THE THIRD DUTCH WAR 503 



usage. But if they insisted on the limits of Cape Finisterre 

 and the North Cape, and supported their contention with 

 arguments from geography or tradition, or if they were asked 

 to produce proofs or instances as to " the matter of fact " near 

 those limits, they foresaw that objections would be raised which 

 they were not sufficiently instructed to answer. No doubt, 

 they continued, it might be advantageous to fix some limits in 

 order to lessen the chance of disputes, but even if mathematical 

 lines could be laid down and agreed upon, it would not remove 

 all ground of quarrel. Besides, to fix definite bounds would 

 place upon themselves a burden which properly lay upon their 

 adversaries ; for when the king's right of the flag was estab- 

 lished as incontrovertible within the British seas, if any one 

 who was called upon to strike declared he was not in the 

 British seas, he would have to prove it. This long disquisition 

 failed to convince the king. He insisted that the previous 

 article, in which the term " British seas " alone occurred, should 

 be withdrawn and the new article with the specified limits 

 substituted. 1 



The influence of certain important changes in political affairs 

 which had taken place since the congress met now made itself 

 strongly felt at the deliberations. The position and the 

 prospects of the United Provinces had greatly improved. The 

 States-General had succeeded in entering into alliances with the 

 Emperor, the King of Spain, and the Dukes of Brandenburg 

 and Lunenburg. In the field the movements of the Prince of 

 Orange and his allies caused Louis to abandon his conquests 

 with even greater rapidity than he had made them. The 

 English Parliament, too, from which the Dutch had reason to 

 hope for much, was about to assemble. It was thus natural 

 that the Dutch ambassadors and the representatives of their 

 allies at the congress should take a higher tone in dealing 

 with the peace proposals. Some of the conditions which had 

 been put forward by France and England were now declared to 

 mean " utter ruin " to the Dutch, or their " eternal servitude " ; 

 and among them was the demand of Charles for a payment 

 for liberty of fishing, which it was asserted would make them 



' The ambassadors to Arlington, fJ, 1 Sept., ', Oct. 1673. 



Life of Sir Ledine Jenkins, i. 91, 95, 109, 117, 120, 125, 133. 



