The Contest in America between Great Britain and France with its Consequences and Importance By John Mitchell Republished under the auspices of: Social Science Research Council of Canada Maison des Sciences de I'Homme, Paris Humanities Research Council of Canada Toronto Public Library S.R. Publishers Limited Johnson Reprint Corporation 1965 111 Reprinted 1965 Printed in the United States of America THE CONTEST I N AMERICA BETWEEN Great Britain and France, WITH Its Confequences and Importance ; Giving an ACCOUNT of the VIEWS and DESIGNS of the French* with the I N T E R E s T s of Great Britain, and the SITUATION of the Britifo and French COLONIES, in all parts of America : IN WHICH A proper BARRIER between the two NATIONS in North America is pointed out, with a METHOD to Profecute the WAR, fo as to obtain that neceflary fecurity for our COLONIES. By an IMPARTIAL HAND. jEque pauperibus pro deft, locupletibus ague ; jEque neglefium pueris, Jenibufque nocebit. HoR. Epift. i LONDON: Printed for A. M i L L A R in the Strand, M,DCC,LVIL CONTENTS. SECT. I. rH E Jituation of the Britijh colonies in North America, particularly with regard to the encroachments of the French, and the conduct of the prefent war. pag. 1 7 I. Some tranjakJions in our colonies which gave occajion to the French encroachments, 2 c II. A triple union of our colonies in North America proofed, to retrieve our prefent lojfes, and to prevent the like for the future, 38 III. The expedience and necejjily of raifing and uniting the force of our colonies in the prefent Jituation of affair^ and the fatal effects of neglefling it, 49 IV. Obftacles to this union of our colonies con- Jideredt 65 SECT. II. fie views and de/igns of the French in Ame- rica 9 69 SECT. III. f he Jituation of the French colonies, and their abilities to accomplifh tbofe dejigns, no Dangerous conferences of Buffering the French to be in pojjeffion of Nova Scotia, or any other colony on thefea-coaft of North America, 131 g A compa;- CONTENTS. A comparative view of thefituation of the two nations in America, 136 Reflections on the prefent fituation of the French in America^ 140 SECT. IV. Of the Frontiers of the Eritijh fettlements in North America , the encroachments of the French upon them ; and a proper Barrier be- tween the two nations^ 149 I. Of CROWN-POINT, and the feveral pajjes to Canada, 150 II. Of the paffes to the great Lakes, and par- ticularly of Niagara, 163 III. Of the river Ohio^and Fort du Quefhe, 176 IV. Conferences of the French encroachments, and method to prevent them, by a Barrier be- tween the two nations, 19 1 SECT. V. fbe fatal effefts of fuffermg the French to fettle on our frontiers in dmerica, the caufes of the prefent war, 215 A brief anfwer to the French vindication of their proceedings in America, 226 T H E PREFACE. WH E N we have fo many Conte/is in this nation among friends, we hope they will not forget the Conteft with their foes ; nor think it im- proper or unfeafonable to take a view of what feems to have given rife to them all, the Conteft in America between Great Bri~ tain and France. This is a conteft, in which the whole nation, as well as a few contend- ing parties, is concerned and interefted. Among our many contefts then we have endeavoured to write one for ALL $ one that concerns all, and one that may ferve for all other contefts, if it is attended to. And in doing this, we have endea- voured to accommodate it to ALL, if fuch a thing is poffible. It is not only the fub- jeft itfelf, but the manner in which we have endeavoured to treat it, that makes us hope at leaft, it will be looked upon as a matter of general and public concern, without the leaft regard to any private a views [iv] views or intereft whatever, and far lefs a refpeft to parties. We have no other concern in any party difputes, by writing this Conteft, but to wifh what we feem now to have reafon to hope for, that the ma- nagement of fuch important concerns, as thofe we treat of, may be intruded to thofe who will take the moft care of them. - Detur Digniori. It is true indeed, that no one can put pen to paper on thefe that are now reckon- ed political fubjefts ; without being fuf- pedted of fome fmifter defign in them, or at leaft of writing with a view to favour fome party or other. This our political writers have brought upon themfelves, and upon all others who would endeavour to inform the public of any thing relating to thofe matters. They feem to write againft our party difputes, that have been iuch an obftruftion to public affairs, only to countenance their favourite party. What is worfe, they and many others among us feem to write rather with a fpirit of defa- mation, than with a view to information. If they treat of any fubjedl that concerns the ftate, they muft abufe their rulers, or fellow [v] fellow citizens, inftead of informing their readers. This is fo far from being our defign, that we cannot but reprehend it in others. Our only defign is, to make our colonies in America, and their fituation, better known both to themfelves, and to the nation at home; to give fome account of thofe countries in America, that the two nations are contending for, and of our difputes about them, which feem to be but too little known to any of us ; and to con- fider the way of recovering our loffes in them : and if any among us fhould think themfelves hurt by fuch an inquiry, we are forry that their intereft fhould inter- fere fo much with the public intereft. I am but too apprehenfive indeed, that thefe our contefts in America, and all ac- counts of them, are reckoned by many to be prejudicial to the greateft bleffing any nation can enjoy, peace. It was this that has made me hitherto refift the frequent follicitations of many to give fome account of thofe matters, that they were pleafed to think I had taken fome pains to be ac- quainted with. But fince our peace is fuf- ficiently broke at prefent, the only way to a 2 reftore [vi] reftofe it feems to be, to profecute the war in fuch a manner, as to obtain a firm and fecure peace from it at laft. How that is to be done, is the chief fubjedt of our in- quiry, which we imagine may be more conducive to the peace of this nation, than any thing elfe that may be propofed for that purpofe ; and may perhaps be a means of preventing the many wars it is other- wife threatned with on account of its colo- lonies, as well as the fatal effects and con- fequences of them. This you may per- haps fee fome reafons for in the following account, of the views and dejigns of the French in all parts of America , and of the fatal eff'etfs cffuffer ing them to fettle on our frontiers there ; to prevent which was the chief defign of our endeavouring thus to reprefent them, and to point out the con- fequences of them. It was from thefe views and defigns of the French, and by fuffering them to fettle on the frontiers of our colo- nies in America, that they brought on the prefent war -, and we feem to have no way to put a happy end to this, or to prevent ma- ny more fuch wars on the fame accounts, but to fecure ourfelves againft them in time, [vii] tirne, when it may be done ; the way of do- ing which is the chief defign, fcopeand ten- dency of our difcourfe to reprefent. The importance of thus fecuring our plantations muft appear to all, who are the leaft acquainted with them, or the concerns of the nation in them. It is fufficient only to mention the fum total of the yearly produce of our plantations^ that centers in Britain, to be convinced of their importance at firft fight ; which fum, upon a mode- rate computation, appears to amount to at leaft five, if not fix, millions fterling a year. Befides this, the plantations breed and maintain an incredible number 6f feamen and mariners, not lefs perhaps than 40 or 50,000 a year, which are both the treafury and bulwark of the nation. They employ likewife nigh two thoufand fail of fhips a year ; great numbers of which are built in the plantations for the more immediate fervice of Britain. It is this that makes this nation both profperous at home, and confiderable abroad. The American colonies are now become a great fource of that wealth, by which this nation maintains itfelf, and is refpedled [ viii ] refpeded by others. They arc likewife the great fupport, not only of the trade and commerce, but even of the fafety and de- fence of Britain itfelf. It is from them chiefly that Britain has thofe conftant fup- plies of feamen and mariners, on which its very exiftence as a nation feems entirely to depend It ought never to be forgot, what was fo very obfervab'e in the beginning of our naval equipments in January and February I754> when our mips were detained by along continuance of contrary winds from returning from America, our fleets, fo neceflary to prevent an invafion, could not be mann'd, 'till thofe mips arri- ved from the plantations But if we give up any part of our plantations, or fuffer them to fail into the hands of the French, their trade and commerce, ihipping and feamen, muft profper and encreaie, as much as ours would decline and decreafe ; and let any one confider, from the inva- fion this nation was lately threatned with, what would be the confequence of fuch events ! A fmall ballance might then have turned the fcales entirely againft us in their favour, which they muft undoubtedly foon have [fc] have by being fufFered to fecure their pre- fent pretenlions in America. But however important thofe our con- cerns in America may be, it muft be own- ed, that the whole nation has been very neglectful of them. We feem to have paid no regard to them, 'till the French opened our eyes about them, and made us take notice of them, whether we would or not. And even then, when we were cer- tainly threatned with the lofs of the greatr eft part of all North America, (which will plainly appear, I believe, from what is fhown in the following difcourfe, to en- danger the lofs of all our colonies there) many feemed to reckon this a matter of very little confequence, as fome would perfwade us ftill, if they could find any arguments for that purpofe. You have brought this nation into a war, fay they, for a port or two in Nova Scotia, or an Indian fort on the river Ohio. This is what we were conftantly told by the am- baflador of our enemy himfelf thefe are Indian affairs of little confequence- which I do not underftand, nor trouble myfelf with, faid he on many occafions. But But if you will look into the following difcourfe, you will fee I believe very plain- ly, that this port or two, or thofe Indian affairs of fo little confequence, amount to no lefs than nineteen parts in twenty of all the continent of North America, which is much more than all Europe put together. But by fuch arguments as thefe we were almoft lulled into a fatal fleep, 'till we fhpuld have had nothing but perdition be- fore our eyes, as foon as they were opened. It is to prevent the like miftakes for the future, that we have endeavoured thus to reprefent them. The refult of this conteft in America between the two nations muft furely be, to gain a power and dominion, that muft fooner or later command all that conti- nent, with the whole trade of it, if not many other branches of trade j which muft all fall into the hands of France, fooner or later if we fuffer her to fecureher prefent en- croachments on the Britim dominions in North America, as will plainly appear from the following difcourfe. This is the fubjedt of the conteft in America. And when the two nations, who want neither cou- rage rage nor affection to their caufe, have fuch a pledge as this at ftake, there is no wonder to fee conftant jealoufies, and fre- quent ruptures between them. But they who are negligent in it, I am afraid, muft fuffer by it. This we have learned alrea- dy from fatal experience ; which we hope it cannot be taken amifs to endeavour to prevent for the future. Not to mention any other confequences of the neglect of our affairs in America, it was certainly this that has brought the nation into this prefent war. The French indeed would endeavour to per- fwade the world of the very reverfe, and tell us, it was the too great at- tachment of the nation to its intereft in America, that has made them kindle this war in Europe. But if we inquire into the real truth of the matter, it will appear to every one, that it was rather the little regard that this nation has all along paid to its concerns in America, by which our frontiers there were left open and defence- lefs, and our colonies unguarded and ex- pofed to the invafions of the French from all quarters, that has made them take this opportunity to feize a great part of the fi JVitifli Britifli dominions there ; which the nation has fo far neglefted, that the French and others feem to think, they did not belong to it for that reafon. If Nova Scotia had been fettled, or otherwife fecured, after the treaty of Utrecht, when it was re- ftored to this nation, there would have been no occafion for the late difputes or the prefent war about it. The territories and fubjection of the fix nations of Indians in North America, which include the Great Lakes> river Ohio-, and many other places, that had been conftantly contefted between the two nations, from their firft fettlement in America, were by that treaty likewife given up by France to Britain. Before that the French had endeavoured to extend themfelves into thofe inland parts of North America, and to bring the pofleflbrs and proprietors of them under their fubjec- tion ; which they now gave up all pre- tenfions to, and relinquished to Britain, that had a more juft, and prior right to them. But all thofe countries have been fo far neglected by this nation, that one would imagine, it had no concern in them. Even the French that had quitted their claims I" xiii ] claims to them, were allowed to make as much, or rather more ufe of them, than we did ourfelves. It was for this reafon, that the French revived their claims to them, and feem to have imagined, that all thofe countries that they had given up, or never had any right or title to, belonged to them ; or at leaf! that Britain would never conteft them, in the manner they were refolved to do, and enter into a war on that account, fmce the whole nation feem- ed to pay fo little regard to them. But as foon as the eyes of our people came to be opened about thofe things, for which they were beholden to the French, the only queftion with them feems to be, who were the authors of all this neglect and mifconduct ? This every one would put off from themfelves, and lay upon thofe who are obliged to bear all, it feems, the Mlnijlry. But it is to be feared, if the miniftry, or any others, are to be loaded with all the faults, bad policy, negledts and mifconducl: of this nation, efpecially in America, they will be more than man can bear, or anfwer for. It would appear, that fome others have a b 2 hand [xiv] hand at leaft in the management of our concerns in America, if not of the more important affairs of government, as well as the miniftry. The people of Britain feem to have their {hare in the manage- ment of public affairs, efpecially relating to America, as well as the government. If we would do juftice to our caufe then, we fhould confider the condud; of the one, as well as the other. And if that is duely inquired into, it is to be feared, that it will appear, the government has had ra- ther too little concern in our affairs in America, inftead of being the fole authors of all the mifcondud in it. This would appear to be the cafe, from the firft part of our inquiry, concerning the Tranf actions in our colonies that gave oc- cafion to the French Encroachments $ which are plainly the caufe of all our prefent loffes and misfortunes in them, and of the difficulties the nation is brought into about them. And in thefe it will appear, that the people have had a much greater hand, than the miniftry. It may be faid per- haps-, that a government ought to influ- ence and overrule all the actions of the people, and to be anfwerable for them. But [XV] But that does not appear to be fo eafily done in a Britifh government, nor fo agree- able to its conftitution. The happy con- ftitution of the Britifh government allows its fubjefts many liberties and privileges, the abufe of which, for their own private intcreft, contrary to the public welfare, they have to anfwer for much more than the government. If the goverment inter- pofes its authority over them, there is as great a clamor, or rather greater, about the breach of liberties and privileges, as about the neglect of public concerns. It is to be hoped then, that the people and the colonies themfelves will confi- der this, fo as to give fome attention to the public affairs that they are concerned in, and not let the private views of any, or party difputes of others, interfere with the public intereft and welfare ; which is but too often the cafe where the people have any thing to do with public affairs : and that the government like wife .will attend a little more clofely to the concerns of the nation in America. But let us not confine our inquiries about fuch important concerns to perfons, but extend them to things. Let us inquire 8 into into our conduft itfclf, and the reafons for it, inftead of the authors of it If either our miniftry or our people have been guilty of what others may reckon mifcon- dudt, it was perhaps by a&ing according to the beft of their judgement, and doing what they thought was right, as well as many others. If their conduct has been amifs then, it proceeds perhaps from wrong principles or falfe notions, inftead of neg- ligence. Let us inquire then into the no- tions and principles by which this nation ieems to regulate all its conduct with re- gard to its colonies ; which opinions of the people muft influence the meafures of the ininiftry, and every one elle. Such an inquiry may not only account for the paft conduct of the nation in America, but may help to reform the future perhaps, which is of much more confequence. The falfe notions then that this nation feems to have entertained concerning its colonies, which appear to have influenced many opinions and meafures relating to them, and to have been a great caufe of the negleft of them above reprefented, and confcquently of our prelent lofies and dif- turbances [ xvii ] turbanccs in them, may be reduced to the following heads : i. It is well known, that our colonies in America are rather more under the tuition and influence of the merchants in Britain, than the government perhaps -, and that all public meafures relating to them are very much influenced by the opinions of our merchants about them. But the only things that they feem to attend to are the profits of trade. When we talk of thofe remote and inland countries in Ame- rica, What do they produce, or what will they fetch ? fay they. This, it is true, is neceflary to be confidered likewife, but it is not the only thing to be attended to. The great thing to be confidered by all ftates is power and dominion, as well as trade. Without that to fupportand pro- tedt our trade, it mud foon be at an end. But if we confiderthe vaft extent of thofe inland countries in North America, and the numbers of natives in them, with the ftill greater numbers of people they muft maintain, the power they muft neceflarily give to any ftate poffefled of them muft appear to be very great, and fufficient to command all the trade of America, It is by by acting upon this principle, of gaining a power and dominion, that the French have gained fuch a trade with it j have overrun our colonies in the manner they have done, and muft foon worm us out of them altogether ; fo long as we mind no- thing in Britain but trade, and nothing in America but planting. It is for want of attending to this in time that the trade of this nation now fuffers fo much, and mufl be foon ruined altogether, if we continue to act on thefe principles. 2. But even in point of trade, and im- mediate returns to Britain, thofe inland countries in North America are much more valuable, than any feem to reckon them. It is generally imagined, that they are fo remote, that nothing can be brought from them to Britain. But we fee by the accounts of them what a prodigious and extenfive water-carriage there is all over them, by which any commodities almoft may be brought from them to conveni- ent ports for a Britim market. It was but a few years ago, and in this prefent age, that we feem to have reckoned any places worth feating in our tobacco colo- nies, beyond the falls of the rivers, or the naviga- [xix] navigation for Britifh veffels, becaufe it was imagined, we could not bring tobacco from them : but now thofe places are be- come the center of thefe colonies, an-i to- bacco is made and brought to Britain from beyond the Apalachean mountains, and has been for fome years. But if we can bring fuch a cumberfome and bulky commodity as tobacco from thence, how much eafier will it be to tranfport other lighter commodities from the remoteft parts of thofe inland countries, efpecially by the navigation they afford ; and there is no doubt, but that many fuch commo- dities hereafter mentioned, might be made in them ; not to mention the great quan- tities of fkins and furrs, the richeft commo- dities in all North America, that are got in them without either rifque or charge ; with which alone the French colonies are able to make fuch a figure, and to vie with us, in the manner they have lately done. 3. Many others again feem to pay little regard to the colonies in any refpedt, and look upon them only as a drain of people out of the nation, that might be more ufeful at home perhaps ; by which this c nation nation may be exhaufted of its people, as Spain has been, fay they. But let them confider, what thofe people do that go to the colonies. They are certainly the great and principal fupport of all the trade and manufactures of the whole na- tion, without which the people in Britain would make but a poor figure, if they could even fubfift as an independent nation. Every one that fettles in the plantations maintains at leaft fix people in Britain, in the opinion of the beft judges *. " And " the continual motion and intercourfe cc our people have into the colonies, may " be compared to bees of a hive which lake Ontario^ and the greateft part of lake Erie, with the river Ohio ; otherwife they are too confined to be real planters of commodities that are wanted [ XXXV ] wanted in Britain, and muft become no- thing but a fit of farmers and manufactu- rers, as the people in Britain are. This they already are in the northern colonies, by being confined to towns, and villages, or in forts and garrifons, to defend them- felves againft the French and Indians, that furround them on all fides. To make a commodity for Britain, the people muft extend themfelves up and down the woods, where there are good and conve- nient lands for that purpofe, as they are in the tobacco and rice colonies ; which they can never do, if they are hemmed in and furrounded on all fides by an enemy. By this we may perceive a very falfe no- tion that every one almoft feems to enter- tain of our colonies, to wit, that we have colonies and land enough already, if not too much. This is fo far from being true, that, to make our colonies turn to the account they might and would be of to Britain, the people that are already in them fhould be extended over twice as much land as they now occupy ; unlefs you would make a lex agraria in them, and take many people's lands and proper- e ties [ XXXVI ] ties from them for the public ufe, and di- vide them among the people in general, when they do not cultivate them, as is but too much the cafe in all our colo- nies. But if our colonies want room to make commodities for Britain at prefent, how much more will they do it hereafter ! The number of people in them is obferved to be doubled every age, or thirty odd years, and when that happens, they muft become artifts inftead of planters, and manufac- turers of Britifh commodities, as cloathing and other neceflaries, othcrwife they can never be fupplyed with them, unlefs they have great room to produce commodities enough to purchafe them. Thefe colo- nies will then be a conftant charge and expence to Britain, efpecially if the French furround them, as they now do, while they will be little or no advantage to it, but ra- ther a lofs perhaps by interfering with Britain in its ftaple commodities. Even at prefent all the returns of our colonieson the continent of America to Britain does not amount to above ten or twelve fhil- lings a head perhaps, for all the people in them [ xxxvii ] them taken together, which is not fuffi- cienttocloath them, belidesthe many other neceflaries and fuperfluities they want and get from Britain. If all thofe things are rightly confidered, the French encroachments and pofleffions in America muft appear in a very different light, and prove of much worfe confe- quencc to Britain, than any among us fecm to apprehend. They may perhaps be an improvement to the colonies in arts, trades, manufactures and towns, but that will deprive Britain of all the advantages pf them. The colony of Canada alone, infignificant as fome reckon it, and as it has hitherto been indeed, has deprived Britain of the labour of nigh one half of the people it has in North America, by confining them to towns and townihips for their fecurity and defence, by which they are obliged to beftow their labour on manufactures, inftead of cultivating their lands for Britain If this is rightly confidered, there is not fuch an objection again ft our taking Quebec ', or any other place in Canada^ as moft people feem to imagine That indeed is a confiderable en- e 2 terprize f xxxviii ] terprize, which, like all others of that kind, is not to be undertaken without due deli- beration ; for which reafon we confider both fome of the advantages and difad- vantages of it in the following difcourfe $ the laft of which appear to me to be very inconfiderable, if any at all j efpecially if we confider, that this may prove the (hort- eft way to root the French out of all their other encroachments, and bring them to reafon very foon, if that is to be done indeed by any other means. 6. But the diredtion of all thofe things is entrufted to many people in our colo- nies, who have but few or no opportunities of being acquainted with them. They have not that intercourfe and correfpond- ance with the more improved parts of the world, that is neceffary to inform them of many things relating to their own more immediate concerns at home, and far lefs with foreign affairs: with regard to which, they may be faid never to look hardly be- yond the fmoak of their own chimnies* Of this we have many flagrant inflances in the conduct of their affairs with the French. They feem never to have been apprized [ XXXlX ] apprized of the defigns of the French upon them* 'till they were at their very doors ; and to be ftilllefs acquainted with the rights and claims of the nation in America, which they feem hardly to ex- tend beyond their private plantations ; by Xvhich they have let the French overrun the Britifh dominions all around them, in the manner they have done, with little or no oppofition from our colonies, who were chiefly concerned in preventing them. When the government demanded an ac- count from the colonies of the encroach- ments that were, or were likely to be, made upon them, they feem to have ap- prehended none, fo long as their own plan- tations were fafe in the mean time; which appears to have been the occafion of the fatal fecurity we were in, and of the little regard that was fhown to the prote&ion of our dominions in America, after the late war 5 when all our disturbances and lofles in them might eafily have been forefeen, by any that were acquainted with the views and defigns of the French, and as eafily prevented by a due attention to them in time. It Ir was for thefe rcafons, that we ham been at this pains to pewit oat the views and defignsof the French opon oar colo- nies, and to reprefcnt their fitoation with regard to them, for the information of our people both at home and abroad. It was certainly for want of doe infor and a right opinion concerning thofc things in time, that this nation has been led into foch difficulties about them : and it is to be feared, that a continuation of the like meafares, founded on the like opinions, maft be productive of mach wade confeqaences. For thefc and many other reafons, it is the opinion of all, that nothing is more wanted, than to give this nation fome jail accounts of its colonies, and a true information of the fitoatioo of its affair* in America; as well as to (bow the colonies themfelves the fitoation that they are in, and the defigns of the French upon them ; both which they feem to be fb little acquainted with, or at leaft to pay fb little regard to. Th'is is a thing that we may fay * always, and has been long wanted, which we have entertained fome dcfign to do for many [xli] many years, but could never before be pre- tnailed upon to comply with it. The many different opinions about thofe things, and the (till more different views and interefts df others, make it impoffiblc for any man to fatisfy dl parties about thenl, or to give his opinion of them, without being fub- jfcdt to both cenfure and abufe perhaps for his pains. Thofe things are reckoned to relate tdpolicies of ftate, which private peo- ple have nothing to do with ; at leaft they can expect but Htile fatisfadtion from bemg concerned in them, efpecially in fuch criti- cal conjunctures. For thefe and many other reafons I had deftroyed what I had wrote on thefe and other things relating to Ame- rica) with an intent never to be concerned with them again $ and it is not without reluctance that I now am. But the loffc* we have fuftained in America, the vaft territories the French have overrun and feemingly fccured there, with the threat- ning fituation we fccm to be in on that ac- count, prevailed upon meat laft to put pen to paper again, in this curfory manner, about thofe things that I had formerly fpent fornc time upon ; and to confidcr the method [ xlii ] method of repairing thofe our lofles, before it might be too late, and out of our power perhaps to do it. In doing this our only defign was to give a bare narration of matters of fadt, chiefly relating to the fituation and import- ance of thofe countries that the French have overrun and lay claim to in America, that we might be able to form fome better judgement of them, than what feems to have been hitherto formed at leaft by ma- ny. Such a reprefentation of fadts, relating to things that fo nighly concern this na- tion, muft always be of fome ufe and fer- vice to it, let thofe countries belong to whoever they will ; and it is only thofe matters of fadl that we pay any regard to, or intend to reprefent. It is from them alone, and from numbers of fuch fadts, that we can form any juft opinions of matters of fuch confequence, or the import- ance of them ; which, it muft be owned, are but little underftood by many, who daily give their opinions about them, and would influence our meafures relating to them. This I fliould be very forry to do, any farther than was confident with the general and public intereft and welfare of i the [ xliii ] the whole nation both at home and abroad; which can never fuffer furely by a fair re- prefentation of matters of faft. All that we intend by fuch a reprefentation, par- ticularly of the French encroachments, is, to (how what and where they are, and the confequences of them $ and it is furely much better to fee the confequences of fuch things in time, than to feel them ; as no one can doubt but we muft do fome time or other, if the French are allowed to re- main in poffeffion of the many encroach^ ments they have made upon us, which we fee no way attempted as yet to difpoffefs them of. The manner in which I have done this, I can neither commend, nor altogether condemn. The greatnefs and importance of the fubjed: would have required and ad- mitted a much fuller and more explicit account of it. But I had fpent as much time upon it, if not more, than my other affairs would well permit ; which is the reafon, why I have not yet been able to offer to the public the fecond part of this difcourfe, relating to the rights and titles of the two nations in America, that was f partly [ xliv ] partly drawn up with a defign to be printed herewith ; altho' the fubftance of it is to be found in this part, which has fwelledit to this fize. It was not the define of appearing in public, which lias become fo very difa- greeable, that it has hitherto determined me againft it, butthe importance of thefubjeft, whilft it feems to be fo little underftood by many at leaft, that has made me attempt to give this account of it. And how- ever I may have done that, I doubt not but there will be objections to it. The many different opinions about thofe things are never to be reconciled, 'till we come to have a more perfect knowledge of them. And it cannot be expeded, that any one perfon mould be thoroughly ac- quainted with every particular at leaft re- lating to fo many vaft and extenfive regions as thofe we treat of, which are fo little known to any. This we hope may be a fufficient excufe for any imperfe<5tions or errors that may appear in our account of them. One objection to what we have advan- ced, we cannot but take notice of here, relating to the number of people fuppofed to [if 3 to be raifed and now in arms in our colo- nies. Their particular number might not perhaps be fo proper to be thus publickly reprefented, efpecially at this prefent. They are faid, however, to be many more now than we make them. But this we have only by very late advices, and fmce our following accounts were wrote, which were moftly drawn up lad winter, after our American troops were difbanded, and before we heard of any more being raifed. But it is not our defign to give an account of our force there at prefent, but to re- prefent the manner in which we have all along adted in America in general, and the fatal confequences of it ; which it is to be hoped we (hall amend fome time or other, when our eyes come to be opened. If we have done that al-eady, it is fo much the better. But it cannot be doubted, that we have hitherto adled in the weak manner we have reprefented, by which we have fuftained fuch loffes 5 which it is our only defign to reprefent in general, with- out fo particular a regard to our numbers of troops at this or any other time. And if we have acted in that manner before, we may perhaps do the fame again. What has been may be. This we imagine it is f 2 more [ xlvi ] more prudent to caution againft, that we may be upon our guard, than to magnify the French encroach- ments , zdo y a union of the force of our co- lonies ; and, 3//0, the proper method of con- ducting it in the prefent war ; which mall be the fubjects of this our inquiry. It was entirely for want of a proper union of our colonies, that the French have been fuffered to make fo many encroachments on them, and have hitherto oppofed all the at- tempts we have made to recover them. The B 2 force [ 20 ] force of our colonies is likewife fo difunited by the many fmall provinces, and different flates or governments, into which they are divided, that :hey feem hardly capable to defend them- themfelveSj inflead of making head againft an enemy. Our coionies in America feem to be in the fame fituation that Britain was of old, when it was divided into fo many different ftates or kingdoms, with fuch different views and interefts, that they all fell an eafy conqueft to a much inferior force of the Romans that invaded them. Upon that occafion Cafar ob- ferves very juftly, tc while every one fought " for themftrlves, they were all eafily over- " come : " and our colonies feem to be threatened with the fame fate, unlefs fome pro- per mealures are taken to unite their force to- gether for their mutual defence ; the neceffity of which, and way of doing it, are chiefly intended to be reprefented in the prefent dif- courfe. In doing this, it was impoflible to avoid fome accounts of things that may be reckoned per- haps rather of a private nature, than of a more general and public concern. But where the private concerns of any interfere with the public wellfare, they ought certainly to be ta- ken notice of on that account. It is fufpecl:- ed, that the private influence our colonies have been very much under has been the occa- fion of all the loifes we have fuftained, and are threat- [ ai 3 threatened with in them. This is taken no- tice of by our enemies themfelves, who tell us, if the Englifh had as great a regard for their king and their country, and the public w.tll- fare,as they have for their own private intereft, they might long ago have been mailers of all the moft important places in America * ; whereas for want of fuch a public fpirit they are now threatened with the lof$ of the greateft part of it, that muft in time endanger the whole. But in reprefenting thofe things, it is to be hoped, that we have done it in fuch a manner, and for fuch purpofes, which was our only view and defign at lead, that they may turn out as much for the intereft of thofe more immediately concerned in them, as for the general intereft and wellfare of the whole nation. I. Some t ran fa ft ions in our colonies which gave occajlon to the French encroachments. The firft and principal of the French