Louis de Buade de Frontenac

Each side wished to delay until sure of its alliances in Europe.

during the war ending in seventeen forty eight france had fought with frederick of prussia against austria and britain had been austria's ally the war had been chiefly a land war but france had been beaten on the sea now britain and prussia were drawing together and if france fought them it must be with austria as an ally such an alliance offered france but slight advantage austria an inland power could not help france against an adversary whose strength was on the sea she could not aid the designs of france in america or in india where the capable french leader dupleix was in a fair way to build up a mighty oriental empire nor had france anything to gain in europe from an austrian alliance the shoe was on the other foot the supreme passion of maria theresa who ruled austria was to recover the province of silesia which had been seized in seventeen forty by prussia and held to this day austria could do little for france but france could do much for austria so austria worked for this alliance it is a story of intrigue usually in france the king carried on negotiations with foreign countries only through his ministers who knew the real interests of france now the astute austrian statesman kaunitz went past the ministers of louis the fifteenth to louis himself this was the heyday of madame de pompadour the king's mistress maria theresa condescended to intrigue with this woman whom in her heart she despised there is still much mystery in the affair the king was flattered into thinking that personally he was swaying the affairs of europe and took delight in deceiving his ministers and working behind their backs while events in america were making war between france and britain inevitable france was being tied to an ally who could give her little aid she must spend herself to fight austria's battles on the land while her real interests required that she should build up her fleet to fight on the sea the great adversary across the english channel the destiny of north america might indeed well have been other than it is a france strong on the sea able to bring across to america great forces might have held at any rate her place on the st lawrence and occupied the valleys of the ohio and the mississippi we can hardly doubt that the english colonies united by a common deadly peril could have held against france most of the atlantic coast but she might well have divided with them north america and today the lands north of the ohio and westward beyond the ohio to the pacific ocean might have been french the two nations on the brink of war in seventeen fifty four were playing for mighty stakes and victory was to the power which had control of the sea france had a great army britain a great fleet in this contrast lay rapt the secret of the future of north america as the crisis drew near the vital thought about the future of america was found not in america but in europe the english colonies were so accustomed to distrust each other that when virginia grew excited about french designs on the ohio pennsylvania or north carolina was as likely as not to say that it was the french who were in the right and a stupid or excitable or conceited colonial governor who was in the wrong in paris and london on the other hand there were no illusions about affairs in america in both capitals it was realized that a grim fight was on during the winter of seventeen fifty four to fifty five extensive preparations were being made on both sides france equipped an army under baron dieskau to go to canada britain equipped one under general braddock to go to virginia each nation asked the other why it was sending troops to america and each gave the assurance of benevolent designs but in the spring of seventeen fifty five a british fleet under admiral boscawen put to sea with instructions to capture any french vessels bound for north america at the same time the two armies were on the way across the atlantic diesko went to canada braddock to virginia each instructed to attack the other side while in the meantime ambassadors at the two courts gave bland assurances that their only thought was to preserve peace the english colonists showed a political blindness that amounted to imbecility albany was the central point from which the dangers on all sides might best be surveyed here came together in the summer of seventeen fifty four delegates from seven of the colonies to consider the common peril the french were busy in winning as they did the support of the many indian tribes of the west and the old allies of the english the iroquois were nervous for their own safety the delegates to albany tied and bound by instructions from their assemblies had to listen to plain words from the savages The one Englishman who in dealing with the Indians had tact and skill equal to that of Frontenac of old was an Irishman, Sir William Johnson.

To him the Iroquois made indignant protests that the English were as ready as the French to rob them of their lands.

If we find a bear in a tree, they said, someone will spring up to claim that the tree belongs to him and keep us from shooting the bear.