history of friedrich ii of prussia v 16-第60章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
Question THIRD is But Question Third; so extremely important was it in the sequel; will deserve a Chapter to itself。
Chapter XIV。
THERE IS LIKE TO BE ANOTHER WAR AHEAD。
Question Third; French…English Canada Question; is no other than; under a new form; our old friend the inexorable JENKINS'S…EAR QUESTION; soul of all these Controversies; andexcept Silesia and Friedrich's Questionthe one meaning they have! Huddled together it had been; at the Peace of Aix…la…Chapelle; and left for closed under 〃New Spanish Assiento Treaty;〃 or I know not what:you thought to close it by Diplomatic putty and varnish in that manner: and here; by law of Nature; it comes welling up on you anew。 For IT springs from the Centre; as we often say; and is the fountain and determining element of very large Sections of Human History; still hidden in the unseen Time。
〃Ocean Highway to be free; for the English and others who have business on it?〃 The English have a real and weighty errand there。 〃English to trade and navigate; as the Law of Nature orders; on those Seas; and to ponderate or preponderate there; according to the real amount of weight they and their errand have? OR; English to have their ears torn off; and imperious French…Spanish Bourbons; grounding on extinct Pope's…meridians; GLOIRE and other imaginary bases; to take command?〃 The incalculable Yankee Nations; shall they be in effect YANGKEE (〃English〃 with a difference); or FRANGCEE (〃French〃 with a difference)? A Question not to be closed by Diplomatic putty; try as you will!
By Treaty of Utrecht (1713); 〃all Nova Scotia 'ACADIE as then called'; with Newfoundland and the adjacent Islands;〃 was ceded to the English; and has ever since been possessed by them accordingly。 Unluckily that Treaty omitted to settle a Line of Boundary to landward; or westward; for their 〃NOVA SCOTIA;〃 or generally; a Boundary from NORTH TO SOUTH between the British Colonies and the French in those parts。
The Treaty of Aix…la…Chapelle; eager to conclude itself; stipulated; with great distinctness; that Cape Breton; all its guns and furnishings entire; should be restored at once (France extremely anxious on that point); but for the rest had; being in such haste; flung itself altogether into the principle of STATUS… QUO…ANTE; as the short way for getting through。 The boundary in America was vaguely defined; as 〃now to be what it had been before the War。〃 It had; for many years before the War; been a subject of constant altercation。 ACADIE; for instance; the NOVA SCOTIA of the English since Utrecht time; the French maintained to mean only 〃the Peninsula〃; or Nook included between the Ocean Waters and the Bay of Fundy。 And; more emphatic still; on the 〃Isthmus〃 (or narrow space; at northwest; between said Bay and the Ocean or the Gulf of St。 Lawrence) they had built 〃Forts:〃 〃Stockades;〃 or I know not what; 〃on the Missaquish〃 (HODIE Missiquash); a winding difficult river; northmost of the Bay of Fundy's rivers; which the French affirm to be the real limit in that quarter。 The sparse French Colonists of the interior; subjects of England; are not to be conciliated by perfect toleration of religion and the like; but have an invincible proclivity to join their Countrymen outside; and wish well to those Stockades on the Missiquash。 It must be owned; too; the French Official People are far from scrupulous or squeamish; show energy of management; and are very skilful with the Indians; who are an important item。 Canada is all French; has its Quebecs; Montreals; a St。 Lawrence River occupied at all the good military points; and serving at once as bulwark and highway。
