with orders to repel force by force, and the scene was opened.

We have witnessed the distracted state of the colonies, arising from their civil and religious controversies, and are now called to witness the advantages the governor of NewFrance has already taken, and was about to take, of their divided siuation.

The French erected a strong and regular fort, at the forks of the Monongahela, and called it Fort Duquesne, which greatly alarmed Virginia. Orders next came out from the British minister, that the colonies should assist Virginia, and repel the French; and South Carolina sent out one company to join Major, now Colonel Washington, and New-York, at the same time, sent out two companies, which formed a party of about 400 men. Colonel Washington fell in with, and defeated a party of French and Indians from fort Duquesne, and the next day De Villier, the commander of the fort, surprised Colonel Washington with a strong party, consisting of 900 French and Indians; Colonel Washington had thrown up a breastwork for his security, which enabled him to maintain such a desperate resistance, as to obtain an honourable capitulation, and thus brought off his party in safety, by delivering up his temporary fortress, 1754.

Struck with these successes of the French, and alarmed for the safety of the colonies, the Lords of Trade and Plantations, recommended that commissioners be immediately appointed, to effect a union between the colonies, and a league of friendship with the neighbouring Indians. The colonies readily complied with this recommendation, not only to effect a general union, but a mutual support, to enable them to prosecute the war.

A convention of the governors and the principal gentlemen from all the colonies, met at Albany in the summer of 1754, and proposed the following plan,-" That a grand

council should be formed, of members chosen from all the assemblies, and sent from all the colonies; which council, with a governor-general, appointed by the crown, should be impowered to make general laws, and to raise money in all the colonies, for the defence of the whole." The commissioners from Connecticut opposed the plan in toto, as inadequate to the great object for which it was designed, and as dangerous to the future liberties of the colonies. When the commissioners of Connecticut reported the plan to the general assembly, at their October session, it was again rejected in toto, with their reasons offered at large, by a special resolve. They next resolved to send out instructions to their agent in London, to lay their objections to the plan, before Parliament, and if possible, prevent its being carried into effect. All this became unnecessary, for the plan was not approved in England; they had become jealous of the rising strength of the colonies, and durst not trust them with such an union, under a governor-general, with such extensive powers.

The British ministry proposed the following plan, viz.

That the governors of the colonies, with one or more of their councils, should form a convention, to concert measures for the general defence, erect forts, and raise such numbers of men as they should judge necessary; and that they should draw on the British treasury, for such sums as should be requisite to reimburse their expences; Parliament to reimburse the whole by taxes on the colonies, after the war. This was a deep plot, worthy of the character of the cabinet of St. James.

The colonies who had lost their charters, now felt the benefit they had derived from their disputes with the crown governors, and the wisdom they had learnt from experience; they rejected this plan; and the colonies who held their charters were not prepared to resign their purse

and their liberties, to such a proposal, ; it was accordingly rejected.

In 1755, the campaign opened with the plan of four grand expeditions; the first against Fort Duqesne, the second against Novascotia, the third against Crown-Point, and the fourth against Niagara. The British minister sent out an expedition, with a small squadron, and about 1500 troops, under Gen. Braddoc, who embarked at Cork, January 1755, and arrived in Virginia about the first of March.

The French fitted out a strong armament for the American service, early in the spring; consisting of twenty ships of the line, with frigates; and transports for 4000 men, and military stores for the campaign; under the command of Admiral Bors de la Mothe: the land forces were under the command of the Baron Dieskau. The British minister dispatched a fleet of seventeen ships of the line, and seven frigates, with a land force of 6000 men, under the command of Admirals Boscawin and Holbourn, to watch the motions of the enemy upon the American station, Both fleets appeared off the coast of Newfoundland at the same time; but they were so enveloped in the fogs of that coast, that they did not discover each other, until all the French fleet had entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence, excepting two sixty gun ships, which fell in with the British fleet, and were taken; this action opened the war upon the water, and the contest now had become 'serious.*

The spring opened in America, especilly in New-England, with an active and vigorous preparation for the war; the legislatures of the several colonies met, and communicated with each other, by special messages, to unite and co-operate, with all possible efforts, in raising men,

*The English commenced a general attack upon the French commerce, and more than three hundred trading vessels fell into their hands, with about eight thousand seamen, in the course of a year.

agreeable to the pleasure of his majesty, to unite with the and forces sent out from England, and prosecute the war. The result of this legislative correspondence was, that Massachusetts should raise 1200 men, New-Hampshire 600, Rhode-Island 400, and Connecticut 1000, which added to Governor Shirley's regiment, amounted to 5000 men. This force was promptly raised, and Connecticut voted by her assembly, to raise 500 more, as a corps de-reserve, and recommended the same to the other colonies, in the ratio of the troops already raised at the same time they emitted a new emission of bills of credit, to the amount of 7500l. to meet the exigencies of the war.

The command of the northern army was given to William Johnson, Esq. of New-York, and Phinehas Lyman, Esq. of Connecticut, was appointed Major-General, and the troops destined against Crown-Point, assembled at Albany, about the first of June, to the amount of about 6000 men, besides a large body of Mohawk-Indians, under Hendrick their chief. Massachusetts had sent on a strong detachment to Novascotia, to join Col. Moncton, who commanded a body of regulars, and who began his operations about the first of May. By the first of July, Col. Moncton had taken all the fortresses in Novascotia ; driven out the French, disarmed the Acadians, and sent great numbers of them into New-England. This expedition was crowned with universal success. Not so the expedition against Fort Duquesne.

General Braddoc had arrived in Virginia in March; but the expedition was not ready until June; when General Braddoc passed the Alleghany mountains, at the head of about 2000 men, regulars and provincials. Unskilled in the arts of American war, and flushed with the military pride of his nation, he detached the flower of his army, and attempted by forced marches to surprise the fortress, before an expected reinforcement should arrive from Can

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ada. Blind to the dangers of an Indian warfare, and driving at his object, without regarding the cautions and admonitions of his officers, he fell into an Indian ambuscade, within ten miles of Fort Duquesne. Braddoc was slain, with his principal officers, and about seven hundred of his troops, when the command devolved upon Col. Washington of Virginia, who conducted the retreat, and led off the remains of the army, with the loss of all their artillery, baggage, military stores, &c. into Virginia; and the regulars repaired to Albany, by order of General Shirley, to join the northern army.

When the news of Braddoc's defeat reached Albany, it spread a general gloom through the army; first, because great expectations had been placed upon that expedition, to cut off that division of the French forces, and overawe the Indians; and next, because their contemplated enterprise was of the same kind of service, against the same kind of enemy, (now elated with this victory,) and through a like wild and uncultivated country, where the same dangers. would await them. This general alarm, caused a general desertion from the army under General Shirley, on their march to Niagara, which obliged him to defer the contemplated attack upon Niagara, and content himself with reinforcing and fortifying Oswego, and returning to Albany with the remnant of his army. Gen. Johnson advanced at the same time with the northern army, as far as Lake George, and encamped on a rising ground, and secured his position with a breastwork, until the cannon, batteaux, &c. could come up, and enable him to cross the lake.

The Baron Dieskau, who then commanded at Ticondaroga, put himself at the head of his troops, and took up his march to surprise and take Fort Edward, and thus defeat the expedition under General Johnson. Upon intelligence that the enemy were near to Fort Edward, General Johnson detached a party of one thousand men, under