THE PARLIAMENT OF GREAT BRITAIN 415 
they were hampered in their efforts to establish commercial AD Jo 
relations with the French West Indian islands. By far 
the larger part of the grievances which were felt under 
Parliamentary rule, both in Scotland after the Union, and 
in America before the Declaration of Independence, was 
created by the anti-French economic policy which found 
favour in Parliament. 
The prosperity of the colonies was sacrificed, in so far as 
the views of the Whigs on foreign policy prevailed, and their 
dread of royal authority exercised an even more malign an ally 
influence. The Whig party in Parliament were heirs of a jealous of 
firm determination to limit the power of the Crown; they a 
looked with jealousy on the prosperity of any part of the Zonder 
British dominions from which the king could draw in- o royal 
dependent support. This motive had been consciously at 
work in the legislation in regard to Irish cattle, and it 
had not a little to do with forcing on the Parliamentary 
Union between England and Scotland. The English House 
of Commons were in serious difficulty about using the 
power of trade regulation, they had gained at the Revolution, 
till the time came when they were able to make their 
authority felt over the whole of Great Britain. The Darien The _ 
scheme brought the possibilities of trouble into clear light. Soak 
The ambition of the Scotch to engage in the commerce of ¢*¢m 
the great world, might possibly have been advantageous to 
the head of a Dual Monarchy?, or it might not; there could 
be no doubt, however, that it was fraught with dangers of 
every kind, political and commercial, to the English Parlia- 
ment. Englishmen recognised that Scotland was in a 
position to inflict irreparable damage on their commerce, 
and that the existence of an independent Scottish Parlia- 
ment was a source of serious danger?, The Darien Company 
had been authorised by the Scotch Parliament, in 1695, to 
colonise, make fortifications, fit out vessels of war and 
contract alliances. Their settlement in Darien was to have 
been a free port, which would have seriously affected the 
success of the English navigation policy. They hoped to 
1 On the possible arming of the Scots, see Swift, Public Spirit of Whigs, 
Works (1824), xv. 250. 3 Mackinnon, Union of England and Scotland. 25.