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A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

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50 THE CHAIN OF POSTS. [1723.they will be <strong>in</strong> a position to assert their rights, <strong>and</strong>then it will be seen that the dom<strong>in</strong>ions <strong>of</strong> a k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>What we<strong>France</strong> cannot be usurped with impunity.dem<strong>and</strong> now is that the English make immediaterestitution." No doubt, the paper goes on to say,they will pretend to have prescriptive rights, becausethey have settled the country <strong>and</strong> built to"vvns <strong>and</strong>cities <strong>in</strong> it; but this plea is <strong>of</strong> no avail, because allthat country is a part <strong>of</strong> New <strong>France</strong>, <strong>and</strong> becauseEngl<strong>and</strong> rightfully owns noth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>America</strong> exceptwhat we, the French, gave her by the Treaty <strong>of</strong>Utrecht, which is merely Port Royal <strong>and</strong> Acadia.She is bound <strong>in</strong> honor to give back all the vastcountries she has usurped ; but, cont<strong>in</strong>ues the paper,"the K<strong>in</strong>g loves the English nation too much, <strong>and</strong>wishes too much to do her k<strong>in</strong>dness, <strong>and</strong> is toogenerous to exact such a restitution. Therefore,provided that Engl<strong>and</strong> will give us back Port Royal,Acadia, <strong>and</strong> everyth<strong>in</strong>g else that <strong>France</strong> gave her bythe Treaty <strong>of</strong> Utrecht, the K<strong>in</strong>g will forego his rights,<strong>and</strong> grant to Engl<strong>and</strong> the whole Atlantic coast fromthe thirty-second degree <strong>of</strong> latitude to the Kennebec,to the extent <strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> twenty French leagues [aboutfifty miles], on condition that she will solemnly b<strong>in</strong>dherself never to overstep these limits or encroach <strong>in</strong>the least on French ground."Thus, through the beneficence <strong>of</strong> <strong>France</strong>, Engl<strong>and</strong>,provided that she renounced all pretension to therest <strong>of</strong> the cont<strong>in</strong>ent, would become the rightfulowner <strong>of</strong> an attenuated strip <strong>of</strong> l<strong>and</strong> reach<strong>in</strong>g south-

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