tched to all the courts
of Europe, declared that what he chiefly considered was the principal
design of the contracting parties, namely, the maintenance of peace in
Europe; and that, true to his principle, he only departed from the words
that he might the better adhere to the spirit of the treaty.

PHILIP ACKNOWLEDGED KING OF SPAIN.

With this answer he sent a letter to the states, giving them to
understand that the peace of Europe was so firmly established by the
will of the king of Spain, in favour of his grandson, that he did not
doubt their approbation of his succession to the Spanish crown. The
states observed, that they could not declare themselves upon an affair
of such consequence, without consulting their respective provinces.
Louis admitted the excuse, and assured them of his readiness to concur
with whatever they should desire for the security of the Spanish
Netherlands. The Spanish ambassador at the Hague presented them with a
letter from his new master, who likewise notified his accession to all
the powers of Europe, except the king of England. The emperor loudly
exclaimed against the will, as being more iniquitous than the treaty of
partition; and threatened to do himself justice by force of arms.
The Spaniards, apprehending that a league would be formed between
his imperial majesty and the maritime powers for setting aside the
succession of the duke of Anjou, and conscious of their own inability to
defend their dominions, resigned themselves entirely to the protection
of the French monarch. The towns in the Spanish Netherlands and the
duchy of Milan admitted French garrisons: a French squadron anchored in
the port of Cadiz; and another was detached to the Spanish settlements
in the West Indies. Part of the Dutch army that was quartered at
Luxembourg, Mon, and Namur, were made prisoners of war, because
they would not own the king of Spain, whom their masters had not yet
acknowledged. The states were overwhelmed with consternation by this
event, especially when they considered their own naked situation, and
reflected that the Spanish garrisons might fall upon them before they
could assemble a body of troops for their defence. The danger was so
imminent, that they resolved to acknowledge the king of Spain without
further hesitation, and wrote a letter to the French king for that
purpose; this was no sooner received, than orders were issued for
sending back their battalions.

A NEW MINISTRY, AN