ing of a sea
war, illustrated by great naval actions and attended with great
modifications in the colonial and foreign possessions of the two
powers. Of the two, England alone recognized the truth; France was
again turned aside from the sea by causes which will shortly be given.
Her fleets scarcely appeared; and losing the control of the sea, she
surrendered one by one her colonies and all her hopes in India. Later
in the struggle she drew in Spain as her ally, but it was only to
involve that country in her own external ruin. England, on the other
hand, defended and nourished by the sea, rode it everywhere in
triumph. Secure and prosperous at home, she supported with her money
the enemies of France. At the end of seven years the kingdom of Great
Britain had become the British Empire.

It is far from certain that France could have successfully contended
with England on the sea, without an ally. In 1756 the French navy had
sixty-three ships-of-the-line, of which forty-five were in fair
condition; but equipments and artillery were deficient. Spain had
forty-six ships-of-the-line; but from the previous and subsequent
performances of the Spanish navy, it may well be doubted if its worth
were equal to its numbers. England at this time had one hundred and
thirty ships-of-the-line; four years later she had one hundred and
twenty actually in commission. Of course when a nation allows its
inferiority, whether on land or sea, to become as great as that of
France now was, it cannot hope for success.

Nevertheless, she obtained advantages at first. The conquest of
Minorca was followed in November of the same year by the acquisition
of Corsica. The republic of Genoa surrendered to France all the
fortified harbors of the island. With Toulon, Corsica, and Port Mahon,
she now had a strong grip on the Mediterranean. In Canada, the
operations of 1756, under Montcalm, were successful despite the
inferiority of numbers. At the same time an attack by a native prince
in India took from the English Calcutta, and gave an opportunity to
the French.

Yet another incident offered a handle for French statesmanship to
strengthen her position on the ocean. The Dutch had promised France
not to renew their alliance with England, but to remain neutral.
England retaliated by declaring "all the ports of France in a state of
blockade, and all vessels bound to those ports liable to seizure as
lawful prize." Such a violation of the rights of neutrals can