974 Hijlory >, &c. of the imperial- Company at Oftend. Book I, 
hinder all foreign Nations from trading in the Indies , but 
likewife that you will fupport their High-MightineffeS in 
all their Rights and Prerogatives in that refped ; and Lafl- 
ly. That your Majefty and their Higff Mightineffes hand- 
ing engaged to affift each other mutually for hindering any 
other Nation from going to Trade in the Indies , it is evi- 
dent, that neither of the two contracting Parties could 
have a Right to alter, or defift from thofe Articles, with- 
out the Participation and Confent of the other Party in- 
terefted. 
Sire, all the Confiderations above-mentioned, do, at 
this Time, form juft Ground for the Complaints of their 
High-Mightineffes, my Matters, who cannot fufficiently 
wonder how your Majefty’s Minifters (without making 
due Reflections on the manifeft Contradiction between the 
Treaty of Vienna and thofe of Munjier and Utrecht ) could 
venture to grant fo confiderable Advantages to the Sub- 
jects of the Aujirian Netherlands, to the great Prejudice 
of their High-Mightineffes, and if one may be allowed to 
fay it, even to the great Prejudice of your Majefty, and of 
your People, who, if that continue, will in Time fee them- 
felves fruftrated of the Advantages of their own Com- 
merce, by that very Company which is now fo fignally 
protected. Their High-Mightineffes moft earneftly entreat 
your Majefty, therefore, by my Mouth, tobe pleafed to order, 
that the moft ferious Regards,, and the moft fuitable to 
the Importance of the Cafe, may be had to the prefent 
Remonftrances, well weighing how far thefe Contradic- , 
tions to the Treaties of Munjier and Utrecht, may in Time 
lead to ill Confequences, and create Troubles in Europe. 
Their High-Mightineffes are throughly perfwaded from 
your Majefty’s Zeal and Piety, that it was not your Inten- 
tion to over-turn the Rights and Prerogatives of the Re- 
publick, founded on fuch authentick Treaties, fo that 
they can impute only to your Majefty’s Minifters, the At- 
tempts made againft them by that of Vienna. But if your 
Majefty has not the Goodnefs to apply in Time the necef- 
fary Remedy, this Republick will find themfelves fruftrated 
of all the Advanges they had acquired at the Expence of 
fo much Blood fhed, for the Support of its Navigation; 
whence it is eafy to conclude. Sire, that Commerce 
being in general Part of the Bafis and Foundation of the 
State,' their High-Mightineffes can never defift in the leaft 
from the mutual Conventions of the Treaties of Munjier 
apd Utrecht. 
They therefore flatter themfelves, that your Majefty 
will be pleafed to caufe the Articles of the Treaty of Vi- 
enna , which are contradictory thereto, to be reformed, 
and will provide, that the OJlend Company may not in 
any Manner, nor under any Pretext, go, and navigate in 
the Indies, to the End, their High-Mightineffes, my 
Matters, may fatisfy and calm the alarmed Minds of their 
People, who look upon this Treaty of Vienna , as the en- 
tire Subverfion of the Rights and Prerogatives of their 
Commerce, and claim the Performance of the Treaties of 
Munjier and Utrecht. 
12. This Representation, however, though extreamly 
clear and plain, "had none of the Effects that were expedit- 
ed from it. Their Catholick Majefties had formed to 
themfelves very extenfive, but at the fame Time very 
groundlefs Expectations from the Treaty of Vienna , and 
were therefore obftinate in their Refolutions of fupporting 
it at all Events. The OJlend Company was vifibly of no 
Advantage, but in its Confequences, very likely to prove 
a great Prejudice to the Spanijh Trade ; but the Reafon 
which induced, the Court of Madrid , notwithftanding, to 
confent to the Support of it, was, the Affiftance fhe ex- 
peded from the Emperor, in the Execution of a favou- 
rite Defign of her own, which was the recovering the For- 
trefs of Gibraltar from the Crown of Great Britain. 
But the great and all-powerful Motive which induced 
Spain to act as (he did, was, the vain Hopes of obtaining 
the Heirefs of the Houfe of Auflria, the prefent Emprefs 
and Queen of Hungary , for Don Carlos , the eldeft Son of 
the Queen of Spain , and at prefent King of the Sicilies. 
