Louisbourg, From Its Foundation to Its Fall, 1713-1758 #245233

Louisbourg, as the seat of French power on the coast of the North Atlantic, occupied, during the few years of its existence, a unique position. Contrasts between the progress of Canada and that of adjacent British colonies frequently have been made. It has been overlooked that the people of Louisbourg successfully met the competition of their neighbours in the greatest industry in which both were engaged. Its development illustrates the action of economic forces many years before the statement of their laws by Adam Smith met with general acceptance. The captures of the town, both in I745 and 1758, connect its history with the general course of events, which, slowly preparing in the preceding years, culminated in the latter half of the eighteenth century with such far-reaching consequences to France and the British Empire.