UP offered me a trade: French Guyana for Ceylon, which i took, as (playing Long campaign) it's not essential that i hold onto guyana, but i do need Ceylon.

Negotiating the power block that is Austria, UP and Britain takes some care -especially when clearing up Wurtemburg & the minor Italian states (Savoy & Papal states). Maintaining your alliance with Spain is essential, as is an alliance with Bavaria. Also consider alliances with Poland & Prussia to encircle & occupy the Austrians.

Trying as hard as i can to avoid war with Britain for the moment & to a lesser but related extent UP.

The starting trade agreement with Sweden is (in my game) a non event -Denmark have blockaded their port & Sweden are not powerful/diplomaticaly linked enough to anyone to pursuing such trade for the moment.

My merchant fleets are out and about, but some of the trade nodes will need "pruning" of pirate traders before i can set up everywhere.

Realising now that trade really is the key money spinner here. playing as UP in my first grand campaign, I wasn't aware of how much of an effect on my budget trade was having... In general, tax revenue can be high (ish) and secure, but it takes longer & is more expensive to set up.

Already looking forward to mounting an invasion of England & Holland at some point (realisticaly, way in the future). I will get great satisfaction from that! :)

For the moment in Europe I have moved my victorious Italian Army south and taken Tunisia, Algiers & maybe Tripoli next. Meanwhile am plotting the demise of the Rhineland state that abuts to Flanders, Alsace & Antwerp -they are only allied to Austria so there should be minimal risk to me...

In the Americas, have taken the easternmost Huron settlement in retaliation for their raiding. Focus in NA will now shift to the Iroquois...