| AdminHistory | In 1754 France and Britain resumed hostilities (known as the French and Indian War), part of long-running disputes concerning their influence overseas. The dispute in North America centred on whether the upper Ohio River valley was part of the British Empire, and therefore open for trade and settlement by Virginians and Pennsylvanians, or the French - the French attempting to increase their hold by building Fort-Duquesne at the future site of Pittsburgh. George Washington with his colonial forces made unsuccessful attempts to dislodge them. Ultimately the war spread to every part of the world where either France or Britain had territorial interests, and the American phase of hostilities was followed by a European phase, the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). |
| CustodialHistory | The manuscript belonged to Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792-1872), baronet, an antiquary and bibliophile whose collection included c60,000 manuscripts of various kinds, some relating to the administration of Swiss towns. Various manuscripts were sold after Sir Thomas's death, some to the German government, and were dispersed to several libraries. Formerly Phillipps MS 3492 and Engel MS. |