ENGLAND. .721 
nifti throne, and to his heirs; but in cafe of his fucceeding 
to the crown of Spain, that then thefe dominions fliould 
jevert to the houfe of Auftria. It was confirmed that the 
fortifications of Dunkirk to the fea fliould be demoliflied ; 
that the Englifh fiiips, annually fent with (laves to the 
coaft of New Spain, fliould have this privilege continued 
for four years ; that the king of Pruffia fliould be con¬ 
firmed in the pofleflion of Silefia, which he had lately 
conquered ; and that the queen of Hungary fliould be fe- 
cured in her patrimonial dominions. But the degrading 
part at lafl fell upon poor old England : it was ftipulated, 
that the king of Great Britain fliould, immediately after 
.the ratification of this treaty, fend two perfons of rank 
and diftinction to France as hoftages, until reftitution 
fliould be made of Cape Breton, and all other conquefts 
which England had made during the war! This was a 
humiliating claufe : but to add to the general error of 
the negociution, no prevention was put to the fearcliing 
the velfels of England in the American feas, upon which 
the war had originally begun. The limits of their re- 
fpeftive pofleflions in North America were left unafcer- 
tained ; nor did the Englifli receive ; ny equivalent for 
tliofe forts which they reftored to the enemy. The treaty 
of Utrecht had long been a fubjeft of reproach to thofe 
by whom it was made ; but, with all its faults, the treaty 
now concluded was far more degrading. Yet fuch was 
the fpirit of the times, that the treaty of Utrecht was 
branded with univerfal contempt, while that of Aix-la- 
Chapelle was extolled to the heavens. This treaty, which 
fome afferted would ferve for a bond of permanent amity, 
was but a temporary truce ; a ceffation from hoftilities, 
which neither England nor France were fedulous to con¬ 
tinue ; for, though the war was aftually liufhed up in 
Europe, yet in the Eaft and Weft Indies it ftill went for¬ 
ward, under cover of their refpedfive alliances in thofe 
regions. 
In the mean time, Mr. Pelham, who conduced the 
bulinefs of the (late, and was confefledly a man of can¬ 
dour and capacity, laid a fcheme for lightening the pub¬ 
lic debt, accumulated during the late war. His plan 
was, to leffen the intereft which had been promifed on 
granting the fupplies, or elfe obliging the lenders to re¬ 
ceive the fums originally granted. Thofe, for inftance, 
who were proprietors of flock, and received for the ufe 
of their money four per cent, were, by an adt palfed for 
that purpofe, compelled to accept of three pounds ten 
(hillings per cent, the following year, and three per cent, 
every year enfuing ; or, in cafe of refufal, to receive the 
principal. Thi? fcheme was attended with the defired 
effedt, and was evidently beneficial to the nation. It was 
about this time alfo that the famous marriage-adt, and 
the reftritftions and qualifications for killing game, firft 
took place. 
A fcheme was now projected, A. D. 1749, which the 
nation was taught to believe would be extremely advan¬ 
tageous. This was the encouragement held out to thofe 
who had been difcharged from the army and navy, to be¬ 
come fettlers in a new colony in North America, in the 
province of Nova Scotia. To this retreat it was thought 
the wafte of an exuberant nation might well be drained 
off; and thofe bold fpirits kept in employment at a dis¬ 
tance, who might be dangerous, if buffered to continue 
in idlenefs at home. The new colony was for fome time 
maintained at the expence of the government ; but in 
order to decide the claim to this diftridt, the Englilh and 
French revived the war, which fpread in confequence 
over every part of the globe. The native Indians bor¬ 
dering upon the defects of Nova Scotia, looked with a 
jealous eye upon thefe new fettlers; and they confidered 
the vicinity of the Englifli as an encroachment upon their 
pofleflions. The French, who were their neighbours, 
fomented thefe fufpicions, by reprefenting the Englifli as 
an enterprifiog and dangerous people. Commiffaries were 
therefore appointed to meet at Paris, to compromife thefe 
difputes; but the negociation proved abortive. The 
French had been the firft cultivators of Nova Scotia, and, 
Vol. VI. No. 386. 
by great induftry and long peiTeverance,,had rendered the 
foil more fertile, and capable of Curtaining nature with 
occafional afliftance from Europe. This country, how¬ 
ever, had frequently changed its matters, until at length 
the Englifli were fettled in the pofleflion, and acknow¬ 
ledged as the rightful owners, by the treaty of Utrecht. 