en- croachments on the Britifh territories is Crown- Point : and it may not be improper to inquire how they came by a place that is likely to coft this nation fo many millions, if it has not al- ready. There are many particulars relating to this, which we have not now time to in- * Vid. du Tertre hift. des Antifles, tom. III. quire quire into, but in general it wa$ as follows, by the beft information we have been able to procure. When the French firft attempted to fettle at Crown- Point, on the caft fide of the lake, opofite to where their fort now {lands, in or about the year 1726, as well as I remember, they were drove from thence by the colony of the Maflackufet's Bay in New-England -, the only colony we have that either ever has or is able to oppofe any of their defigns in any part of America ; and this they did, only by or- dering them to be gone from that place, as I have been informed. But foon after this came on the difpute between Maffacbufets Bay and Ntw-HampJbire about their bounds, which feems to have engroffed the whole attention of thofe colonies, and to have contributed at lead to their neglect of this place, if it was not the caufe of its falling into the hands of the French. The ifTue of this contefl was, lake Cbam- flain, and all the territories thereabouts, were adjudged to New-HampJhire> (a fmall and in- confiderable colony at that time, however thriving, it is hoped, if the French do not put a flop to it) which they were no ways able to maintain and defend. By this means, while two were contending for the bone, the French ran away with it, and eftablifhed themfelves at Crown- C *3 ] Crown-Point in the midft of thefe quarrels among ourfelves, without any confiderable oppofition that I have heard of, but fome pro- tefts againft it ; particularly by the foe nations of Indians, who feemed to know the confe- quence of this place, that was their original abode and habitation, better than we did. The defence and fecurity of this important place has fince devolved entirely upon the co- lony of New Tork, in whofe province it is fuppoftd, although not determined, to be. But becaufe the former fettlement of the French at Old Fort, on the eaft fide of lake Champlain, was removed about the year 1730 or 3 1, to fort Frederic at Crown- Point ; the peo- ple of New-England, the only colony able to defend it,feem to have imagined, tliat they had no farther concern in it, as being on the other fide of the lake out of their diftricl:, although but half a mile farther from them ; for which reafon they left it to one who was not able to oppofe the French at it, if they had attempted it. What made the colony of New-Tor k more unable to guard themfelves againft thefe and other encroachments of the French, was,, not only the divifion of their government by taking the whole province of New Jerfey entirely from, it, juft about the very time that the French fettled at Crown-Point, but ftill more fo per- haps, the fuit that thefe two colonies have been C n ] been fo hotly engaged in both before and fince ; which fcems to have engrofled their attention much more than the French either at Crown-Point or Niagara, and to have coft them more perhaps than would have been fuf- ficient to have prevented the French fettling there at all, or to have difpoflefied them, if they had attempted it ; and thereby to have faved all the immenfe charges the nation has incurred, and is (till liable to incur, on thofe accounts. The heats and animofities between thefe two colonies, and their feveral parties in both of them, feem to have carried them as great lengths as they ought to do againft a de- clared and inveterate enemy \ while at the fame time the French were upon their bor- ders, and were fecuring their frontiers, as they have done. But if they did not difpof- fefs the French, they have difpoflefled one an- other over and over again, and that with open violence. To look into their tranfaclions for feveral years paft, of which they have printed fuch folio volumes, one would think they had been at open war with one another for thefe for- ty years paft , and have now a war to main- tain againft the French, when they feem both to have been exhaufted by war with one an- another. To get a redrefs of luch grievances they apply to England, where they have fuftained a law- L *s j lawsuit, as bad perhaps as war itfelf, that had lafted five and thirty years, the laft time I heard it plead, when they had not yet come to the merits of the caufe ! altho' this whole difpute about their bounds and limits, (which, with the like difputes every where al- moft, have coft more than might have fettled the bounds and limits of all the Britim domi- ons in America) depends upon two very fimple points, neither of which, that are plain facts*, feem to be fo much as known to our people in America, who are fo little acquaint- ed with their domeftic concerns, and far more with their foreign affairs. C When * The words in the charter of New Jerfey, on which the cSilpine between that province and New-York about their bounds depends, are, *' and to the northward, as far " as the Nortbernmtft Branch of the faid bay or river (of " Delaware], which is in 41 40* of latitude." Here are two places then, the Northernmoft Branch of Delaware river, and the latitude 41 40', that are both mentioned in defcribing the bounds of this grant ; and as thefe two do not coincide together, the queftion is, which is to be made the boundary, according to this defcription of it in the charter ? By the words of the charter it is plain, that the boundary thereby intended is the Northernmoft Branch of Delaware river ; and that the latitude there mentioned is only a fur- ther defcription of that branch of the river, and not of the abfolute bounds of the grant, independent of fuch a branch of the river. The words, which is in latitude 4.$ 40', mean, which branch of the ri to fettle Ofwego, that important place we have all heard fo much about of late (would any one believe it), it met with all the oppofition from the merchants in England, with all the mifreprefentations of that and the whole pro- vince, that could be devifed' ;* 'by which they put off that defign for fome years, and neither they nor their abettors feem ever to have con- curred heartily in it at lad ; one caufe pofiibly of our late lofs of it.* The private reafons of this their conduct, for they could certainly have no public reafons for it, were, a company ef them had engrofifed the whole trade of fup- plying the colony, as was pretended, with goodr, for the Indian trade; which they fold in wholefale to the French, inftead of retailing them to our people, or the Indians.* And for that reafon they and the reft who were con- * See feveral memorials on this fubjeft in Colon's hif- tory of the five nations. cerned cerned in this elandeftine trade with the French, chofe rather that the French Jhould be convenient to them at Crvwn-Point* than that the Englifh Ihould fettle at Ofwego / Hence the French got fo peaceable and quiet pof- fefilon of that place (that now cofts fo much blood and treafure to recover) rather by our connivance, than our oppofition : and the fix nations of Indians told us flatly, that the French built their Forts with Englijh StroudsJr the goods we fuppiied them with , and remon- ftrated againft it, as prejudicial to our intereft and their welfare. Notwithftanding this care the Indians feem to have taken of our affairs, more than we have done ourfelves, many people abufed them there in the moft fcandalous manner, taking in their very Corn Fields in furveys of lands, that the Indians had voluntarily granted them captivating fome of the Indian youths for Haves felling them water for rum with many more fuch pra&ices I do not doubt \ but a particular account of thefe three I have from good authority, with many aggravating eircumftances, too grofs to be publickly told All this was on and about the time that the French fettled and fecured themfelves at Crown-Point and Niagara. And can any one f Ibkl. page 19. imagine, imagine, that all thofe pra&ices did not con- tribute to it ? Not to mention our fhameful defertion of the five nations at many times I could point out. We fliould have many more fuch things to take notice of, if this was either a place or a proper time to do it. We cannot, however, pafs over another like difpute in our colonies about the river Obio 5 which is fuppofed by many, who feem hardly to have heard of any other places in our colonies, 'till they were fo alarmed about this, to have been the fole dcca* (ion of the prefent war with the French. But if they will look a little farther, they will find, that the French ufurpation of the river Obio in 1 753 and 1 754 was only a confequence, and a neceflary confequence, that could not well be prevented, of their being fuffertd to fecure Crown-Point, and Niagara, feveral years before, from the caufes we have reprefented ; either of which places, or Nova Scotia* are of more immediate confequence to them than the river Obio. Our party difputes, however, feem to have contributed not a little to the French getting pofleflion of that river likewifc. For altho* the people and aflembly of Penjilvania wou!4 not allow Fort du Quefne on the river Obio to be in their province in 1 754, after the French had fcized it, yet in 1750 and 1751 they or their L 3 J their traders at lead, claimed it as their fole privilege and property, and carried their pre- tenfions fo far, as to give the Indians fuch bad imprefiions of the people ofFflgiffjif, that they would not allow our people from Virginia to come nigh that river for fome time. Their petty debates ran fo high, that fome people, I have been told, loll their lives by them, and an infurre&ion or revolt of the Indians was to be apprehended from them. This brought on a difpute between the two pro- vinces, which could only be decided by fet- tling their bounds and limits. This fettlement again was oppofed by the proprietor of Mary- land^ who might have been injured by it. Thus our own private difputes fubfifted, when the French put an end to them, by feizing all the places in difpute. Thefe difputes between our feveral colonies, and unfettled claims of different proprietors, were the chief occifion of the river Ohio, and all other places, being fo ill fecured and fet- tled, when the French took poffeflion of them. Many people who would otherwife have taken grants of thofe lands, knew not who they were to obtain them from, or to hold under. The bounds of Virginia^ Maryland and Penftfoania y ^he three colonies that make the middle divi- fion of the Britifh dominions in North Ame- rica hereafter mentioned, all joined together about . [331 about Fort du Quefne on the Ohio, and were un- determined between them, as they flill are. The Ohio Company again had a large grant at the fame place, which was as undetermined as the reft. Here were four different proprietors then to interfere with one another at this im- portant place, which is the chief frontier of all thofe colonies, and of the whole Britifh domi- nions perhaps in all North America , and fhould have been fecured in the very firft place. But now there were none to do this important bufinefs , notwithftanding the many colonies we have in America, and particularly hereabouts, about the forks of the Ohio, where the greateft ftrength perhaps that we have in America might be exerted, if it was rightly conducted. Propofals were made, and in time, to have remedied all thofe inconveniences, and to have prevented the many fatal confeqaences of them, that have fince enfued, which were then forefeen in 1751, but all to no purpofe. It was propofed ; i . That thefe three colonies, Virginia, Mary- land and Penfylvania, mould unite together, to keep up a joint intereft on the Ohio, where they had feveral fettlements ; particularly by a good and refpeclable fort at or about the forks of the Ohio, the place where Fort du Quefne is fince erected by the French. D 2. To t 34 J ?. To lay off their feveral bounds, thatpeo^ pie might know who to fettle under. 3. To determine the bounds of the Ohio Company^ that they might not interfere with other fettlers. 4. To fettle a tariff of trade with the Indians ; and appoint officers to fee it com- plied with. 5. To unite all the Indians on and about the river Ohio in one body, fubject to fome rule and order, made for their welfare, and the Englifh interefl. And what was fo proper then, may not ap- pear improper perhaps another time. If thofe things had been done, they would certainly have prevented, or fruftrated, the attempt of the French upon the Obto, and all the many fatal confequences of it : and they may per- haps be as ferviceable for that purpofe another time. But many obflacles then came in the way to all thofe defigns ; which we hope will be confidered and removed. The chief feemed to be the difpute between the proprietors of Maryland and Penfyhania about their bounds ; and the jarring interefts and contefts between our different colonies. But we hope, they will decide their difputes among themfelves, rather than let the French doit for them. Many who are little acquainted with, and ill informed of thofe things, feem to have laid the C 35 J the whole blame of all this upon the Ohio Com- pany. But, alas ! they appear to know little of the matter. If that company had been as much to blame as fome people would make them, they were by far the leaft of four con- cerned. The eftablifhment of that company was furely well intended, and for the mod laudable and commendable purpofes. For this they had only the promife of a grant of 200,000 acres of land, not yet pafied the feals, I am told, upon the fame conditions nearly that all private people obtain fuch grants every day ; only they were to have feven years allowed them to fettle thofe lands, (which private people are obliged to fettle in three years), upon condition that they would tran- fport a certain number of people, and build a fort upon the lands to be granted ; and upon their complying with that, they were to have 300,000 acres of land more. Now what are 500,000 acres of land in that country? If it had been ten or an hundred times as much, the government ought to have given it to any that would have taken it upon thofe terms ; and a company is furely much abler to com- ply with the conditions of fuch grants, and to fettle the country, than private people ; to whom luch things are only entrufted in our colonies. We hope then to fee many Ohio D 2 Companies, [36] Companies, inftead of fupprefiing the prefent one. All that appears or has been found incon- venient in this company, and from all fuch large grants, is, the charge of furveying them, it feems, will not quit cod \ by which their bounds lie undetermined, and others who might fettle before them, are liable to be ejected by them, when they come to lay off their grants. This is a real inconvenience from all fuch large grants, efpecially when they have a number of years allowed to afcer- tain their bounds. The only way to remedy this inconvenience, as far as I can fee, is, to let the grants extend to certain diftances from any place or places that the granter or grantees fhall pitch upon ; which diftances they may lay off at any convenient time, and others may eafily judge of in the mean time, fo as to fettle round them, and not to trefpafs upon them. The Ob:o company's grant then was no more than a grant of land made by the go- vernment to fettle the country about the river Obio^ and it was not the only grant of many that were made for that purpofe; altho* the French would pretend the contrary, and tell us, we had no other claim nor intereft there, but from this company. But by their leave it appears, from the books of the fecretary's office in Virginia^ that we h?.d no lefs than 3.000000 [ 37] 3,000000 of acres of land granted in that colony alone, weft of the Allegany Mountains* upon the branches of the river Ohio ; befides the feveral other fettlements made there by the people of Penfylvania , long before they took poflefiion of this country, and of our forts and fettlements in it, driving our people out of it, in 1753, and 54, by force of arms. Thus much we could not but take notice of here, to fhow from matter of fact, as well as from the reafon of the thing, that is plain and obvious, the ufe and necefiity of a better union of our colonies. This we have reprefented by particular inftances Jikewife, that we may fee where th.it union is moft wanted, and how it fhould be effected. The parties here men- tioned are thofe that are to fupport not only one another, but the whole Britifh intereft in North America, whofe union is chiefly wanted for that purpofe, not only at this prefent junc- ture, but at all times : while they are thus at variance with one another, from the frivolous pretences, or private views, that we have thus reprefented. This we have done in order to fhow the ufe and necefllty of an accommo- dation of thofe differences among ourfelves ; as well for the intereft of the parties concerned, as for the welfare of the whole nation that is concerned in them -, efpecially now when we have have fuflained fo many lofies, and are threatned with fo many more, occafioned entirely by our party difputes. II. A trifle union of our colonies in North America propofed, to retrieve our prefent loffes, and to prevent the like for the fu- ture. The union of our colonies is a fubjeft much talked of, but feems to be little underftood, to make it turn to any account at lead, if thoroughly confidered. Some fuch union is no doubt neceflary ; fince all our loffes and misfortunes in them feem plainly to have pro- ceeded from the want of it. For this reafon a general union of all our colonies is propofed, which we fear might only ferve to divide and difunite them, more perhaps than they are already. But not to mention any grand and general union of our colonies, or of fo many diftant and remote provinces, with fo many very different views and intereits, that might never perhaps take place, nor be executed to any purpofe, like other grand defigns and projects ; let us only confider what is fcafible and prac- ticable in the mean time, and what feems to be abfolutely neceflary to oppofe the enemy in their prefent fituation \ to provide for the mutual fecurity and defence of our colonies at all [39l. all times; and to guard againft fuch furprizes for the future, as they have lately met with. For this purpofe we mould divide our feve- ral colonies in North America into certain parts, whofe fituation is much the fame, and whofe intereft, that rules every thing, is more eafily connected ; by which their mutual union is confequently more eafily accomplifhed, and complied with when eftablifhed. But other- wife, if we talk of a union of all our colonies together, when is it ever likely to take place, or to be attended with the defired ends ? What mutual intereft, connection, or depend- ance, have New England and Carolina, Virgi- nia and Nova Scotia, &c. for example. This is a union that might be necefTary, like a convention of ftates, upon particular and ex- traordinary occafions, but like fuch conventions that we fee in all ftates, whofe fituation, views and interefts, connexions and defigns, are fo very different, it might be attended with as little benefit perhaps, as it would be tedious and difficult to bring about. For this reafon we (hall propofe another fort of union of our colonies, that appears to me as abfolutely ne- cefiary at firft fight, if we would ever confider their fecurity and defence, as it is eafily ac- complifhed at this prefent, if they have any manner of regard for their own intereft and fafety. For this purpofe we fhould confider, how our [ 40.] our colonies on the continent of North Ame- rica are, or ought to be, divided. They are ufually divided into the northern and fouthern colonies , which only regards their trade, but not their fecurity and protection. With re- gard to this, we fhould confider all thofe re- mote and diftant provinces, and different colo- nies, as making only three, or at mod four different countries, with regard to their natu- ral bounds and fituation, or fituation with refpect to an enemy. For this purpofe we fhould divide our many colonies on the continent of North America into three, the Northern, Middle^ and South- ern. Under the firft I include Nova Scotia, New England, New Tork> and New Jerfey, In the middle divifion are Pen/yhania, Mary- land, and Virginia. And in the fouthern divi- fion we include North and South Carolina and Georgia. Thefe three divifions make three different and diftincl: countries ; feparated from one another by natural boundaries ; different in iituation, climate, foil, products, &c. while the feveral colonies included in thefe divifions, which we look upon as different countries, are all one and the fame country in thefe refpecls, as well as in point of fituation with regard to an enemy , and make only different provinces of thofe three countries, that differ from one 8 another [41 ] another only as the fouthern and northern parts of every country generally do ; being feparated from each other only by land-marks, as different parts of the fame country com- monly are. Now inflead of a general union of fo many different provinces, if we mould advife only a union of thofe that are included in thefe three divifions, I cannot lee any thing that mould hinder it from taking place immedi- ately, and always fubfifting, for their mutual defence and fecurity at lead. Whatever other more general union may be thought proper, if any fuch is, this triple union is at lead ab- folutely neceffary for their fafety and protec- tion, and fhould always fubfift under any other union of our colonies that may be propofed The great inconvenience arifing from the di- vifion of the Britifh dominions in North Ame- rica is, that the divifions are generally too fmall for their fafety and defence, however convenient they may be for the fake of govern- ment , but by thus uniting feveral of thefe divifions together for the purpofes at lead of defence, if ior nothing elfe, this inconvenience may be removed, without producing any other that might arife from changes of forms of government, alterations of conftitutions, &c. All the colonies in this trifle -union have a natural connection and intereft in one ano- E ther [ 42 ] ther, and in the fame places ; by which they muft more readily unite to defend them. But if we propofe to the fouthern colonies to attack Crown Point, Niagara, or Canada, they art not only inconvenient for that purpofe, and would fpend more time, charges, provi- fions, &c. in getting to the place of action, than might be neceflfary to do all their bufinefs nigherhome, in their own precincts; but they likewife think they have nothing to do with thole places that are fo remote from them : as the northern colonies, on the other hand, think they ar~ as little concerned or interefted in the river Obio, Mijfljipi, &c. This is what makes our colonies fo backward to ftir and unite together to defend each others frontiers. But the frontiers of all thofe included in this triple union are one and the fame \ they have all one intereft and concern in them, which- ever province they may be in ; and they will and muft unite together to defend and fecure thofe frontiers at all times, as well as to root the French out of them at prefcnr. Such an union then-may be eafily effected, if the difunited parties have any manner of regard to their fafety or welfare in any refpect. And let us fee what may be done by fuch a triple union of our colonies , which may be called a realurion^ if eRablifhed, To far at Icaft as relates to the chief C43 1 chief thing piopofed and wanted from it, the fecurity of their frontiers. It would take up too much room, and more time than we have to ipare, to reprefent the fituations of all thole feveral colonies, with the mutual intereft, connection, and dependance of thofe that are included in each of thefe three divifions upon one another. That I think may be pretty well judged of, as far at lead as relates to our prefent purpofe, only from confidering their fituation in a map. And all the nfe we lhall make of it is, to mow how by fuch an union properly conducted, they might make head againft the enemy at pre- fent, and oppofe their defigns at ail times. This I think may be eafily collected from comparing their fituation, with the fituation of the enemy. The chief force of the French is now and at all times alTembled about Crown- Point, Montreal, and Fort Frontenac ; which places lie oppofite to the middle of New-. England^ with Nova Sco.'ia on one hand, and New Tork and New Jerfry^ clofe adjoining on the other. Is it not very natural then, for thofe four colonies to be united together for their mutual fecurity and defence, againfl an enemy in fuch a fituation, both now and here- after ? And is it not the intereft of every one of them to join and concur immediately in fuch a union of their force together for their E 2 mutual t44] mutual fecurity and defence? If any in them may think otherwife, they don't know what their intereft is, or won't confider it in a true light ; for which reafon they fhould be compelled to comply with it for their own good, as well as the reft hereafter mentioned. If thofe colonies had been fo united at the beginning of our late difturbances, and the force in thofe four alone had been muftered together, by each fupplying their eftablifhed quota, our prefent difturbances might have been quelled, and nipped in the very bud. And it is to be feared, that, without fuch a union of thofe colonies, we fhall hardly be able to make head againft the enemy at lad, and recover our lofles from them, fince they have gained fa much ground upon us. At the fame time, the force of Penfylvania, Mary-land and Virginia, ihould be fent againft Fort du Quefne on the river Ohio , and always united together to fecu re, fortify, and garrifon that place ; which lies directly oppofite to the center of thefe three colonies, with an eafy ac- cefs to it from them all 5 and is the chief frontier that they have to defend and protect. This was propofed, and if it had been done, before the French invaded thofe colonies, it is plain, they muft have marched out of them as foon as they came into them, and have pre- vented all the loflls the nation has fuftained, and and may fuftain on that account. And I do not fee any other way, either to recover our lofles in them at prefent, or to fecure them hereafter, but by the fame means. The three Southern colonies again, North and South Carolina, and Georgia, are oppofed to the French on the Miffiftpi, but have enough to do to defend themfelves, and will want af- fiftance from the other colonies, inftead of lending them any, if ever they mould be at- tacked. To guard againft fuch an attack, (which we mould apprehend from the numbers of men and troops we fee the French are daily fending to the Mifiifipi, where they fent 2000 regular troops immediately after the treaty of Aixy and had 10 or 12000 men there by the accounts of their deferters before the prefent war *) thefe colonies (hould keep up two good and refpe&able forts ; one at fort Moor, or Augufta ; and another among the Cberokees at lead ; if not a third among the Creek Indi- ans likewife ; unlefs this lad mould be found to be at too great a diftance to defend, as it fecms to be. To do this effectually, the colony of Virgi- * Since the writing of this we are told, that the French have actually taken this ftep, and intend an invafion cf Carolina, with a confiderable force they have aflembled on the Mijfijipi for that purpofe ; if this is not a Feint to divide our force, and keep us from attacking them in Ca- > which is more generally believed. nia fc/X in the -middle divifion, fhould perhaps join with thefe fouthern colonies in maintain- ing their forts among the Cherokees, where Vir- ginia has an intereft ; as Penfyfaania^ in this middle divifion likewife, fhould join with New Tork and New Jerfey, to recover and fe- cure Niagara -, which is clofe upon the borders of that province, if not within it, as I fufpeft it may be found to be, and is the chief fron- tier and barrier to it againft all the invafions and encroachments of the French. All this is not only very proper and conve- nient, but fo manifeftly necefiary, efpecially in the prefent fituation of affairs, that I won- der it has never been done before now, or that any fhould have occafion to propofe it at this day. We talk of the numbers of people in our colonies, but what do they fignify in point of defence, unlefs they are united to- gether, which might be fo eafily done. If we confider the fituation of our colonies in this light, that we have reprefented them in, it is every way as good and promifmg, as it is otherwife difmal and threatening. The chief force of the French lies in Canada^ where the principal force we have likewife, which is in our northern colonies, is ready to oppofe them, and convenient to attack them. Here we have not lefs than 80 or 100,000 men at leaft fit to take the field, while they have not above 12 or 15,000 at moil [47 3 moft, exclufive of European troops on both fides. The next mod confiderable body of the French is afTembled about fort du ghiefne on the river Ohio, from their garrifohs there, and their ftraggling fettlements about lake Erie^ and the Illinois. What their numbers may be is uncertain : they are not, however, aboye one or two thoufand French at moft, bj all accounts, although they have the Indi- ans there at prefent to join them ; many of whom would join us, as they have always done, if we had a force there to fupport them. But whatever their numbers are, we have a vaftly greater force there to oppofe them, not lefs than three or fourfcore thoufand men, in the middle divifion of our colonies above mentioned , out of all which a fufficient force might be raifed furely to repel all the French that are upon the Ohio^ or nigh it. If they had been ordered to do this at firft, it is ima- gined it might have been done long ago, and all the lofles the nation has fuftainedon that ac- count might have been thereby prevented ; as the many greater. lofles it will fuftain, by let- ting the river Ohio continue in the hands of the French, may (till be prevented by the fame means; which appears to be the only way to do it, or the only way at lead in which it is like- Jy ever to be done. Our I Our fouthern colonies indeed are but weak, in comparifon of the northern colonies, but the French on the Miffi/tpi are much more fo like- wife. There are twice or thrice as many men in North Carolina alone, moft of which are fit to bear arms, as in all Louijiana put together, befides what we have in South Carolina^ and Georgia. They have indeed many negroes in South Carolina* which are a clog to them, and for that reafon they will want fuccours. If the French have fent the force to the Miffijipi, that many imagine, it is certainly necefiary to fend a force after them to Carolina. If the force we have in America might be rightly employed in this manner, thofe we may fend from Britain might be as well dif- pofed .of. We fee below, that the force of the French in N. America is like an army fupport- ed by two wings, Quebec and New Orleans ; either or both of which places, as may be thought mod proper, a force once embarked is convenient to attack ; while our force in America goes againft the main body of the enemy, at Crown-Point, add fort du >uefne % for which it is as convenient. All this is fo plain and obvious, that it need not be infilled upon -, we (hall only con- fidcr the expediency and neceffity of fome fuch meafures, and the fatal effects of neglecting them, in the prefent fituation of affairs. III. [491 III. The expediency and neceffity of raifing and uniting the force of our colonies in the prefent fttuation of affairs* and the fatal effefts of ne- glecting it. All that is propofed by the above mention- ed union of our colonies, is only ajun&ion of their force for their mutual fafety and de- jence ; which might be as proper and conve- nient at all times, as it feems to be abfolutely necelTary at the prefent time. We talk much of driving the French out of their encroach- ments, but it does not feem to be fo eafily done. We have been three years only going to attack them, and have not yet been able even to do that. On the contrary, they gain ground upon us every where ; while we feem to do nothing but fit ftill and look on. We hear many things propofed, or rather talked of, but we fhould be glad to fee fome- thing done. Surely it is high time. In the mean time we fhould be glad even to hear any thing propofed, that was likely to fucceed. Our ftrength and dependance feems to be our numbers of men in North America ; but what ufe do we make of them ? I don't fee aay of them hardly employed ! Not even in fervices Upon which their all feems to depend ; as well as the whole concerns of the nation in Amcri* rica ! This is the only advantage we have over F our our enemy, which we feem to make no ufe of, to counterbalance the many other advan- tages they have over us. What may be the reafon of all this, we cannot divine, and far lefs explain. We have many hundred thoufand men in North Ame- rica fit to bear arms, and not much above one thoufand perhaps in arms.