Download or read book England in the Mediterranean, Vol. 2 of 2 written by Julian Stafford Corbett and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2016-08-21 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from England in the Mediterranean, Vol. 2 of 2: A Study of the Rise and Influence of British Power Within the Straits, 1603 1713; With Two Illustrations It had been an old idea of the Braganzas, dating back to the earliest days of their rebellion, to seek support for their cause in wedding a daughter of the House with the Prince of Wales. So long as the English monarchy kept its head above water, the project had never been lost sight of, and now that the Stuart star was once more rising to the ascendant it was immediately revived.l In the Portuguese Court there can have been little doubt as to the bait that should be offered. The two treaties of commerce, which England had already concluded with the new kingdom, sufficiently revealed the English desire for a share of the east-indian trade; and when, after Cromwell's abandonment of the Gibraltar project, his covering eet had been compelled to base itself on Lisbon, every one must have known what longing eyes England was casting on a naval station in the Straits. Bombay in the Far East, and Tangier, the last of the Portuguese possessions in North Africa, must have naturally suggested themselves. The price was a large one to pay even for the English alliance; but without that alliance there was every probability that both places would be lost - Bombay to the Dutch, and Tangier to the Spaniards or the Moors. It was clearly the wisest policy to spend them while they were still in hand, and to spend them in the market where they would be most highly valued. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."