perfection. On the twenty-first day of February
the treaty was signed in London; and on the twenty-fifth of the next
month it was subscribed at the Hague by Briord, the French envoy, and
the plenipotentiaries of the states-general. By this convention the
treaty of Ryswiek was confirmed. The contracting parties agreed, that,
in case of his catholic majesty's dying without issue, the dauphin should
possess, for himself and his heirs, the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily,
the islands of St. Stephano, Porto Hercole, Orbitello, Telamone, Porto
Longone, Piombino, the city and marquisate of Final, the province of
Guipuscoa, the duchies of Lorraine and Bar; in exchange for which last,
the duke of Lorraine should enjoy the duchy of Milan; but that the
county of Biche should remain in sovereignty to the prince of Vaudemont;
that the archduke Charles should inherit the kingdom of Spain and all
its dependencies in and out of Europe; but in case of his dying without
issue, it should devolve to some other child of the emperor, excepting
him who might succeed as emperor or king of the Romans: that this
monarchy should never descend to a king of France or dauphin; and that
three months should be allowed to the emperor, to consider whether or
not he would accede to this treaty. Whether the French king was really
sincere in his professions at this juncture, or proposed this treaty
with a view to make a clandestine use of it at the court of Spain for
more interested purposes, it is not easy to determine; at first however
it was concealed from the notice of the public, as if the parties had
resolved to take no step in consequence of it during the life of his
catholic majesty.

In the beginning of July the king embarked for Holland, after having
appointed a regency to govern the kingdom in his absence. On the
twenty-ninth day of the same month the young duke of Gloucester, the
only remaining child of seventeen which the princess Anne had borne,
died of a malignant fever, in the eleventh year of his age. His death
was much lamented by the greater part of the English nation, not only on
account of his promising talents and gentle behaviour, but also, as it
left the succession undetermined, and might create disputes of fatal
consequence to the nation. The Jacobites openly exulted in an event
which they imagined would remove the chief bar to the interest of the
prince of Wales; but the protestants generally turned their eyes upon
the princess Soph