* I mean the regiment of New York actually under their general. As for what the other colonies may intend to do, when or how it will be done, we don't fee. New England, is faid to have prom i fed fuccours indeed ; but how or when will thofe fuccours, or any force we have, or that is propofed to be raifed in all America, recover Niagara^ or the river Ohio, the only two things wanted almoft ? Or will they ever march from New England to either of thefe places ? Surely it is very inconvenient} if not impracticable to do it. Is this the way to drive the French out of America? To recover our loft territories from them ? Or even to hinder them from over-running all that continent ? To fecure our colonies, and hinder their encroachments for the future? Or ever to expect an honour- able peace from them ? It was for thefe pur- pofes, that we went to war, and if we don't purfue- them, what occafion had we for fuch a war ? * This was wrote fome time ago. There r 5i j There may be fchemes laid for thofe pur- pofesj deeper than we can fee through'; other- wife they mufl be of little fignification. Our only aim feems to be, to take Crown Point, and have afiembled no force but for that purpofe. But what confequence is that of, fuppofe we fhould take it ? It would hinder the French from cutting our throats, you will fay, at prefent, but it will not do it hereafter. They will carry their point, notwithftanding we mould take Crown-Point. This is not their point in view, and far lefs the only one we mould have in view. Their great point is, to fecure Niagara and fort du Quefne^ by which they will fecure all the inland parts of North America, and almoft that whole conti- nent , and have all the reft of it at their command, when they pleafe. And if they can keep you employed about Crown-Point^ till they do that, they may laugh at you when you have taken it. Whereas, if we were to fecure thefe places, we fhould lofe little or no- thing by Crown-Point* For this reafon we have been at no fmall pains to explain the confequence and impor- tance of many places, as well as of Crown- Point \ which few feem to have any notion of. Jt is true, Crown-Point is an important place to gain, and a way to diftrefs the French, if we fliould carry it ; but it is not the way to F 2 get get the better of them, and root them out of their encroachments, the only thing we want. To attack the French at Crown-Point, Mon- treal, or Quebec, places that we might do very well without, is like attacking them in Flan- ders ; to take the bull by the horns ; while we have fo many ways to circumvent them, and to carry every point we want, without any of thofe more expenfive, precarious, and fruit- lefs exploits. If you would root the French out of Ame- rica altogether indeed, take Crown-Point, Montreal, and Quebec ; which may not be fo eafily done perhaps, nor fo much for our purpofe. But if you would recover your lof- fes, fecure yourfelves, and prevent the farther progrefs of the French, or their future en- croachments, take Niagara and Pert du Quefne. This we apprehend might not be fo difficult to do, as to attack Canada, whilft it would do all that we want. Whereas, if they keep us wholly employed in attacking Canada, Cape Breton, or any other place, which they would employ us about for fome time at lead ; if we fucceed at laft, which may be very precari- ous j yet they will carry all they want; if we leave them in pofTeflion of Niagara, and the river Ohio. It may be faid perhaps, we (hall take thofe places at laft ; but I can fee great danger in fo many delays ; efpecially if we con- fider [531 fider our engagements elfewhere, as well as in America. Now if we confider the fituation of our co- lonies here reprefented, howeafy might it be, to take Fort du Qutfne> and fecure the river Obis at lead ? By which we might have accefs toM- agara ; root them out of all their encroachments about lake Erie ; and drive their force from our frontiers, fo as to have nothing to fear from it. By this one ftep likewife we fhould recover and fecure all the Indians of North America, and retrieve our loft credit with thofe people, who do us fo much mifchief, and the French fo much fervice-, the great point we have to gain. We are not afraid, I hope, that every one is to meet with the fate of the unfortunate ge- neral Braddock, or ever to attempt thofe places any more, becaufe he mifcarried at them. We were not then fo well acquainted with thofe places, nor our own ftrength or fituation, as it is to be hoped we are now, or may be ; to which every piece of intelli- gence may contribute fomething. For this purpofe our northern colonies,with the forces in them, may eafily keep the French at home to defend themfelves on their their own frontiers, if not take their frontier places from them : while the middle divifion of our colonies abo/e mentioned, with what- ever [54] ever force they could mufter, might afTemble upon the Ohio, and attack Fort du Quefne. Thefe middle colonies have not lefs than fo venty or eighty thoufand fencible men in them, if not more; and could fuch a number of men be of no fervice to recover our lofies and their own ; or to oppofe a thoufand or twelve hundred men the French have upon the Ohio ? I do not hear of one of them em- ployed for that purpofe, if it be not to keep two or three forts at bay with the Indians ; at as great an expence perhaps firft and laft, as it would take to drive the French from the Ohio altogether, by one ftroke of their whole force joined together : by which likewife all their encroachments upon us, Niagara, Lake Erie, le Detroit, &c. mud fall into our hands ; and we might recover by this one ftep all we want in N. America, in the fame manner that the French took it from us. This, that we have reprefented, feems to be the way to conduct, and difpofe of the fu- perior force we vaunt of in America ; which is otherwife like an unwieldy machine that is not to be managed, nor made any ufe of; and that at all times, as well as the prefent. From what has been faid, I hope, no one will imagine, that I pretend thereby to pro- pofe meaiurrs, and far lefs to prefcribe rules, to the right honourable their general and com- [ 55] commander in America, to whofe fuperior {kill and conduct the direction of thofe things is entrufted, with fuch juft and general ap- plaufe and fatisfaction. Our only view and defign is, toftrengtben his hands , by making every one unite and concur with him , other- wife we are afraid of little fuccefs. And when they do that, I hope they will rather take his advice, than mine, who am no ways ac- quainted with fuch military operations -, what- ever little intelligence I may have gained of the fituation of our colonies, which he has fo much better opportunities to know. Our colonies and others perhaps may imagine, that every thing is to be done at home, and that Britain is to take the whole burthen of protecting and defending them. But we fear they may have occafion enough to exert and employ all the force they can, if they expect to be effectually protected and defend- ed Britain has many affairs to manage at home, that more nighly concern it; and others again in many parts of Europe, which muft: be attended to ; while it is led into difficulties and diftreffes for its colonies. The colonies then muft exert themfelves, both in their own defence, and in the intereft of their mother country ; if ever we expect to fee them in any manner of fafety again, or the troubles in them brought to a happy conclufion. i They They know furely, that their welfare de- pends upon the profperity of Britain Do they complain of high duties upon their commo- dities ? They cannot expect to be free from them, when there are fuch high taxes in Bri- tain. And there muft always be fuch taxes from long and tedious wars, the occafion of them. Our colonies feem to be very defirous and tenacious of their liberties and priviledges : but how long do they expect to maintain them, if the French come among them ? They can never expect them from a French yoke. Nor could they expect to enjoy them by being made independent, as fome may imagine per- haps. They would then want tyrants of their own to furpreis thofe, that would otherwife tyrannize over them, as I have often heard ma- ny of the mod judicious people in them de- clare, and as every one mud perceive The only way by which their mother country is able to maintain its liberties and privileges, is, by being feperated from the fame continent with other defpotic powers, particularly the French, which would otherwife fwallow it up, in the unguarded government that liberty af- fords. And they can only expect the like privileges from the fame fource, by concur- ring with their mother country to repel the ufurpers both of property, liberties and privi- leges, [571 leges, from among them. Otherwife they muft expecl: to be plunged at once from one ex- treme into the other, and have a DICTATOR put over them, as the Romans had of old, and all dates rnuft have, when the abufe of liberty brings them to the laft extremity. Let every one then concur and unite toge- ther to put an end to fuch necefiary fources of immenfe charges and expence ; and root out an enemy, that is, has been, and ever will be, the conftant and perpetual caufe of thefe and all our other burthens and misfortunes ; fo Jong at leaftas they remain where they are. It is to be feared indeed, that our planters may make but bad foldiers ; and I (hall not pretend to fay much in their behalf in that ref- peel, altho* I know no trials that have been made of them, but what they have behaved very well in. Britifli troops indeed, and regu- lar forces, are no doubt much more to be relyed upon, if they were to be had ; but I fee few of them to fpare, for the fervices that ap- pear to be requifite in America. And if we con- fider the force of the French, and the many occa- fions there are, or may be, for the Britifti troops elfe where, we fear all aids may be wanted, and our militia in America may be wanted, as well as other forces, which may at leaft be of fome aid and fervice, if they are not equal to regu- lar troops. If they know little of the art of war, ic is high time they ihould learn fbme- G thing thing of it at lead*, efpecially what we here prbpofefor them, to unite their force together, when the French come among them : by which there is no doubt but they might be of fome fervice, to root the French out of many places, which muft be recovered, or elfe this nation had furely better have nothing to do with America. And all that is wanted for this purpofe, is only a fmall fum in fupplies, which would afford many fuccours, if they were only ordered to be raifed. Some perhaps may imagine, that thefe pub- lic accounts of our fituation in America, may be prejudicial to our intereft, by being known to our enemies. But let tkcrn know it when they will, if we were thus to unit our force in North America together, we might tell theni with it, that we defy them to hurt us. And if we do not do that, but continue in the divided diffracted condition we have been in, I defy them to make our fituation worfe than it is. They have done all they could to ruin us already, and have concerted erery fcheme they could for that purpofe, from any intelli- gence that could be given them, which they do not feem to (land in nigh fo much need qf, as we do. It is furely high time for us then to do fomething next ; not only to retrieve our prefent lofies, but to prevent the like for the future. And for either of thefe purpofes i J fee [59 1 I fee nothing more expedient than what is here propofed, to raife and unite the force of our colonies together, for their mutual defence, and the recovery of our lofies in them. If we do not make ufe of the advantages that God and nature has put into our hands, what better fuccefs can we expect, than what we have met with, from the fatal neglect of thole advantages already. The expedience and even the neceflity of thus raifing and uniting the force of our colo- nies in America, mud appear to all who will compare the fituation of affairs in Europe and America together, efpecially in the prefenc conjuncture. Our enemy has already over- run all North America in a manner, and taken every place that may be convenient for them $o fecure the whole ; and to draw our forces from thence, in order to prevent us from re- covering our lofles, or making head againft them, they threaten us with invafions at home, or a war on the continent of Europe, by which we are unable to relieve our colonies by forces fent from Britain : and what have we to do, or what can be propofcd to be done, in fuch a fituation, but to raife the force of our colonies themfelves, that is there ready upon the fpot, and fufficient to do all that is wanted ? If this had been done at firft, it might have prevent- ed all the lofles the nation has fuftained ; and there feems to be no other way to retrieve G 2 thofe [<5o] thofe loffes, or even to prevent many more fuch, but by the fame meafures now. This is the way in which our enemy has adled ; they have raifed the whole force of their colo- nies, and how are we to oppofe them, but to do the fame in. our colonies ? If we have or may have other engage- ments elfewhere, and nigher home, this will give us an opportunity to attend to them, and comply with them ; for which purpofe let us get rid of our engagements in America, and unite our force together, wherever it may be want- ed for other purpofes : a thing that might have been done long ago, with half the ex- pence it has fince coft, if it had been only ordered : and a thing that muft be done at laft, if we ever expect to do any thing, as far as I can perceive at leaft. All that we have got, or can expect, by delaying it, is, to make it ten times more difficult and chargeable to do, as we have already done. The enemy are every day pouring in troops intp all parts of America, while we have none to fpare to fend after them, that are likely to do any thing at leaft, and make no ufe of the numbers of men we have there ? Without fome fuch meafure at leaft, what do we do, but protract a ttdious and expen- five war, that is as great a load and burthen to the nation as it is a difcredit and difhonour to it i without any view of an end to fuch an .in- glorious glorious and'expenfive war-, or any profpcft from it at laft but ruin and deftru&ion every where ! We are furrounded by a dangerous enemy on all fides, who do us all the mifchief in their power, and we do not fo much as arm our people in their own defence, not $ven to prevent their throats from being cut ! This we are likely to hear many more accounts of, from the great force the French have fent to America of late, and raifed th^re together, than the many tragical fcenes that have been com- mitted by the inconfiderable force they have had there hitherto. It cannot be alledged, that there are no men to be raifed in our colonies, fince the contrary is fo well known. They raifed nigh 10,000 men the laft year in all our colonies put toge- ther, fufficient not only to have faved Ofwego 9 but to have done all that was wanted perhaps, or at leaft to have put an end to the bufmefs this year, if they had had orders for that pur- pofe. But it is neither our bufinefs nor de- fign to inquire into paft conduct, but to pro- vide for the future. If our colonies raifed fuch a force before, voluntarily and of their own accord, how much greater force might they not raife by exprefs orders for that purpofe ; which is all that feems to be wanted, to retrieve all our ioffes in America, to root our enemy out of all their encroachments there, and to bring them to reafon very foon 5 all that was wanted [62 ] wanted by this warj which we Teem to have no other way to accomplifh ! If we do not attempt this at lead, what do we do but carry on a war, without fo much as endeavouring to anfwer any of the ends of it ? If it had been intended to give up thofe countries in America, that the French have overrun, we could not take a more effectual way to do it, than what has been taken And it would have been much better fureJy to have done that at firft, before we incurred fuch an expence for them, and loft the honour and glory of the nation with them. We are amufed indeed with an intended expedition to America, which we wifli all fuc- cefs to. But what if that Jhould fail ? Or what if the French fhould attack fome of our more im- portant colonies, while we are attempting fome trifling place of theirs ? And what if they fhould have lent more men to America, than we have done? They have certainly many more to fpare for that purpofe. What fituation would our af- fairs in America be in tlv. n ? We (hould meet with nothing but difgrace and difhonour, with Jofs upon lofs every where 1 -, which there would- be no way to prevent, but by raifmg our force in America. Five of frx thoufand men indeed might have donte- the bafinefs in America very eafily 2t firft, but we have now let that opportunity flip, it is to be feared. The French have been fending [ 63 ] fending men to all parts of America for thcfe three years paft, and have raifed all the men they have there to join them , and we fee what a convenient fituatlon they are in every where to aflemble their whole force together ; which mud be fuperior even to the force that we pro- pofe to fend to attack them in their entrench- ments and fortifications. What have we to do then, but to-raife the- force of our colonies like wife, either to join thofe fent from Britain, or to make a diverfion in favour of one another? By this we might do our bufinefs at once,^ be- fore it is too late, and out of our power to do it at any rate ; which it would otherwife feem likely to be very foon. - Without this we on- ly employ a few men at a tirrie to be made a facrifice of ; and feem to aft as if we \yere afraid of hurting an enemy* that has done ' li$ all the rmfchief in their power, and threaten us with the lofs of every thing that is 'of > confequence or concern to us. It was the like dilatory and backward pro- ceedings in the beginning of -the laft war, that kept the nation fo long in it, and run it into fuch a debt by it, for no manner of pur- pofe , but the fame meafures in this war are likely to be attended with much worfe confe- quences : we gained nothing by that, as indeed we had nothing to gain by it from the Spani- ards at lead , but we have much to lofe in this [64] this war, and feem to be in a fair if not a cer- tain way to do it, unlefs we prevent it in time, before it may be too late. The confequence of fuch lofies mud be, the nation will be de- prived of its very refources ; by which, and by which alone, it is able to recover itfelf after fo many lofies and misfortunes, and expenfivc wars, or even to hold out under them. The colonies are the great fources from which this nation draws its fubftance, and fupports itfelf under fuch burdens and opprefiions from debts and taxes ; and if it is deprived of them, it muft be deprived of its very vitals, and the only means it has either to recover or fupport itfelf; not to mention its naval power. Our enemy feeing this ftrike at the very root of our profperity and felicity, with a view to cut us off both root and branch, if poffible ; which we feem tacitly to fubrnit to, or do not ufe our endeavours at lead to prevent ! It feems to be the only inquiry of many, who may be the authors of fuch meafures, and who not ; which is none of our bufinefs or de- fign to inquire into, and would avail but little to the nation perhaps, if we did. Our only defign is to prevent fuch calamities, if pofiible ; to which we imagine a fair account and re- prefentation of them may be fomewhat at leaft conducive. In giving fuch an account we do not inquire into conduit, but only reprefenc matters t 65 ] matters oFFa6l as we fincl them, as Far as they have come to our knowledge. This we ima- gine is the bed way to amend our conduct, if it has been amifs. For doing this we claim only the privilege dictated to ail mankind by that golden rule^ no manjhouldfet idle* and fee his country fuffer. But in complying with, that we do not ftudy to make others Fuffer with it ; but on the contrary^ would ad vife and afiift them, as Far as is in our po- wer at lead, to prevent the wrongs the nation complains oF, as well as the vengeance it is apt to take upon thoFe, whoever they are, that may fo Fenfib'y wrong it. And for either oF theFe purpoFes we can do nothing better, than /#- quire info the ft ate of cur affairs in America^ in order to retrieve them, before it may be too late ; For which purpoFe, an inquiry into the fuuation, importance and conFequence, of thbfe countries there, that the enemy has overrun, with the ways oF recovering them* feerhs to be the moft proper inquiry^ either to obtain Fuch deFired ends ; to redreFs the griev- ances oF the nation j or to prevent the ruin with which it is otherwiFe threatned. IV. OBSTACLES to this union of ouf Colonies conjidered. We Fee Fome difficulties indeed in all this that has been propoFed, as plain and reaFonablc H as [ 66 ] as it otherwife appears , which we cannot but animadvert upon, fince thofe difficulties, who- ever tnay make them, are fo plainly repugn nant to the public intereft and welfare. In the firft place, they fay, intereft rules all the world, and why mould it not rule our co- lonies likewife ? If we make any propofal to rule Englifhmen, without allowing them fome fhare and intereft in it, we fear our propofals will be all in vain. As long as the colony of New- England can defend their own frontiers, that they are told only belong to them, by the forts of MajjfacbufeiSi Pelbam^ Shirley^ and Stevens, &c. if they are even allowed thefe, we fear they will have but little regard to lake Cbamplain^ Crown-Point^ or Lake Ontario, that lie on their neighbours frontiers, unlefs they are allowed fome intereft in them. This they have a right to by their charter, which extends from fca to fea, while they have been hemmed in by other colonies within 100 miles of the fea. By this means, that refpeclable colony, that is the only fupport and fecurity of all the reft we have there, and is only able to oppofe the defigns of our enemy, is confined from exert- ing itfelf, and prevented from being of the general fervice it might otherwife be. It is confined in a manner to the fea coaft, has hardly land fufficient to fupport the people in it, inftead of producing any commodities for Britain ^ Britain ; by which it is obliged to interfere with Britain and the other colonies in trade and manufactures, while the French overrun all thofe countries about it, which the people of New -En gland would have fettled and fecu- red long ago, if they had been only allowed to do it. But at the. time when the French feized mod of their prefent encroachments on us, about the year 1730, both Britain and many of the colonies feemedto be in a (late of warfare with New England. This is a difficulty, you may imagine, that is eafily removed by declaring a Peace between them : but that perhaps may be as difficult to do, as eyen to make a peace be- tween Britain and France at this prefent! There are difficulties in this fo great, that I do not know hqw to propofe them, and far lefs to re- move them. But is there no way to be thought pf, to allow thofe Charter Cplpnies to extend any farther, or as far as they can .? Surely the fecurity of the Britifh dominions, of all lake Cham-plain^ lake Ontario^ Niagara^ &c. depends very much upon it , whatever objections there may be to it. This is an obftacle that feems to flrjke at the very root of our progrefs and improve- ments in North America, efpecially in the charter colonies , and there are others that equally retard and obftrucT; it in all this north- H 2 era [ 68 ] ern divifion of our colonies abovementioned, There are difp'-tes flibfifting between the crown and the people there, th.it are er-o-.gh to overfet every thing that ccJ.d be propofed, and tar more undertaken, for either of their interefts. There is no w order thtn to fee the French overrun our co'onics, as the y have done, while thefe difputes rngrofs the attention of the public fo much, and crofs and thwart all public meafures thai can be prooofed. But to fee if any thing can be done in thefe northern colonies; the chief f hmg is furely to ftrengthen the colony of New T-rk as much as pofiible -, which, we are iorry to fee, fome would rather endeavour to divide and weaken, contrary to the general ^nd public inter, ft and \velfare of the whole nation both at home and abroad, and the chief thing the nation has to attend to perhaps in all America. How far this colony, and the whole nation in America, has been weakened already, by feperating New Jerfcy from it, I would rather leave to others to fhaw, who may be better acquainted with it. This we may fafely fay, as far as I can fee, that, however convenient fuch a divifion may be for the good of government, if it has proved fo, as it was faid to be for a governor, when it was made, we can at leaft fee nothing in fuch a divifion confident with the fafety and fecurity {ecllrity of thofe colonies, and far lefs with the ftrength of the nation in America. The province of New Tork is no: above 12 or 15 miles broad, if fo much, in the chief and principal part of it nL- h the fea-coaft, and not above 60 or 70 within land , whilft it has a frontier to defend, from Montreal to the Straits of the lakes and farther, that is im- menfe., not lefs than 1000 miles and upwards in U-ngth from eaft to weft, befides its great breadth from north to fouth: and that at a great diftance from the feat of government, which is at the very remotcft extremity of the province from this frontier. This again is the whole frontier of the Bri- tifh dominions in America, that is and has been oppofed to the French, and liable to their con- ftant incurfions and encroachments. It is on this frontier that Crown- Point ', Lake Ckam- flain, fort Frontcnac, Ofwego y Niagara^ De- troit, and all the mod important places in North America, and encroachments of the French, are fituated. All thefe places are left entirely to this fingle little colony to defend and fecure, while we have fo many more po- tent ones on all fides of it ; We might have defied the dice furely to have thrown our af- fairs in North America into a woi fe fituation, than they are by the divifion qf ogr colonies. If [ 7 3 If thofe things are rightly confldered, how neceflary will it appear, to let not only New Jerfey^ but New-England likewife, have fome lhare and intereft in thofe frontiers. The French indeed have contraftecj them into a pretty narrow compafs of late, but they are not more fecure on that account. If it belonged to us to make fuch proper re- gulations, as might be moft conducive to the public fafety and fecurity, we mould rather think, that Connecticut^ if nvtRbode-iJland like- wife, mould be joined to New-York, inftead of feparating New-Jerfey from it. And if the French continue in pofleflion of Crown- Point^ fome fuch regulation may not only be proper, but abfolutely neceflary ; I mean, for their mutual fafety and defence. While this little colony of New Tork had all this extenfjve frontier to defend, and all thofe important places on it to protect and fe- fecure, or guard againft an enemy, it has had the whole weight and burden of the manage- ment of the fix nations, on whom the intereft of Britain in America depends, as much as it does upon this colony itfelf. In fhort, the the whole intereft of the nation in America, fo far as regards the French encroachments, feems to depend upon, and to have been left to this little colony alone. If thofe things are confidered, how necefla- [ 7' ] ry and requifite will a union of our colonies appear to be ! It is for want of this alone, that the French have been able to oppofe all our more numerous and potent colonies in America, and to over-run them as they have done -, becaufe they had in fad: none to deal with, but this one fingle colony of New-York alone, which is no way equal to the talk, however thriving it may be. When fuck important concerns depend upon this one colony, it has been divided and t diftra&ed in itfclf -, oppofed by its neighbours , weakened and divided - 9 bur- dened with expenfive law-fuits ; and in feuds and diflentions with the government at home ; by which the French have been in a manner allowed to over run our frontiers without any oppofition from us \ and the nation is now put to fuch an expence both of blood and treafure to recover them. Hinc ill* lacbrym*. If you would oppofe the defigns of the French in America then, either now or here- after ; recover your lofles and territories from them ; put a flop to their encroachments, and exorbitant growing power , fecure yourfelves againft it prote6t and defend your colonies ^ or prevent the lofies and misfortunes, expen- ces and charges, dangers and difficulties, that they may and will bring this nation into ; I repeat [ 7* J repeat it again, now cr never Jlrengtben the co- lony of New -York Hie labor, hoc opus eft. Many judicious and reafonable propofals have been made for this purpofe, particularly by doctor Golden^ and Mr. Kennedy -, which fince they have never been regarded, I forbear to mention them, or any others* as too exten- five for my defign. We come next to confider the middle divi- fion of our colonies above mentioned, and the obftruftions that occur to their union. Here we have a mod difagreeable fubject to confide^ the religious principles of mankind ; which Jikewife, with every thing that could well be thought of, have confpired to ruin our affairs in America, and njuft certainly endanger the lofs of our colonies altogether, unlefs thofe' caufes of their danger and difgrace are reme- died and removed in time. This will plainly appear from what has al- ready happened. The firft motions of the enemy in our late difturbances, their chief en- croachments upon us, about lake Erie i and the river Ohio, lye in the province of Penfyhania^ that has as many,if not more people in it thanaH this middle divifion cf our colonies put toge- ther, and both from this and its fituation with regard to 'the enemy fhould be the ftrength and bulwark of the nation in that part ; whilft this colony either difclaims the Life of arms, or 2 h [ 73 ] . is fo divided by a mixt multitude of people of fo many different nations and perfuafions, that it can make no ufe of them, nor exert the great force and ftrength it might otherwife be fecure in, from fuch a number of people in fo fmall a compafs. Here then lies our weak fide ; which the enemy, even the Indians, knew fo well, that they have taken the ad- vantage of it all along; and feemed to be the great caufe of their bold and defperate attempt upon the Ohio. They told us there, " altho' " they were fenfible the Englifh could raife " two men for their one ; yet they knew, " their motions were too flow and dilatory to " prevent any undertaking of theirs. They " expected to fight the Englifh for three u years, (as they have done) in which time " they fhould conquer :"* knowing our de- fencelefs (late there. And for all I can yet fee, they are like to make their words good. This we do not fay with defign to prejudice a people, to whom the nation is much indebt- ed for a flouriming colony they ha^e planted, in one of the moft important parts of the Bri- tifh dominions in North America. On the contrary, we mean only to mow them their undoubted error, for their own good and the welfare of the whole nation, that depends much * Wafliington's journal, page 15, 17. I upon [74] upon them *, which they have now the faireft opportunity to fhow, if they are not blind to all fenfe and reafon, as well as their own inte- reft, in more refpe&s than one. They are fituated in the very midft of the Britifh dominions in America ; oppofite to all the inland frontiers of them ; are nigh and convenient to all thofe inland parts, much more fo than any other Britilh colony ; have a ready accefs to them ; and numbers of men to defend them ; while they are defended and fecured themfelves by the other colonies on the fide of the fea ; and have nothing to fear but a handfull of French, lately fettled on their borders. Is it not their bufinefs then, as much as it is their intereft, to root them out ? If they do not, will they not encreafe and multiply? to the perpetual difturbance and annoyance of them and all their neigh- bours, and the ruin of the Britifh intereft in America entirely, if not of the whole concerns of the nation there? This is a matter of weighty concern and fe- rious confideration. And furely if they would confider rightly of it, no people in the world perhaps ever had a fairer opportunity offered them, not only to fecure their own intereft and properties, but to gain every thing elfe that is Valued and efleemed among men ; the ap- plaufc and praife of their prince -, the thanks I and t 75 1 and efteem of their neighbours; the fafety and welfare of their country ; the rewards of the great and bleflings of the poor ; with eve- ry thing elfe that mud necefiarily be the fruits of thefe great and laudable attainments. Sure- ly if they act like men, they will never lofe an opportunity of acquiring fuch honour and glory, and fo much good both for themfelves and their pofterity; which in their prefent fituation they may both have fo much need of. But on the contrary, if they lofe this oppor- tunity, and fuffer themfelves to be blind to their own intereft, as well as the intereft of the whole nation, by fitting ftill -with their hands in their bofom, while they and their neighbours are in danger of having their throats cut every day ; will it not be faid, as it has already been faid, that they are a chief caufe of all the lofifes and misfortunes the whole nation has fu fife red, and may fuffer on their account ; and that they poflefs fuch a fine and fpacious, fruitful and flourifhing country, in the midft and moft convenient place of all the Britilh dominions in America, to oppofe their declared enemy, for no other end and purpofe, but to let that enemy over- run it, and endanger or ruin the whole nati- on and all its colonies by it Weigh thefe I 2 tWO [ 76 1 two together, and fee which you will choofe One of them I am afraid you muft choofe. All then who have any regard for that once thriving and flourifning colony of Pen- fyhania^ will not only advife and perfuade them, for their own fafety and welfare, as well as their very being in a manner, to throw off that impracticable principle (not to fay worfe of it ) of living in the midft of the French without the ufe of arms, but will compel them to it, if they continue obftinate. If they have no occafion for arms now, they very foon may and will, and may bring the nation into many more difficulties again per- haps, if they continue in that perfuafion. If they had accepted of the offer that was made them many years ago, to build a fort on their frontiers, upon the very place where fore du Quefne now (lands, that place would npt have been in the hands of the French, and they would not have had both their own and their neighbours throats cut by a mercilefs enemy, as they have had ; and this nation would not have fuftained the lofs of fo much blood and treafure, as it has, and is likely to fuftain, on that account. Penfyfoania is both by its fituation, and num- bers of people, the chief frontier of all the Bri- tiOi dominions in all North America :,the whole concerns of the nation in the inland parts of America, [771 America, and the fecurity of that whole con- tinent, depend much upon it. And if the people will not defend fuch an intereft, it muft be given to thofe that will, otherwife it will infallibly be loft. I fay it and forfee it plain- ly, who have forfeen and foretold all the prefent JofTes we fuftain on thofe and the like accounts, as any one might do, who will be at the pains to confider our fituation in America, and compare it with that of the French. It is in vain to plead the different principle by which you have lived fo peaceably, and throve fo well, among the Indians : that is not the way to live and thrive among the French. And it is (till more inconfiftent, to be holding councils and aflemblies for years together, to fee whether you mail repel an ene- my, or fuffer them to keep quiet pofTeflion of his majefty's dominions, at your very doors , becaufe you may imagine, contrary to plain evidence perhaps, that you have no concern in them. If the cafe was fo, is not your houfe in danger, when your neighbour's is on fire ? It is not only now, but for ever hereafter, when the French offer to fettle any where on or about lake Erie, or the river Ohio, that the colony of Penfytoama muft join at leaft in oppofing them ; however diftant they may be from their limits, which terminate hereabouts; other- [78] otherwife thofe important places muft be loft to Britain. There is po other Britilh pro- vince, either convenient or able to recover, fecure or defend the river Obio^ and the greateft part of lake Erk, which are the chief aim' of the French to fecure, both now and always, but Penfyhania alone. This will plainly appear, if we take a view of the pro- vinces round this. New-Jerfcy, that borders on Pcnfylvama to the eaft, has no intereft here, nor within fbrne hundreds of miles of it. And New* York is in the fituation above reprefented, having more to do already than it is able to do. Maryland adjoining to Penfyfoania on the ibuth has no intereft neither on the river Ohio-, -which their province does not extend to, but ends in a point at the mountains. Hence they have no inland frontier at all hardly, by which they neglect thofe frontiers fo much. But if they do not join with the reft, both in recovering and fecuring the river Ohio> they willfoon be in jeopardy, and the firft that muft f utter. The road from fort du Quefne leads directly into Maryland. The next province on which the recovery and fecurity of the Ohio depends, is Virginia^ which is not nigh fo convenient to it, as either Maryland or Penfylvania. The people of Vir- ginia pafs through part of both thefe provin- ces [ 79] ces to go to the Ohio. Fort du Quefne, and the other principal places on the Ohio, are in Pfnfyhania^ and not in Virginia. There is but a fniall corner of the province ofytrgtmff 3 which runs out north-weft from the reft of the province, like a fmgle point, that borders upon the principal places of the Ohio, at a great diftance from the chief inhabited parts of the country ; while thofe places are oppofite to the very center of Penjylvania y and not far from it. With this Virginia has not an half, by all ac- counts, of the fencible people, that Penfylvania has. They are likewife clogged with negroes ; have a large and important fea-coaft to defend ; and have a large fouthern frontier upon the Cberokees^ and weft ward to the Miffijt^i^ to fettle and fecure , all which Penfyfoa- nia is free from. This is the way by which the Ohio was loft, when it was left to Virginia alone. Not but that this province fhould bear a principal hand in defending the river Obio t and all other places upon or to the fouthward of lake r/>, lee them be in Penfylvania, or where they will. They have a large and ex- tenfive concern both north, fouth, and weft of this ; whereas Penjyhama ends a little be- yond fort du Quefne^ if not at it : unlefs fome way could be found out to extend thofe pro- prietary colonies, as well as the charter colonies. For all thefe reafons, we fee how much de- pends upon Ptnfyivaniai no kfs than the fe. curity [ 8o] curity of the greateft and beft part of all North America ; which muft be loft, unlefs they defend it, and their own province with it. This I know is a harfh doctrine, difficult to teach, and more fo to learn, but it is a true One, and muft be obferved ; otherwife all the interior parts of North America, here fo often reprefented, muft be given up to the French ; which I do not fee how they are ever to be rooted out of indeed, unlefs the colony of Penjylvania joins with others for that purpofe. And if that was to be the cafe, what becomes of Penfyhania ? Will the French fpare it, think you, becaufe the people will not fight ? They may think as they will, but I think I can fee plainly, that the French have not only taken a great part of it already, at leaft a third, if not one Half of that province, but that they muft and will keep that and all the reft with it, whenever they may want it, unlefs the people learn to fight, and that obftinately too < Let them not depend upon others to do it for them There are none to do it Every one has enough to do with their own concerns, and they muft mind theirs, or give them up altogether. All this they may plainly fee, by comparing the prefent fituation of affairs in Europe and America together. What we have faid is not out of prejudice, or any other defign that can be ^xcepted to j but on the contrary, we have been thus parti- cular C 81 ] cular iri reprefenting the fituation of this pro> vince, out of regard to fo thriving a colony, which might be the great ftrength and fecuri.ty of many of the rnoft important concerns oftKe whole nation in America, if rightly conducted * while it otherwife feems to be in imminent danger of being loft, and many other impor- tant places with it. If the French remain in pofieflion of that important place, fort du Quefrie^ the firft thing they will do, no doubt, wiirbetoconvert it into aftrongand redoutable fortrefs,which will give the people of Penfylvania a greater occafion for the ufe of arms than any others perhaps in all America befides ; and they feem to have no way to prevent that necefiity, but to ufe their arms