248 SUICIDAL MEASURES OF THE COURT. Ch. 20 Frederic having by that time begun to perceive the revolutionary character of the new philosophers. A. D. 1767 It is impossible to avoid being struck by the suicidal chato racter of the measures, which all connected with the Court, 1774. during this reign, instigated or encouraged. Whoever pre The of the people. tended to give his aid to the monarchy helped to subvert it by the very measures and principles he proposed. The Duke of Orleans, when he patronized Law, gave a shock to the whole economical system of the old régime. And when this Scotch financier said to the powerful aristocracy around him, "Silver is only to you the means of circulation; beyond this it belongs to the country;" he announced the ruin of the glebe, and the fall of feudal prejudices. The bankruptcies which followed the bursting of his bubble weakened the charm of the word honor, on which was based the stability of the throne. The courtiers, when they blazed in jewels, and in all the costly ornaments of their time, gave growth employment and importance to a host of shopkeepers, who grew rich as those who patronized them grew poor. The Court, when it encouraged their extravagance, raised up a new aristocracy, into whose hands the chateaux of the ancient nobles fell. The philosophers who dined at the table of the King and his mistresses, taught the prosperous middle class a knowledge of their rights, as well as inflamed their social ambition. In their dingy back rooms they discussed the theories of the new apostles. Even the improvements of Paris, such as the erection of theatres and operas, became nurseries of future clubs, and poisoned wells of popular education; while the ruin of the Jesuits-the grand stroke of the Duc de Choiseul, deprived the press of its most watchful spies, and literature of its most jealous guardians. The revolu In like manner, when the grand seigneurs and noble dames seeds of of that aristocratic age wept over the sorrows of the "New Heloise," or craved that imaginary state of untutored innocence which Rousseau so morbidly described; or admired the brilliant generalization of laws which Montesquieu had pen tion. THE SEEDS OF REVOLUTION. 249 A. D. ned; or laughed at the envenomed words of Voltaire; or quoted Ch. 20 the atheistic doctrines of D'Alembert and Diderot, or enthusiastically discussed the economical theories of Du Quesnay 1774. and old Marquis Mirabeau, that stern father of him who, both in his intellectual power and moral deformity, was alike the exponent and product of the French Revolution; they little dreamed that these new expounders of humanity would bring forth the Brissots, the Condorcets, the Marats, the Dantons, and the Robespierres of the next generation. of the King, Perhaps no one more clearly perceived the tendencies of the times than the King himself, with all his Sardanapalian Insight effeminacy; but he had not the courage to face them. Seeing the danger, but feeling his impotence, he exclaimed to his courtiers," Apres moi, le deluge." The latter days of such a man were of course melancholy. A languor, from which only his mistresses could momentarily rouse him, oppressed his life. Deaf, incapable of being aroused, worn out with infirmities, perhaps stung with remorse, he dragged out his sixtyfourth year, and at last, in the year 1774, died of the small- His pox, which he caught in one of his infamous visits to the Parc au Cerfs. His loathsome remains were hastily huddled into a carriage, and deposited in the vaults of St. Denis. REFERENCES.—" Louis XV. et la Societé du XVIII. Siecle," par M. Capefigue; "Histoire Philosophique du Regne de Louis XV.,” par de Toqueville; "Mémoires Secrets" de Saint Simon; "Anecdotes de la Cour de France, pendant la favour de Madame de Pompadour." But for a general view of the reign of Louis XV., see the histories of Lacretelle, Voltaire, and Crowe. The scheme of Law is best ex plained in Smyth's "Lectures," and Anderson's "History of Commerce." The struggles between the King and the Parliament of Paris are tolerably described in the "History of Adolphus." For a view of the Jansenist Controversy, see Du Pin's "Ecclesiastical History;" Ranke's "History of the Popes;" Pascal's "Provincial Letters ;" and Stephen's article in the "Edinburgh Review," on the Port Royalists. The fall of the Jesuits has been admirably treated by Quinet. For the manners of the court of Louis XV., the numerous memoirs and letters, which were written during the period, may be consulted. death. 