But another national difpute began about the fame 
time, and in the fame part of the world. The French, 
pretending to have firft difeovered the mouth of the 
Miffiflippi, claimed the whole adjacent country towards 
New Mexico on the eaft, to the Apalachian mountains 
on the weft. In order to eftablifti their claim, as they 
found feveral Englifli families who had fettled beyond 
thefe mountains, they difpofl'efl’ed them of their new fet- 
tlements, and built forts to command the country round 
about. It was now feen that their intention was to fur- 
round the Englifli colonies, which lay along the Chore, 
by taking pofleflion of the internal parts of the country 
that lay towards the back fettlements ; and thus, being 
in pofleflion already of the northern and fouthern parts of 
that great continent, to hem the Englifli in on every fide, 
and fecure to themfelves all the trade of the internal part 
of the country. The Englifli, therefore, juftly appre¬ 
hended, that if the French united their northern colonies 
on the river St. Lawrence, to their fouthern on the river 
Mifliflippi, that then they mutt; in a fhort time become 
matters of all that part of North America. 
But it was not in America alone, but in Alia likewife, 
that the feeds of a new war were preparing to be extended. 
On the coafts of Malabar, the Englifli and French had, 
in fa£t, never ceafed from hoftilities. This immenfe tract 
of country, which now faw the armies of Europe con¬ 
tending for its dominion, comprehends Flindooftan, or the 
whole peninfula of India. On the coafts of this country, 
the Englifli, the French, and feveral other powers of 
Europe, had built forts, with the original confent of the 
Great Mogul, who was then e.mperor of the whole tradt- 
The war between the Englilh and French began in India, 
by their tiding refpedtively with two contending princes 
of the country; in which, from being firft fecondaries in 
the quarrel, they became principals. Thus the war be¬ 
tween France and England was kindling up in every part 
of the world ; and the miniftry refolved to cut ftiort the 
knot which they could not unloofe. Orders were accord¬ 
ingly difpatched to the American provinces to unite into 
a confederacy for their mutual fccurity ; and, if poUifale, 
to bring the Indians over to efpoufe their quarrel. 
To l'upport thefe views, the miniftry in England began 
a very vigorous exertion in defence of the colonies. Four 
operations were undertaken in America at the fame time, 
A. D. 1756. Of thefe, one was commanded by colonel 
Monckton, who had orders to drive the French from their 
encroachments in the province of Nova Scotia. The fe- 
cond was directed againft Crown-point, under the com¬ 
mand of general Joliiifon. The third, under the conduct 
of general Shirley, was deftined to Niagara, to fecure the 
forts on that river ; and the fourth was farther fouthward, 
againft Fort du Quefne, under general Braddock. 
In thefe expeditions Monckton was fuccefsful ; Jolin- 
fon alio was victorious, though he failed in taking the 
fort againft which he was fent ; Shirley was thought to 
have loft the feafon for operation by delay ; Braddock was 
vigorous and aftive, but was defeated and killed. He 
went forward with intrepidity, and advanced into the de- 
ferts of Ofwego, where no European had ever trod. But 
hrs courage was greater than his caution: regardlefs of 
the defigns of the Indians, he took no care previoufly to 
explore the woods or the thickets. Being at length within 
ten miles of the fortrefs he was appointed to befiege, and 
marching forward through the forefts with full confidence 
of fuccefs, on a fudden his whole army was furprifed by 
a general difeharge of arms; both in front and flank, from 
an enemy that (tin remained unfeen. It was now too late 
to think of retreating; the troops had entered the defile, 
which the enemy had artfully permitted them to do be. 
fore they offered to fire. The vanguard of the Englifli 
8 X now 
