CHAP. XXXV. FORTRESS OF LOUISBURG, 217 



It is very remarkable, says McGregor,* that in all our 

 treaties with France the fisheries of North America were 

 made a stipulation of extraordinary importance. The 

 ministers of that power, at all times able negotiators, 

 well knew the value of the fisheries, not merely in a 

 commercial view, but because they were necessary to 

 provide their navy with that physical strength which 

 would enable them to cope with other nations. 



The policy of the French, from their first planting 

 colonies in America, insists particularly on raising seamen 

 for their navy by means of the fisheries. The nature of 

 the French fishery was always such, that one-third, or at 

 least one-fourth, of the men employed in it were ' green 

 men,' or men who were never before at sea ; and by this 

 trade they bred up from 4,000 to 6,000 seamen annually. 



Those who negotiated on the part of Great Britain 

 could not possibly have understood the eminent poHtical 

 and commercial value of tlie boons thus unnecessarily 

 conceded to France and America. 



With France the case was mdely different. Every 

 Frenchman acquainted with the history of his country 

 knew well tliat the sun of then* naval splendour set on 

 the day that Louisburg, the emporium of their fisheries, 

 was taken. Neither were the Americans so ignorant of 

 the rich treasures which abounded on the coasts of British 

 America as to allow the favourable moment for obtaining 

 a share in the fisheries to escape. 



Louisburg was built to a great extent of bricks brought 

 from France. Its walls were defended by more than 

 200 pieces of artillery. During the siege 9,000 cannon- 



* McGregor's British America. 



