Stoke calculated quickly in his mind.
A war involving thirty to forty thousand soldiers would last at least half a year, and half the supply route would have to pass through the jungles of South America.
That meant the Association would have to invest not one or two hundred thousand pounds, nor even several hundred thousand, but over a million!
Though the chances of winning were extremely high, the government appropriations would likely take seven or eight years to arrive in full. By then, New Granada would be Portuguese territory. The Association might claim to have gained trade privileges, but God knew whether Portuguese officials would make trouble at every turn—if they merely allowed local gangs to stir up trouble a few times, the Association would face enormous losses.
Stoke put on a solemn expression. "Prime Minister, this will require a vote by the Association's core members. I will do my best to persuade them to accept..."
The West India Association was a relatively loose organization. Gathering its core members alone would take two or three months; with the journey between the Americas and Europe added in, the war would practically be over by then.
Pitt the Younger kept smiling and said unhurriedly, "You have probably heard that Mr. Wilberforce's Slave Trade Abolition Bill will be put to a vote in Parliament next month. Before that, fifteen seats in Parliament happen to require by-elections."
He paused, then continued, "If Mr. Stevens, Mr. Mackenzie, and the others receive the necessary support, they will stand a very good chance of becoming members of Parliament." He seemed to be jumping from one subject to another, but Stoke understood perfectly well.
The West India Association was an interest group composed of British trading companies doing business in the Americas and British Plantation Owners there.