He still continued to receive letters from William; letters no longer indeed overflowing with kindness, but always indicative of perfect confidence and esteem.
The chief subject of those letters was the question which had been for a time settled in the previous autumn at Loo, and which had been reopened in the spring by the death of the Electoral Prince of Bavaria.
As soon as that event was known at Paris, Lewis directed Tallard to sound William as to a new treaty.

The first thought which occurred to William was that it might be possible to put the Elector of Bavaria in his son's place.

But this suggestion was coldly received at Versailles, and not without reason.

If, indeed, the young Francis Joseph had lived to succeed Charles, and had then died a minor without issue, the case would have been very different.

Then the Elector would have been actually administering the government of the Spanish monarchy, and, supported by France, England and the United Provinces, might without much difficulty have continued to rule as King the empire which he had begun to rule as Regent.