n to awake. In 1755 Braddock's disastrous expedition was directed
against Fort Duquesne, now Pittsburg, where Washington had surrendered
the year before. Later in the year another collision between the
English and French colonists happened near Lake George. Although
Braddock's expedition had been first to start, the French government
was also moving. In May of the same year a large squadron of
ships-of-war, mostly armed _en flute_[93], sailed from Brest with
three thousand troops, and a new governor, De Vaudreuil, for Canada.
Admiral Boscawen had already preceded this fleet, and lay in wait for
it off the mouth of the St. Lawrence. There was as yet no open war,
and the French were certainly within their rights in sending a
garrison to their own colonies; but Boscawen's orders were to stop
them. A fog which scattered the French squadron also covered its
passage; but two of the ships were seen by the English fleet and
captured, June 8, 1755. As soon as this news reached Europe, the
French ambassador to London was recalled, but still no declaration of
war followed. In July, Sir Edward Hawke was sent to sea with orders to
cruise between Ushant and Cape Finisterre, and to seize any French
ships-of-the-line he might see; to which were added in August further
orders to take all French ships of every kind, men-of-war, privateers,
and merchantmen, and to send them into English ports. Before the end
of the year, three hundred trading vessels, valued at six million
dollars, had been captured, and six thousand French seamen were
imprisoned in England,--enough to man nearly ten ships-of-the-line.
All this was done while nominal peace still existed. War was not
declared until six months later.

France still seemed to submit, but she was biding her time, and
preparing warily a severe stroke for which she had now ample
provocation. Small squadrons, or detachments of ships, continued to be
sent to the West Indies and to Canada, while noisy preparations were
made in the dock-yard of Brest, and troops assembled upon the shores
of the Channel. England saw herself threatened with invasion,--a
menace to which her people have been peculiarly susceptible. The
government of the day, weak at best, was singularly unfit for waging
war, and easily misled as to the real danger. Besides, England was
embarrassed, as always at the beginning of a war, not only by the
numerous points she had to protect in addition to her commerce, but
also by the absenc