now, before it maybe too late. Here then we may fee the incredible bad fituation of our colonies, with regard to aft enemy. Many feem to inquire and wonder, how it ispoflible for a handfull of French to over-run them^ as they do 5 but if they were to know the truth, they would fee it could hardly be prevented, Without fome new regu- lation in our colonies. The chartercolonies of New- England pofifefs the whole 'fea-coaft in the northern parts, for 500 miles and up- wards, while they have no concern in the in- iand parts : and the proprietary colonies Nwv-Jerfey, PenJ)hania^ and Mar/land, pof* K fefa [ 82 ] two forts, we (hall no doubt be as much an- noyed with them, as we have been with Crown- Point, and find as much difficulty to get at them : which they have no doubt in view like- wife. IV. But with all this they want a convenient port upon the fea-coaft - 9 which they have had their eye upon long ago. The one they have pitched upon is New York -, as they fee that to be mod convenient to them on many accounts. This appears from the letters of the governor of Canada to their miniftry at France, publifh- ed by F. Cbarlevozx. They were ripe even for the execution of this their project fo long ago as 1689, and went to America for that purpofe ; but were prevented by the Indians, who had over-run all their frontiers. But they feem to have had it in view ever fince. New- York is adjacent and contiguous to their fettlements in Canada, and all their en- croachments upon us ; and affords the nigheft and moft convenient pafiage to them from fea. If they were to be in pofiefiion of this colony alone, they would not only be actually poflelT- ed of a varlly greater extent of territory, even at this day, than all we have in America put together, perhaps twice or thrice as much, by thus uniting all their draggling fettlements together; but they would have all the Six Nations of Indians, and all the other natives of [3 3 of chat whole continent, entirely at their com- mand. They would then likewife furround the colony of New~England on all fides, the only ftrength we have in America, which muft be at their mercy ; as all our other colonies would be open and expofed to them on every fide, without the lead fecurity or barrier againft them. This then is a matter of great importance, and the firft thing they aim at, whenever they have a mind to attack us in America, as we may fee at prefent. This feems to be the firft defign and great project of the French in America, to which all their others are as it were fubfervient at prefent, intended to make a diverfion in favour of this. This is fo well known from all their former proceedings and tranfaclions in Ameri- ca, as well as from their printed accounts, that it is furprifmg it fhould not have been attended to at firft. Ever fincethe French firft form'd their pre- fent plan and fyftem of affairs in America, they feem never to have loft fight of New- York, but have laid clofe fiege to it, we may fay, and have been attacking it by regular ap- proaches for many years. It was for this pur- pofe that they have been at fuch pains and charges in fortifying and fecuring Chambli^ St. John's, Fort la Motte, Crown Point, ft- conderago, and Fort Frontenac -, attempted Anon- K 2 dago in 1718; and when they were drove from that, fecured and fortified Niagara in i72iand 1751: and fince demolifhed Ofwego-, as they did Sarahtogo in the laft war : which places are, as it were, the keys of this province, furround it on all fides, and in a manner en- tirely command it. They have indeed been hithertofofar prevent- ed in. their defign, that they have never yet been able to attack the town of New-York by fea, whilft they pour in the whole force of Canada upon it by l.md, the plan they laid to attack it before ; otherwife it is plain from all that has happened for thefe three years pad, whenever they are able to do .that, they muft fucceed in the whole of their defigns, and foon make themfelves matters of that important province; which muft by one ftroke render tjiem fuperior to the Englim in North America, as they are already in the iflands; and put it in their power effectually to accomplim all their de- figns here explained, however great and ex- traordinary they may otherwife appear. It is for this reafon that we fee they have fuch a force always ready to attack this province, for which their whole force in America is con- venient. V. What we have reprefented above chiefly relates to the defigns of the French in the northern part* of the continent, we come F 85 1 come next to confider the fouthern parts. Here they have as great if not much greater things in view, from their vaft pretenfions on the Miffifipi ; and let us fee, if we cannot unravel them, and make them appear. They have hitherto been confined chiefly to the mouth of the Miffifipi, about New-Orleans* or a hundred miles or two above it, and have made but little progrefs there as yet. The caufe of this they tell us, was, when they faw themfelves fo difappointed in the extravagant hopes they had conceived of this country, they ran from one extreme to another, and condemned it as good for nothing, by which their people abandoned it entirely. Thofe who had been fuch fufferers by it, could not even hear it mentioned, inftead of fettling and peopling it ; which prejudice has hitherto made their colony very inconfiderable. They have happened likewife to be fettled here both on a bad foil, and in an unhealthy air. The foil about the Miffifipi, for about 200 miles from its mouth, Is fandy and barren -, the river overflows its banks, and the water ftagnates in a low flat country, which makes it unhealthy. But higher up the river they have both a different foil and climate ; the lands are very fertile, inferior to none ; and the country more healthy, being high and dry, and refrelhed with breezes from the adjacent moim- [ 86] mountains. Here then they have been endeavouring to eltablifh themfelves for fome years ; chiefly about Kappa, and the country of the Natches, where rhey have carried on their fettlements with great dili- gence within thefe few years. The great defign they have in this at pre- fent is the culture of tobacco : this is the only branch of trade now, in which they do not vye with Britain, if not outftrip it. For this reafon they have given great bounties upon this commodity from the Mtffifipi, which the foil and climate in the interior parts of the country is every way fit for; while about the mouth of the river it only produces Rice and Indigo. \Vhen they are well fettled here then, where they have fuch a vaft extent and choice of frefh lands for this commodity, they mud outftrip our tobacco plantations, that are worn out with culture, in the fame manner, and for the fame reafons, that their fugar iflands have fomuch outdone ours. It is well known, that upon fuch plenty of choice and frelh lands as they have here, they may make three times the quantity of that commodity, that can be made on old worn out plantations. And altho' the river MiJJifipi is not eafily navigated up againft the ftream, yet any thing may be conveniently brought down it to its mouth, where there is a good port for (hipping, at Balize. But But hitherto the Indians have flopped their progrefs on the Miffifipi. In 1729 they were cut off by an Indian maffacre there. And the banks of the Miffifipi have been fo infeft- ed by the Chicafaws^ declared enemies of the French, that it has been dangerous for them to frequent it. For thefe reafons they fent a body of 2000 regular troops to the MiJJififi in 1749 and 50, in order to awe thofe Indians, who had chiefly declared for the Englifli in the late war. Between the Miffifipi and our fettle ments in Carolina lies the river CouJ/a, which they lay claim to from the fame pretence as they do to the Miffiftpi itfelf, to wit, becaufe they are fettled on the mouth of it r at Mobile. This river is of great extent, heads among the Cherokees, and runs through the whole coun- try of the Creek Indians ; whom they form pretenfions over on this account. Thefe Indians are the chief barrier and fecurity of the provinces of Carolina and Georgia , whom the French are conftantly endeavouring to get footing amongft , and thereby like wife to cut off our communication with that warlike nation of the Chicajaws ; who have hitherto been as great an obftrucliion to their progrefs on the Miffifip^ as the Iroquois have been in Canada; for which reafon they have almoft deftroyed [ $8 ] deftroyed them, and have attempted to do it entirely. In 1715 thofe Indians almoft overran Caro- lina -, and at that time the French feized the mod convenient place in all that country, the fort of Albamas \ which had been an En- glifh factory and fettlement many years before. This they ftill keep pofiefilon of, and threaten many other encroachments upon us here likewife, as well as in the north, particularly among the Cherokees. And if the French get footing among thofe Indians, who are fo nu- merous, or get them to join them, as they have done the northern Indians, which they have often attempted, the provinces of Caro- lina and Georgia, that have fo few men in them, muft foon be in a worfe fituation, than our other colonies have been to the northward. All this is owing to our neglect of their un- juft and illegal ufurpation of the Mijfifipi* ; * They fecared the Mijjtfi^t in 1712 by a grant to Mr. Croxat, made on purpofe to fruftrate the llipulations they hadjuft entered into with Britain, " in regard to 44 the articles concerning North America, in which he ' (Lewis XIV) granted almoft every thing the queen of tt England defired".-f By thefe ftipulations they were t* quit all the claims they then had in North America, except Canada ; to fruftrate which, and defraud this na- tion, they formed this new claim to the MiJ/j/ipi ; where f Memoires deTorcy. Vol. II. p. m. 306. to . to which ic is faid they have lately fent great numbers of troops, belides thofe they had there before ; from which bur fouthern colo- nies cannot but be in fome danger. where they then had no pretenficns, that were publickly known at leaft. This appears from the dates efthefe two a&< : the ceffation of arm c , in confluence of thofe engagements to Britain, was figned Augaft ipth 1712, and on September i4th following, Lewis made this grant to his Secretary Crozat. After the peace, they fecured the MiJ/ifipi by a new grant to the company in 1717. And if we allow of that, they gun much more than they were to give up by the treaty of Utrecht ; and make void all the advantages the nation was to reap from it, the furrender of their claims in North America, wherever they then had any that were openly avoued and publickly known, which thofe to the Mijfjfyiwtt* not. They had then deferted if, except a few Strays left among the Indians at Mobile ; arid the Englifh were then in poffeffian of the Mi/fijipi, with people on it, at the treaty of Utrecht. Their grant of the Mijfifipi is "" bounded by the lands of the " Engiijh of Carolina* , by the words of it. But the landt of the Englifh of Carolina include that whole grant, according to grants made to them in 1584, in 1630, and 1664, long before this French' grant, or any other pre- tenfions of theirs to the MiJ/ifyi, were fo much as. thought of; and long before the treaty of Utrecht All .'the fe grants, colonies, and pofleiTions of the Englifh, they trefpafs upon by this grant of the Mijpfipi ; as well as upon thofe of Virginia in 1584, and 1609; befides other later claims of the Engiifh from Purchafes and Pofftjftont. They cannot think furely, that we mould pay any regard to the magnifyed difcoveries of Mr. La Salt ; a L But But the views of the French from the Miffififi are dill more extenfive and confider- able ; as we fhall fhew below. VI. To fum up the whole views and de- figns of the French in America together, we roving cavalier who rambled overthofe countries in 1680^ to retrieve his own defperate circumftances, as they tell us themfelves. Yet it is from this infignificant pretence, and this alone, that the French claim the Miffifipi, Ohio, Great Lakes, and nineteen parts in twenty of all North America ! If he, or Hennepin, made any difcoveries, they had them and their guides from the Englifh, as is attefted by two of the principal men in Canada at that time, Mr. de Tonti, and F. le Clerq's. The Englilh (befides their firft difcoveries and grants) difcovered thofe countries and the Mi/tfyi in 1672 and 1678 were the firft that found the way into that river were cut offfoon after on the ifle MvJJacre nigh its mouth, fo named from thence fettled on the Mijfijipi again in j6^g fecured a paffage and the country from thence to the coaft of Carolina that year carried on a trade there for many years had the fole pofieffion of the MiJfifipivR. 1714, and at the treaty of Utrecht-, when the French had only a few ftray people at Mobile and . IJle Dauphine This they were only deprived of for a while by an infurre&ion of the Indians in Carolina in 1715 After which the French feized the Mijfijipi, Albamas, &c. and granted it to their MiJ/ifipi company only in 1717 ; after the treaty of Utrecht, which decided thofe claims. At leaft we allow of none hnce Their claims to the Mffijipi then are as groundlefs and unjuft, as the bubble they made of it ; which has been long ago mown in Cx's Account of Carolaaa, to which we refer the reader. ihould fhould not forget the fugar ifllands. Here they are already very ftrong and powerful ; much fuperior to the Englifh, or any other nation ; and feem to have it in their power already to command all thofe iflands, whether Englifh or Spanifh, when they pleafe. If the Englilh have a fuperiority over them on the continent of North America, or the Spaniards in South America, the French have the fame advan- tage over both in the Iflands ; which afford the moft profitable commerce perhaps of any. Their poffefiions and colonies in the Iflands are now become fo confiderable, that they fupply all Europe with fugars ; while the Spaniards and Englifli do no more than fupply themfelves. The ifland of Barbadoes, that has hitherto been fo fruitful, and afforded fuch fupplies of that commodity for nigh a hundred years, is but a fmall fpot ; the foil of which is worn out by fuch perpetual culture, and will no longer produce fugar without great charge and expence. Jamaica again is moftly a ' mountainous country, that is either unfit for culture, or inconvenient for it in many refpecls, by which great part of it lies uncultivated. Whereas the French are poffefled of the large ifland of St. Domingo^ at lead the moft valuable part of it, which is every w/.y fruitful, and affords as much land L ^ fit [ 9* 3 fit. for fugar, as all the other iflands put toge- ther almoft; befides the vaft quantities of indigo^ and other commodities that come from it. By this ifland alone,' which the French have fettled fmce the treaty of Utrecht, they have gained a greater trade perhaps, than all they had before that treaty , by which they arc now able to vye with us fo much in trade and commerce every where, and to do fo much mifchief. Notwithftanding this, the French ftill en- deavour to enlarge their dominions in the Iflands ; have feized the ifland of St. Lucia^ ai\d : lay claim to all the other neutral iflands, StsJftncent) Dominica, and Tobago ; and will no doubt take the firft opportunity to fecure them, if they have not in a great meafure already, by means of that ftrong fortrefs they have qn the ifland of 6V. Lucia^ that is reck- oned to be one of the moil impregnable of any in America, from which they are always ready to march out* and make a conquefl of all the iflands round it. All this power and vaft" trade, the French have gained chiefly by means of the ifland of Hifpaniola (St. Domingo they call it for a blind) the largeft, mod convenient, and moft fruit- ful of all the fugar-iflands ; which they feized entirely by fraud and artifice^ and hold it only from ufurpation. The Engliih were formerly at C 93 3 at great expence to conquer this ifland, but to no purpofe, while the French got it for nothing. The weft end of Hifpamola, where they fettled firft, was a retreat for the bucca- neers and freebooters of all nations, whom the French took under their protection, and by their means fecured the greateft part of the whole ifland, worming the Spaniards out of it by degrees, as they would the Englifli in North America. But I do not fee, that they have any right or title to this ifland confirmed 0r acknow- ledged to them. Such ufurpations can never be called a juft right. They have fettled, this ifland almoft entirely fince the treaty of Utrecht, and thereby gained much more than they were to give up by that treaty, in parting with St. Chriftophers. By thefe means they have evaded that treaty every where-, and gained a vaflly greater trade fince, chiefly by means of this illegal ufurpation, than they ever had before. If the French then keep pofleflion of the neutral iflands, with the ifland of Hifpaniola, what mud become of our fugar-trade, or even of the iflands themfelves ? They were able to deftroy the ifland of Nevis in 1706, by the in- conflderable force they had then, and how much more able will they be to deftroy any of our ifiands \vith the fuperior force they have 3 now. C 94 ] now. It is well known, that the only fafety of our iilands has been the fuperior force of our colonies upon the continent ; but if the French over-run the continent likewife, and get the natives to join them, as they feem to have done already, what muft become of our iflands, that are ftirrounded by fuch a fuperior force every where. The iecurity of our iflands then depends very much upon the fuccefs of our prefent engagements on the continent. The connec- tion of thefe two, and their mutual depen- dance on one another, is well known. The iflands at lead can hardly fubfift without the colonies on the continent. This is another great point the French have in view by their proceedings on the continent,^ order to ftreng- then themfelves dill more and more in the iflands \ by which they muft have the com- mand of them, and that whole valuable branch of trade entirely to themfelves. For this they only want a good and convenient colony or two upon the continent, fuch as Nova Scotia or Lowjifina , which makes them fo intent upon fecuring thofe countries, in order to fupply and fupport their iflands among other things; thereby to gain all the reft in time, as they muft certainly do, if they go en there as they have done for twenty or thirty years paft. VII. [ 95 1 VII. All the defigns of the French above- mentioned, great as they appear and really are, yet if they ever fucceed in any one of thofe, they may be reckoned only as preludes to much greater things They are but a few leagues diftant from the ifland of Cuba* with a, force fufficient to feize it, when they pleafc. And what is there to hinder them to do it ? I have been informed., that they have attempted fettlement on that ifland already, at Cape Mayze\ by which they may foon worm the Spaniards out of Cuba, as they have done out of Hifpaniola. Cape Mayze is one of themoft important pafTes in all America, fuch as Nia- gara is on the continent. This and the other fettlements they have oppofite to it inHifpaniola fecure the windward pajjage entirely, the only fafe palTage we have from the iflancls : and at the fame time leads directly to. the Ha- vana. This was one of their great reafons for be- ing fo intent upon fecuring the Miffijipi, and driving the Spaniards from about it at Penfa- cola in 171$, becaufe they fay, " This navi- " gation to Louifiana^ will further procure us " a free (or forced) refort to the two famous " ports of the gulph of Mexico, viz. the " Havana and Vtra Cruz.*' 9 And we * Second Voyage of La Salle, pag. 188. may t 96 ] iray fee by the quantities of gold, and other Spanifli commodities, taken in their fliips from the Mifflftpi in the laft war, that they have not only found a way to the Spanifli ports from thence already, but likewife to the mines of Mexico ; to which they have an open road, and a fecure trade, commonly fol- lowed by them from the Mtffifipi. The French no fooner went to the Mffijipi, after the peace of Utrecht, than the firft thing they attempted was this trade to the Spanifh mines. For this purpofe they imme- diately fent a fhip to Vera Cruz, and a convoy over land towards the mines of St. Barbe* This indeed the Spaniards were then alarmed at, and prevented them by the war that en- fued between them and the French in 1719. * Mr. Croxat de fon cote, avoit recommande a M. de la Motte Cadillac, qiTil s'etoit aflbcie pour fon commerce, de faire des detachcmens du cote des Iiliniis> pour la cfecou- verte des mines ; & du cote des Efpagnols de Tancien & du nouveau Mexique, pour etablir le commerce avec ces deux provinces La Motte Cadillac etoit a peine debarque a 1'ifle Dauphine, qu'il envoya le Navire, fur lequelle il etoit venu, a la Vera Cras. Le governeur fe flatta de reuiflir mieux (-which they have done) dans une autie tenta- tive, qu'il fit paries tenes pour le nieme fujer. 11 avoir confie la conduite de cette expedition au fieur de St. Denys. Jl lut donna pour dix mille francs de merchandises, & con- vint aveclui quM les laifTerolt en depot chez les Natcbi- toches, nation fauvage etablie fur la riviere rouge, &c. Cbtrleuoix Hijt. N. France^ torn. IV. p. 1 70, & fqq. But [ 97 1 But the long peace and good underftanding between the two nations has fince given the French an opportunity to purfue this their defign with more fuccefs ^ of which we need no better proof than what is here mentioned, befides many accounts we have of this trade of the trench from eye-witnefTes. In this manner they encroach upon the Spaniards fe~ cretly and artfully in time of peace, in the fame way as they have done upon the Eng- Jifh, This road from the French fettlements in Loufiana to the Spanijh mines, which you will fee laid down in their maps *, is 'much fhorter than is commonly imagined by many, who take fuch diflant countries to be more remote than they really are, When the Spaniards refufed them free accefs to their mines, they fecured their way to them by a fort built for that purpofe f, on a large branch of the Miffijipi running weft, called the red river-, among a considerable nation of Indians called the Natchitoches, their friends and allies, where they keep a ftrong garrifon, and laid up their magazines for thisclandefline trade with the Spaniards, -f as they (till do. About fifty or fixty leagues weft from the N0tcbitoches % are another confiderable nation of Indians See the maps of de lljle and Bellhi. ix, ibid. M called [ 9* ] called the Cents ^ whom we are told the French have likewife got amongft ; or have alliance with them, a.s they may eafily get , and who lead di redly both into Mexico and New Mexico. From the Cents to the Spanifh fron- tiers that defend their mines, called by them Preftdio del Nor 'te, is but 150 leagues by the French accounts,-)- or about 200 from Natcbi- toches. But thefe diftances are always reckon- ed greater in the woods of America than they really are. By the bed accounts of geogra- phers, it is but 170 leagues weft from the Cenis to the mines of St. Barbe^ reck- oned the richeft in all Mexico^ and about the fame diftance north-weft to Santa Fez^ the capital of New Mexico^ that is, about 220 leagues from the French fettlements at Natchi- tccbes. And by the fame accounts it appears to be but 280 leagues in a ftrait line from New Orleans to St. Barbe*. This f Charlevoix, ibid. * This we are certain of nighty, from the obfervaiions of the longitude at New Orleans, and bo:tom of the Bay of Mexico, nigh the meridian of St. Barbe, with the latitudes of thefe two places. Thefe mines of St. Barbe lye in the norrh-eafe parts of O/.Y Mexico, at the foot of the mountains of Nc if not taken notice of, is likely to turn to as great account to them in time, as they conceived it might in 1719. They are not only convenient here to go to the mines of Mexico, to which they have a good road already opened by land, and begin to carry on a confiderable trade there ; but if they encreafe and ftrengthen here, as they muft foon do in fo fine and extenfive a country, while they have fuch a fuperior force adjoining to this in the iflands, they muft by means of thefe two fo eafily joined together, and conftantly fupport- ing one another, foon be able to reap all the r *02 j profits of the Spaniih treafures in America, if not to feize them a thing that all Enrcpe is concerned in furely, as we! I as Britain. This mud be the confequence fometime OF other, although few feem to fee it in a true light now. Their views and defigns then in North America are much deeper laid, and their confequence mud be much more alarm- ing to all who can fee before them, than moft people feem to apprehend. It is not to be imagined, that they would have engaged in fo hazardous and expenfive a war as this, only for the fake of a few beaver fkins, or a few barren fpots in Canada. Their views arc much more extenfive. They 'not only aim at the acquifition of all thofe immenfe territories above defcribed, but they expect to get fomething with them. They fee that thofe pofieflions muftfecure to them the benefit of moft of the treafures of all America, and that they will have it in their power to feize them whenever it may be convenient, after they are well eftablifhed in thofe immenfe territories'that they call Loui/l- ana ; which is their view and aim, by their prefent proceedings in North America. This they have had in view ever fince they fent Mr. la Sale to take poffeffion of the Miffijtpi % and efpecially fince the vaft hopes they con- ceived of it in 1719 ; when they drove the Spa- r Spaniards from about that river, and began to conteft all the Englifh claims that might in- terfere with their defigns. All thofe things have been meditated for many years, but they are now come to a crijls* and we muft prevent them now or never. If the French have over-run all thofe couutries, and made themfelves matters of them already, only with a handful of men, how will they ever be rooted out of them , when they come to be well fecured and fortified in them, the the firft thing they will do, without doubt ; and to increafe and multiply, as they mult do in fuch fruitful countries ? It will then, be in vain to fay that Britain ought to vindi- cate its rights to thofe countries ; or that Spain is endangered by them. They muft both fubmit to the fate they have brought upon themfelves, if they fuffer the French thus to over-run North America, and to fe- cure and fortify themfelves in it. We never fee them part, with a place they once get fure footing^ in \ nor give up or n eg led: fuch ad- vantages as thofe here reprefented, the Spa- nifh treafures in America. It is not our opinion only, that the French rnuft fooner or later fcize the adjacent Spanifli mines, by means of their poffeflions in ,L0#- IJiana^ but we fee the fame declared on a very different occafion, by a very intelligent and judi- [ io 4 ] judicious author, befides others, in an account of the fpanifh pofiefilons in America them- felves ; where he tells them, " if ever the " French fhould become numerous in their , by the river Wabetcbe, although feldom, if ever, followed by them. But the fhorteft and moft convenient way of all, is by the river Ohio , which fhortens their way 5 or 600 miles. That river is navigable' the whole way from its fources to the Mtffijifii with only one fall in it, that is navigable both up and down. By means of this river then they have a ready paflage at all times from Canada to the Miffifipi) arid avoid the dangerous naviga- tion of the great lakes that cannot be attempt- ed but at certain times. This then was a prodigious advantage the French gained by the river Obio 9 befides all others. And if they kept up fuch a communication between their two colonies before by that dangerous navigation of the great Lakes, how much more will they do it now, by the river Ohio - 9 and thereby conftantly infeft the frontiers of all our colonies, as they have already done. By this means then we fee, that the French can readily afiemble and unite all their force in North America together at any place they rind convenient-, and thereby carry every point they [ II?] they pleafe : their many fettlements in North America are divided into four bodies, Canada^ Loui/iana, the Illinois, and le Detroit, which are all connected together by the navigation abovg defcribed, and the river Oto.Thefe are all under one government with the fame views and inte- reft ; while we are divided and difunited by diffe- rent governments, laws, and cuftoms, with ns different views and interefts, as ever any people had ; by which our force is never to be join- ed, whilft theirs is always fo. And their force when thus joined is fuperior to the force of any one of our colonies, efpecially when they are backed by the Indians , by which means they fucceed in every thing they undertake, in the manner we fee, with only a handful of men, againft all the numbers we have in our colonies, when they are taken tdgether. But if the French take them one by one, as they have done, they muft foon take them all, as they are fuperior to any one of our colonies It was this vaft advantage, and convenience that made the French fo intent upon fecuring the river Obio -, a ftep that we might always fee they would take, if it was poffible for them. In the midft of this extenflve naviga- tion (lands that important place of Fort^fo Quefne upon the Obio defcribed below, which is nor more important than it is convenient to [ "8 1 them . It is in the center of the whole French force in all North America joined together, whch is here united and connected in one body, with numbers of Indians to back them; who are all fupported with little or no labour or expence, or from what the country naturally produces, as is fhown below. This place again is as convenient to annoy and diftrefs the Britifh colonies. It is from hence that they fend out parties of woodfmen and Indians, that have overrun all the fron- tiers of Virginia, Maryland, and Penjylvama 9 that are all open and expofed to them ; where they have laid wafte, and broke up all our fettlements in- Ibme whole counties. To bring this view of the fituation of the Freitch colonies then a little nigher home : if they have fuch an extenfive water carnage all over North America, there is no doubt but they have the fame in a fmaller compafs round them. Accordingly we fee a ready commu- nication by water, between all thofe forts that they have drawn round us, by which they rea- dily pafs from one to the other; and tranfport troops, {lores, artillery, &c. with a great deal of eafe, at a final 1 expence. By this means they carry on a war in Ame- rica with much lefs charge and expence than we can do ; which makes them fo much more ready ["P.] ready to engage in fuch wars. They go from place to place, a : l over North Ame- rica, by water , while we have 'many long and chargeable journeys to make by land, before we can get at them. If our troops are to be tranfported, it is by tedious and expen five em- barkations by fhipping ; while they build fleets Upon the fpot, and at the inftant they want them ; tranfporting both their fleets of canoes and themfefves wherever they defire.. . Hence they have made fuch a progrefs every wfyere, while we have been three' years going to one of the nigheft and mod convenient forts they have, but have not yet been able to get to itj and fuffered fo much in croffing the woods and mountains, in going to attack Fort du Quefne \ which they come to by water, If we confider this their fituation, and compare it with the fituation of our colonies as reprefented below, there is no wonder they fhould gain fuch advantages over us. To prevent this we have no o.her way but to break that chain of forts, that they have drawn round us, and linked themfelves together in the manner we fee. For this reafon, we fhould next take a view of this their chain of forts, which may be feen on a map as here enumera:ed, and are, Crown* [ 120 ] Crown- Point, Fort du Quef Fort la Motte, Sandojki, Chambli^ Fort Miamis y St. John's, Great Wiaut, Sore^ Little Montreal^ Le La Galette, Miffilimakinac, Fort Frontenac, Fort St. Jofeph y Toronto^ Le Rocker^ Niagara^ Fort Cbartrcs^ PrefqvCIfle, leading Kaskaskies. to Buffalo river, Kappa, and the Ohio, Albamas. Befides thefe, their two fortrefles of Quebec and Lewijhurg fhould not be forgor, nor Trots Rivieres, New Orleans, and Fot Louis at Mobile, with number of other fmaller ones, purpofely omitted, more perhaps than are here enumerat- ed; befides the forts they have in their own prc- cinfts in Canada. What the condition of thefe forts may be is notfo much to the purpofe, as fome perhaps may imagine. They are fufficient we fee to keep pofTefiion in the mean time, and they are eafily ftrengthened. Forts and fortifications are well known to be engines that the French deal in, and know how to manage to the beil advantage. If they are not flrong now, they can foon make them fo. This we may learn from Oc-i^n Point and Lew Jl'urg; which 2 were were as little and much lefs regarded fome years ago, than any of thefe forts may be now ; whilft they have fmce coft this nation fuch fums, and ever will coft it, ten times more than they coft to erect, fo long as they ftand. And if thefe two have coft us fuch fums, Fort du Quefne and Niagara are likely to coft much more, whatever they may be now* This is the chain of forts that we have heard fo much talked of, and the batteries that the French have creeled againft us, upon our own territories too, with which they diftrefs and annoy us in all quarters, while they are fafe and fecure themfelves, under the defence of their cannon. It is by means of thefe forts, fituated up and down at convenient diftances, in the moft important places, that they are able to launch out into all parts of North America^ and fpread over that whole continent, with fuch a handful of people, without any thing to fear, even from the traicerous favages, whom they rather awe and command, than apprehend or dread any thing from chem, by means of thefe forts. While on the other hand, our people in the colonies are not only expofed at hpme, but in danger every where abroad : their' frontiers are all open and expofed to the incttrfions both of the French and Indians ; and in the remote Indian coun- P tries t 122 ] they have no fecuricy at all, but what they may purchafe for their money, with a conftant charge to the public, as well as to many individuals. So long as this is the cafe there is no wonder to fee the French overrun all North America. Thefe are ad- vantages that overpower numbers, and give the few people they have there, a fuperiority over ten times the number that we have ; even if their fituation was the fame in other refpe&s, as it is ftill more different and dif- advantageous in many other refpecls. "Whatever we may think then of thefe French forts, their advantages are certainly very great, and that both in time of peace and war. They fecure the whole continent of North America in a manner, and all the vaft regions, and many conveniences attending them, above defcribed. They awe and com- mand all the natives, fecure their furr-trade* give them a protection for themfelves, and their wives and children, againft their enemies ; a thing that they have often afked of us, but have never obtained ; by which they are fo ready to join the French ; and fo ready to engage in war with all their neighbours, to fupport the French intereft, wheri they know themfelves to be fecure at home. It isobferved of the natives of America, efpeci- ally thofe about the great lakes, that they cannot or C 123 ] or will not live without war ; fo that we may be fare of perpetual difturbances from them, if we allow the French thus to protect and encourage them in what is otherwife their na- tural propenfity. By this means the French fecure all the interior parts of North America, only by a few Indians, and Indian traders or woodfmen ; by whofe means they draw our own allies from us, and therewith get poflefilon of our territories, with little or no charge or expence, only by means of a few forts or truck-houfes, that fecure their goods and merchandizes ac the fame time : while we are deprived of all thofe advantages, and extenfive fruitful coun- tries, that belong to us ; and cannot fupport our intereft with a much greater charge and expence. For all thefe purpofes the French have only to keep up three forts or fortifications, thac can be any charge to them, to wit, Crown Point, Niagara* and fort Du Quefne. All their other little forts are only as it were redoubts to thefe, and ferve chiefly to keep up a communication between thefe three ; which are or foon will be no doubt more con- fiderable fortrelTes. By thefe three alone, they fecure all the frontiers of their own colonies all the P 2 frontiers [ "4 J frontiers of our colonies and all North America with it, except a flip on the fea- coaft. The fituation and advantages of thefe three places are almofl incredible, but they are not lefs certain on that account. By Niagara and fort Du Quefne alone, they cut off our communication with all the interior parts of North America, and fecure them entirely , while they fecure themfelves 'at home merely by Crown Point. For this reafon it will be neceflary to give a more particular account of