ations of Great Britain, and expecting to be called on to fulfil
the obligation expressed in the family compact, ordered the armament of
fourteen ships of the line. On this the national assembly voted that it
had the right to decide on questions of war, and on May 22 declared that
the French nation renounced wars of conquest. This grandiloquent decree
destroyed the effect of the armament. Nevertheless, Spain was set on
war; fleets were gathered at Ferrol and Cadiz, and a loan of L4,000,000
was arranged. Florida Blanca seems to have relied on help from the
United States, and made some efforts to gain their good-will, but they
did not respond to them.[225] From France he peremptorily demanded the
assistance to which Louis was pledged by the family compact. His demand
was laid before the national assembly, and on August 25 it was decided
to substitute a new _pacte national_ for the _pacte de famille_, and to
invite the king to arm forty-five ships for defence, and to revise the
treaty; and a suggestion was made to Spain that she might confirm the
new compact by the cession of Louisiana. This was mere folly. The
English ministers notified the French government that any help given to
Spain would be promptly resented,[226] and Florida Blanca seeing that no
reliance was to be placed on France entered into negotiations with
England. During their progress a fresh cause of offence was given to
England; for in September McDonald, captain of a British West Indiaman,
reported that his ship had been stopped by a Spanish frigate in the Gulf
of Florida, that he had been forced to go aboard the Spaniard, and had
there been cruelly tortured, being set in the bilboes in the blazing
sun.[227] For this outrage satisfaction was promptly made, and on
October 28 a treaty was signed between Great Britain and Spain by which
Spain yielded to the demands of the British court with reference to the
Nootka Sound affair and restored the disputed territory. The submission
of Spain marks a complete change in her policy; she sought by compliance
towards England to gain the security no longer to be looked for from
alliance with France. It was a signal triumph for Pitt, who as usual had
directed the proceedings of the foreign office, for Carmarthen, who
succeeded his father as Duke of Leeds in 1789, was a feeble person. Pitt
had broken up the family compact and could reckon on the compliance of
Spain. France was isolated and had exhibited her weakness before