Another source of dispute, also, sprang up in the same quarter of the world. The French, pretending to have first discovered the mouth of the river Mississippi, claimed the whole country towards New Mexico, on the east, quite to the Apalachian mountains on the west. On this pretence, a systematic and artfully contrived plan was formed to connect these widely distant establish ments, by the gradual erection of a chain of fortresses, from the lakes Erie and Ontario, along and beyond the Ohio, to the mouth of the Mississippi. In order to assert their claims, as they found many English who had settled beyond these mountains, they dispossessed them of their new settlements, and established forts to command the adjacent country. In this dispute, the native Indians, both from interest and partiality, sided almost universally with the French.
Negotiations, mutual accusations, and partial hostili ties, between the two powers, for some time preceded an open declaration of war. At last more important operations commenced. In the year 1755, general Brad dock sailed from Cork ; and, on his arrival in Virginia, took the command of the forces destined to act against the French on the Ohio. Braddock was courageous, but obstinate, and acquainted with regular war; but at tached to the pedantry of discipline ; and so deficient in sense, as to imagine the tactics of Europe strictly prac ticable among the swamps and forests of America. He treated with disdain the advice of the provincial officers, who best knew the enemy he had to engage ; and took no precaution against the stratagems which he was warn ed to expect. Having advanced, in fearless security, to less than ten miles of Fort du Quesne, without recon noitring, he was saluted, in the midst of a pathless swamp, by a fire in his front and flank, from a concealed enemy. Too high spirited to think of retreating, he gave directions to the few brave men who kept beside him to form and rally, and advance according to the regular rules of war. In this condition he remained, giving orders with great composure, while his officers fell thick around him, till he fell dead by the shot of a musket. The main body of his troops had fled, and their retreat was covered by the provincials, under major Washing ton, whom he had so much despised. All the artillery, ammunition, and baggage of the army, were left to the enemy, and seven hundred men were lost ; the rest re treated to Philadelphia.
On the death of Braddock, the chief command de volved upon General Shirley, who formed a plan for the reduction of the important fouresscs of Crown Point and Niagara, erected by the French on the banks o the lakes Champlain and Ontario. The troops, destined for this service, arrived at the place of rendezvous late in the summer, and were, soon after the commencemel. of their march, attacked in their camp by Baron Die: kau, the French commander, who was repulsed wit! great loss. General Johnson, however, found himsel:.
after this bloody encounter, too much weakened to pro ceed in his expedition, and retreated to Albany. Thi ther, also, General Shirley returned; the purposed en terprise against Niagara being deferred till the Ilex'. campaign.
While the operations of the English were thus lan guid and unsuccessful, the French, under General Mont calm, captured Oswego, though strongly garrisoned And plentifully provided. In the succeeding year, 1757, they laid siege to the important post of Fort William Henry. and captured it in six days. By this conquest the French obtained the command of the extensive and magnificent chain of lakes, which connects the rivers St Lawrence and Mississippi. And thus disgracefully terminated the third campaign of the American war, in which the French, with a very inferior force, had maintained an uniform superiority ; and, in the course of which, no advantage had been gained by the English, except the expulsion of the French from Nova Scotia, by the vigor ous exertions of Colonel Moncton, assisted by a body ot the provincials, raised by the Massachusetts assembly.
Some atonement for these disasters in America, was found in the captures which the English made at sea. Letters of reprisal had been issued by the English court, as early as 1755, before a regular declaration of war, and 300 merchantmen, for the most part unsuspicious of danger, had fallen into their hands. The French complained of this breach of public honour, with some reason ; not that their own hostile intentions were to be doubted, but because the ceremony of declaring war was easy, and should have been observed. The truth was, that British ministers fluctuated between peace and war. An opposition had arisen, which weakened and distracted them—the opposition of Mr Pitt and Mr Legge to the measures of the court. Mr Pitt declared that the whole system and scheme of politics was absurd. Already alliances had been made, by which one half of the continent was subsidized, for the sole purpose of defending Hanover. The Prince of Hesse Cassel was to hold in readiness 12,000 men for that purpose ; and Russia was paid to maintain 55,000 horse and foot for the same object. But, by adopting Prussia as an ally, the aid of Russia was virtually lost to Britain. The • Empress Elizabeth sided with France, when she saw his Britannic majesty sign a treaty with Frederick. Mt. Pitt and Mr Legge deprecated this whole system of con tinental connections ; a system which, the former states man declared, would, in a short time, cost us more than the fee simple of the electorate was worth ; and he ar dently wished to break those fetters which chained us, like Prometheus, to that barren rock.