the conquest of new france-第15章

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she　was　allied；　desired　her　to　fight　until　Frederick　of　Prussia

should　give　up　the　province　of　Silesia　seized　by　him　in　1740。　In

this　quarrel　England　had　no　vital　interest。　France　had　occupied

the　Austrian　Netherlands　and　had　refused　to　hand　back　to　Austria

this　territory　unless　she　received　Cape　Breton　in　return。　Britain

might　have　kept　Cape　Breton　if　she　would　have　allowed　France　to

keep　Belgium。　This；　in　loyalty　to　Austria；　she　would　not　do。

Accordingly　peace　was　made　at　Aix…la…Chapelle　in　1748　on　the

agreement　that　each　side　should　restore　to　the　other　its

conquests；　not　merely　in　Europe　but　also　in　America　and　Asia。

Thus　it　happened　that　the　British　flag　went　up　again　at　Madras

while　it　came　down　at　Louisbourg。



Boston　was　of　course　angry　at　the　terms　of　the　treaty。　What

sacrifices　had　Massachusetts　not　made！　The　least　of　them　was　the

great　burden　of　debt　which　she　had　piled　up。　Her　sons　had　borne

what　Pepperrell　called　〃almost　incredible　hardships。〃　They　had

landed　cannon　on　a　lee　shore　when　the　great　waves　pounded　to

pieces　their　boats　and　when　men　wading　breast　high　were　crushed

by　the　weight　of　iron。　Harnessed　two　and　three　hundred　to　a　gun；

they　had　dragged　the　pieces　one　after　the　other　over　rocks　and

through　bog　and　slime；　and　had　then　served　them　in　the　open　under

the　fire　of　the　enemy。　New　Englanders　had　died　like　〃rotten

sheep〃　in　Louisbourg。　The　graves　of　nearly　a　thousand　of　them　lay

on　the　bleak　point　outside　the　wall。　What　they　had　gained　by　this

sacrifice　must　now　be　abandoned。　A　spirit　of　discontent　with　the

mother　country　went　abroad　and；　after　this　sacrifice　of　colonial

interests；　never　wholly　died　out。　It　is　not　without　interest　to

note　in　passing　that　Gridley；　the　engineer　who　drew　the　plan　of

the　defenses　of　Louisbourg；　thirty　years　later　drew　those　of

Bunker　Hill　to　protect　men　of　the　English　race　who　fought　against

England。



Every　one　knew　that　the　peace　of　1748　was　only　a　truce　and

Britain　began　promptly　new　defenses。　Into　the　spacious　harbor　of

Chebucto；　which　three　years　earlier　had　been　the　scene　of　the

sorrows　of　d'Anville's　fleet；　there　sailed　in　June；　1749；　a

considerable　British　squadron　bent　on　a　momentous　errand。　It

carried　some　thousands　of　settlers；　Edward　Cornwallis；　a　governor

clothed　with　adequate　authority；　and　a　force　sufficient　for　the

defense　of　the　new　foundation。　Cornwallis　was　delighted　with　the

prospect。　〃All　the　officers　agree　the　harbour　is　the　finest　they

have　ever　seen〃this；　of　Halifax　harbor　with　the　great　Bedford

Basin；　opening　beyond　it；　spacious　enough　to　contain　the　fleets

of　the　world。　〃The　Country　is　one　continuous　Wood；　no　clear　spot

to　be　seen　or　heard　of。　D'Anville's　fleet。。。cleared　no

ground；　they　encamped　their　men　on　the　beach。〃　The　garrison　was

withdrawn　from　Louisbourg　and　soon　arrived　at　Halifax；　with　a

vast　quantity　of　stores。　A　town　was　marked　out；　lots　were　drawn

for　sites；　and　every　one　knew　where　he　might　build　his　house。

There　were　prodigious　digging；　chopping；　hammering。　〃I　shall　be

able　to　get　them　all　Houses　before　winter；〃　wrote　Cornwallis

cheerily。　Firm　military　discipline；　indeed；　did　wonders。　Before

winter　came；　a　town　had　been　created；　and　with　the　town　a

fortress　which　from　that　time　has　remained　the　chief　naval　and

military　stronghold　of　Great　Britain　in　North　America。　At

Louisbourg　some　two　hundred　miles　farther　east　on　the　coast；

France　could　reestablish　her　military　strength；　but　now

Louisbourg　had　a　rival　and　each　was　resolved　to　yield　nothing　to

the　other。　The　founding　of　Halifax　was　in　truth　the　symbol　of　the

renewal　of　the　struggle　for　a　continent。







CHAPTER　V。　The　Great　West



In　days　before　the　railway　had　made　possible　a　bulky　commerce　by

overland　routes；　rivers　furnished　the　chief　means　of　access　to

inland　regions。　The　fame　of　the　Ganges；　the　Euphrates；　the　Nile；

and　the　Danube　shows　the　part　which　great　rivers　have　played　in