thefe three places, as we lhall do below ; which may be here referred to thefe other vaft advantages of the French colonies in their prefent fituation. It is this their fituation that gives them fuch an advantage over us. They have only thefe three places to guard, while we have forne hundreds. And even of thefe three, Niagara is fecure by its fituation, de- fended by the lakes and mountains alone, fmce the demolition of Ofwego. Fort Du guefne is much in the fame fituation, being defended by five ridges of mountains, and many woods that are difficult to pafs, which lie between it and our fettlements. They have nothing then to attend to but Crown Point \ while we fee m to difregard Niagara^ which we can hardly get at j and negleft fort [ "5 ] fort Du Quefne, which we feem to think im- practicable, fince the defeat of general Braddock. As they have nothing to defend then but this one ptace, they are likely to give us enough to do with that, and keep us at a bay with it, 'till they fecure all the reft, and all their many encroachments upon us. They are in pofTeflion of all the frontiers of our colonies, and can at any time pour in their irregulars, Coureurs de Bois> and Indians into them ; by which our people dare not ftir., nor march to Crown-Point^ or any where elfe, but are obliged to Hand upon their defence at home. Even the moft remote fouthern colo- nies, Carolina, and Georgia^ are expokd to them, and in danger of being attacked by them, from Mobile and Albamas ; from which the French can march over land to their frontiers, and are not far to come by water to their coafts ; and attack them both in flank and front at the fame time. By this means our force is divided into as many fmali parties, as we have colonies on the continent, which are ten in number ; while theirs is all united and muttered up at one place, ' It is by this means that they get the advantage of our numbers only with a hand- full of men, that they have hitherto had at lead. But But if their force is now encreafed to any thing like what it is reprefented to be, they muft not only gain advantages, and iecure every place -we are contending for, and all North America with it, but our colonies themfelves muft be in danger from them, fo long as they remain in the inactive di- vided ftate we fee them. We boaft of our force being ten times greater than theirs, and feem to reft fecure with that, without ma* king any ufe of it ! But what is a divided and broken force ? If we have ten times as many men, we have more than ten times, perhaps ten times ten as many places, to defend with them ; while they have only one in their prefent fituation, and the way we ad. Their frontiers are defended by two or three forts, ours are all open to them, and we have every place on them for 2000 miles to guard. And it may be always obferved, that, by uniting their force toge- ther, in the manner we have reprefented, they are conftantly fuperior to us at any one place. Here then we may fee, that the fituation of the French force in North America, both now and at all times. It may be compared to an army drawn up in a body about lake Cbamplain and Montreal, with lake Ontario and the river Obio> fupported by two wings, Quebtc Quebec and New- Orleans. Thefe wings w- cannot attack but by expenfive and hazard- ous embarkations by fea. For this reafon We attack, with only a fmall part of our force, the ftrongeft part of their main body on lake Champlain, that is fupported by both wings, neither of which we attempt. If thofe things are duly weighed and con- fidered, how neceflary will it appear for us, to attack fort Du Qutfne % as well as Crown- Point ; by which we may be able to make ufe of the numbers of men that we have. We have many men in Virginia^ Maryland and Penfihania^ that do nothing, ad cart do nothing, but guard their own frontiers, or fet ftilt and look on, expecting hourly to be attacked from fort Du Quefne ; whereas if they were once to take and fecure that place as ic was intended at firft, thofe colo- nies would be fafe, and might join the reft at Crcwn-Point, or any where elfe. Without fome fuch meafure at leafl, I can fee nothing we do or attempt, (unlefs we have a mind to attempt Quebec, and divide their force effectually, by ftriking at the root of it at once,) but to protract a tedious and expenfive war, without any hopes of fuccefs or advantage from it at laft ; but on the contrary, with the profpect and imminent danger of a lofs by it, that is much greater than than mod feem to apprehend ; the lofs of all the vail regions and other concerns above defcribed, with the danger if noc the cer- tain lofs of all North America with them ; befides the charge we mud be at for that lofs. This we have good reafon to apprehend and be alarmed at, if the force of the French in North America is any way to compare to what it is repreiented. There are lifts of their forces from good hands, that make them amount to no lefs than 40,000 men now in arms, ready to attack us on all fides, in their two colonies of Canada and Louijiana together. In thefe two provinces they have by thofe lifts no lefs than 11,000 regular troops, with 4,000 woodfmen, or Coureurs de Bois^ that are well known to be the moft dangerous enemy of any, and are thofe that have chiefly done us fo much mifchief , befides 25,000 militia, who are reckoned equal to any regular troops, in that part of the world at leaft, and 'in thofe woods, and are as well trained perhaps. Thefe numbers we hope are not altogether to be depended upon ; otherwife the confe- quence is to be dreaded. But if we confider, that they had 12 or 15,000 militia in Ca- nada in the laft war, that may be called a (landing army there ; befides the numbers 5 f [ I2 9 3 of men and troops, chiefly difbanded foldiers, they fent to all parts of lake Erie and the river Ohio, immediately after the treaty of Aix la Chapelle, who are the people that were ready upon a call to do us the mifchief they have lately done , with 2,000 regular troops they fent at the fame time to the Miffifipi* where they had by the accounts of their de- ferters no lefs than 12,000 men in the year 1752, with i ooo pieces of cannon mounted in all their feveral forts there ; and where they are daily fending men and troops every day, as we may fee by our captures -, befides the numbers of men fent to Canada, and Cape Breton, more than we know or have hqard of, without doubt : if all thofe things are confidered, I fay, we have all reafon to believe their force to be much greater than has been imagined ; and for that we need only appeal to convincing matters of fact, and confider what they have been able to do with it. This is at leaft certain from all accounts, that their whole force in America, and all the men they have in it, are now in arms againft us every where, determined 'to carry their poirtf, if pofiible -, while our people are looking on with their hands in their bofom, with not above i or 2000 men now in arms perhaps, out of 4 or 500,000 we have in C '30 ] in North America, to oppofe this force, that is raifed againft them. As long as this continues to oe the cafe, I do not fee what better fuccefs we are likely to exped ii, this campaign, than we met with in the two laft. We may take Crown- Point perhaps, and do very little after we have done that. If we confider our fituation in America, and compare it with the fituation of the French, here represented both together, I cannot fee for my fiiare as yet, what is to hinder them to carry every point they aim at, and effectually to fecure all North America ; fo long as we act in the manner \ve feem to do at lead. They have already overrun all th >t whole continent, except the fea coafl have ftized every place that is convenient or necefTary to fecure it- have demolifhed the only place we had to oppofe or attack them and have their whole force in arms to make good their conquefts, and encroachments every where all this they have done with a handful of woodfmen and a few troops and how much more will they be able to do with their whole force thus aflembled together, and fupported by conftant fupplies and fuccours from France. Let us then reflect upon this fituation of the French in North America, and fee what might be the confequences of allowing them any new acquifitions there. Danger- Dangerous conferences offuffering the French to be in pojfeffion of Nova Scotia, or any other colony on the fea coaft of North America. But what if the French had been, or were to be, in pofTeffion of Nova Scotia with all this ? Surely if we confider the confequences of that, this nation has good reafon to thank thofe true patriots of their country who pre- ferved that province for it. If the French were in pofTeflion of this province, even at this prefent, and much more fo hereafter, it would be eafy for them to accomplifh all their vail defigns above reprefented, great and extravagant as they would appear at firft fight, and as fome perhaps may think them. The only force we have to oppofe them in America is in New England ; which durft not itir, any more than the- reft of our colo- nies can do at prefent, if the French were in pofleflion of Nova Scotia. They have on the frontiers of thefe two provinces, a body of the mod warlike Indians in all America, the Abenaquis* with all the Indians of Nova Scotia, who are declared enemies of the En- glim, arid conftant friends and allies of the French, that are convenient to, and conftantly fupported by, the whole power of the French at Quebec : which two have conftantly over- a run J run New England, and have laid wafte the whole frontiers uf that country again and again, whenever any difturbances happen be- tween the French and the Englim. How much are we obliged to thofe then, who may have prevented thofe difafters in time, by fortifying Kenebec river. It is only by that means, that we are able to raife a few men in New England \ to oppofe the French in their prefent undertakings , who would have enough to do to defend them- felves againft ^h;cbec, and Neva Scotia^ and their eaftern Indians together, if the French had both thofe places, that are fo convenient to fupport one another, and to annoy us, as they formerly did. Of what confequence is it then to keep thofe eaftern Indians out of New England. The fafety of all our colonies feems to depend much upon it at this prefent. For this reafon we mould not neglecl the in- roads they have into this province by Saco river, and Penobfcot^ as well as the others defcribed below ; efpecially when we con- fider how ready the French are to play off thefe their engines upon us at all times. Here then we may plainly fee the advan- tage of Nova Scotia : it gives our northern colonies room to aid and aflift the others, that are not able to defend themfelves It prevents New England from being overrun by [ '33 1 by the French and Indians, as they have for- merly been, and as the reft of our colonies are now ; by which that province is able to fupport the reft. If it was not for this, the French might take any or all our colonies they pleafe one after another. By dividing our force in the manner they have already done, and as they would much more do with NevaScottajtre mould be entirely unable to aclwith it,great as fome would make it ; but if we offered to attack the French here, we mould be expofed there, and could not aflemble the force of our colonies together, any more than we have yet been able to do f without expofing them to be over-run by a favage and barbarous enemy. It is this that makes our colonies as unable to afiift one another, as fome think they have been un- willing, and none have yet been able to lend any aliiftance to the other but New England; whichthat would likewife be unab'e todo,ii the French \\&&Nova Scotia. By this means we have been obliged to undertake fo many fruit'efs and unfuccefsful expeditions, without fo much as attempting any one that is likely to fucceed; and we mould always be in that fituation, if the French had pofTeffion of Nova Scotia, or any other colony on the fea-coaft of North America. When [ 134 1 When our force is divided in this manner, if the French could fend a force from Nova Sco~ tia, or any other place on the fea-coaft of that continent, while .they attack their frontiers by land, and pour in their favages and Indians upon them, if it was only to make a diver- fion, there is not certainly any one of our co- lonies in a condition at prefent, whatever they may be hereafter, to withftand fuch an attack; if it be not perhaps New- England alone: and that too would foon be in jeopardy, if the French were to be in pofieflion of both Nova Scotia and Cape-Breton, with Crown-Point and Canada, with which they furround that colony on all fides, and prevent a poffibility of its increafe ; while they have room to extend themfelves, and to increafe on all fides, all over the continent of North America. How neceflary is it then for our colonies to unite together to repel 1 fuch invafions, and to be upon our guard againft them ! It is much better to prevent fuch diftempers, than to cure them. The grand view and aim of the French in America, we fee, is, to make themfelves maf- ters of NewTorki if poflible \ which their whole force in North America, that is fo readily joined together, is fo very convenient for, as we may lee at this prefent. For this purpofe they only want an opportunity to attack that pro- [ 135 ] province by fea, as they propofe, while they invade it with their whole force by land, to make themfelves matters of it very foon , as we may fee from all that has happened for thefe three years pad. But how eafy would it be for them to attack the town of New-York by fea, or even Bofton, or any other of our colonies, if they *were to be in poflefiion of Nova Scotia, with colonies of people in it, fupported, as they are every where, with forts and garrifons, and fuch convenient ports and harbours for fleets of fhips ; all which they could not fail to have here in a very fhort time : where thefe their armaments would be within a few days fail of New-,Tork, and not far from any of our colonies ; whilft our fleets in Britain, if they were ready, are at the diftance of as many week's fail from them, if i\ot much more juft as they were from Minorca. If by thefe or any other the like ftratagems the French were to make themfelves matters of New York, they would not only have one of the moft convenient ports in all North America, which would fecure them the moft ready and convenient pafTage to all their let- dements in Canada, Crown- Point, Niagara, &c. but they would likewife have all the Six Nations of Indians, and their dependants, and all the other natives of thofe northern parts of Ame- t America to a man, at their mercy and com- mand ; and would be fupported by this whole force, that lies all convenient and compact in a fmali compafs, ready to be drawn together on a very fhort warning , which is furely much greater than any force we have there to oppofe them, or could well fend there. Of what Confequence then, is Nova Scotia to this kingdom ! and of what confequence would it be to the French ! No lefs than the fafety and fecurity of all our colonies in America feems to depend upon it. If the French were porTeffed of that, we fee, that by one fingle ftroke, ftruck when we are unguard- ed, as we are apt to be, and as we were on the Ohio, they are able to feize any of our mod important colonies,to maintain themfelves in them, and to become fuperior to the Eng- lifh by one blow in North America, as they already are in the Iflands. A comparative View of the Situation of the two Nations in America. Let us not be too fecure then in our boafled fuperiority in America. We have more men, it is true, but what condition or fituation are they fin ? Surely this nation ought to enquire into that very carefully, fmce its all feems very much to depend upon it. The French are much fuperior to Britain in Eu- rope ['37] rope, and if they do not preferve a fupe~ riority in America, what fafety have they any where ? If they are able to bring this nation into fuch charges and difficulties about its co- lonies alone (and keep them in fufpenfe for years together, whether they mail take them or not) as well as frojm its engagements upon the continent of Europe, how Jong will it hold out ? It is certainly necefiary, that Britain mould have a fuperiority over France in America, when it is fo inferior to it in Europe, if we have any regard to the liberties of all Europe, as well as this nation. But if we confider the fituation of the two nations, as here reprefent- ed from undoubted matters of fact, the fupe- riority of Britain in America will not appear in the light that many take it in, who confider only our number of men. Our colonies are all open and expofed, without any manner of fecurity or defence. Theirs are protected and fecured.by numbers of forts and fortrefTes. Our men in Ame- rica are fcattered up and down the woods, up- on their plantations, in remote and diftant pro- vinces. Theirs are collected together in forts and garrifons. Our people are nothing but a fet of farmers and planters, ufed only to the axe or hoe. Theirs are not only well trained and difciplined, but they are ufed to arms R from [ '38 ] from their infancy among the Indians ; and are reckoned equal, if not fuperior in that part of the world to veteran troops. Our people are not to be drawn together from fo manydifferent governments, views,and interefts; are unable,unwilling,or remifs to march againft an enemy, or dare not ftir, for fear of being attacked at home. They are all under one government, fubject to command, like a mi- litary people. While we mind nothing but trade and planting. With thefe the French maintain numbers of Indians We have none, Thefe are troops that fight without pay maintain themfelves in the woods without charges march without baggage and fupport themfelves without ftores and magazines we are at immenfe charges for thofe purpofes.By thefe means a few Indians do more execution, as we fee, than four or five times their number of our men, and they have almoft all the Indians of that continent to join them. With this they are in pofTeflion of a vaftljr greater extent of territory, at leaft five times as much as the Englifh. And in all this exten- five pofTeflion they have not above two places to guard on the continent, Crown-Point and Niagara, while we have fome hundreds. They have likewife a convenient water-carriage to all their forts, fcttlements, and forces, while we [ 139 1 we can hardly gee at ours, or at them, by many tedious and expenfive marches by land. By this means their force is eafily aflembled and united, and lies compact together about Montreal^ Fort Fontenac^ Niagara^ and Crown- Pointy which are all convenient to fupport one another, and to get fupport from all the French fettlements ; while our force is difperf- ed in a fingle extended line along the fea-coaft, and cannot be drawn together. Hence they get the better of us with ten times their num- bers ; and at prefent their force is all in arms ours is dill to raife, or to tranfport thither. If all thofe things are confidered, what rea- fon have we to dread the power and encroach-^ ments of the French in America, as well as in Europe ! and how careful ought we to be to guard againft them ! particularly by keep- ing them out of Nova Scotia^ the Great Lakes* and river Ohio ; and by flrengthening the co- lony of New Tor ', as much as pofliblej if not our iflands likewife. It is true, we have hitherto been fuperior to the French in North America in numbers of people, but how has that happened ? It was bec^ufe they had no right nor titles there, and were conftantly oppofed by the Englifh even to fettle. But fince we allowed them, and gave them, a footing there, they have made titles enough by ufurpation and encroach- ment. They have hitherto likewife been op- R 2 pofed pofed by the natives, who have done them in- finite mifchief formerly, but are now obliged to fabmit to them, and join them : The Five Nations have hitherto ftopt their progrefs in Ca- nada entirely; who are now no longer able to cope with them ; no more than the Chicdfaws are on the Miffifipi. By thefe means they have hitherto been confined to a barren inhofpitable foil in Canada, or to fandy defarts on the mouth of the MJffififi. But if they once get fecure poffefllon of thofe vaft and fruitful regions on the Great Lakes, river Ohh, Miffi/ifi, with 'Nova Scotia, which they are now contending for, their fituation in America, will be quite altered. They will then have the mod fruit- ful countries of any in all America in the midft, and moft healthy climates, of all that continent, more than twenty times what Bri- tain would have left; and they want not many more men than Britain has. to people them, and foon to become fuperior to the Englifh every where. This they foon did, in a few years after the treaty of Utrecht, from the like advantages in the iflands, by allowing them to ufurp that large and fruitful ifland of Reflections on tie prefent ft t nation of the French in America. The confequence and refult of all this con f eft is [ HI ] is a naval power, which depends upon tradt and commerce^ as that does now in a great meafure upon the plantations in America. The American colonies are now become con- fiderable, and real objects worth attention; great part of the maritime trade of Europe cenrers in them ; and Britain has perhaps not lefs than 5,000,000 /. fterling a year from them, befides the chief fupport of its naval power. The French feeing this, and that their naval power was ruined by Britain in the laft war, were refolved to (Irike at the root of our power and profperity, and fource of our trade and Navigation, the American colonies. And if they once get a fuperiority there, as they muft*do, by getting pofiefiion of all thofe vafl regions in America, that they are contending for, they muft foon become fu~ perior to Britain both by fea and land efpe- cially as they have fo many more men. If any then may ever think of yielding up thofe vaft countries in the inland parts of North America to the French, or of letting them remain in poffeffion of Niagara, or J+ort du uefne, which fecure them entirely, let them confider the confequences of it. They are no fooner poflefTed of them than they become fuperior to ihe Englim in North America, as they already are in the Iflands. And what then becomes of our colonies, trade, and commerce, "and confidently of our power, and [ '4* J and fafety in Europe ? The only fafety and fccurity that this nation has againft their growing power, is a fmall fuperiority we have had over them in America, upon which our fuperior navy depends. It was thefe two that plainly gave peace to Europe in the laft war, and made the French give up their conquefls every where. If Britain does not preferve a confiderable fuperiority then in America, the liberties or properties not only of this nation, but even of all the dates of Europe that de- pend fo much upon Great Britain, mud be endangered by it. All Europe then feems to be concerned in our prefent quarrel in America, and to be interefted in our fuccefs. The only dates in Europe that oppofe the exorbitant power of the French, are, the empire, and the two maritime powers : but if the empire is divided in itfelf, and ruined by intedine broils, as it is likely to be ; vs|hile one of the maritime powers is already ruined, and quite funk ; and the French become fuperior to the other, and even joined by the head of the Empire, what becomes of the liberties of Europe ? as well as America ? This nation has already fpent and exhauded its treafure and fubdance, in fupporting the liberties and privileges, and defending the property of the other dates of Europe, againd f '43 .7 againft a common enemy: and if it is no longer able to do that, when it may be moft wanted perhaps ; but fees its own intercfts and concerns given up by thofe, whom ic has been at fuch a charge to fupport ; the grand alliance in Europe againft the French muft be broke ; and they muft deal with each party as they think fit ; in the fame manner as they do with our divided and difunited colonies in America : efpecially when we fee the principal dates in Europe now doing all that lies in their power to ruin one another, as if it were on purpofe to eilablifh an uni- verfal dominion of the French over them, who affifi them to their ruin. Divide & Imp era. Seeing this, as it was plainly feen at .the conclufion of the lad war, the French have been going on with fuch diligence ever fince, to ftrengthen themfelves in America; and to get the better of the power of Britain there, which only crofTes their defigns every where. And if they had not been a little too forward and premature in the execution of their defigns in North America, it is the opinion of all who are beft acquainted with thofe things, that it would not have been in our power to have op- pofed or prevented them, if we are as it is ; which I think we may plainly fee from what has happened. How (hall we ever be able then 8 to [ 144] to oppofe them again, if they are once well fettled and fortified, encreafe and multiply, as they mufl do, in all thole vaft and extenfive countries in America, that they have now overrun with fuch a handful of men ? They muft then certainly give law to Britain and all others in America, if not to all Europe with it. You may fay perhaps, Britain will here- after keep a ftanding army in her colonies ; both to awe them and her 1 enemies. If they had thought of that a little fooner, it might have prevented the neceffity of it perhaps. But if they have not been able to keep a force fufficient to defend themfelves at home, let them confider in time, before it may be ab- folutely necefiary to keep fuch a one, and to no purpofe perhaps, how convenient it may be for them to keep a ftanding army, fufficient to defend both themfelves at home, and alt America befides, If Britain mould fend ever fo many men to America, cannot France fend twice, nay ten times, as many, with more eafe ? The one keeps 300,000 men in pay, or at lead 200,000 and more, when the other can hardly keep 18,000. With fuch a number of men, if the French hold all the fecure pafTes, and (Irong places in North America, throughout the whole continent ; with fo many fortifications to fupport them, what fecurity can any one* think [ '45 ] think* Britain will have for a Jittle flip (he has on the Tea coaft. France may fromife it to us by treaty, and we rriuft be at her mer- cy to fulfill her proniifi. But 360,600 men are a more prevailing argument than French promifes. They have no other argument for all the u fur patrons and encroachments they have made in America, and defend by that argument alone. This mud inevitably bring the nation into land iyars, to defend her colonies, or me muft give them up altogether. But fuch wars on the continent , efpecially with France* mud be the ruin of this nation entirely, if it is fo conftantly obliged to engage in therm They are obliged to be at a double expence in fuch wars from a naval force to protect themfelves, and a land army to oppofe their enemies , burdens and loads, that a nation already exhaufted with them, cannot be fuppofed to hold out in her groans under much longer. And they feem to have no other Way ever to get rid of them, but to remove the caufe and occafiori of them, to drive the French from their borders, and to keep them at a diftance from them, now when they feem to have it in their power to do it , an oppor- tunity, which if let flip, may never perhaps offer again. 3 Others [ 146 ] Others may think perhaps, that Britain may always protect her colonies with her fleets ; which is an opportunity they now have to redrefs themfelves , and if they do not make life of that, they may never have fuch another one again perhaps. Are we to fup- pofe, that France is never to have a fhip at fea again ? I don't fee we have hurt her navy, the only thing we had to do. And if they had but a very few fhips at fea now, to invade our colonies, what would become of them ? It was but the year before the lafl, that they had five and twenty fail of fhips to invade them, when we fent but eleven after them ; and we may not perhaps have even that difproportionate number ready, or be able to fpare them, at another time It is the whole bent and drift of that power- ful nation, France, to gain a naval power ; and we have no juft and fair way, if any pofilble way, to prevent it, but to keep them out of our plantations, that mutl give them even a fuperior navy to Britain in time. It is not merely for the fake of what thofe inland countries in America may fetch in trade^ by immediate returns, the only thing that many among us fecm to confider, that makes the French rifque fuch an expence both of blood and treafure for them; but it is to gain a fewer % which will at any time com- command trade and that a naval power , which will as eafily command Britain and all its colonies which four mud certainly go together If the French had a naval power at this prefent, what muft become of the Britifh. colonies, or of Britain itfelf ? And there is no doubt, but they will ufe their ut- moft endeavours to get a naval power ; which feems to be the chief defign of their proceed- ings in America, that is become the root and fource of all fuch power. They who are little acquainted with the fhuation of the two nations in America, and itill lefs with the importance of the prefent conteft between them there, feem to think it very much and fufficient, that we fhould hold all the fea coaft of North America. But it will plainly appear, from what has been faid, if we did not. do that, we mould foon hold none of it. And how long mall we hold the fea coaft, if the French hold all the reft of that whole continent ^ that is larger than all Europe ? And this they muft do, by holding only Niagara, and fort Du Quefne. It is plain, they will then want fea ports, to get to thofe their inland territories, and will be able to command any they pleafe. They keep 2 or 300,000 men againft iSooq, and are at the fame time in pofTefTion of all the fecure pafles, ftrong holds, and fortify ed places [ us ] all over the fame continent frith us, where they have only to march to take pof- feflion of any or all the places we a.re matters of. They can at any time aflemble their whole force together for this purpofe, whilft purs is fo divided and difunited, and thereby carry any point they aim at. And can we imagine, that they will ever neglect fo material a point as this ? No : our colonies on the fea coaft muft be all expofed to them, and they will be able to feize any one or more of them, whenever they think fit, and ail our iflands with them, if we leave them thus in poffeflion of all the reft of the continent. Our next care then fhould be, to confider the fituation of our own colonies, with regard to thofe views and defigns of the French, ^nd fee how we are to guard againft them. For this purpofe we mould next take a view of the French encroachments, and the feveral Coun- tries they have feized in the Britifh dominions in North America, by which alone they are able to make their fituatidn fo threatning to us. We fhould likewiie confider the confe- quence and importance of thofe places that they have feized, with the ways of getting at; (hem, and recovering them ; the only way, it is imagined, to retrieve the affairs of the nation in America; which fhall be the fubjecT: of our further enquiry. SECT. t J 49 J SECT. IV. Of the FRONTIERS of the Settlements in North America , thf encroach- ments of the French upon them , and a proper BARRIER between the two nations. TH E encroachments of the French upon, the Britilh territories in North America, have plainly been the caufe of our late difturb- ances, and of our Jpfles and misfortunes from them -, which have brought this nation into, a greater charge and expence than might; have been fufficient to have fecured all that continent, if it had been duly attended to in, time. But the little knowledge of thofe re- mote countries, and the diverfity of opinions about them, feem not only to draw our atten- tion from them, and to crofs every meafure that is propofed about them, but mud occafion the total lofs of them, if we continue to neg- lect them as we have done. To prevent this, it is necefiary to enquire more particularly, into the fituation of thofe places that are in the hands of the French, to fee their confequence and importance both to them and us,, and the way by which we are to recover them. This we fhall do, not by any exaggerated accounts of the confequences of thofe things, but [ 150 ] but by a bare narration of matters of fact, and a defcription of thofe. places that the French are pofTeffed of, and aim at , by which their importance, and the confequence of letting the French remain in pofTeffion of them, muft appear to all who will be at the pains to confider it ; and we hope that this may be fomewhat conducive likewife to the more defired end of regaining them, i. Of CROWN-POINT, and the feveral paffes to Canada. The firfl of the French encroachments upon us, Crown- Point, ftands i in the very middle of New-England and New-York^ fo convenient to diftrefs either, and fo well known upon that account, that we need not infift upon it. It was creeled there fince the year 1730, upon lands too that belonged to ourfelves, on pur- pofe to diitrefs, annoy, and attack us, when- ever it fhould be found proper or convenient ; as any one might have perceived at firfl fight, and as the confequences have but too fully proven. It is here that the French mufter up their whole force in Canada to irivade our colonies, and fortified this place for that purpofe, for which it is fo convenient. From hence they marched out in the beginning of the laft war, fackt and burnt the fort of Sarabtoga in New- C 151 ] Tork, and laid wafte the whole frontiers of chat province, by means of this place ; the firft time we fetrm ever to have thought it of any cojifequence. And although we then had 3600 men that marched to attack it ; yet, either for want of orders, as was all edged, or finding it too ftron'g for them, they returned without proceeding to it. What our iate accounts are of the flrength and condition of the fortifications of this place, 1 have not heard, but from a plan and defection I have feen of it taken upon the fpot in 1748, they appear not to be very confiderable. The place was only defended then by Pallifades Upon the ramparts, fur- rounded by a fofTee , within which the bar- racks or caferns were the chief wall of defence. It had a confiderable citadel indeed nigh the lake, on which it (lands ; an odtagon of ilonc work, with walls ten feet thick, made bomb proof, and fufficient to lodge 500 men ; by which the landing place from the lake was commanded. But the whole is commanded by a hill within reach of it ; _on which the French were entrenched, as their only fecu- rity, before they took pofieffion of the pafs of ViconderagQi that leads to it. But the great and only fecurity of this and other forts in the woods of America, is the difficulty of getting at them, and of tranfport- I '52 ] ing artillery to attack them ; for which and other reafons the fituation of thofe places is of more confequence to confider tha"n their ftrength. Cr own-Point (lands on the head of lake Cbamplain, a large lake fourfcore miles long^ by which there is a navigation to it from all parts of Canada. A fmall point of land fur- rounded by this lake on all fides, and fecured by a moat on the fide of the land, makes what is called by us Crown- Point , and by the French fort Frederic. This fort lies midway between Albany and Montreal, the two chief places on our frontiers, and thofe of the French. It effectually covers all Canada, and blocks up our paflage entirely into that coun- try \ while it leads the French directly into New- England and New-York : unlefs we have a ftanding army there to oppofe them, which we have been obliged to keep two years for no other purpofe. This proceeds from the fituation of the place in the midft of high mountains, or funken morafies, on all fides 3 which fecure it from our attacks. We have but one way to it, it feems, that is reckoned more impracticable than the place itfelf. This is by the narrow pafs of Ticonderago, between two lakes, where we have a river to crofs$ that the French have fecured. By this means we have been two years going to this place* without being able to come at it. [ '53] At the fame time this place fecures the whole country about lake Champlain^ the original inheritance of -the five nations of Indians, whicn they. have made over to the Englifh long ago. This is the moft fruitful country in all thofe parts of America, and in that refpect worth all Canada perhaps befides. The lands here are covered with Sugar trees and Ginfeng, tokens of the richeft lands in America. This place then is both a nurfery and battery of the French againft us, and at the fame time a fafeguard to them. If it had not been for this place alone, and the fecurity it gives the French in Canada, it is plain, they durft not have attacked us, any where in America, nor have brought the nation into the charge and expence it has incurred on that account. Of what confequence then are thofe places in the woods and defarts of America, as fome call them, when they fall into the hands of the French ! Surely we ought to neglect none of them after this, which was not thought worth notice a few years ago. But to return to the pafles into this country, that lead to this place. The ufual way to Crown-Point, is well known to be by Wood* Creek* by which there is a pafiage to it by wa^- ter, all the way from the fea, except twelve miles of an eafy land carriage that is in our hands. The French indeed are faid to have T blocked C 154 ] blocked up that creek ; but if it fhould be found convenient upon any occafion to make qfe of that fhort and eafy pafs, can't it be opened ? Or can't we go to Crown- Point by the old Indian road from Connecticut river to Otter river, that falls into lake Champlain jufl be- low Crown-Point ? I have feen fuch a road laid down, that appears to be but fhort, from 3 branch of Connecticut river, above Stephens'* fort, called formerly Mtdoftec 3 to the head of Otter river. By this a road might be opened to lake Cbamplain from New- England, as well as from New-York* and the many people we jfiave in that province might go directly to it, without going round by New-Tork^ the only way they feem to think of. By this means Jikewife we might avoid the fortified pafTes, flefilees, and French entrenchments, that ob- ftrucl: our paflfage to lake Champlain and Crown-Point entirely, in the only way we attempt to goto it. The French have found another way from Jake Champlain into New-England, above this, by croffing Connecticut river about Co- baffer^ or Cohawfe^ and fo to the head of Pen- nycook or Allen's river. It was by this way that they came into that province, and cut pflfthe town of Haverilm 1708.