By entering into an alliance with Sardinia, we have taken from the
crown of Spain all the weight of the territories of Italy, of which
the Austrian forces are now in possession, without fear or danger of
being interrupted; while the passes of the ocean are shut by the
fleets of Britain, and those of the mountains by the troops of
Sardinia.
Those unhappy forces which were transported by the Spanish fleet, are
not only lost to their native country, but exposed without provision,
without ammunition, without retreat, and without hope: nor can any
human prospect discover how they can escape destruction, either by the
fatigue of marches, or the want of necessaries, or the superiour force
of an army well supplied and elated with success.
This, my lords, is an embarrassment from which the Spaniards would
gladly be freed at any expense, from which they would bribe us to
relieve them, by permitting the demolition of new fortresses, or
restoring the army which we lost at Carthagena.
Of this alliance the queen of Hungary already finds the advantage, as
it preserves countries in her possession, which, if once lost, it
might be impossible to recover; and sets her free from the necessity
of dividing her army for the protection of distant territories.
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