In the early part of 1754 the Ohio Company sent a party of thirty men to construct a fort at the Ohio forks-the point where the Alleghany and Monongahela merging, the Ohio commences-and the government of Virginia soon after dispatched Major Washington with a regiment from that colony, aided by a company from South Carolina and another from New York, about 400 men in all, to the same point. The first party had just commenced the fortification, when a French force drove them off, and completed the work, a strong fort, which they named Du Quesne. The posi tion is now occupied by the large manufacturing city of Pittsburgh. A large force was stationed at this important point, and a detachment of 1,500 French and Indians being sent out, defeated Washington, and obliged him to return to Virginia. Meanwhile the French, aided by the Indians, were encroaching at Nova Scotia, in hopes of regaining the whole province. The engagement to neutrality, and even the oaths of allegiance to England which some of them had taken, were no restraint whatever. Gov. Shirley, during this year, made an expedition to Maine, explored the Kennebec, made a treaty with the Indians of that neighborhood, and erected two or three forts for defense of the country, and as trading stations. l'erceiving war to be inevitable, the English government, through the Secretary of State, the Earl of Holderness, had written to the governors of the several colonies, recommending the formation of a union, and particular attention to the point of securing the friendship of the Six Nations, enjoining them also to repel force by force, and if possible to dislodge the French from their posts at the Ohio region. Delegates had already been appointed from seven of the colonies-Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland -to meet at Albany, for the purpose of conferring with the Six Nations; and Gov. Shirley now recommended to the other governois that they should discuss the subject of a confederation. Having arranged the affair with the Indians, the convention proceeded to the matter of the union, and on the Fourth of July adopted the plan of a confederacy, the delegates of Connecticut alone dissenting. There was to be a President-General and a Grand Council, empowered to make general laws, to declare war, and make peace, to raise money for the defense of the colonies, regulate trade with the Indians and otherwise, lay duties, &c. If the plan were adopted, the convention promised the defense of the colonies and expulsion of the French from their territories, without any assistance from England. For opposite reasons, Parliament and the Provincial Assemblies both rejected the scheme. The ministry in lieu of this project, suggested a council of the governors, who should be empowered to draw on the British treasury for all necessary expenses, which the colonies should repay through a general tax imposed upon them by Parliament. Of course, the proposition to concede so easily the right of taxing the colonies, and to make room for the appointment of a multitude of greedy officials to "eat out the substance" of the people, was rejected by the colonies. Early in 1755, France sent strong reinforcements to Canada and Louisburg, and the English government dispatched Braddock, with a respectable force, to Virginia, and Admiral Boscawen, with a fleet, to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to intercept the French armament, and to look out for matters in that quarter. Massachusetts alone, while co-operating with the rest of the colonies at other points, undertook to oust the French from Nova Scotia, of which they were like to regain full possession-a result which would have been fatal to the pursuit of the fisheries in the Gulf region by New England. This was the first of four great expeditions made by the colonies during the year, and the only one that was completely successful. The force, consisting of 3,000 men, under Colonels Monckton and Winslow, sailed from Boston on the 20th May in forty-one vessels, landed at Chiquecto Bay, at the head of Bay Fundy, took forts Beau Sejeur and Gaspereau, on the neck between the waters of Fundy and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and also the forts on the New Brunswick coast above, which were abandoned at their approach. Thus was full possession acquired of the province according to the boundaries claimed by England. As it was considered unsafe to leave the large French population there during the war, the English governor of the province, in concert with Admirals Boscawen and Mostyn and the commanders of the expedition, resolved to deport them in a body, and scatter them through the English colonies, with the view of their being there made naturalized subjects of England. The Abbé Raynal draws a charming picture of the colony thus despoiled. The numbers of the French Acadians were about 18,000. Originally, the engrossing pursuits were hunting, fishing, and the fur trade; but before the cession to England in 1713, they had established a respectable agriculture. They cultivated wheat, oats, rye, barley, maize, and potatoes, and raised the wool, flax, and hemp, out of which they made their own clothes. They had a little trade with Louisburg, from which they obtained a few European articles in exchange for grain, cattle, and furs. Their exchanges among themselves were still fewer. They knew nothing of paper currency, so common in the rest of North America; even the small amount of specie which had entered was not in circulation. They possessed about 60,000 head of cattle, 70,000 head of sheep, 50,000 hogs, and many horses. They knew