* * This is the He doit par la paix de Ryfvj'tc faiteen 1697, avoir eterendu aux Anglois, fur lefquels les Francois Pavoient pris vers la fin de 1'annee precedente, Met bode de Gto^rapbie. Tom. III. p. m. i4i. T 2 But [ '56] But there are other ways of invading Ca- nada, from 'New-England, befides thefe; the ways by which the French and their Indians have fo often invaded that province : altho* they may be found perhaps to be fitter for fuch Indian expeditions, than for more regu- lar troops ; which, however, I cannot think thofe abovementioned are. We fhould not, however, neglect thofe inroads into New- England from Canada, fince it is by them that the French fo much annoy that province; the bad effects of which on all our affairs in America we have pointed out above.* The chief body of the French Abenaquis Indians, by which they fo much infeft our fettle men ts both in New England and Nova Scotia, and have thereby prevented our fecu- ring this province hitherto, are fettled under the French upon two branches of the river St. Lawrence, to wit, the rivers Puante and St. Francis, about midway between Quebec and Montreal, in the heart of their province, and in two miffions appointed oa purpofe to fecure them, at Becancour, and St. Francis. From thefe they have a ready paflage over the hills to the head of Kenebec river ; which is the rendezvous of the French and Indians, in all their hoftile attempts upon the Englifh. * Page 132. The t'57] The fpot of chefe remarkable enterprlzes is, either at the ponds on the heads of the rivers Kenebec and Chaudiere, known by the name of Amaguntick \ or at a large lake, a little to the northward and eaftward of thefe, faid to be the principal and moft important place in all that country, and a proper barrier between the two nations -, of which we have no ac- counts, but fome imperfed defcriptions.* * Vid. Voyages de Mr. le Beau ; who travelled from Quelec to Norridgenvoak acrofs this lake ; and thence up the river dmarifcoggin to the Senekaas. The account he gives is ; that he afcended the river Cbaudiere, over feveral falls, and fome high hills at laft, which brought him to a large lake; feemingly by turning to the left or eaftern branch of the river Chaudiere : of this lake he fays ; " apres avoir tra- " verse de fuite trois endroits, que jepuis bien nomme trois " petits lacs, qui formoient une figure ovale tou^e bordee " de grands arbres, nous arrivames enfin par le moyen " d'une petite riviere fort agreable, fur le bord de ce fa- " meux lac qu'ils appelloient Qttynaki. Je ne 1'ai point " vu fur aucune carte. Suivant ce qu'ils m'ont dit, qu'a le " traverfer en droite ligne, il etoit bien auffi long que " tout le chemin que nous avions faits dequis Quebec : je " puis juger qu'il doit avoir au moin deux cens lieues de " circuit, Je m'imaginois etre fur le bord de la mer. " Us m'ont aflure, que ce lac ne recoit de Teau d'aucune M riviere ;qu' au contraire il en fournit a plufieurs, & " qu'il y a auffi loin de cet endroit chez les Anglois, que " chez le Francois. Ce qui fit que je leur repondis, que ces 4< rivieres fe repandant de cote & d'autre, pouvoient done " bien leur fervir de li mites on de feparation." Tom. I. p. 223, 242. When C 158 1 When they are afTemblcd at thefc places, they have two ways to invade New-England* that we ieem to take no notice of : one by Ke- nebec river, the other by P end feet. In the firit they come down Kenebec to the chief town of the Indians, Norridgewoak^ and then leave that river to go up a branch of it, call'd Maditigoa, which heads very nigh Saco river, that leads into the heart of New '-England. It was by this way that they feem to have come into that province, when they furprifed and cut off our men nigh Saco river under captain Lovell in 1724, who did not expect to meet His accounts indeed will appear a little romantic perhaps to thofewho are not well acquainted with America. But our people have likewife difcovered a large lake on the head tf Kencboc river, which feems to be the one here defcribed ; altho' I caunot believe it to be fo large as 200 leagues in circumference. This, however, is certain, that this Is a place of very great importance, and the inroad both into New England, and Nova Scotia, which we mention On that account ; as the French are fo ready to feize all fuch places, and give us fuch diilurbance with them, while we entirely neglect them. And if the French are allowed to fettle any where on the fouth fide of the river S. Lawrence, which they have no right to do, the ridge of mountains north of this lake, that runs from the bottom of lake Champlain to the lady moun- tains in Nova Seotia at the mputh of the river S. Lawrence, from which the waters of that river fpring, feems to be the only proper and natural boundary -and barrier between the two nations. 3 them 1 159 J them there. This feems to be the way by which thofe French Indians have fo often in- fefted New- England, as it is the nigheft and moft ready way for them to come into all parts of that province ; efpecially as they are (aid to have another ready and fhortpafs from the heads of Saco river to Cafco and Falmouth, by which they avoid the falls and bad naviga- tion of the river Amarifcoggin, that leads to thofe places. Thefe accounts we have from fome furveys made, of thofe parts after the Indian war in 1724, agreeing with Mr. Bryant's actual fur- vey 1 740, fo far as it goes ; in which, and many others, thefe two rivers, Saco and Ma~ ditigoa, are both laid down and defcribed to head within four or five miles of the ri- ver Amarifcoggin, on each fide of it; altho* they are both omitted in fome fuppofed fur- veys, and our late maps of this country. This deferves our notice the more, as the forts the government has built on Ke-> nebec river, to prevent thefe incurfions in- to New- England, fort Halifax, and Wefter^ do not obftruct or fecure this chief pafs into it i nor even cut off a retreat from it ; as they have another way both to retreat and to enter that province, by going up Amarifcoggm river to the heads of Connecticut ; by which there is a ready pafs to the river St. Francis above mentioned^ laid down and defcribed \\ir~ likewife in the fame furveys we mention, as well as in governor Burnefs large mariufcript map of New Twk. This is not faid in prejudice to thefe two forts, which appear to he in the moft pro- per places to fecure the chief pafiage of all by Kenebec river, and to be convenient to our fettlements to fupport them. But it might likewife be proper perhaps to have other forts, either at Norridgewoak, or at the lakes above mentioned on the heads of Kene- lee river, whenever we have a force fufficient to defend them. There we might be ready at any time to oblige the French to draw their force out of all their encroachments on us, which I do not fee that we are otherwife like- ly to do. The other nigher inroad into both New- England and Nova Scotia, and that directly from Quebec, is by the river Pencbfcot. For this they come up the river Chaudiere, that falls into the river St. Laurence* juft above <%uebec> and pafs over from the heads of that, to the eaflern branches of Kenebec river, which join the weftern branches of Penobfcot, that lead them into all our frontiers both of New- England and Nova Scotia, and down to the fea-coaft, by a good navigation the greateft part of the way. It was by this communica- tion with *%utbec\ that the noted French par- tizan, tizan, the baron St. Caftin, whom we impru- dently fuffered to remain at Penobfcot, after the treaty of Utrecht^ diftrefled our fettlements of Nova Scotia , while his accomplice, F. Ralle> at Norridgewoak) obftrucled with his Neo- phytes all our fettlements on the frontiers of fJew-Englandy by the inroads above defcribed ; by which thofe countries come to be fo un- fettled and unguarded, and fo little known to us. It may be the more ufeful to take notice of thefe pafles to Canada* as by means of them we feem to have it in pur power to diftrefs the French in the mod fenfible manner 5 and to divide their force, in the manner they do ours* when they feem to have no fort of fafety but in having their force all united together, as is above reprefented. But if we were to attack them in Canada^ by one or more of the ways here defcribed, we might foon oblige them to draw off their force from Crown- Point, and other places, to defend themfelves at home* This feems to be the bed way likewife for us to employ our fuperior numbers of men, if we would make any ufe of them. And at the fame time, it is the moft proper, if not theon^- 3y way, to carry, on a war to advantage in A* merica^ where the country is all open, obftruc- ted only by woods. This we may learn from our enemies at prefent, and from all former tranfactions of that kind. They invade us on U all I 162 ] all quarters, and keep our men at home at a bay with them ; by which our force is fo di- vided that we can do nothing with it, at lead at any one place. By this means, we fee, they over- run all North America, only with a handfull of men ; while we do nothing with ten times their numbers, and a much greater charge and expence. The difficulty of tranfporting cannon, and other cumberfome baggage, bjr land- marches, through clofe woods, and im- pafiable ways, makes it very tedious, expen- five, and precarious, to fucceed in a more regular way in N. America. To attack the French in this manner, we fee we have many different ways, and the very ways they have made ufe of to diftrefs us, when they took the forts of Cafco, Pema- quidi Haveril, and many others in New- England^ by invading that province from Cana- da by the inroads above defcribed. If by thefe we were to invade Canada in like manner on all quarters, and fort Du Quefne at the fame time, while we attack Quebec^ or New Orle- ans, or both of them, by fea, how eafy would it be to reduce the French to reafon very foon, and put an end to fo inglorious and expenfive a war in America by one flroke ! But many fcem to reft fecure with their fea- portb, as it" they alone were able to defend them againil a nation that keeps a (landing army 3 army of three or four times their number-, and is at the fame time in pofieffion of all the fe^ cure paflfes, ftrong- holds, and fortified places, all over the fame continent with them. . But the cafe is not in North America as it is in Britain, where fuch ftanding armies, kept on purpofe to command us, .are not eafily tranf- ported to our coafts, the only fafety this nation has againft them ; they are there upon the fame continent with us, and have only to march to take all the ports we are in pofief- fion of, unlefs we prevent them by fome fuch ways as are here pointed out, and now when it may be done. II. Of the Paffes to tbe great LAKES, and particularly 0/ NIAGARA. From the pafies to Canada, we come next to confider thofe to the great Lakes, and territo- ries of the Six Nat ions, which are of fuch con- fequence and importance in all our concern? in N. America ; while we have little or no ac- cefs to them, efpecially lince the deftru&ion of Ofwego. We have many populous colo- nies indeed hereabouts, and the chief force of the nation in America, in New-England* New-Tork, and Pcnfyhama, is by its natural fituation convenient to thefe territories, and inland feas , on which the fecurity of all the continent of North America depends, ex- cept the fmall and narrow part that we are pofTeft of on the fea-coaft ; while in our pre- 11 2 fent J fent fituation we have hardly any way to came at them. This we are precluded from by the French being in pofieflion of lake Champlain, and Crown Point on one hand, with many large and almoft impaflableYidges of moun- tains on the other hand. Thefe mountains arife on the banks of Hudfon's river in New Tork, beginning at the Katjkitt mountains a- boilt a hundred miles from the fea, and fpread over all the northern parts of Penfyfaania: by which that province and Newjerjey, which lye oppofite to thefe lakes and territories of the fix nations on the fea-coaft, are deprived of a ready pafiage to them ; as New England is by lake Chatitylain to the northward. By this means we have no good paflage to the lakes and fix nations from the fed, but through the province of New Tork, between Crown Point and the' above mentioned endlefe mountains^ as they are called. It is by this means, that the protection and feciirity of thofe important territories and fpacious tekes comes to have devolved almoft entirely upon that fmall province of New Tork. But here the paflage to them is as convenient, as it i$ diffi- cult in other places. By the eafy- navigation of Hudfon's river, and a branch of it, called the Mohawk's river, that is navigable with- in four or five miles of the rivers that fall into lake Ontario^ at Ofwego, we have a rea- dy paflage from the town of New-Tork to the lakes [ i6* 3 lakes by water, except about twenty miles of an eafy land -carriage, in that whole diftance, which is commonly reckoned 370 miles in all, but others call it 466. This our moft ready and convenient paf- fage to any of the interior parts of North A- merica is commanded by the town of Albany at one end of it, and by Qfwego at the other 5 by which we may fee the importance of thefc two places, and the afe of fecuring and for- tifying them. , Albany again not only defends this pafs, but at the fame time it is a. place of arms, and the magazine of all our (lores, as well as the chief place upon our frontiers there, that are daily expofed to the incurfions of an enemy ; upon all which accounts it deferves and requires to be made a place of flrength, before any one place we have perhaps in all the inland parts of North America. After Albany we Ihould not forget Ofwego* which feems to be the next moft important place of any we are poflefTed of in thofe inland parts of America. It not only commands this pafTage to the great lakes, and all the inland navigation' of North America above defcribecj, but itisthe only place we have that gives us any accefs to that continent beyond the pre- cincls of the fea-coaft that we are fettled upon. With this it is the chief frontier place both of New Tork and Penfylvania j which leads [ 166 ] leads both the French and Indians into thefe colonies, if it remains in their hands. Ic ftands in the country of the Six Nations, ad- joining to and in the midft of their principal fettlements ; fo that whoever are pofieft of this place muft have the chief influence, if not the fole command over thofe people; whofe power and intereft is very confiderable, and extends many hundred miles all around them to moil of the natives of North Ameri- ca, that are within reach either of them or us. Here all thofe Indians from the remoteft parts of North America, even from Hudfon's bay, and Lake Superior ', have been wont to come to the Engli/h Markets for almoft all their necefi fane's, and carried on a confiderable trade with us at this place, the profits of which alone are not tobedefpifed; befides the intereft it gave us among fo many different nations all over the con- tinent, which is now entirely loft by the demo- lition of the defencelefs fort we had at Ofwego. At the fame time Qfwego leads to Niagara* Fort Frontenac, and all the other encroach- ments of the French, and is the only place al- moft that allows us any accefs to them. But the principal and moft important place perhaps of any in all the inland parts of North America is Niagara, which ftands in the midft of the country of the Six Nations, between their chief fettlements, and their many dependants and t '67 ] and confederates, and in a manner entirely com- mands them all. It there ftands between the mountains one one hand, and the great lakes on the other, furrounded by one or other of thefe two, with the whole continent open to it on the weft, and our colonies on the eaft , fo that none can pafs that way, or have any accefs to the interior parts of North America, without crofting endlefs mountains on one hand, or broad feas on the other, but by the narrow pafs of Niagara, or an unknown and unfrequented way by the heads of the river Ohio. Here the waters of thofe great lakes, that fpread over the continent far and nigh, are fo narrow and mallow, that they are even fordable for paf- fengers on foot, whilft on all other hands they form Teas, nigh 100 miles broad, and 1200 miles long. By this means Niagara is the chief and almoft only pafs into the interior parts of North America, both from nqrth to fouth, and from eaft to weft, cither from the French fettlements or ours. At the fame time this pafs is fo fecured by the mountains and lakes, that it is almoft inaccefTable but by water; which was the reafon of the vigilance of the French in deftroying our naval equipments at Qfwego* leaft we fhould thereby be enabled to get to a fmall fort they have at this important place *. It * Since the dcftru&ion of 0/kvfgo, which leads to Nia- gara by the lake Oxta'-io, \ve ieem to have no way to [ 168 ] It is by this pafs, and this alone, that the French go to the river Ohio^ Fort du Quefne* Detroit, the Miffi/ipi, and all their other en- croachments on us, except Crown-Point. They maintain and fupport themfelves in thofe encroachments without any expence or charge almoft whatever only by means of the Indians, whom they have no accefs to, and debar us from entirely, by means of this important pafs. It is by this place alone that they are and ever will be able to over-run and annoy our colonies in the manner they do, fo long as they hold Niagara. But if we were poffef- fed of this one place, we might be free from them, and all their encroachments, incurfi- ons, devaflations, &c*. to get at it, ifit be not by the river of the Senekaas, that runs into their country from Ofwego, which feems to be very practicable : as well as a way from the heads of that river to fort du Quefne^ by the heads of the Ohio ; which would appear to be more convenient than the way to that place from Virginia, over fo many ridges of mountains, all which may be avoided in this way ; which is at the fame time convenient to our forces aflembled in NFW York and England. * The great lakes are further fecured by means rile De- troit. or theftraits of lake Erie ; the ftraits of MiJ/ilimakinac, and the falls of St. Mary, between the lake Huron and lake Superior ; all which we have no accefs to, but by Niagara, or a very round about way by fort du Z&efnc. We 1 169 ] But we feem only to regard Crown-Point ; and neglect Niagara, which is a place of vaftly greater confequence, and that in time of peace as well as in time of war. Crown- Point com- mands only lake Cbamflain, and its environs in time of peace, and affords a fecure frontier to Canada, or an inroad into New York and New England in time of war ; but the influence of Niagara extends far and nigh almoft over the whole continent. NIAGARA commands in a manner all the interior parts of North America, and is a key as it were to that whole continent opens or obftrucls a communication with all the natives of North America, the Six Na- tions, Ohioes, Shawanoes, Miamis, Twightwies, Illinois, Poutewatamis, Nadoueffians, Hurons, Utawas, Meffefagues, and many others awes and commands all thofe people lies in the midft of the extenfive territories of the Six Nations, and commands their Beaver-Coun- try* entirely fecures their fur trade, and all the other inland trade of North America commands all the great Lakes, and fecures the * So the Six Nations call in a general fenfe all the coun- try from the liver Ohio to lake Nepiffin ; but more particu- larly the peninfula of the lakes, between the lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron, exttnding northward to lake NepiJJln, and the river Utawas. X navigation [ '7 J navigation of them, that extends 12 or 1300 miles prevents or fecures the junction of the two French colonies in Canada and Louiftana* cuts off or maintains their pafifage to the river Ohio, Mijfifipi* Lake Erie, le Detroit , Sandojki y Miamis, Fort St. Jofeph, Illinois, Kajkajkis* &C. flops the farther progrefs of the Englifh or of the French (which ever are poflefied of it) in North America-^-lays our colonies open to the inroads and incurfions both of the French and Indians whiift it would fecure them from both in our hands and unite the frontiers of our northern and fouthern colo- nies together, for their mutual defence and fecurity, which might all be fecured by this one place, while they could not by many hun- dreds without it ! All this will plainly appear only from look-r ing to the fituation of this place in a map, with the account of it above given, as it is well known to thofe who are acquainted with it. How came we then ever to neglect fuch 3 place ? Or to fuffer the French to fortify it before our eyes, and that upon our own terri- tories too ? Without liflening to the follicha- tions of the Indians, particularly at the treaty of Albany in 1722, to prevent it ? Which we might have done then, only by ordering them to quit it, as we did but 3 year or two before [ '7' 3 before at Onondago. This fatal neglect is plainly the caufe of all our prefent difturb- ances and lofles ; and we hope it may not be thought improper to endeavour to prevent the like negleds and misfortunes for the fu- ture \ which we (hall never do, unlefs we fe^ cure this place. It was for this important place of Niagara, and Nova Scotia, that this nation engaged in this prefent war, if they know their true in* tereft. The great claim that Britain has in the inland parts of North America is over the territories of the Five Nations, which this place lies in the midft of, and in a manner entirely commands. We talk much of the river Ohio, which is likewife a place of great confequence 4 it is true, but it feems to be of lefs confequence than Niagara, which in a manner commands it. If we were pofleiTed of Niagara, the French in Canada would be cut off from any accefs to the river Ohio^ and almoft all their other encroachments on us. But if we let them remain in poffeflion of this place^ all our colonies will be open to them, and we need never expedt to be free from encroach- ments, broils and diffentions with them* Un- lefs we recover Niagara then that fo juftly belongs to us, we engaged in this war to no manner of purpofe , but muft have frequent and daily occafions for many more fuch wars, X % with with little profpect of any better fuccefs from them, than we have hitherto met with in this. We had furely nothing elfe to do then, either to have prevented the prefent war in America, or to have done what we pleafed in it, but to have vindicated our juft and indif- putable right to Niagara^ and to have fecured that fingle place at firft. None could have hindered us to have done this, as the trifling fort the French have there, eredted fince the year 1751* ftands entirely by itfelf, at a great diftance from their other fettlements, and in the midft of the country of the Six Nations, our friends and allies. By this means we might have put an end to our diflurbances in all appearance, long before war was decla- red. If the French had offered to ftir, how eafy might it have been for us, by means of Niagara, Ofwego, the Six Nations, &c. to have demolifhed fort Front enac, another en- croachment upon our territories , while the numbers of people we had in New -England Hood upon their guard again ft Crown-Point. By this means likewife we might have car- ried the war into our enemies country, in- ftead of bringing it into our own, as we did by going to fort Du Quefne. And what was fo proper then, may not be improper again perhaps, if it is yet, when thofe things are rightly r. '73 1 rightly underftood - y which it is our only de- fign to make them, now as we endeavoured tp do then. As for the importance of the great Lakes* that are thus commanded by Niagara, we need not infift upon it. That will abundant- ly appear from their vaft extent, and fituation in the mid ft of all the mofl important places in North America, and mod of the natives in it. Thefe Lakes are five in number, which form fo many feas, that all communicate with one another, and afford an inland navigation, that extends over the whole continent almoft of North America, as appears from the account of it above given. Whoever then are mafters of thefe lakes muft command that continent, fooner or later, fince they have fuch an eafy accefs to it, and ready paffage over it all, by means of this navigation , whilll thofe who are only iettled on the fea coaft are precluded from a pafTage to the inland parts of the con- tinent by many ridges of mountains that fur- round them in all pares, and hem them in on every fide : by which they are likewife de- prived of any communication with the natives, who chiefly refide on and about thofe great lakes, for the fake of the fruitful lands, and mild climate, wi:h the great plenty of furrs, that they afford. Thefe L 174 J Thefe lakes efpecially the two lower ones, lake Ontario, and Erie, with great part of the two next adjoining to them, lake Huron, and Michigan? are the property of the Five Na- tions of Indians, and have belonged to them by conqueft and aftual poffeffion upwards of a hundred years , which they have mad over to the crown of Great Britain by many folemn and formal acts and deeds, and the fame was acknowledged by France itfelf at the treaty of Utrecht, as we fhall abundantly prove in the fecond pare of this difcourfe concerning the rights and titles of the two nations in America. The only claim the French have to them is, the liberty they had by the treaty of Utrecht to frequent thofe countries of the Indians for the fake of trade ; from which they would now pretend a right to them, we fuppofe, as they have been allowed to make fome fettlements in them, for the convenience and refrefhment of their traders in pafiing backwards and forwards, as they pretended when they made them. The chief fettlements they have here are Niagara and k Detroit, or the Straits of the Lakes, between lake Erie and Huron. At the firit ihey have only a fmall fort, built chiefly of wood, and fince the year 1751, where they keep about fixty or feventy men, for no other purpofe but to keep pofTeffion of this import- ant 1 175! ant pafs. They have likewife lately built a magazine upon the river fide immediately above the great fall, in order to lodge their goods and (lores, that they are obliged to tranfport by land from their fort below the fall to this ftorehoufe , the diftance between which is reckoned twenty miles. Thefe are the only letdemcnts they have at Niagara, where the country is mountainous and bar- ren, unfit for culture for the moft part. But not far from it the country is more fruitful on the fides of the lakes Ontario and Erie. Thefe lakes are here about 36 miles afunder, to wit, 3 miles from lake Ontario to the fording place in the river of Niagara* and as far from thence to the great fall * from which it is reckoned 20 or 22 miles to lake Erie* and the river is navigable the whole way, with only a fmali rippling nigh the entrance of the lake. Thefe accounts I have from fome of our people who have been all over thofe parts. But at k Detroit the French have a more confiderable fettlement, ever fince they ufurp- ed that place contrary to treaty with the In- dians in 1 700. Some of our people who were there in 1750 and 51 report, that the French had there about thirty or forty plantations or farms, in a fine champaign country, with about 5 or . oo people, and three villages of Indians ; one of Nitrons* called by our people Wundoes [i 7 6] Wtendoes , another of P out ewat amis, called Pens ; and a third of Outawas, or Thawas. The number of Indians in thofe villages was uncertain, as they are fo conftantly out on hunting parties ; they judged them about 3 or 400 fighting men. As for their fortih> cations they were no way confiderable, being it fuch a diftance from any danger of an attack, but from the Indians ; altho' the French have fince ilrengthned this place no doubt, as it is the great fupport of their inte- reft among the natives of all thofe weftern parts of the continent, and the center of their feveral {haggling fettlements among them. III. Of tbe river OHIO, and Fort Du >uefne. The river Ohio is next to be confidered ; which runs through great part of our colonies of Penfilvania, and Carolina, and waters a coun- try that is nigh five hundred miles fquare, which is reckoned one of the fineft countries in all North America. This river is not lefs than 10 or 12000 miles long by ajl accounts, from its fource nigh the habitations of the fix nations to its mouth at the Miffififi, with fe- veral large rivers falling into it, that fprcad over our colonies far and nigh. A large branch of the Ohio, called Wood River, from Colonel Wood of Virginia, who difcovered it firfl [ '77] firft in 1654, and fevcral times afterwards, of which an authentic account is to be feen in the archives of the royal fociety, befides the accounts we have of that difcovery from our hiftorians ; this large branch of the Ohio, I fay, rifes in the mountains of South Caro- lina, and runs through that province, and all North Carolina* to the middle of Virginia : befides feveral other branches of it that rife in the Apalachean mountains from the fame fources with the rivers that run through our fettlements eaft of thofe mountains, and make a navigation from the Ohio down to the fea- coaft, excepting a fmall land carriage from one river to the other. The Ohio is befides remarkable for its gen- tle current, contrary to mod of the inland rivers in North America, which are very ra- pid, with numbers of falls in them ; but we hear of only one fall in theOto, which is naviga- ble both up and down, as appearsfrom the jour- nals and feveral verbal accounts of our people, who have gone up and down the whole river. They tell us indeed that the river is very crooked, as is ufual with all rivers that run through a level champaign country, as this does ; but this at the fame time makes its cur- rent flack, and the whole river eafy to navi- gate, all the way from the Mijfifipi nigh to the river of the Senekaas, which falls into lake Y Ontario [ '?S J Ontario at Ofwego. Another river of lake Ontario, the river Conde, or new river, rifes flill nigher to the fources of the Ohio, and affords a navigation from the mouth of the river St. Lawrence to the mouth of the Mijfifipi, quite acrofs the continent of North America ; befide the m any communications of the branches of the Ohio, with lake Erie. The country on the fouth fides of the Ohio is very mountainous, and difficult to pafs for fome hundred miles. TheApalachean mount- ains there extend weft within one or two hun- dred miles of the MiJJtfipi. But on the north fide of the Ohio, between that and lake Erie, the country is level and very fertile, being likewife watered with numbers of rivers that run through it from the brinks of lake Erie to the Ohio. With this it affords plenty of fait from the many fait fprings, and even fait water rivulets, with which this country abounds, that is of great ufe in thofe inland parts. It Jikewife abounds with both food and raiment, we may fay, from the vaft quantities of wild oxen or buffaloes found in the extenfive mead- ows all over this country , a creature peculiar to North America, that is larger than an Ox, with a fleece like a Iheep, of which feveral manufactures have been made little infe- rior to filk : which was particularly recom- mended by Lewis XIV, in his grant of the Mjfiftpi [ '79 ] i to Mr. Crozat, as a valuable commo- dity in trade. Befides, this country affords great plenty of deer, beaver, fkins and furs, the richeft commodities of all North Ame- rica. We need not wonder then, how the French or any others may maintain themfelves in this country, with little or no charge, efpecially with fo many natives in it at their command : and how they muft foon encreafe and multi- ply in it, to the conftant difturbance and an- noyance of all our colonies, fo long as they hold any of this country fouth of lake Erie, and far more the whole of it. If we confider the fituation of this country between the Ohio and lake Erie, that is not above fifty or fixty miles broad in the eaftern parts, but nigh two or three hundred miles in its weftern parts, bounded by the great lakes on one hand, and extenfive ridges of mount- ains on the other, with this convenient pafs and navigable river between them, leading direclly into the middle of our fettlements from all the interior parts of the continent ; oppofite to which likewife are many eafy and convenient jpafles in the mountains, and na- vigable rivers, down to the maritime parts ; if we confider this, I fay, of what confequence muft this country be to us ? And how fatal has our neglecl of it been ? We have no other Y 2 way way that is known from any of our prefent fettlcments in all North America, except South Carolina, to any of the interior parts of that continent, but through this country by Fort du Quefne, or by Niagara. On the fouth of thefe we are precluded from a pafftge to that continent by the mountains that run three or four hundred miles weft, and on the north by the great lakes. It ought, however, to be enquired into, how far the river Holfton is navigable, both above and below the Cherokees, and what fort of a pafTage that river may afford into our colo- nies; lead we fhould negledl that, as we have done the river Ohio. Not to mention the vafl. encreafe of people, power, trade and commerce, that this country on the Ohio mud neceffarily bring, it would moreover fecure the pofTefiions we already have, which it will be very difficult, if not impofii- ble, to do without it. Thefe two places alone, Fort du Quefne, and Niagara, would protect and defend our colonies from both the French and Indians, if well fecured by us ; whilft if they remain in the hands of the French, we fhal! have an inland frontier to defend, eaft of thefe places, as we now have, that is upwards of 2000 if not 5000 miles in extent : and that conftantly expofcd, as it now is, to the incur- fions of a hcilile and warlike enemy, and to the [ 'SO the depredations of an indigent, neceflltous, and barbarous people , which it will be im- pofiibl'e for us to prevent, with all the forts and garrifons, and the immenfe charges that we muft be at for that purpofe. By thefe two places alone then, we may here fee, what we have fo often intimated, that the French fecure all North America beyond our fettlements, with all the natives of that whole continent to fupport them in it, and unite all their colonies and draggling fettle- ments together ; which gives them an extent of territory, power and dominion, that all we are poflefTed of there bears no proportion to. It was this great advantage and convenience that made the French fo intent upon fecuring the river Obid'\ a ftep that we might always fee they would take, if it was poffible for them. It fignifies nothing to be difputing their title to it , fuch a Convenience is Title enough to them. They have no other title to all the other places, and immenfe regions, that they form claims to over all North America. The mod convenient of all the places in thofe countries, and indeed in all the whole ex- tenfive navigation above defcribed, from the river St. Lawrence ro the Miffi/ipi* is fort du Quefne. This place is about mid-way be- tween Canada and Louifiana^ and ferves as an entrepot between thefe two French colo- nies 5 [ '82 J nies ; for which it is more convenient than any one place in all North America, juft as Louif- burg is between France and Canada. It (lands, at the fame time, in a fine fertile country, of vaft extent, and in a healthy climate j where we may expect to fee the French encreafe and multiply apace. In thefe refpects the territories of the Ohio are preferable to all the other pof- feffions of the French in all America put to- gether. Nature itfelf has confpired to render the ri- ver Ohio hereabouts a place of