“The history of French America is far more picturesque than the history of British America in the period of 1608-1754. But the English were doing work more solid, valuable and permanent than their northern neighbours. The French took to the lakes, rivers and forests; they cultivated the Indians; their explorers were intent on discovery, their traders on furs, their missionaries on souls. The English did not either take to the woods or cultivate the Indians, they loved agriculture and trade, state and church, and so clung to the fields, shops, politics and churches. As a result while Canada languished, the English states grew up on the Atlantic plain modelled on the Saxon pattern, and became populous, rich and strong. At the beginning of the war there were 80,000 white inhabitants in New France, 1,160,000 in the British colonies.” —PROFESSOR B. A. HINSDALE. MONTCALM AND THE FALL OF NEW FRANCE. What the gold mines of Mexico and Peru were to the Spaniards the fur trade of New France was to the French, and until the furs arrived in Montreal or Quebec, they could not be considered safe, for in the Ohio country and especially at the Niagara portage, and even on the way to Frontenac, they were liable to attack from the English and their Indian allies. To protect this trade the French built a strong fort at the mouth of the Niagara River, part of which may be seen to-day in what is known as Fort Niagara on the American side of the river. At the head of the portage, above the Falls, there was a smaller fort called Fort Little Niagara. This was the great trading centre, not only for the district immediately tributary to it, such as Toronto (at the mouth of what is now called the Humber River, and which in summer was very busy) but for all the north-west country which with the development of Detroit had increased in wealth and inhabitants. Toronto was really an outpost of Niagara and was established with the great French forward movement in 1749. It had been officially named Fort Rouillé after the Colonial Minister of the day, who was also a man of letters, and the head of the Royal Library. However, this name was too artificial to survive and the old name for the bay and river, Toronto, maintained its hold upon the people. In 1749 the French determined upon a great expedition to show their power and assert their sovereignty over the Ohio country and to warn off all strangers from trading on French territory. So in June of that year with 23 canoes and 250 men they left Lachine, passed through Niagara in July, and made their triumphal way through the Ohio country to Detroit, and thence back to Montreal in November.