o all the annuities granted at
Marseilles on sums borrowed for the use of the marine. Besides the
considerable savings occasioned by these acts of state-bankruptcy, they
had resources of credit among the merchants of Holland, who beheld the
success of Great Britain with an eye of jealousy; and were, moreover,
inflamed against her with the most rancorous resentment, on account
of the captures which had been made of their West India ships by the
English cruisers.

{GEORGE II. 1727-1760}

THE STATES-GENERAL SEND OVER DEPUTIES TO ENGLAND.

In the month of February, the merchants of Amsterdam having received
advice that the cargoes of their West India ships detained by the
English, would, by the British courts of judicature, be declared lawful
prizes, as being French property, sent a deputation, with a petition to
the states-general, entreating them to use their intercession with the
court of London, representing the impossibility of furnishing the
proofs required, in so short a time as that prescribed by the British
admiralty; and that, as the island of St. Eustatia had but one road, and
there was no other way of taking in cargoes but that of overschippen,*
to which the English had objected, a condemnation of these ships,
as legal prizes, would give the finishing stroke to the trade of the
colony.

* The method called overschippen is that of using French
boats to load Dutch vessels with the produce of France.

Whatever remonstrances the states-general might have made on this
subject to the ministry of Great Britain, they had no effect upon the
proceedings of the court of admiralty, which continued to condemn the
cargoes of the Dutch ships as often as they were proved to be French
property; and this resolute uniformity, in a little time intimidated the
subjects of Holland from persevering in this illicit branch of commerce.
The enemies of England in that republic, however, had so far prevailed,
that in the beginning of the year the states of Holland had passed a
formal resolution to equip five-and-twenty ships of war; and orders were
immediately despatched to the officers of the admiralty to complete
the armament with all possible expedition. In the month of April, the
states-general sent over to London three ministers-extraordinary,
to make representations, and remove if possible the causes of
misunderstanding that had arisen between Great Britain and the United
Provinces. They delivered their credenti