This Notion, tho’ very indifferently founded, made fuch 
an Impreffion on the Minds of their Catholick Majefties, 
that nothing appeared to them in the Light of an Incon- 
venience, which they apprehended might contribute there- 
to, and this it was that engaged them to comply fo readi- 
ly with whatever his Imperial Majefty demanded, and even 
induce them to make fuch Difpofitions as looked like en- 
gaging in a War with the Hanover Allies. The Emperor, 
aifo, on his Side, (hewed as great Obftinacy, and indeed, with 
more Reafon ; for all the Articles of the Vienna Alliance, 
were entirely in his Favour, and the eftablifhing the OJlend 
Company, in the Manner he defigned, was a Point of 
fuch infinite Confequence, both with refped to Honour 
and Intereft, that we need not at all wonder he pufhed it 
in the Manner he did, or that he laboured, by feveral Ne- 
gotiations in the North* to engage moft of the Crowns 
there in the Support of his Schemes, in which at firft he 
had extraordinary Succefs, but by Degrees, the Afped of 
Affairs was changed, by Meafures which we ftiall next 
explain. 
13. The States-General , feeing how little they were able 
to effed by Memorials and Reprefentations, and beginning 
to feel daily more and more the bad Confequences of the 
Eftabliftiment of the OJlend Company, with regard to their 
Commerce in the Indies , took at laft a Refolution of ac- 
ceding to the Treaty of Hanover , notwithftanding all that 
their Imperial and Catholick Majefties could do to hinder 
it. They did accede accordingly, which very clearly de- 
monftrated to the Courts of Vienna and Madrid, that it 
was impofilble to profecute their Defigns farther, without 
running the immediate Hazard of a War. Spain feemed 
refolved to run this Rifque, and actually committed Ho- 
ftilities againft Great- Britain, by befieging Gibraltar , with 
very little Effed however, and without any Affiftance 
from the Emperor, who, on his Side, was unable to make 
the neceffary Provifions for a Rupture, without the Af- 
fiftance of fuch Supplies in Money from Spain, as at that 
Time fhe could not afford. T he Court of France remained 
alfo fteady to her Engagements, and appeared fo willing 
to enter into a War againft Spain, in Conjunction with the 
Maritime Powers, that this Court began to diflike ex- 
ceedingly the Situation fhe was in, and to wifh for a Peace 
upon reafonable Terms. 
The Court of Vienna too perceiving that Spain began 
to open her Eyes to her own Intereft, and having never 
had really any Inclination to comply with that Marriage, 
which their Catholick Majefties had fo fondly fet their 
Hearts upon, thought likewife of a timely Return to her 
old friends, and thofe Engagements which had been for- 
merly productive of fo many Advantages. Things being 
in this Situation, it was not long before Preliminaries were 
fettled, in which there was an Article that took away for 
the prefent thofe Apprehenfions that the Settlement of 
this Company had railed. 
It was fome Time before it could be fo worded, as to fa- 
tisfy all Parties ; but at length, the Preliminaries being ab- 
folutely fettled and figned at Paris , on the 20th of May , 
1727, the firft Article of them ran thus; “ His Imperial 
“ and Catholick Majefty having no other View than to 
“ contribute to the publick Tranquillity of Europe , and 
“ obferving that the Commerce of OJlend has given Birth 
“ to Jealoufy and Uneafinefs, confents that there fhall be 
“ a Sufpenfion of the Charter of the OJlend Company, 
“ and of all Traffick between the Aujirian Netherlands and 
££ the Indies , during the Term of feven Years.” By the 
fifth Article of the fame Preliminaries it was agreed, that 
the Ships which fail’d from OJlend before this Convention, 
the Names whereof were to be given in a Lift on the Part 
of his Imperial Majefty, were to be permitted fafely to re- 
turn home, and in cafe any of them fhould be taken, it 
was agreed, that they fttould be, bom Jide , reftored with 
their Cargoes. 
It is unneceffary to purfue the political Hiftory of this 
Point any farther, fince by this Sufpenfion the OJlend 
Company was in fad deftroyed, and tho 5 fome Sales were 
afterwards made with confiderable Advantage to the Pro- 
prietors, yet they loft the Power of continuing their Com- 
merce, and the Maritime Powers carried their Point. 
Thus ended this troublefome and perplexed Affair, which 
had very near given Birth to a general War, and by which, 
as it has been very plainly and fully proved, that if his Hands 
had not been tied by Treaties, his Imperial Majefty might 
in a few Years have reftored the Commerce of the Auftrian 
Netherlands, 
4 