250 ENGLISH POSSESSIONS. Ch. 21 A. D. CHAPTER XXI. THE COLONIAL WARS BETWEEN ENGLAND AND FRANCE. DURING the administration of Sir Robert Walpole, the English colonies in America, and the East India Company's 1688. settlements, began to attract great attention, and to be regarded as of considerable political importance. A very brief sketch of the history and growth of these possessions is all that can be given. English In 1688, the American colonies, of which there were twelve, colonies. contained about two hundred thousand inhabitants, and all of ments. these were Protestants; all cherished the principles of civil and religious liberty, and sought, by industry, frugality, and patience, to secure independence and prosperity. But the shores of North America were not colonized merely by the English and Dutch. On the banks of the St. Lawrence and Mississippi, another body of colonists arrived, and introduced other customs and different institutions. French Within seven years from the discovery of the continent, the settle fisheries of Newfoundland were known to French adventurers. The St. Lawrence was explored in 1506, and in 1688, Quebec was settled by Champlain, who aimed at the glory of founding a state. In 1627 he succeeded in establishing the authority of the French on the banks of the St. Lawrence. In 1688, England possessed those colonies which border on the Atlantic Ocean, from Maine to Georgia. The French, on the other hand, possessed Nova Scotia, Canada, Louisiana, and the countries bordering on the Mississippi and its branches, from the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Superior, as well as the territories around the great lakes. FRENCH ENCROACHMENTS. 251 A mutual jealousy, as was to be expected, sprung up be- Ch.21 tween France and England respecting their colonial posses- A. D. sions. Both kingdoms aimed at the sovereignty of North 1688 America. The French were entitled perhaps, by right of to discovery, to the greater extent of territory; but their colonies 1719. were unequal to those of the English in respect to numbers, and still more so in moral elevation and intellectual culture. Colonial jea But Louis XIV., then in the height of his power, meditated lousy. the complete subjection of the English settlements. The French allied themselves with the Indians, and savage wars were the result. The Mohawks and other tribes, encouraged by the French, committed fearful massacres at Deerfield and Haverhill, and the English settlers were kept in a state of constant alarm and fear. By the treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, the colonists obtained peace and considerable accession of territory. In 1719, John Law proposed his celebrated financial scheme to the Prince Regent of France, when the Mississippi Company was chartered, and Louisiana colonized. colonies. Meanwhile the English colonies advanced in wealth, num- Growth bers, and political importance, and, as we have already said, of the began to attract the notice of Government. Sir Robert Walpole was solicited, during his administration, to tax the colonies; but he rejected the proposal. He encouraged trade to the utmost, and tribute was only levied through the consumption of British manufactures. But restrictions were subsequently imposed on colonial enterprise, which led to collisions between the colonies and the mother country. The Southern colonies were on the whole more favored than the Northern, but all of them were regarded simply as instruments for promoting the peculiar interests of Great Britain. Other subjects of dispute also arose; but, in spite of all, the settlements made rapid strides. There was a general diffusion of knowledge, Their the laws were well observed, and the ministers of religion were political an honor to their sacred calling. The earth was subdued, and ticn. replenished with a hardy and religious set of men. Sentiments of patriotism and independence were ardently cherished. educa 252 GROWTH OF THE COLONIES. Ch. 21 The people were trained to protect themselves; and, in their town meetings, learned to discuss political questions, and to 1719 understand political rights. A. D. to men. Ecclesiastical controversies sometimes disturbed the peace 1745. of parishes and communities, but did not retard the general prosperity. Some great lights now appeared. David Brainerd, as early as 1742, performed labors of disinterestedness and enlightened piety, which have never been surpassed, and Their rarely equalled. Jonathan Edwards had also then stamped his great genius on the whole character of New England theology, and won the highest honors as a metaphysician from European admirers. His treatise on the "Freedom of the Will" has secured the praises of philosophers and divines of all parties, from Hume to Chalmers, and can "never be attentively perused without a sentiment of admiration at the strength and stretch of the human understanding." Benjamin Franklin had not indeed, at this early epoch, distinguished himself for philosophical discoveries; but he had attracted attention as the editor of a newspaper, in which he fearlessly defended freedom of speech and the rights of the people. But greater than Franklin, greater than any hero which modern history has commemorated, was that young Virginian planter, who was soon after to be seen watching, with intense solicitude, the interests and glory of his country, and preparing himself for that great conflict which has given him immortality. French fortifications. The growth of the colonies, and their importance in the eyes of Europeans, had now provoked the jealousy of the two leading powers of Europe, and the colonial struggle between England and France began. The French claimed the right of erecting a chain of fortresses along the Ohio and the Mississippi, with a view to connect Canada with Louisiana, obtain a monopoly of the fur trade with the Indians, and secure the possession of the finest part of the American continent. But these designs were displeasing to the English colonists, who had already extended their settlements far into the interior. The English |