Folio 240: Paper by the Sicilian Abbot prompted by the death of Charles VI. Only...

Folio 240: Paper by the Sicilian Abbot prompted by the death of Charles VI. Only France will gain by the division of the Austrian dominions which would remove her main rival on land; Britain should seek allies to oppose Franch ambitions and uphold the Pragmatic Sanction, particularly Holland; possibility of a Bourbon alliance (France, Spain and Two Sicilies) weakness of Austria compared with earlier times of stress; French ambitions for Austrian Netherlands; Prussia, Russia, Denmark, Savoy and the Princes of the Empire are potential allies of Britain, Bavaria and Saxony may ally with France; if [Francis Stephen] is not elected Emperor, the Austrian dominions may be dismembered and a war of religion could ensue in Germany; France should be asked to accede to British alliance to expose her real ambitions.