history。　Of　North　America's　four　greatest　river　systems；　the　two

in　the　far　north　have　become　known　in　times　so　recent　that　their

place　in　history　is　not　yet　determined。　One　of　them；　the

Mackenzie；　a　mighty　stream　some　two　thousand　miles　long；　flows

into　the　Arctic　Ocean　through　what　remains　chiefly　a　wilderness。

The　waters　of　the　other；　the　Saskatchewan；　discharge　into　Hudson

Bay　more　than　a　thousand　miles　from　their　source；　flowing　through

rich　prairie　land　which　is　still　but　scantily　peopled。　On　the

Saskatchewan；　as　on　the　remaining　two　systems；　the　St。　Lawrence

and　the　Mississippi；　the　French　were　the　pioneers。　Though　today

the　regions　drained　by　these　four　rivers　are　dominated　by　the

rival　race；　the　story　which　we　now　follow　is　one　of　romantic

enterprise　in　which　the　honors　are　with　France。



More　perhaps　by　accident　than　by　design　had　the　French　been　the

first　to　settle　on　the　St。　Lawrence。　Fishing　vessels　had　hovered

round　the　entrance　to　the　Gulf　of　St。　Lawrence　for　years　before；

in　1535；　the　French　sailor；　Jacques　Cartier；　advanced　up　the

river　as　far　as　the　foot　of　the　torrential　rapids　where　now

stands　the　city　of　Montreal。　Cartier　was　seeking　a　route　to　the

Far　East。　He　half　believed　that　this　impressive　waterway　drained

the　plains　of　China　and　that　around　the　next　bend　he　might　find

the　busy　life　of　an　oriental　city。　The　time　came　when　it　was

known　that　a　great　sea　lay　between　America　and　Asia　and　the

mystery　of　the　pathway　to　this　sea　long　fascinated　the　pioneers

of　the　St。　Lawrence。　Canada　was　a　colony；　a　trading…post；　a

mission；　the　favorite　field　of　Jesuit　activity；　but　it　was　also

the　land　which　offered　by　way　of　the　St。　Lawrence　a　route　leading

illimitably　westward　to　the　Far　East。



One　other　route　rivaled　the　St。　Lawrence　in　promise；　and　that　was

the　Mississippi。　The　two　rivers　are　essentially　different　in

their　approaches　and　in　type。　The　mouth　of　the　St。　Lawrence　opens

directly　towards　Europe　and　of　all　American　rivers　lies　nearest

to　the　seafaring　peoples　of　Europe。　Since　it　flows　chiefly　in　a

rocky　bed；　its　course　changes　little；　its　waters　are　clear；　and

they　become　icy　cold　as　they　approach　the　sea　and　mingle　with　the

tide　which　flows　into　the　great　Gulf　of　St。　Lawrence　from　the

Arctic　regions。　The　Mississippi；　on　the　other　hand；　is　a　turbid；

warm　stream；　flowing　through　soft　lands。　Its　shifting　channel　is

divided　at　its　mouth　by　deltas　created　from　the　vast　quantity　of

soil　which　the　river　carries　in　its　current。　On　the　low…lying；

forest…clad；　northern　shore　of　the　Gulf　of　Mexico　it　was　not　easy

to　find　the　mouth　of　the　Mississippi　by　approaching　it　from　the

sea。　The　voyage　there　from　France　was　long　and　difficult；　and；

moreover；　Spain　claimed　the　lands　bordering　on　the　Gulf　of　Mexico

and　declared　herself　ready　to　drive　out　all　intruders。



Nature；　it　is　clear；　dictated　that；　if　France　was　to　build　up　her

power　in　the　interior　of　the　New　World；　it　was　the　valley　of　the

St。　Lawrence　which　she　should　first　occupy。　Time　has　shown　the

riches　of　the　lands　drained　by　the　St。　Lawrence。　On　no　other

river　system　in　the　world　is　there　now　such　a　multitude　of　great

cities。　The　modern　traveler　who　advances　by　this　route　to　the

sources　of　the　river　beyond　the　Great　Lakes　surveys　wonders　ever

more　impressive。　Before　his　view　appear　in　succession　Quebec；

Montreal；　Toronto；　Buffalo；　Cleveland；　Detroit；　Chicago；　Duluth；

and　many　other　cities　and　towns；　with　millions　in　population　and

an　aggregate　of　wealth　so　vast　as　to　stagger　the　imagination。

Step　by　step　had　the　French　advanced　from　Quebec　to　the　interior。

Champlain　was　on　Lake　Huron　in　1615；　and　there　the　Jesuits　soon

had　a　flourishing　mission　to　the　Huron　Indians。　They　had　only　to

follow　the　shore　of　Lake　Huron　to　come　to　the　St。　Mary's　River

bearing　towards　the　sea　the　chilly　waters　of　Lake　Superior。　On

this　river；　a　much　frequented　fishing　ground　of　the　natives；　they

founded　the　mission　of　Sainte　Marie　du　Saut。　Farther　to　the

south；　on　the　narrow　ope