94 
HISTORY OF THE [book, in. 
But, whatever might have been their motives, 
they exerted themselves with such effect, that the 
English were compelled to relinquish all hopes of 
obtaining these islands by force;—for by the treaty 
of Aix la Chapelle (1748), St. Vincent, Dominica, 
St. Lucia, and Tobago, were declared neutral, and 
the ancient proprietors (such as remained of them) 
were at length left in unmolested possession. 
The disputes and hostilities which these at¬ 
tempts of the English on the one hand, and resist¬ 
ance of the French on the other, gave rise to in this 
part of the world, are no longer interesting, and 
therefore need not be brought again to remem¬ 
brance : The depravity and injustice of mankind are 
at all times subjects of unpleasing speculation. But 
the subsequent conduct of both nations, respecting 
the islands which they had declared neutral, is too re¬ 
markable to be overlooked, even if historical preci¬ 
sion did not, as in the present case it does, require 
me to relate the circumstances attending it. 
The treaty of neutrality was no sooner conclu¬ 
ded, than both English and French appeared dis¬ 
satisfied with the arrangement which they had 
made. The latter seem not to have considered 
until it was too late, that by restricting the English 
from the occupancy of those countries, on the 
ground of right in a third party, they precluded 
themselves at the same time. The English, on the 
other hand, discovered that, by acceding to the 
compromise, they had given up St. Lucia, an island 