Southward and westward; France; in its exuberant humor; claims for itself The whole Basin of the St。 Lawrence; and the whole Basin of the Mississippi as well: 〃Have not we Stockades; Castles; at the military points; Fortified Places in Louisiana itself?〃 Yes;and how many Ploughed Fields bearing Crop have you? It is to the good Plougher; not ultimately to the good Cannonier; that those portions of Creation will belong? The exuberant intention of the French is; after getting back Cape Breton; 〃To restrict those aspiring English Colonies;〃 mere Ploughers and Traders; hardly numbering above one million; 〃to the Space eastward of the Alleghany Mountains;〃 over which they are beginning to climb; 〃and southward of that Missiquash; or; at farthest; of the Penobscot and Kennebunk〃 (rivers HODIE in the State of Maine)。 'La Gallisonniere; Governor of Canada's DESPATCH; 〃Quebec; 15th January; 1749〃 (cited in Bancroft; History of the United States; Boston; 1839; et seq。)。 〃The English Inhabitants are computed at 1;051;000; French (in Canada 45;000; in Louisiana 7;000); in all 52;000:〃 History of British Dominions in North America (London; 1773); p。 13。 Bancroft (i。 154) counts the English Colonists in 〃1754 about 1;200;000。〃' That will be a very pretty Parallelogram for them and their ploughs and trade…packs: we; who are 50;000 odd; expert with the rifle far beyond them; will occupy the rest of the world。 Such is the French exuberant notion: and; October; 1745; before signature at Aix…la…Chapelle; much more before Delivery of Cape Breton; the Commandant at Detroit (west end of Lake Erie) had received orders; 〃To oppose peremptorily every English Establishment not only thereabouts; but on the Ohio or its tributaries; by monition first; and then by force; if monition do not serve。〃
Establishments of any solidity or regularity the English have not in those parts; beyond the Alleghanies all is desert: 〃from the Canada Lakes to the Carolinas; mere hunting…ground of the Six Nations; dotted with here and there an English trading…house; or adventurous Squatter's farm:〃to whom now the French are to say: 〃Home you; instantly; and leave the Desert alone!〃 The French have distinct Orders from Court; and energetically obey the same; the English have indistinct Orders from Nature; and do not want energy; or mind to obey these: confusions and collisions are manifold; ubiquitous; continual。 Of which the history would be tiresome to everybody; and need only be indicated here by a mark or two of the main passages。
In 1749; three things had occurred worth mention。 FIRST; Captain Coram; a public…spirited half…pay gentleman in London; originator of the Foundling Hospital there; had turned his attention to the fine capabilities and questionable condition of NOVA SCOTIA; with few inhabitants; and those mostly disaffected; and; by many efforts now forgotten; had got the Government persuaded to despatch (June; 1749) a kind of Half…pay or Military Colony to those parts: 〃more than 1;400 persons disbanded officers; soldiers and marines; under Colonel Edward Cornwallis;〃 Brother of the since famous Lord Cornwallis。 'Coxe's Pelham; ii。 113。' Who landed; accordingly; on that rough shore; stockaded themselves in; hardily endeavoring and enduring; and next year; built a Town for themselves; Town of HALIFAX (so named from the then Lord Halifax; President of the Board of Trade); which stands there; in more and more conspicuous manner; at this day。 Thanks to you; Captain Coram; though the ungrateful generations (except dimly in CORAM Street; near your Hospital) have lost all memory of you; as their wont is。 Blockheads; never mind them。
The SECOND thing is; an 〃Ohio Company〃 has got together in Virginia; Governor there encouraging; Britannic Majesty giving Charter (March; 1749); and what is still easier; 〃500;000 Acres of Land〃 in those Ohio regions; since you are minded to colonize there in a fixed manner。 Britannic Majesty thinks the Country 〃between the Monongahela and the Kanahawy〃 (southern feeders of Ohio) will do best; but is not particular。 Ohio Company; we shall find; chose at last; as the eligible spot; the topmost fork or very Head of the Ohio;where Monongahela River from south and Alleghany River from north unite to form 〃The Ohio;〃 where stands; in our day; the big sooty Town of Pittsburg and its industries。 Ohio Company was laudably eager on this matter; Land…Surveyor in it (nay; at length; 〃Colonel of a Regiment of 150 men raised by the Ohio Company〃) was Mr。 George Wash