nothing of lawsuits, and we may therefore well believe, were virtuous, frugal, industrious, and happy, with manners of the simplest kind. They were devotedly loyal to France, and ready at all times to assist in the re-establishment of her dominion. The lands, houses, cattle, and other possessions of this primitive people were declared forfeited by the alleged disregard of their former engagements, and about 7,000 of them, being allowed to take their money and a small amount of furniture, were driven on board the vessels, and scattered in their destitute state along the shores of the Southern colonies, where the inhabitants gave them some succor. About 500 were landed in Pennsylvania, of whom over half soon died. Of the balance of the Acadians, some-to avoid the transhipment-fled into the woods and joined the Indians; others escaped to Louisburg, to St. John, (now Prince Edward's Island,) and to Canada; some reached Louisiana and the French colony at Hayti." The houses left behind them were burned, their lands laid waste, and a complete ravage effected, in order to prevent their return. Those who were exported addressed a pathetic remonstrance to the British government, which was unheeded; but after the peace, they were allowed to return, and lands were given them on taking the oath of allegiance. But in 1772 there were only about 2,000 French remaining in Nova Scotia. The three unsuccessful expeditions of the year were Braddock's disas trous attempt against Fort Du Quesne, which followed the road laid out by the Ohio Company in 1753, widening and improving it as they progressed; that of Gen. Johnson against Crown Point, who, though failing, defeated Dieskau; and that of Gov. Shirley against the forts Frontenac and Niagara. These results left the whole Western frontier exposed to the ravage of the Indians, who carried more than 1,000 captives from Pennsylvania and Virginia. In the latter colony, they penetrated to and crossed the Alleghanies, and were so furious in their destructive course, and so feebly opposed, that it was feared the whole western population of the colony would be obliged to retire to the eastward of the Blue Ridge. In the midst of these operations, in 1755 Samuel Hazard, of Philadelphia, petitioned the king for leave to establish a colony of several thousand people on the Ohio. Such a colony, well provided, would have been probably the best defense both of the provinces and of their western territories, but it does not seem to have been encouraged. The influence of the war, thus far, upon Pennsylvania, is seen in the reduction of her exports from 244,6477. in 1754 and 245,6447. in in 1753, to 144,4567. in 1755. Yet the general Commerce of the colonies had not depreciated; but, on the other hand, there was a large increase in the imports of Great Britain. Art. III.--STATISTICAL VIEW OF THE COMMERCE OF THE U. STATES. WE propose in the present paper to exhibit as complete a statistical view of the trade, Commerce, and navigation of the United States as the sources of information (chiefly official) will permit. The tabular state ments are, in the main, derived from the reports of the Secretary and Register of the Treasury, and although not entirely correct, yet the best and most reliable extant. Prior to 1821, the Treasury reports did not give the value of imports into the United States. To that period their value, and also the value of domestic and foreign exports, have been estimated from sources believed to be authentic. From 1821 to 1854, inclusive, the value has been taken from official documents. We commence with a tabular statement exhibiting the gross value of exports and imports, from the beginning of the government of the United States (1789) to the 30th of June, 1854, as here subjoined. In this table, from 1789 to 1842, inclusive, the commercial or financial year of the United States ended on the 30th of September; and in the last-named year it was changed by an act of Congress, so that from 1843 to the present time it ends on the 30th of June. GROSS VALUE OF EXPORTS AND IMPORTS FROM 1789 TO 1854, INCLUSIVE: 1836... 1837. 1838... 1839... 1840... 1841... 1842... 106,916,680 21,746,360 128,663,040 189,980,035 117,419,376 140,989,217 121,028,416 162,092,132 132,085,946 107,141,519 121,851,803 127,946,177 104,691,534 100,162,087 1849. 1850.. 1851... 1852... 1853... 1854... 132,666,955 13,088,865 145,755,820 147,857,439 178,138,318 216,224,932 212,945,442 267,978,647 $4,573,714,067 $1,321,203,831 $5,894,917,898 $6,721,432,934 The table which follows will show at a glance the amount of tonnage belonging to the ship-owners in the United States, in each of the years from 1789 to 1854. Our progress in tonnage is without a parallel in the history of maritime powers. From 123,893 tons in 1789, we have gone on increasing this important auxiliary of trade, till in 1854 we have reached a tonnage of nearly five millions, as will be seen in the following table : TONNAGE OF THE UNITED STATES FROM 1789 TO 1854. In this table the years end from 1789 to 1834 on the 31st of December, and from 1835 to 1842 on the 30th of September, and from the last-named year to 1854 on the 30th June: STATEMENT EXHIBITING THE AMOUNT OF THE TONNAGE OF THE UNITED STATES ANNUALLY FROM 1789 TO 1854, INCLUSIVE. The following table presents a comparative view of the tonnage of the United States, (registered and enrolled,) and also shows the tonnage employed in the whale fishery, and the proportion of enrolled and licensed tonnage, in tons and 95ths, employed in the coasting trade, cod fishery, mackerel fishery, and whale fishery, each year from 1815 to 1854, inclusive: |