KING GEORGE'S WAR. The name common ly given to that part of the struggle known in European history as the War of the Austrian Succession which was fought in America. In Europe hostilities began with the invasion in 1740 of the Austrian Province of Silesia by Fred erick II. of Prussia. France, Bavaria, Spain. and Saxony soon joined in a league against Aus tria ; while hostility to France, and the anxiety of George II. for the safety of his Electorate of Hanover, early drew England into the strug gle on the side of Austria. (See SUCCESSION WAR8.) In America the war was begun by the capture in May, 1744, of Canso, in Nova Scotia, by a French expedition from Louisburg. Fearing that the French would follow up this success by an attempt to conquer all of Nova Scotia, Governor Shirley of Massachusetts ad vised that an attack should be made against Louisburg. The Massachusetts General Court agreed to the plan, and appealed to the other colonies for assistance. In response Pennsyl vania sent provisions. and New York some artil lery, but the men were furnished by the New Eng land colonies alone. William Pepperell. a mer chant of Maine, was placed in command; and on the last day of April. 1745. the expedition. con sisting of about 100 colonial vessels, 4000 colonial troops. and a small English squadron under Commodore Warren, appeared before Louisburg.
The place was so strongly fortified that it had been regarded by the French as impregnable, and the colonial troops were so poorly equipped and had so little knowledge of the art of war that an attack upon it seemed almost hopeless, yet after a siege of seven weeks the fortress sur rendered. In the three following years there were some conflicts at sea, and there was con siderable border fighting, but no very important operations took place, and a much discussed plan for reducing the whole of Canada was not carried out. The struggle was brought to a close in 174S by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which provided. so far as England and France were concerned, for a return to the status existing before the war was begun. Louisburg was given back to France in return for Madras, much to the dissatisfaction of New England, and the boundaries between the French and English colonial possessions were left unsettled. Consult: Parkman, A Half-Century of Conflict (Boston, 1892) ; S. A. Drake, The Taking of Louisburg, 174.5 (Boston, 1891) ; and S. G. Drake, Particular History of the Fire rears' French and Indian liar, (Albany, 1870).