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440 HISTORY OF MARYLAND.
j
only to the great lakes, but to the Mississippi, with its affluents and the vast
valley they drained, as well as to the Ohio and its tributaries, which extended
their claim within the territories of Virginia and Pennsylvania. They had
begun to establish a chain of military and trading posts from Canada down
to New Orleans, and as a symbol of their jurisdiction, had carved the lilies of
France on the trees, or on plates of metal sunk in the ground. On the other
hand, the English grants of territory, starting from the Atlantic coast,
extended westward (when not otherwise limited) as far as the Pacific ocean.
So long as the English colonists confined themselves to the seaboard, these
claims of the mother country attracted comparatively but little attention from
their rivals; but as they began to push their settlements beyond the Allegha-
nies, and to encroach upon what the French regarded as their rightful
domains, it became evident that a collision could not be much longer
deferred.
In the north and east, France was now sparing no effort to extend her
power and crush that of England. This vexatious contest was continued
with feeble efforts and various success, almost down to the period of the war
of 1756. It came at last to be distinctly understood, or fully believed, that
a preponderating ascendency in America must decide the long and arduous
contest between those rival powers. It was certainly a singular phenomenon, that a great question of national aggrandizement, between the courts of
London and Paris, should be decided in the interior of America. Such, however, was the fact; and the banks of the St. Lawrence and the shores of the
American lakes, and the borders of Maryland and Virginia were destined to
be the theatre on which the great prize was to be contended for. The vigor
of the contest was proportionate to the magnitude of the stake. The efforts
of England were cheerfully and promptly seconded by those of her colonies,
through four successive years, until, at length, the Plains of Abraham witnessed the triumph of their united valor, and the gallant and lamented Wolfe
planted the cross of St. George upon the ramparts of Quebec. The peace of
Fontainebleau, which soon followed, secured the conquest which valor and
perseverance had won. France relinquished her pretensions, and left Great
Britain without a rival on this extensive field of glory and of enterprise. The
first signal of alarm to the French was a grant of five hundred thousand acres
of territory, on the south side of the Ohio, between the Monongahela and
Kanawha rivers, and west of the Alleghanies, made by the English government in the. year 1749, to a small number of Marylanders and Virginians of
wealth and influence, styling themselves " The Ohio Company." To accomplish its commercial purposes, trading posts were soon established, which the
French followed by prompt and decisive measures of reprisal. Some of the
English traders, amongst the Indians, were seized and imprisoned; and
•several of the trading posts of the comany were reduced and pillaged. Indignant at these outrages, Governor Dinwiddie introduced upon the theatre of
affairs, a youth—George Washington—to perform an important and hazardous
| Title | History of Maryland - 1 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000473 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | 440 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. j only to the great lakes, but to the Mississippi, with its affluents and the vast valley they drained, as well as to the Ohio and its tributaries, which extended their claim within the territories of Virginia and Pennsylvania. They had begun to establish a chain of military and trading posts from Canada down to New Orleans, and as a symbol of their jurisdiction, had carved the lilies of France on the trees, or on plates of metal sunk in the ground. On the other hand, the English grants of territory, starting from the Atlantic coast, extended westward (when not otherwise limited) as far as the Pacific ocean. So long as the English colonists confined themselves to the seaboard, these claims of the mother country attracted comparatively but little attention from their rivals; but as they began to push their settlements beyond the Allegha- nies, and to encroach upon what the French regarded as their rightful domains, it became evident that a collision could not be much longer deferred. In the north and east, France was now sparing no effort to extend her power and crush that of England. This vexatious contest was continued with feeble efforts and various success, almost down to the period of the war of 1756. It came at last to be distinctly understood, or fully believed, that a preponderating ascendency in America must decide the long and arduous contest between those rival powers. It was certainly a singular phenomenon, that a great question of national aggrandizement, between the courts of London and Paris, should be decided in the interior of America. Such, however, was the fact; and the banks of the St. Lawrence and the shores of the American lakes, and the borders of Maryland and Virginia were destined to be the theatre on which the great prize was to be contended for. The vigor of the contest was proportionate to the magnitude of the stake. The efforts of England were cheerfully and promptly seconded by those of her colonies, through four successive years, until, at length, the Plains of Abraham witnessed the triumph of their united valor, and the gallant and lamented Wolfe planted the cross of St. George upon the ramparts of Quebec. The peace of Fontainebleau, which soon followed, secured the conquest which valor and perseverance had won. France relinquished her pretensions, and left Great Britain without a rival on this extensive field of glory and of enterprise. The first signal of alarm to the French was a grant of five hundred thousand acres of territory, on the south side of the Ohio, between the Monongahela and Kanawha rivers, and west of the Alleghanies, made by the English government in the. year 1749, to a small number of Marylanders and Virginians of wealth and influence, styling themselves " The Ohio Company." To accomplish its commercial purposes, trading posts were soon established, which the French followed by prompt and decisive measures of reprisal. Some of the English traders, amongst the Indians, were seized and imprisoned; and •several of the trading posts of the comany were reduced and pillaged. Indignant at these outrages, Governor Dinwiddie introduced upon the theatre of affairs, a youth—George Washington—to perform an important and hazardous |
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