ABSTRACT
The War of the Spanish Succession1 had spread to the four corners of the earth, into which, for the past two centuries, Europe had carried the agitation tormenting it. [...] At length, after the nations involved had been drained of gold and of blood, experiencing twelve years of calamities and expense, and having both learned from their woes and been enfeebled by their efforts, they were anxious to make good their losses. It was in the New World that they sought the means of repopulating and restoring the old one. Impressed by the conformity of soil and climate, France began by looking to North America, and it was Cape Breton Island that first attracted her attention.
