George's death; "Peace" itself finally at the Pardo or at
Madrid, the Termagant having spent her powder, 6th March, 1728; [Scholl,
ii. 212, 213.] and a "Congress" (bless the mark!) to settle on what
terms in every point.

Congress, say at Aix-la-Chapelle; say at Cambrai again,--for there are
difficulties about the place. Or say finally at Soissons; where Fleury
wished it to be, that he might get the reins of it better in hand; and
where it finally was,--and where the ghost or name of it yet is, an
empty enigma in the memories of some men. Congress of Soissons did meet,
14th June, 1728; opened itself, as a Corporeal Entity in this world; sat
for above a year;--and did nothing; Fleury quite declining the Pragmatic
Sanction, though the anxious Kaiser was ready to make astonishing
sacrifices, give up his Ostend COMPANY (Paper Shadow of a Company), or
what you will of that kind,--if men would have conformed.

These Diplomatic gentlemen,--say, are they aught? They seem to
understand me, by each at once his choppy finger laying on his skinny
lips! Princes of the Powers of the Air, Shall we define them? It is
certain the solid Earth or her facts, except being held in perpetual
terror by such workings of the Shadow-world, reaped no effect from those
Twenty Years of Congressing; Seckendorf himself might as well have
lain in bed, as ridden those 25,000 miles, and done such quantities of
double-distillations. No effect at all: only some futile gunpowder spent
on Gibraltar, and splinters of shot and shells (salable as old iron)
found about the rocks there; which is not much of an effect for Twenty
Years of such industry.

The sublime Congress of Soissons met, as we say, at the above date (just
while the Polish Majesty was closing his Berlin Visit); b