Conceived in Liberty Volume 2 - Ludwig von Mises Institute

41
Concluding Peace
Although the conflict in America was ended by 1760, the war between
Britain and France continued to rage elsewhere: India; the West Indies,
where England captured Guadeloupe; and Europe. Through it all, England
was driven by the mania of William Pitt for the total crushing of the
French enemy. By the end of 1759, Guadeloupe had been conquered and
New France all but vanquished. Coupled with England's commanding
position, however, was the burden of high taxes and of a mounting national
debt. Increasingly appalled at the long and terribly costly war, Newcastle
and the Whigs concluded that it was high time to make peace. Newcastle's
cry was typical: "I wish to God I could see my way through this mountain
of expense!"
A pamphlet war now began to rage in Great Britain, sponsored by and
reflecting the positions of the contending parties. The imperialist war crowd,
led by Pitt, his brother-in-law George Grenville, the Duke of Bedford, and
the young Prince of Wales and his high Tory adviser the Earl of Bute,
panicked at any hint of peace and demanded the retention of every British
conquest, especially of Canada. Some imperialist pamphlets went so far as
to urge the conquest of French Louisiana. In the last analysis, however, the
imperialists were willing to concede Guadeloupe in order to keep Canada.
Even Pitt's instincts for keeping any and all conquests were tempered by the
fact that his main political and financial supporter was Alderman William
Beckford. Beckford, leader of the London merchants and financiers, was
one of the richest men in the British Empire. An absentee sugar planter
of the West Indies, he opposed incorporating the fertile and efficient French
sugar plantations into the empire and thus into its extensive markets. Fur-
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