confequence and importance, and the rendezvous of all the people in North America that are within reach of it, far and nigh. The great thing wanted in thofe inland parts, both by man and bead, is Salt-, which is found in great plenty all round about fort Du Quefne, but chiefly in the Salt Pondsj between that and Jake Erie. Upon this account, that country, called by the fix nations Canahogue^ is the chief refort both of man and beaft from all parts. To thefe ponds and other fait fprings hereabouts, great flocks and herds of deer and wild oxen conftantly refort for the benefit of fait j upon which creatures the inhabitants chiefly fubfift, and have great fupplies of provifions by that means without either labour, charge* or ex- pence. This draws numbers of huntfmen here to purfue their game, the chief employment of 8 [ i8 3 3 of thofe parts. The traders again Follow the huntfmen for their ikins and furs. Thefe are the chief caufes of war and bone of contention here, where the warriors refort to feek their enemies. Upon thefe accounts, the parts hereabouts are the chief fupport of the inhabi- tants the feat of war, and mart of trade - t from all parts of North America, far and nigh. Here the fix nations have a town (Gwahaago}) chiefly for their hunting : and a t6wn of each of the cantons is fettled here- abouts. Here their enemies, even the Cataw- las from South Carolina meet them, and fight thofe many battles we hear and read of. Here likewife the French and Englifh Indians, and traders refort, either to trade with or furprife one another \ from whom we have thefe ac- counts, that are much magnified by them. Thefe advantages were the more immediate occafion of the French feizing the river Ohio. They give us the moft extraordinary accounts of the country hereabouts, particularly the country above defcribed on the fouth fides of lake Erie* ; but add, " the banks of this " lake * " Lake Erie is juftly dignified with the illuftrious " name of Conti ; for afTuredly it is the fined lake upon " earth. You may judge of the goodnefj of the climate, " from the latitudes of the countries that furround it. Its " circumference extends to 230 leagues; but it affords " every 1 184] " lake are commonly frequented by none but " warriors, whether the Iroquo;s> the Illinois* (C every where fuch a charming profpeft, that its banks " are decked with oak-trees, elms, chefnut-trees, \val- " nuts, apple trees, plum-trees, and vines, which bear " their fineclufters up to the very top of the trees, upon a te fort of ground that lies as fmooth as ones hand. Such '* ornaments as thefe are fufficient to give rife to the molt " agreeable idea of a profpccl in the world. I cannot ex- " prefs what vaft quantities of deer and turkeys are to be " found in thefe woods, and in the veil meads that lye " upon the fouth fides of the lake. At the bottom of the 4< lake, we find wild beaves upon the banks of two " pleafant rivers that difembogue into it, without cata- " rafts or rapid torrents ( Riv. Blanc, and Gwcbqro ). " It abounds with fturgeon and white fiib. It is clear of " (helves, rocks, and banks, and has 14 or 15 fathom " water. The flags, roe-bucks, aud turkeys, run in " great bodies up and down the fhore, all round the lake. " In fine, if there was a clear and free paflage for vef- " fels, from Quebec to this lake, // might be made the fine/I^ " the richeft, and moft fertile kingdom in the ivvrld : for over " and above all the beauties I have mentioned, there are " excellent Silver-mines about 20 miles up the country, " upon a certain hill, from whence the favages broaghc " great lumps, that have yielded that precious metal with " little wade." La Eontan y vol.1, p. 217. This account of the country is agreeable to all others ; but for the Silver-Mines, I have heard no further account of them, than that all the country hereabouts abounds with lead-mines, that afford filver, as is commpn for lead- ore ; which gave rife to the M'Jpfyi bubble in 1719. But all the weftern parts of this country in New-Mexico abound with filver, and why mould not the eaflern parts likewife ? " the C 185 ] and fort du Quefne. Upon thefe accounts we may fee, that fort du Quefne> or fome place hereabouts, is or will be the mod confiderable and important place of any perhaps in a 1 North America; and is by its fituation and many conveniences the moil fit of any place to become the capital of that whole continent, and to give law to it all. It is not only the center of all that prodigious navigation from the mouth of the river St. Lawrence to the mouth of the Miffififi^ from north to fouth *, but there is (till as confider- able and a much more important navigation to it from eafl to weft : the heads of thofe large rivers, Potowmack, and Sufquekanna, that fall into Chefapeak bay in Virginia and Maryland, interlock with the branches of the Ohio here- abouts, and afford a navigation from the At- lantic ocean, even through the Apalachean mountains, which centers at fort du Quefne : whilft there is another more confiderable navi- gation from it weftward, even to the mountains of New Mexico, by the feveral branches of the Miffifipi Mtffiftipi that fpring from them, and fall into that river nigh the mouth of the Ohio. We may foon expect then to fee fort du Quefne become as confiderable and refpedable a place, as it is a Convenient and important one ; and to be made another Louijburg or Queleci if it remains in the hands of the French. And if they found fo good a title to this place, from its great convenience, will it not be more convenient for them to feize fome of our colo- nies on the fea coaft, in order to get more conveniently to it ? And what is there to hinder them to do that ? It is furely high time that we fhould enquire into this at leaft. But this important place Hands in Penfihania 9 and their way to it runs through that pro- vince, which they know very well difclaims the ufe of arms, whilft they glory fo much in them, and make their way good here entirely by force of arms What a contraft is this ? Surely if any people, that ever had any thing to do with the French, ever had occafion for arms, the people of Penfllvania have perhaps the moft, and that at this prefent, to preferve their country and their all, and to prevent a redoubtable fortrefs being ere-fled againfl them here, when it may be done. IV. Confe- t 191 ] IV. Conferences of the French encroachment s 9 and method to prevent them, by ^BARRIER between the two nations. By the ufurpation of thofe three places alone, Crown-Point, Niagara^ and fort du Quefne, not to mention their other encroachments, we fee, the French cut us off from any further com- munication with North America, and fecure all the reft of that continent to themfelves, beyond the bounds that they would prefcribe to us, to wit, at the Apalacbean mountains. Not to mention any other confequences of this, nor to aggravate matters beyond what the plain matter of fact will admit of, kt us fee what part of America fuch bounds would give them, and what proportion that bears to the part they are pleafed to leave to Britain, by fuch an exorbitant and unjuft claim. The fettled part of our colonies, eaft of thefe encroachments of the French, which is all they would allow us, is not above 100 miles in breadth in many places, particularly in New- England, the chief and only ftrength of the nation in all America. If we extend our colonies to the dpalachean mountains, thofe mountains are not above 100 miles from the fea in the northern parts, and but 250 miles in any place, to wit, about Currotuck between Virginia and North Carolina, where the con- tinent tment between the fea and thofe mountains, is the broadeft. All this appears from feve- ral furveys and actual menfurations of diftan- ces, befides the common computations. This is the whole breadth of our prefent fettlements from the fea to the wefternmoft ridge of the Allegany mountains ; which at a medium, in the latitude 40% appears to be but 60 leagues, but we fhall allow it- to be 70 leagues. Their length again extends from Savannacb in Geor- gia^ in latitude 32, to George's River in the northern parts of New-England, nighly in la- titude 44 , which is but twelve degrees of latitude, or 720 miles in a ftraight line, that is, 240 leagues. But we (hall allow the great- eft extent of our pofieflions, from the river St. Juan to Penobfcot in Nova Scotia, to be ^30 leagues, as it meafures in fome maps of North America, here made ufe of for a gene- ral view of that continent. This length 330 multiplied by 70, the mean breadth, makes 23,100 fquare leagues. But in the French maps here quoted,* * Vid. Carte de Nouvelles deccuvertes par Mr. de VJJle. This I make ufe of not for the fake of accuracy, but as a comprehenfive general view, all that we want to ex- hibit : and the breacith of the continent of North America is here laid down from the Ruffian difcoveries on the weftern coaft, the moil certain accounts we have of it. 5 and C 193 3 and many others, the claims of France in North America extend from the Apa- lachean mountains to the fouth feas : all which extent of territory they may not only claim, but muft actually fecure and enjoy by holding only Niagara and fort du Quefne. Now if we confider the extent of this extravagant claim, it is immenfe ; and all they would leave to Britain, great as fome imagine it to be, bears no proportion to it, as will appear from a general eftimate of it. By the bed accounts we have of the longi- tude, or breadth of North America, it is at lead 720 or rather perhaps 780 leagues, from the Allegany or Apalashean mountains to the fouth feas, about the middle of the continent, in latitude 40. And it is juft the fame dif- tance, 720 leagues, in the middle of the con- tinent between eaft and weft, from the bay of Mexico to the latitude 64, which is about as far north as the continent is known , altho* the French would extend their claims in Louifiang, to the arctic pole,* Now this breadth and length of 720 leagues makes 518,400 fquare leagues, the contents of the French preten- fions in North America ! This compared to * La Lonifiane n'a peu$ etre p O ; n t d'autres bornes au nord que le pole arctique. Relation de la Louijtaw, Tom, I. p. 8. A a 23,100 [ '94 ] $3,100 fquare leagues, all they would leave to Britain, is more than 22 to i.f If we extend the French pretenfions only from the Afalacbean mountains to the mount- ains of New Mexico* they are ,300 miles broad from eaft to weft, which, including Canada and all they claim befides in North America, is to what Britain now enjoys, as r 7 to . . . TheSpanifh territories again in North Ame^ rrca, by this French divifion of that continent, ex- tend from the Rio del None, which they make the boundary between Mexico and Louiftana, to the Rio Colorado, that feparates New Mexico from California, and bounds the Spanifh domi- nions on the weft, by their pretences.* On the north again they would limit the Spaniards at the latitude 40^* and we fhall fuppofe their territories on this continent to be extended fouth to the middle of the bay of Mexico, or fouthern part :'of California, that is, to the tropic, much farther fouth than they can be any way conceded. By this the Spanifh terri- tories here are 160 leagues in breadth from f- In this eftimate we include the fpanifh provinces, but leave pu* Canada* Neva Scct;a, and all Labrador^ ^vhicb claims of the French are about equal to what we of the Spanifh territories in this eftimate.. Vid. fa ISI/lis map abovementionecL eaft [ 195 J eaft to weft at a medium, and 350 leagues from north to fouth, which makes their Whole fuperficiai contents 56,000 fquare leagues. If we included California in thefe territories, they make 87,500, fquare leagues ; which is about a fixth of the abovementioned claims of the French, and nigh four times as much as they would leave to Britain. If we divide the whole continent of America then, north of the bay of Mexico, into twenty- five equal parts, France riot only chims, but muft actually enjoy by herprefent pretenfions* twenty of thofe parts, and leaves only four parts to Spain, and but one to Britain; whilft Britain has a real and original right to that whole continent, except the fouth-weftern parts that belong to Spain, and a fmall part ofit in Canada, which of right only belongs to France. This is the way in which the French would divide the continent of North America ! And however extravagant 1 and unreafonable, as well asunjuft, thefe their pretenfions mufl appear to all the world, yet we fee, they maintain them by the fword ^ and would endeavour to perluade the world of the juftn-fs of this their daufe * It is true, the French are not yet in pof* feflion of all this extent of territory ; but it mufl all fall to theirs by th.ir prefcnt pretenuoris : and they will no doubt; take care to fecure ic A a 2 fooni r '$6 ] foon, as there is no way to prevent them to da it, if they are left in pofleflion of Niagara, and the river Ohio. The extent of territory they are now in pof- feflion of by thefe their late encroachments and ufurpations is very large, and vaftly greater than all that Britain enjoys, great as fome would make it. From the Allegany mountains to Fort Or- leans, the wefternmoft of their fettlements on the river M-jffouri, a large branch of the Miflifyi that extends weft ward acrofs the continent, as the river Ohio does eaftward, the breadth of their prefent poficflions is nigh 250 league?, which multiplied by 400 leagues, the length of thofe pofiefilons from the bay of Mexico to the limits of Hudfon's bay, makes 100,000 fquare leagues. All which they have already ufurped in North America, within thefe few years, exclufive of Canada, Cape Breton* &c. that may belong to them , and exclufive of Nova Scotia and Labrador ', which they ptetend to claim likewife. Their ufual route from the mouth of the river St. Lawrence to the mouth of the MiJJi- Jifi, by way of the great lakes, which they feem to reckon, themfelves in fecure pofleffion of, is upwards of 3000 miles, which may be thus computed : From the mouth of the river St. Lawrence to Niagara, or rather to lake Erie, is about 1000 miles> which they call Canada; [ 197 1 Canada. Their Pays d'en haut^ as they call It, extending ffom thence to the Miffifipi^ by way of the Lakes and river Illinois^ their ufual route hitherto, is upwards of 1000 miles farther. And from thence to the mouth of the Miffifi-pi is counted n/o miles. In all -which diftances they have fixed forts here and there, in the moft convenient pafies, to fccure all this vaft extent of territory, and thereby keep all the natives in it under their command. If we compare this to what Britain now en- joys on the fea coaft of North America it is nigh as five to one. Even if we extend our pofTeflions from the river St. Lawrence in la* titude 49, to the river St. Juan* in latitude 30, all that the nation claims, I believe, it- makes but 19 degrees of latitude, or 1140 miles in length from north to fouth, and not 200 miles in breadth from eaft to weft at a medium The great extent of the Britifh pof- fefllons on the coaft of North America, thac are generally reckoned to be upwards of 2000 miles in length, proceeds from the many wind- ings of the road, and meanders of the coaft, with the computed diftances in the woods of America being often greater than the real diftance. If we compare thefe pretenfionsof the French with their real rights and titles in North Ame- rica, they are (till more furpri'zing and unrea- fonable a foftable. They who have no juft right or title to any part of North America, but to thofe two places alone upon the river St. Lawrence* ladouffac, and Quebec,* if their rights and titles * The French were conftantly drove out of all parts of North America by the Englifh, who firft difcovered and feized that whole continent even out of Canada itfelf in 1627, 28, and 29, and never had any right there (notwith- ftanding all the pains their commiflaries take by many falfe aflertions, eafy to be fhown, to make out a title), 'till a right was given them by Charles I, by the treaty of St. Germain in 1632 ; who thereby only furrendered to them, tousles licux oceupes en la Nouvelle France , &c. all the places occupied (or feized) in New France, Acadia or Canada, by thefubjetfs of his Majejiy of Great Britain Now it appears from the accounts of Champlain governor of the country, and all others, that the Q&\y places occupied, fcixe'd, tr poffeffedt in thofe countries., either by the French or En- lifti at that time y were, Pott- Royal and St. Saviours, in Nova Scotia, with Tadouffac and Quebec in Canada The two firft o-f thefe places they reflored to us by the treaty of "Utrecht ; and for the two laft they were to indemnify our fubjecls, meaning Sir David Kirk, the only lawful proprietor of them, to whom the king had granted them, and from whom he could no: take them without a valuable confideration, amounting to j$ooo, which the French never payed, but ftill owe ; as appears from a memorial of Sir Lewis Kirk and brother, to king Charles fl, after tHe reiloration, and many other accounts. By this treaty then the king gave up only thpfe places, and not the countries. For that reafon he confirmed hi s former grants of the country of Canada the very next year after the treaty of S>. Germain, as appears from the faid memorial, the words of which are, " the king of England 2 were were duly enquired into, now lay claim to it all in a manner; not only to iatisfy their pre- fent ambitious views, but to make us and tha " taking notice, that, altho' the forts and cr^ftles, Accord ng " to the league, were delivered up into the poiTcffion of " the French, (efpecially fach as had been erected d" irgr " their pofleflion thereof) yet that his i'ubjedts were rot " to be excluded from trade or free commerce, in thofe " regions .hat were firfl dilcovered and poffefiH by his " lubje&s, didj with the advice of his council, by his' .vt- " ters patents, dated May 1 1, 1633 Grant unto SirLe^vif " Kirk full priviledge, not only of trade and commerce " in the river Canada (St. Lawrenc; fo called) and places " on eithtr fide adjacent, but alfo to plant colonies, and " build forts and bulwarks where they mould think fit"- And not only fo, but the king and parliament, that (rune year 1633, ratified and confirmed to the fubjeds of Britain five different grants they had made both of Nova Scott* and Cc.nada, in the years 1621, 25, 27, 28, ?nd ?';* inftead of ceding thofe countries to the French For 'L-'ie reafons Cromwell took Nova Scotia from them in 1^54, and maintained our right to it at the treaty of Weilminiter in 1655. And altho' they had a right t> Nova Scotia. given them afterwards by the treaty of Breda, yet they never had any to Canada, nor any part of it, but the two places here mentioned. And if due enquiry is made, it will appear, that they have no juft right or title to any other part of North, America, unlefs we allow ufurpation and encroachment to be a right. For thefe reafons Queen dnne maintained in a manifefto in 1 7 1 1 1 her juft and incontejlable rights ani t.tles to all North America except a fart yielded to France 'which was he-d in fief from the crown of Britain, and ought to revert to it. Scots ach of parliament, Ann. 1633, Ch, 28. world I 20 ] World believe, that their claims arc very great, if ever they come to be fettled. But of this we jnay perhaps give a more particular account, when we come to treat prpfefiedly of this fubjecl:. All this extent of territory they hold merely by means of a parcel of ftrolling Indian tra- ders, that have rambled up and down thofe Countries, becaufe they could not live at home ; and for that reafon alone they pretend to claim fuch a vaft extent of this whole conti- nent. They have not above feventy or eighty thopfand people at moft in all their dominU ons in America, that they call Canada, with 14 or 15000 in Lou'Jiana, and of thofe nine tenths and more are fettled within the compafs of about fixty leagues between Quebec an4 Montreal; whilft they pretend, by means of the reft, a parcel of Coureurs de Bois? as they call them, that are fcattered up and down the And the pity of London, in the zzd article of their inflruc- tions to their reprefentatives in parliament, after the treaty of Utrecht t ordered that enquiry be made, /cjjton of Canada. There is a great change of affairs then in fo fhorta time as fmce the treaty of Utrecht, if the French now claim 20 parts in 25 of the whole continent of INLorth America, who then had o;;ly a right to thefe two places ; or at moft no farther than from the mouth of the river St. Lawrence to Montreal* with fome fmall claim they may have about lake Superior perhaps. woods L 201 ] woods and defarts, and Jive a lawlefs life among the favages, without any fettled abode or habitation, to claim and hold all this im- menfe extent of territory here delcribed. We have indeed hitherto difregarded thofe their encroachments upon our territories in a manner that fome think highly blamable : but to tell the truth, they have been fo very (len- der and infignifkant for the mod part, that they were hardly worth notice, 'till they came to be efpoufed and protected by the French king. Their fettlements in all thofe countries were no more than truck- houfes in the woods among the Indians, in order to carry on a trade with the favages, built only for their fafety and refrefhment in pafling backwards and forwards, as they themfelves have declared on many occafions, and particularly at Niagara, even in 1751, when thty were erecting their prefent fort there. Upon thefe accounts their encroachments have been difregarded by us ; efpecially as they feem to have a right by the treaty of Utrecht to frequent thofe countries of the fix nations for trade, whilft they declare them by the fame treaty to btfubjetf to the do- minion of Great Britain, Magnx Britannia im- ferio fubjeflas -f . For thefe reafons few feem to have imagined, that the French would, ever f Treaty Utrecht, Art. 15. B b claim [ 202 ] claim all thofe countries by means of a parcel of (trolling and draggling traders, that were allowed to wander up and down in them -, al- though I muft own, I always fufpefted their defign to do it fome time or other. They took the opportunity to do it, when they thought Britain \vas reduced by the late expenfive war^ and they will no doubt take every other oppor- tunity that offers to diftrefs us frill more and more in America, if we allow them fuch a power to do it. This they will never be without an oppor- tunity to do whenever they think fit, fo long as that chain of forts above mentioned, with which they have furrounded our colonies on all fides, is allowed to (land. Thefe are fo many batteries erected againft us, not only to deprive the nation of its juft rights, but to di~ flrefs and annoy us,whenever they have a mind. There they conftantly keep troops, ftores, and magazines of all warlike engines, and mufter their forces together : while our people mind nothing but planting, and are entirely de- fencelefs, open, and expofed every where. So long as we fuffer thefe or other French forts to be erected thus upon our frontiers, they will coft us much more than if we were to build ten times as many ourfelves, as we plainly fee from what has happened of late. They will even oblige us to do that, if we let only only Niagara and fort du Quefne {land, and we may be little the better for it after all perhaps* Our frontiers are not to be guarded without an incredible number of forts, as will appear from confidering them : they extend from the mouth of the river St. Lawrence to the bay of Mexico, nigh three thoufand miles round by the mountains, in alt which diftance we mud build forts at every pafs, to fecure our colo- nies only againft four fortifications of the French, to wit* Quebec > Crown- Point, Nia- gara, and Fort du. Quelm, if we allow their prefent forts there to (land. And when we build forts there, it maj be for no other pur- pofe perhaps, than thofe we have built, to let the French feize them, They keep Handing armies for that purpofe, and can at any time bring their whole force toge r her, we fee* a- gainft any of our fettlements, while our force is always divided and difunited -, and fuch Standing Armies as may be fufficient to oppofe the French are not only inconvenient in many refpects, but this nation is perhaps unable to maintain armies fufHcient for that purpofe* If we fuffer the French to fecure and fortify our frontiers in North America in the manner* they have done, their forts there may cod this nation as much as the fortifications in Flanders have done, and the nation may be as little the better for it perhaps. It was thofe fbrtificati* B b 2 ons I 204 ] ons in Flanders that have brought this nation into fuch an immenfe debt, and all its prefent difficulties and incumberances, which it is fo far from being likely to get rid of, or ever to be free from, that we fee a perpetual and conftant fource of the like calamaties, burdens and taxes, from the fame French engines erec- ted every where on our frontiers in America, and at our own' doors, inftead of thofe of our neighbours. What is ftill more provoking, all thofe French forts are erected upon our own territo- ries. There is not one of all the French forts in the lift of them above mentioned *, but what (land on territories belonging to Britain, if it had its juft rights , except perhaps Cham- lli and Montreal^ with thofe below them in Canada. Thefe forts are the French encroach- ments we hear of, which not only deprive this nation of its undoubted rights, but at the fame time diftrefs and annoy it in the manner we fee, and that by means of its own territories! It is this that the nation is fo provoked and alarm- ed at, and for fo good reafons. By thefe encroachments, and the chain of forts that the French have drawn round us, they cut us off from any accefs even to our own terr tories, in all the interior parts of North America ; -fecure all that continent to themfelves beyond this thdr chain, include Pa6 I 20. in [ 205 ] in their bounds all the vaft regions .above de- fcribed, prefcribe laws, bounds and limits, to Britain every where in its own territories,- and take j uft as much of North America as they think proper, or find convenient, there- by enabling themfelves to feize as much more of it as they may at any other time think fit, All thofe extenfive regions that they thus claim to themfelves they cannot indeed occu- py, but like the dog in the manger, they will allow no one elfe to do it, building forts at every place that dan exclude the Englifh from any accefs to them. Thefe their forts were the Real Arguments they made ufe of to fettle our bounds and li- mits, when they put us off with their fham negotiations, and the frivolous pretences of their commiiTaries. The confequences of thefe things are much more threatening and alarming to Britain, than many feem to be aware of. , We fee, the Indian natives of North America, who have hitherto been under the dominion or power of Britain, are already obliged to throw it off, and put themselves under the protec- tion of the fuperior power of the French ; and what is there to hinder the BritiQi colonies there to do the fame, if they had a mind for it ? Or how will they be able to withftand the united force of both the French and Indi- ans [ 206 ] anspfall that continent againft them, if they were ever fo intent upon doing it ? Surely if the French go on to increafe and ftrengthen themfelvesonly for a very few years longer, as they have done fince the treaty of Atx^ they muft be able to command any, or even all the Britifh colonies in N. America* and make them fubmit to their terms, whenever they pleafe, if they were ever fo inclinable to refufe them. To be fully convinced of this we need only confider what they have done already, and that when they were no way prepared for it* If the French had taken a few years more to have prepared themielves for the execution of their prefent defigns, they might have been able in a very more time to have made moft of our colonies fubmit to them ; and there is no doubt but they will be well prepared for that very foon, unlefs Britain takes care to prevent it, now 1 when it may be done ; which if they do not do now, they are likely never to have it in their power to do hereafter. What (hall we think then of the opinion of fome lame or defigning politicians, who pre- tend to tell us, that it is the intereft of Britain to allow France a confiderable power in America, in order to keep the Britifh colonies in fubjeftion ! This isfurely the firft time, that any one ever imagined it, to be the in- terc/ fereft of Britain to aggrandize the power of France. If we confider the ufe that France has, made of the power we have let her ufurp in America already, it is furely a fufficient warning to Britain never to let her enjoy any more there, nor even to fecure what Hie has qfurped, A very little more we may fee would turn the balance in their favour, and deprive Britain of her colonies altogether; which muft be the cafe fooner or later, if France is allowed to enlarge its power, and lengthen itfelf in l^orth America, Befides, it would certainly cofl this nation ten times lefs to fecure her co-r Ionics herfelf, than to let the French clo it for her -, and if it would cofl fo much lefs, it would be done as much more fecurely by that means. If Britain wants a fecurity for the dependance of her colonies againft their growing power, fhe will want it much more for the French having a power nigh it, that may be able to make them independent of Britain at lead, if not to make them fubmit entirely to France. This is the next game we may expect to fee the French play ; if they cannot conquer the Britifh colonies, they will endeavour to make them independant, and thereby get the trade of them ; which would have been the true in- tereft of France at prefent, much more than they have done, in the opinion of all who [ 208 ] who are well acquainted with the affairs of America. And if the French once have a power, either in Europe or America, fuffici- ent to make the Britifh colonies independant, there is no one that will doubt their inclinati- on to do it ; and no one can doubt their abi- lity to do it, if both their forces fhonld at any time be joined together. To allow France a power in America then, is not only to increafe their power in Europe, but it is a ready way, and feems to be a certain way, to make Britain lofe her colonies altogether, and that perhaps very foon, either one way or another ; and to enable thofe colonies to throw off the Britilh yoke, whenever they have a mind. If thofe things are rightly confidered, pray, what objection is there to our taking Quebec or New-Orleans, or even both of them, if we were able to do it, as we might eafily be, if we would only endeavour at it ? There is furely no other reafon againft this, but that it might diftrefs the French in the mod fenfible man- ner ; if that can be cal'ed Reafon to Britain in its prefent fituation But fuch Reafovswe hear thrown out every day, either to countenance the private views and defigns of fome, to fup- port the ignorance of many, or the falfe noti- ons of others. If we expeft to put an end to this war ia any reafbnable time, or ever bring it to a a happy J happy conclufion, we mould certainly pur* fue the moft vigorous me^afures, while it is in our power to expert fuccefs from them: and what other meafures can be called vigorous but this ? It is for want of fuch vigorous mea- fures, that the nation has fuftained fuch lofles by the war ; and a continuance of fuch mea- fures mud lay the foundation at leaft of the to- tal iofs of its colonies altogether. France in- deed gave this nation a peace in the laft war, and flie may do the fame now, but with the fame view, of accomplifhing the ruin of the nation, by depriving it of its colonies ; which has been her purfuit ever fince the laft war, and muft be much more fo hereafter, un- lefs we put it out of her power now or never. And how we are to do that, but by diftrefllng her in the moft fenfible manner we can in America, I cannot fee, Thefe are fome few of the confequences of the French encroachments in North America, and the dilemma that Britain is brought into by them. But there are (till others that arc more grievous. If the French are allowed to fettle and fortify themfelves on the frontiers of the Britifh dominions in the manner they have done, this nation need never expect to be free from conflantdifturbances from them, as we (hall Ihow more particularly below: this is a mat- ter of ferious confideration, that dcfcrves to be C c [ 410 ] more particularly inquired into ; and for that reafon we fhall do it by itfelf, frcrn matters of fact, and paft experience, the iureft way to form a right judgment of things. To remedy and prevent all thofe evils, and the many bad confequences of them, we fee no other way but for this nation to fecure it- felf a good BARRIER in North America, againft the conftant encroachments and inva- fions of the French. They have feen the ufe and neceflity of fuch a Barrier for their neigh- bours, in a like fiiuation with them, and have laid out immenfe fums to obtain one for them, but feem never to have thought of a barrier for themfelves, when they have perhaps rather more occafion for fuch a one, by being upon the fame continent and in the neigbourhood of the French ; who are perpetually employed in mi- litary and warlike operations, whenever they fee the lead advantage to be reaped from them. To point out fuch a proper boundary between the two nations in North America, is the chief defign of this difcourfe. -, from which it will appear, that the only fafe Barrier we can have there, either to curb the growing power, or conftant encroachments and invafions,, both of the French and Indians, is the river St. Laurence from its mouth to its fourcc, and the Great Lakes that empty themfelves into it. Thefe are not only the juft and equitable bounds bounds that we ougnt to confine the French to, for pur own fafety and fecurity, but we ought likewife to do it for the fake of Juftice. They never had any juft claims or pretenfions whatever beyond thefe bounds, but what we once imprudently gave them in Nova Scotia^ or what they havefmceufurpedby fraud or force, as we fhall more fully fhow perhaps another time * : and thefe are the only bounds that are ever likely to preferve the peace between the two nations, in America at lead, as will fuf- ficiently appear from what is faid in the next feclion, and account of Nova Scotia. The ufe and advantage of fuch a barrier to this nation in N. America muft abundantly appear to all, who coniider the fatal effects of neglecting it fo long, and the many inconve- niendes, loffes and misfortunes, this nation now fuftains merely on that account. It was for this juft boundary, and fuch a proper * I do not defcend to particulars here, but only con* der the advantage of the lakes as a barrier in general. But if we give up the Penlnfula of the Lakes* or Beaver- Couutry of the fix nations above defcribed, we (hall not only lofe a great influence over thofe people, and fuffer the French to fettle clofe upon us at lake Erie and Niaga* ra, but the nation will lofe that its juft right and claim.- This country then ftiould be left for the poor Indians to whom it belongs, who get their lively hood chiefly from it, and have dearly earned it by the many bloody wars thy have fuftained to conquer and preferve it. Cc 2 fafety t 'is] fafety and fecurity for her colonies, that the nation engaged in this prefent war : and by having this occafion of the war in view, it may perhaps point out the proper method of carrying it on to purpofe, and of obtaining the defired end from it. The necellity offuch a barrier for our colo- nies will Hill further appear, from the lofs of the only barrier we have hitherto had for them. If we look back into the hiftory of our colo- nies, and thofe of the French, we mail find, that our colonies have not derived the peace and quiet, fafety and fecurity, they have hitherto enjoyed, from the number of their men, and far lefs from their caution and vigilance, or the care that has been taken of them by Bri- tain, but from the Indians in alliance with them, and particularly the Six Nations - 9 who are ficuated between the French and us, upon the borders of both nations, and have been in a .manner the fafeguard and only barrier of our colonies ever fince they were fettled, parti- cularly againft the French. Thefe people were at conftant war with the French and their confederates, for nigh a hundred years after they fettled in Canada^ and almoft drove them out of that country again and again ; whilfl they were at the fame time conftant and faith- ful friends and allies to the Englifh, and always efpoufed their caufe, both againft the French and [ 213 1 and .the other Indian natives. It was this that has hitherto prevented the French from extend- ing themfelves, or encreafing in numbers in North America ; whilft it afforded an oppor- tunity to us to carry on our fettlements with fafety and fecurity. But the cafe is quite altered now : the French are now become too numerous for thofe Indians, and have them at their mercy, efpecially fince we have fuffered them to overrun their country , by which they daily fall off from us, and are obliged to do it for their own fafety. If the French then in North America are joined by the Indians, in- ftead of being oppofed by them, as they have hitherto been, it will make a very great dif- ference in the fituation of our affairs there. Add to this ; the French have now joined their two colonies of Canada and Lout/tana together, and can at any time mutter np all their own force, as well as that of their allies, at any one place they think proper, which they never could do before. It is this that has made them become fo powerful in North America all of a fudden, before any one feems to have iufpected it, or would believe it. This makes it high time and highly neceffary for us, to look out for fome fafe and fecure Barrier for our colonies, againft the inroads and invafions both of the French/ and Indians - 9 who have committed fuch (laughters there of late, when the 2 the 57* Nations were no longer able or wilting to prevent it, as they have formerly done. But the Englifh nation feems to have afted all along in North America, as they do in Britain, where they are furrounded on all hands by the Tea, and have their wooden walls to protect them. Butfurely the cafe is very dif- ferent on the continent of America, where they are furrounded every where by forts and ga.rrifo.ns, the well known engines of their de- clared enemy, inftead of being protected by their own element, as they call it. In fuch a fituation it is highly neceflary to look out for fame other fecurity (or themfelves, than wooden ;tf//j,Atthediftaticeof thoufands of miles! But we fee no other fecurity for our colonies in North America, but the barrier abovemen- tioned ; without which they muft be open and t xpofed on all fides, as they have hitherto been. Let us only fee, what the French themfelves fay to this, and learn from an enemy, " The " Englifh, fey they, take very little precaution " to guard their colonies from a furprize, or *< an attack of their neighbours : infomuch c that, if the French had as much conftancy, " and took as proper meafures to fecure their " conquefts in America (which they are now aiming at) as they mow boldnefs and intrepi- c dity in making them, the crown of England " would not hold one inch of land perhaps on all v the continent of North America.