three great
grievances rankling with Spain were--Sicily and Naples in the
possession of Austria, Gibraltar and Mahon in the hands of England,
and lastly, the vast contraband trade carried on by English merchants
and ships in Spanish America. It will be seen that England was the
active supporter of all these injuries; England therefore was the
special enemy of Spain, but Spain was not the only enemy of England.

The quiet, such as it was, that succeeded the fall of Alberoni was due
mainly to the character and policy of the two ministers of France and
England, who agreed in wishing a general peace. The policy and reasons
of the French regent are already known. Moved by the same reasons, and
to remove an accidental offence taken by England, Dubois obtained for
her the further concession from Spain, additional to the commercial
advantages granted at Utrecht, of sending a ship every year to trade
in the West Indies. It is said that this ship, after being anchored,
was kept continually supplied by others, so that fresh cargo came in
over one side as fast as the old was sent ashore from the other.
Dubois and the regent both died in the latter half of 1723, after an
administration of eight years, in which they had reversed the policy
of Richelieu by alliance with England and Austria and sacrificing to
them the interests of France.

The regency and the nominal government of France passed to another
member of the royal family; but the real ruler was Cardinal Fleuri,
the preceptor of the young king, who was now thirteen years of age.
Efforts to displace the preceptor resulted only in giving him the
title, as well as the power, of minister in 1726. At this time Sir
Robert Walpole had become prime minister of England, with an influence
and power which gave him practically the entire guidance of the policy
of the State. The chief wish of both Walpole and Fleuri was peace,
above all in western Europe. France and England therefore continued to
act together for that purpose, and though they could not entirely
stifle every murmur, they were for several years successful in
preventing outbreaks. But while the aims of the two ministers were
thus agreed, the motives which inspired them were different. Walpole
desired peace because of the still unsettled condition of the English
succession; for the peaceful growth of English commerce, which he had
ever before his eyes; and probably also because his spirit, impatient
of equals in the govern