* * Charlevoix Tom. III. p. 290. SECT. V. SECT. V. 1'be fatal effetts of fuffmng the French to fettle on our frontiers in North America^ the caufo of the prefent war. IF the French are fufTered to tranfgrefs the bounds abovementioned, and fettle any where in Nova Scotia^ or to the fouthward of the river St. Lawrence, and of the Great Lakes, they will then be intermixed with our people, and in one and the fame country with them, expofed to the conilant refentments, infults, and encroachments of each other ; the confe- quences of which we need not tell, but may fufficjently learn from pad experience, and fee enough of its bad effects, now before our eyes, never to fuffer it again. It was to this that the prefent war \vas entirely owing, and how many fuch wirs may it not occafion ? When ever the two nations have been thus intermixed together in the fame countries,, in any parts of America, even altho* their refpective bounds and limits have been prefcribed and chalked out to them, but without any bounds of feparation that may keep them afunder and at a diftance from one another, there has been nothing but a perpetual war- faro fare between them, with rapine and plunder, murder and bloodfhed, and all the alarms and difafters of war perpetually on both fides : and how much more is this likely to be the cafe in North America, where their bounds and limits are (till undetermined, and where they have fo many conftant broils and difputes about them alone. This we may fufficiently learn from what has already happened over and over again, when the two nations were in joint poffeffion of New-foundland, Hudforfs Bay, and the Ifland of St. Chriftophers, with Nova Scotia and New* England. They were then at perpetual va- riance, with conftant alarms and difturbances to their mother countries, in the fame manner as they have been ever fince the treaty of Aix la Chapelle ; and that merely from fuffering the French to tranfgrefs the bounds here men- tioned, and to intermix with our people on the fouth fides of the river St. Laurence^ and of the great Lakes. This has been particularly taken notice of long ago by one of their nation likewife, a grave and ferious writer, on the affairs of Ame- rica too, who has given us a, long detail of no kfs than fixteen different " reafons to prove, that tc // 'is impojjlble for the two nations, the French " and Engljb, fo live in peace"* Thefe are * Raifons qui prouvent, qu'il eft impofiible que les [ 217 1 his words, and that in the year 1670, and they have proved very true, I think, ever fmce. But if there were fuch reafons fubfifling then, alas ! how many more cogent ones are there now ? Their many different claims and pre- tenfions, that are fo repugnant to one another, their old hatreds and animofities, clafhing in- terefls, and jarring difpuces, that have been fuffered to run on fo long without being deci- ded, can never but make them come by the ears together, if they are thus fuffered to be within conftant reach of one another, or rather daily at one anothers doors $ as they muft be, if the French fettle any where to the fouthward of the river St. Lawrence^ or the Lakes ; unlefs we give up the whole continent to them. This I believe might be fafely faid of both the nations even here in Europe, humane or polite, or whatever elfe they may reckon them- felves ; but in America there are more frequent deux nations, Francoife & Angloife, puiiTent vivre en paix. i. La haine eft telle entre ces deux nations, &ilsfonc fi animez Pune centre 1'au.re, paiticulierement la nation Angloife, qui eft altiere & orgueiiieufe naturellement, & qui ayant toujours efte batue des Francois d.,ns Sainte Chrilt- ophle, ne pourra jamais eftre contente qu'elle ne fe foit viengee d'une fafon ou d'une autre. Les Francois, qui ne font pas fort endurant, fe voyant morguez & injuriez par les Anglois felon leur couftume, & fe trouvant obligez de rer.dre ce qu'ils ne croyoient apparemment devoir faire, Murcnt .infailliblement pehie de fe contenir, &:c. Du Tertre Hift. des Ant-Ifles, Tom. TV. p. 355. [ 218 ] and prevailing reafons, not only for reprefen- tations and remonftrances, . but for more open hoftUities between them. It is well known, that the French all over K. America fubfift in a manner entirely upon a trade with the Indians, for which they are obliged to ramble and ftroll all over that con- tinent almoft, in the manner they do, and to Jive with the favages, in uninhabited woods and uncultivated defarts, without rule or order, or even the common laws of human fociety among civilized peopled. Such furely are the Coureurs des Bois, Bujhlopers, and others who make great part of the people of 'Canada, efpecially upon their frontiers and ours. By this they are bred up and inured to all the barbarous manners and cufloms of the favages, and even ftudy to follow many of them ; as they necefTarily mud, in order to gain their intereft and alliance. One cuftom is notorious among thofe favages, and feems to be their mod prevailing policy and pafiion, that is, to expell and extirpate all that are within reach of them, under pretence, they tell us, of pre- ferving their game on which they fubfift. Hence they are never once at peace with their neighbours, but declare war for killing a deer or a beaver, for the lofs of a friend in former wars, for the reveries of a dream, or any fuch frivolous conceits -, and the French muft affHl them [ 219 ] them in it, or quit their country. Cuftoms like thefe furely alter the very nature of men, as well as the genius of nations ; and makes the French, who delight fo much in arms and conquefts every where, defended ancj fecured by their forts and garrifons, as they are here, while we are every where open and expofed, fo very ready on all occafions to take up the hatchet, as they call it, and pillage a de- fencelefs people, whom they efleem rich like- wife and worth plundering ; while they have the greateft occafion for fuch plunder, indi- gent, neceffitous, and naked as they are* in Ca- nada. It was from thefe motives, and by thefe pradtifes, that they gave occafion to the diftur- jbances- that more immediately occafiohed the prefent war. I am well allured by a neutral perfon of neither nation, who was a long while among the French in Canada during the late war, that the treaty of Aix was no fooncr figned, than the French there breathed after nothing lefs than to have the pillaging and plundering of the Englifh plantation's, that they had got amongft in the war ; for which they were conftantly fpiriting up their people and Indians, with the hopes of both riches and glory by it. How well were they encouraged in thefe defigris, by the governor of Canada fend- ing 'five hundred men under Mr. Celeron, D d 2 to C 220 ] to take pofltfliorvof the river Ohio, and drive our people from it; and that in the fpring of the year 1749, juft as they had figned the treaty at y## y by which they exprefly ftipu- late not to fettle' any parts of America that were in difpute between the two nations, and coiifequently none of thofe furely that were al- ready and had been for fome time fettled by us. When they were drove from this by our Indians there, the very people that have fince been obliged to join them, and have done usfo much mifchief, they tranfported all the people they could to Niagara, k Detroit , and' the fouth fides of Lake .Erie ; gave great encouragements to all: that would fettle there ; feiz^d the mod convenient places and ftrong holds in the country , and foon over-ran a great part of it. All this furely was with ,a view to fecure the River Ohio % and make their way good there, the next time they came to it, as any one might eafi'y have fore- fee n. When they had done this, they began to commit hoftilities upon our people every where. They began firft with plundering and pillaging our Indiantraders,whereverthey met with them; feized fcveral of them by force of arms, con- fined them in prifon there, and fent them to France as they do prifoners of war; laying a premium upon the heads of others, and threat- ening cning deftruftion to all the Engltfh that offer- ed to come among the Indians. With this they attacked and burnt our fort at Pickawillany upon the river Miamis in- 175*, roafling our people alive that Were in it, in the barbarous and inhuman m4ntterof the Canadi- ans and favages. All this was done in open violation, not only of jthe treaty of Aix* but of the treaty of Utrecht likewife, by which both nations are to enjoy fdl liberty of fre- quenting thoje countries for- the fake of trade. Thefe were their pra<5tices upon the Lakes* and in the confines of the river Ohio, from the year 1749 to 1 752. At the fame time it is well known what difturbance they gave our people in Nova. Scotia, who could hardly ft jr out of dpors without danger of being fcalped by the Indians that were fet on, and headed by the French -, and how they feized and for- tified ChiegneffO) Bay Verte^ and the river .St. John's, in order not only to annoy and diftrefs us in this manner, but to fecure the country. In New- England and New-Tork their pro- ceedings were more infufferable. They feiz- ed fome people in New-England^ and fold them for flaves in their iQands, as I have been told. And it is certain, that they apprehended fome of our people in New-York^ about their law- ful bufmefs within their fettlements, refilling in a moft infolent manner, to deliver them up, a ciii x [ 222 ] 'till they were paid the common price of flavcs for them. Their replies to our remonftrances about thofe things were perhaps more infolent and infufferable than even the deeds themfelves; and in effect feemed not only to vindicate and countenance thofe proceedings, but to threaten with more fuch, if we did not fit quiet with thefe ; as would appear from the noted letter of the governor of Canada to the governor of New- York, in anfwer to thefe our complaints, dated at Montreal Aug. 10. 1751. When we put up with thefe affronts and abufes for the fake of peace, they feem to have thought they might do any thing they pleafed with us. For this reafon they came with an army of men, fupported by a train of artillery, to take pofiefiion of the river Ohio ; fortified themfelves on Buffalo or Beef River -, drove our people from their fettlements at Venango ; and took a fort we had nigh that place, with fifty men in it; feized our fort at the forks of the Qhio> fince known by the name of fort du Quefne ; marching out from thence and attacking our people at the great meadows, killing many of them, carrying off their bag- gage, cannon, &c. as in times of open war ; and all this in time of peace as they call it. But furely an open war was declared by the French in America from their firlt invading the [ 223 ] the river Ohio in 1753, as much as it was in Europe by invading Minorca j and far more by thefe hoftilities. All this was done, you may fay, only by a party of ragamuffians in Canada : but can any one fuppofe, that it was done without the con- nivance and (Concurrence of the court of France ? Had they not many troops of the French king's with them j and did not he fend a fleet of fliips with numbers of troops to fup- port them ? All thofe proceedings the French in Ameri- ca are conftantly encouraged in by their go- vernors, prompted to by their clergy *, and fupported by the crown of France 5 as they always will be, fo long as that crown fees the vaft territories, encreafe of trade and commerce, and extenfive power and domini- on, it muft gain thereby. We fee then from all thefe inftances, and * Their clergy not only endeavour to fecure all thofc Indian countries, in order to make the natives catholics, or rather to gain their intereft and allegiance to the crown of France; but they have a confiderable eflate at Mon- treal, which is prodigioufly encreafed by all the trade of thofe inland parts centering at this place, where they have a tax upon it. For thefe reafons the clergy of France are conftant advocates for the people of Canada, and influence the court in their behalf, There is no wonder then to fee the French colonies thrive, and over-run ours in the manner they do, when they have both the church and ftate to encourage and fupport them ; efpecially if our colonies are deprived of the like aids. [ 224 ] rttany others that might be produced, how unlikely if not impofiible it is, ever to expect a fecure peace from the French in America, if We allow them to tranfgrefs the bounds here mentioned, and to intermix with our people on the fouth fide of the river St. Lawrence, or the great Lakes ; fince all the diflurbances here mentioned have proceeded entirely from that caufe. This very argument is made ufe of by the French king himfelf in his an- fwer to a memorial fent from England, June 1712. art. 3. and is fo far in fitted on by him, that he feems thereby to have gained the fole pofieffion of the ifland of Cape Breton, becaufe he obferves, Experience has made it too the memorials of their commif- faries. But to come to the point, and to cut off all fupurfluous arguments, we mall find that there are but three things that relate to the purpofe in all this volume in quarto. i . The firft is -, they fuppofe all the inhabi- tants of Nova Scoiia that were of French ex- traction to be French fubjects. This they take for granted, without ever offering to prove it, altho* the whole of all that they aflert relating to Nova Scotia depends upon it. The reft is only a recital of fafts relating to the treatment of thofe French inhabitants of Nova Scotia by both nations , which might have been juit enough on the fide of France, if they had been French fubjecls ; but as it is, their pro- ceedings were more unwarrantable and infolent on account of this their motive for them, as they own it to be, than from any thing elfe that could well be alledged. The firft fact they mention relating to Nova Scotia^ which they own and openly avow, is, that they fent a party of troops there in 1 749, immediately after the treaty. of Atx la Cha- felle, to encourage and fupport the inhabitants, E e 2 againft C agaihft the crown of Britain.* This was in faft to fend troops to encourage the Britifh fubje&s to rcbeil,- and fefift their prince and fovereig'ri-, than which nothing can be a greater ihjuftiee, injury, or indignity to any nation, All the inhabitants of Nova Scotia, of whatever nation or extra&ion, were well known to all the world to be Britifh fubjedh, and to have lived as fuch under the government of Britain, ever fince the treaty of Utrecbt. This is not only fo well known, that no ene ever doubted of it, but we have the mod po-r firive and authentic proofs of it, that could be defired When Nova Scotia was reftored ta Britain by the treaty of Utrecht, it was flipu- Jated by the XlVth article of that treaty, by hia fiiofl chriftian majefty, that cc the fubjedlsof ** the faid king may have liberty to remova t themfelves within a year to any other place*. u as they ihould think fit, together with all ** their moveable effeds : but thofe who were * IU s'etoient adreffes au Comte dtla pour les raffurer, leur avolt cnvoye un officier avec un pt- tlt^etachemfent de'foWats & demilicesdu Canada, ibid.' page 6. This firftftepof Mr, $*/$>*/>*, to enlarge his own governjpeat of Canada^ and the little notice the court of Britain took of it, feems to have animated him al! along jji thofe difputes, an3 to have made him the incendiary that has brought on all thefc disturbances between the txvo nations. " willing " willing to remain there* andtobefubjeftt* " the kingdom of Great Britain, are to enjo " the free exercife of their religion, according " to the ufage of the church of Rome 9 as far *' as / St. John's Ri- , Penobfcot) &c. the very places that are contefted I [ 230 ] ontefted by the French : all which we have authentic proofs of from the public records of thofe transactions in the Plantation-office.* After this what could pofiibly juftify the court of France in fending troops and officers among thofe Britifh fubjects, to make them refift their lawful fovercign ? They thereby claim not only the territories of Great Britain, but its fubjects likewife ! We had indeed very muck negledled thofe our territories and fub- jectsboth, and the mild government of Britain allowed them to do in a manner what they pleafed ; but that was no reafon why they /hould belong to France, altho* it was the rea- fon that made the French claim them. Notwithftanding this they pretend to blame the court of Britain for making innovations, as they call them, in the territories in difpute, contrary to treaties. But what innovation is to compare to this, the French king's fending troops and officers to command in Nova Sco- tia, and to build forts in that country ? Neither of whiclv it is well known he ever once had there. fince the treaty of Utrecht i altho* there is no doubt but he would have had many of both, if he had had the lead right or preten- fions to the country : while on the other hand a governor has conftantly been appointed over * Vid. A fair reprefentation of bis mnjefly's right tQ KcvaScciia, rag. 57 65. Nova Nova Scotia by the crown of Britain, with a council and proper officers under him, who have exercifed a jurifdiction over that, whole coun- try, ever fince it was reftored to Britain by the treaty of Utrecht, as is well known to all. Even .the French officers themf-lves, par- ticularly the Chevalier la Corne, the French commandant at Chlegnefto, did not difpute the $ritifh rights to that place, but owned it to be within the bounds of the Britifh dominions, particularly to our officers that were fent there tq fummon him to retire, as appears from their journals of April 23d, 1750. He was only there to protect and fupport the Indians, he faid. Notwithftanding this the French afterwards built their fort of Beau Sejour at this very fpot \ aqd others nigh it at Bay Verte^ and S 1 /. Jobns.^ on territories that as juftly belonged to Britain, and have been clearly proven to do fo. It is well known to all the world, that the court of Britain was fo far from being defirous to break the peace, that they fuffered or winked at all thofe proceedings of the French in Ame- rica, much longer than was confident with their interefts, or the fafety of their fubjects, and that entirely for the fake of peace : which was the plain caufe of the boldnefs of the French thus to abufe their moderation and lenity, and afterwards to blame them for it. The J The moderation of the court of Britain can never be reprefented in a ftronger or a clearer light, than in their negotiation with France about the limits of Nova Scotia, to any that will confider it. They liftned for no lefs than fix years to fuch groundlefs pretences, dnd frivoloiis arguments of the French, that the very mention of them was enough to have made any reject them at fir ft fight, and never to have given the leaft ear to them. The whole claim of the French in Nova Scotia is founded upon an ambiguous pafTage or two in an obfcure old author, Mr. Deny /, who happens to tell us, when you go out of the bay of Fundi^ you enter upon the coaft.of tfcadie :* And for that reafori alphethe French p retend,that thecoaft of Acadie extends only to' the entrance of that bay ! This ambiguous ex- preffion, rather than opinion, of Mr. Deny*, is the whole and fole foundation of the French qlaims, arid the only authority they have for the limits they would afcribe to Nova Scotia f All their other pretended arguments and authorities, on which they have wrote three volumes in quarto, on purpofe to puzzle the reader, and obfcure the truth, are ufed only as a mafk to this one, on which they folely rely * Defcription dw coftcs dt 1'Amerique feptentrionale, Pi 5 6 > 58- for [ 233 J for the limits they would afiign to Nova Scoiid. There is not a fingle author extant, nor any other authority whatever, antient or modern, that was ever feen or heard tell of, in which the limits of this country are defcribed as they would have them, but in this one author alone* and in him only in thefe words of uncertain meaning , and yet they would make thefe two or three random words, trifling and ambiguous as they are, a charter of Nova Scotia^ to deter- mine the rights of nations ! What makes the teftimony of this author ftill of no manner of authority in this difpute^ if it was ever fo clear or exprefs, is, that he was a party concerned in it : he was one of four proprietors of this country, who had the very fame difpute with one another about their bounds in it, as Britain has with France. And he was fo far interefted in the very part thac France takes in this difpute from him, to con- fins the limits of Acadia to the peninfula, or rather to a part of it, that he tells us, it coll him at different times 153,000 livres, and 15,000 crowns, to defend it;* which was plainly thecaufeofthe above-mentioned pafiage in his. book, the like of which is not to be found in any other authority whatever. * Ibid. pag. 5, 6, 18, F f And And are fuch obfcure, ambiguous, trifling pafiages, in one (ingle old book, fo contra- dictory to all others of much better authority, wrote by a fiftierman in Nova Scotia, who tells us himfelf he had fpent nigh forty years among the favages there, by which he was little acquainted with fuch literary fubjecls, or the way of treating them,* are thele, I fay, to be made authorities for princes, and laws to determine fuch important concerns and rights of nations ! Efpecially when they are fo directly repugnant to all other real and un- exceptionable authorities, of which we have adduced fo many. Yet it was to maintain fuch arguments as thefe, founded on thofe authorities alone, that the French have engaged in this war with Bri- tain ; and would endeavour to perfuade all mankind of the juftnefs of fuch a caufe ! But furely all thefe their arguments on this fub- ject mud appear to be a downright infult upon the underflanding and common fenfe of this nation, and of all mankind; as much as the whole of their proceedings upon them, fince the treaty of Aix la Chapelle^ have plainly been nothing elfe, but an open breach of pub- lic faith, and a manifeft violation of the moft * Vid. Preface, p. 2. folemn [235] folem treaties, to which all Europe, as well as America, were witnefles fudet h#c opprobria nobis. The limits of Nova Scotia are fo full and clearly defcribed in the charter of it, and in all other accounts, that the noble proprietor of it juftly obferves, it was impoflible ever to con- teft them."!" This was plain and manifeft to all the world, who knew very well, that there neither is to this day, nor ever was, any other country between New England and the river St. Lawrence, but Nova Scotia alone. This was fo clear to the French themfelves, that they faw they could not difpute the limits of Nova Scolia any other way, which they were refolved to do at any rate, right or wrong, but by denying that there was any fuch country at all ! pour la Nouvelk EcoJJe ceft uri mot en rair un pays ideal || ; Nova Scotia is a word in the air an ideal country, fay they , which is the fole argument they have to difpute its limits ! Their way of afcertaining the limits of Acadia is (till more furprizing. All that they would allow to Britain of that country, is no more than a fourth part or proprietorfliip, f Encouragement to colonies by Sir William Alex- ander, pag. 32. J Memoires des Commifiaires, pajfim. F f 2 what what Mr. Denys would with his will have allowed to his fellow proprietor and compe- titor Mr. fAunaj) from Canfo to the bay of Fundi. This is what they would make all Nova Scotia or Acadia^ enfon entier^ as it was reftored to Britain by the treaty Hence they comply with the treaty by maintaining, that there is no fuel) country as Nova Scotia ! And that a fourth part of Ac ad' a is equal to the whole. This they do, in order to conteft as much of that country as was poftible ; whilft they weregoingontofeizeandfecurethereftofitjdur ring the time of the negotiation about it. This was the way in which they complyed with the treaty of Atx la Chapelle, by which it was flipuLited, that neither party fhould fettle any of the countries in difpute in America, 'till thofe difputes were decided by commiflaries j which the French were determined fhoulc) never be done, 'till they had fettled and fecu- red them all, as they did. 2. The next argument made ufe of in this memorial relates to the river Ohio - 9 which they pretend was difcovered by Mr. la Salle in 1679, an ^ h as ever fiflce belonged to them on that account ; which is the only title they can fhow toit.* But what an infignificantpre- * Memoire, Pag. 13. tence [ 237 J tence muft this appear to all who are any way acquainted with the tran factions of la Salle* even as they are magnified by the French writers ! He went over the lakes, and down the river Illinois to the Mffifipij and never came within many hundred miles of the river Obio, efpecially the forks of that river about Fort du Quefne, which he never once heard tell of : yet from thence the French pretend to claim all that country, and all North America with it beyond thofe bounds ! This is juft as they pretend to claim under Mr. Denys in 'Nova Scotia. They pretend to tell us, that the Englifh never formed any pretenfions to the river Ohio, nor to any part of the country about it. But it is well known, and was acknowledged by the natives of the country at Albany in 1754, that the Englifh had fettled on the Ohio thirty years before that , where we had many fettlements on and about that river from Venango to Shaw- noab, or the lower Shawnoes^ extending along the river for four or five hundred miles and more, when the French came there in 1753-, befides a fettlement at Pickawillany on the river Wabache eflablifhed in 1749, five hundred miles weft of Fort du S^uefne > which fort it- felf was projected and laid out by the Ohio company : befides another fort we had nigh Buf- falo or Beef river, that was feized with the gar- rifon [ 238 I rifon in it by the French, as they own them- felves ; f in all which places we have had not lefs than 400 men and more at a time, befides many that conftantly refided there, efpecially at and about Logg's Town that was chiefly built by the Englifh, and has had not lefs than 40 or 50 Bnglifh houfes in it ; all which we have from living eye-witnefies. Even at Ve- nango, the very firft place the French came to on the OhiO) " We found the French colours " hoifted at a houfe from which they had " driven Mr. John Frazier, an Englifh fub- " jefh "|| Crogban of Penljyvania had other fettlements at that fame place likewife ; befides others that were fettled at Kittanning^ and other places thereabouts. Not to mention the ac- tual purchafes the Englifh have made of all thofe countries from the natives* The grants of them from their fovereign and their prior difcoveries of them all which plainly fhow not only the pretenfions the Englilh form- ed, but the real claim they had, to the Ohio. How does all this agree with this memorial of the court of France, in which they tell us, ' the Ohio had not been frequented by any " but the French, while the Englifh never " formed any pretenfions to the countries it f Ibid. pag. 17. J Wafhington's Journal, pag. 17. " runs xe runs through. J." If the French did not find any number of Englifh on the Ohio, when they came down that river in 1754, it was becaufe they were obliged to retire on the ap- proach of the French to Beef river in 1753. It was never known, that the French ever fet a foot upon the Ohio before the year 1749, when they were drove out of the country by the natives, who have always been in alliance and friendfhip with the Englifli; as they con- fift chiefly of the natives of the other parts of Virginia , Maryland^ and Penfyhania, who have been conquered and fubdued, and fettled here, by the Six Nations, fubjects of Britain, who are fettled among them ; and to whom all this country of right belonged, before they made it over to the crown of Britain, by fevc- ral formal deeds and furrenders. The claims of the Englilh to the Ohio, and all the territories about it, are founded on the following undoubted juft rights and titles; j. the difcovery and feizure of all the con- tinent of North America, long before the French or any others knew any thing of it : 2. the difcoveries of all thofe inland coun- tries of N. America more particularly in 1568, 1654,1672, 1678, and from 1725 to 1740 and 1 754, &c. 3. feveral grants of all thofe countries on theO&2 to Britifn fubjecls in 1584,1609, J Memoire, p 13. ID2O, [ 240 ] 1 620, and 1681: 4. a formal furrendcr and actual purchafe of all thofe countries from the natives in 1684, I 7ij 17*6, and 1744 : 5. an actual pofiefiion and fettle- ment of them in confequence of thefe rights to them. All which muft make a juft right and title to the river Ohio, and all the terri- tories about it, if any thing can. To this the French can have nothing to ob- ject, nor to alledge in behalf of their preten- fions, but the fuppofed difcoveries of La Salle in 1680 ; a roving cavalier who rambled over part of North America to retrieve his his own defperate circumflances, as we have faid; from which frivolous pretext the French pretend to claim all the countries he might have heard tell of in his rambles, without any other right or title whatever to them. The French then have but two arguments for all their pretenfions in North America, to fupport which they entered into this war with Britain, to wit, *1 he private rambles of Mr. La Salle in North America* and the par- ty Claims of Mr. Denys in Nova Scotia ! There is nothing then can pofilbly juftify the French feizing this country on the Ohio by force of arms. They have not the leaft colour of any pretext to vindicate fuch a pro- ceeding. They would infmnate indeed, that the Englifh endeavoured to flir up the Indians 5 here here agalnfl the French, and that all Canada was alarmed on that account** which is a mere furmize of theirs, without any manner of foundation. All their pretended alarms pro- ceeded only from the Englifh drawing a few Ikins and furs out of thefe their own territories, and from the Indians choofing to deal with the Englifh rather than the French, which Indian trade is the whole dependancc and fubfiftance of the poor Canadians J. When the French feized the Oto, they not only drove the Englifh inhabitants from their houfes and habitations, but pillaged them all of their effects, to the amount of fe- veral thoufand pounds fieri, generally reckon- ed not lefs than 20,000 : and the French court is pleafed to reprefent it in this their memorial as a very great crime in them for offering to make reprifals ! Th&y fent out one of their officers, Mr. Jumonville, to fummon the Englifh to quit the Ohio, as they pretend; or rather, as our people alledge, to fcour the country, and drive all the Englifh out of it ; which pretended officer of juftice happened to be killed in a fray with fome of the Englifh and Indians, who had been thus robbed and plun- dered, and drove out of houfe and home ; and this fuppofed mafTacre, as they are pleafed to call it, they would make a fufficient reafon Ibid. p. 15. J See above, p. 185. G g for for invading and attacking our people agiin with open force, in a phch'd battle, on the 3d of July 1754. Thefe were the caufes,and the necefiary and unavoidable caufes, of fending an officer with a party of troops from England, to quell thofe difturbances on the river Ohio. But the court of France is pleafed to aver, " this " could not be the confequence of the diftur- " bances on the river Ohio, becaufe it was " impofiible they mould then have heard 46 of them in London*/ to wit, from the beginning of July 1754, or rather from the month of Auguft 1753, when the French firft invaded thofe territories, to the month of September or October 1754 ; which is as falfe as every thing elfe they advance. You may hear from thofe parts in London in a jnonth or lefs, and far more in three or four, or rather in thirteen months. Thefc open hoftilities, and other unwarrant- able proceedings of the French upon the Obio^ are well known to have been the caufes of fending general Eraddock to oppofe them ; and and' afterwards of (lopping their (hips, that they tent full of troops, to reinforce and fup- port their other forces, with which they had fo openly invaded the Britifh dominions ; for both which they cry out fo much againft us. But if we had all their orders given to La Jonquere ' Ibiil p. 2?. 3 and and Du Quefne, governors of Canada, with thofe to Contrecteur and St. Pierre, their gene- rals on the Ohio, as they have the orders gi- ven to general Braddock, how neceflary would thofe his orders appear to have been, that were only the confequence of thofe given be- fore to the French commanders, and of their open hoftilities. And even in thefe proceedings the modera- tion and pacific meafures of the court of Bri- tain, that are otherways well known, mud appear to all, who are any way acquainted with the ficuation. of affairs in America. The true intereft of Britain was without doubt to have fent their troops directly to Crown* Point and Niagara, inftead of ordering them to the river Ohio, acrols all the mountains of Vir- ginia, in which the greatefl part of them pe- rilhed. But as thofe places had been in the hands of the French for fome time, the court of Britain endeavoured to avoid any unnecef- fary umbrage that might be given to France, by difpofTefiing them of thofe places abrupt- ly, till the difputes relating to them could be more amicably accommodated ; which fo ap- pears to have been the reafon of undertaking that expedition to fort du gHtefue in 1/54, in- ftead of going directly to Niagara, which we faw to be neceflary the next fpring: for which our miniftry have been fo much blamed by this nation, in not purfning more vigorous mca- [244] meafures, while they are here equally upbraid- ed by France for purfuing thefe This it is to be minifters of Britain in affairs with France ! III. After what has been faid, there is no occafion to infift upon the negotiations, and cvafions of them by our miniftry, alledged by the court of France, in the fequel of this their memorial. They had brought the court of Britain into a long and tedious negotiation of feven years about thofe difputes in Ameri- ca, till they had feized all the countries in dif- pute, even in the courfe of the negotiation ; and now they wanted to draw them into an- other like negotiation, till they could fecure themfelves in thofe places they had feized, or be better prepared for doing it , which was plainly the fcope and drift of all their negotia- tions. For this reafon, when our miniftry came to the point with them, and the only point in difpute, to fettle the limits between the two nations in America, and make them evacuate the territories they had fo unlawful- ly feized, altho* they would have given up part of the undoubted rights of Britain for the fake of peace, yet all the anfwer they could get from France, by their own confeffion, was an abfolute refufal of the juft propofals of Britain ; Cette reffonfe etoit un re/us abfolu fyfouscrire, page 43. FINIS. liKstyMIfM rt,CT3 i j o "- o"'C ill Mil it^ ell IP I?l a) 1=? 2 c THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ This book is due on the last DATE stamped below. 100m-8,'65(F6282s8)2373 3 2106 00059 1583