Many thanks to you for all your kindness to Jack. He soon returns to you, like a bad penny. I shall be extremely oblig'd to you for your favour in encouraging Enlistmts into my Regimt, by your Countenancing him in the shape of a Recruiting Officer. I flatter myself it may be for the publick Service, as well as my own and Jack's in particular, as his success in recruiting may facilitate my Obtaining a Company for him in my Regimt, in the first step.

I find by your late Message and Speech to the Assembly within your Governmt, that the French are as much in Motion upon the Ohio as we are at Boston. I hope that will instill a little into them, and more into Maryland and Virginia. I can't but think the Maryland Commander in Chief makes a poor figure with his single Company rais'd in his own Government.

I detain'd the ship which sailed from hence for London on Monday, till I could get the Message and an Extract of your Speech copy'd out for Lord Halifax, as I imagine that Vessell might be the first Opportunity of conveying them to England.

Surely these Commotions will drive the Spirit of Quietism out of your Assembly; and I hope they may turn to the advantage of the publick, and your own in the End.

I would beg the favour of you to give my Complimts to Govr. Tinker and your predecessor, Mr. Hamilton. I will do myself the honour to write to the former by next post. 1 1 Penna. Arch. 2, 215.

My hands are full at present, as you will easily imagine, with different matters, which inevitably throw me into a hurry, which I hope will be a sufficient Apology for the Abruptness of this Letter.

Be assur'd, Dear Sir, that I wish you all possible success for your own sake, as well as that of the publick; and that I shall, with great pleasure, receive and execute any Commands from you in my power, being with great truth and Esteem,

Dear Sir,

Your Honour's most faithfull

and Obedient Servant,

W. SHIRLEY.

P.S. I refer you to Jack for all particulars of our movements here.

Endorsed:

GOVR. SHIRLEY

By his son John, who he sent to recruit

for his regiment, recd. Jany. 20.

WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO SIR THOMAS ROBINSON 1

SIR,

Boston, New England, December 24th, 1754.

I suppose Gov. Delancey may have sent you a copy of the proceedings of the Commissioners of several of His Majesty's Governments upon this Continent lately assembled at Albany in the Province of New York; least that, by any accident should have miscarry'd, I inclose you one here.

That meeting, Sir, gave the Colonies concern'd a fair opportunity of agreeing by their respective Commissioners in a conclusive manner upon Articles of Union and Confederation

1 P. R. O., C. O. 5, 15. Printed: Docts. rel. Col. Hist. New York, 6, 930. The Minutes of the Proceedings of the Albany Congress are in Johnson Mss., N. Y. State Library, 1, 127, and printed in Doc. Hist. N. Y. (Q.) 2, 317 ff.

for the general defence of His Majesty's subjects and interests in North America as well in time of peace as of war; and it is most evident that their present state requires such an Union to be form'd as soon as is possible, in order to put an immediate stop to the encroachments with which the French have, ever since the conclusion of the late treaty at Aix la Chapelle, been and still are surrounding them and to prevent the total defection of all the Indians, not already gain'd over by that nation from the British interest.

The Commissioners of the Massachusetts Province were accordingly furnished with plenary powers for agreeing conclusively on the part of that government with the Commissioners of all or any of the other governments who should be convened at the Congress upon the Articles of such an Union; but the powers produced by all the other Commissioners. there, being defective, (as may appear to you Sir by the copies of them which are made part of the record of their proceedings) nothing binding upon their respective governments either for building forts for the defence of the country of the Five Nations or cementing a general Union of the Colonies, could be concluded and agreed upon by them.

As to the plan of the proposed Union agreed upon by the Commissioners in order to be layd before their respective constituents for their consideration, a copy of which is contain'd in their proceedings; they had no expectation that it will have any effect, nor could any proper plan be form'd, as I apprehend, in which the several Govts would unite; their different constitutions, situations, circumstances and tempers, will ever be found an invincible obstacle to their agreement upon any one plan in very article, or (if they ever should happen to agree upon one) to their duly carrying it into

execution.

It appears from that part of the proposed plan fram'd at Albany, which provides that it shall be established by Act of Parliament, that the opinion of the Commissioners there present was that nothing under the force of that would effect such an Union, and what seems to give weight to their opinion is, that the Crown's recommendation of the Union

proposed in King William's reign among several of the Colonies for their mutual defence, and the quotas of men and money allotted to each government to pay, never had the least effect as I can learn.

However tho' the Commissioners have fail'd for want of sufficient powers to perfect an Union among the Colonies at their Congress, yet they have made a great progress in concerting the proper measures for effecting one, and discovering the absolute necessity of it's being done without delay; and their several determinations upon this point seem to have pav'd the way clearly for His Majesty's ordering a plan of an Union to be form'd at home, and the execution of it inforc'd here by Act of Parliament, if that shall be agreeable to his royal pleasure.

These gentlemen, Sir, having been chosen Commissioners by the General Assemblies of the several colonies which they represented at the Congress, tho' commission'd by the Govrs. of them, must be consider'd as the most intelligent persons of their respective governments in the general state of the Colonies, and as having a just attention to the interest of their own Colonies in particular, in all their consultations, so that their determinations of these points (in all which they were as I am assured by the Massachusetts' Commissioners very near unanimous) vizt Ist That a General Union of their Forces and Councils are necessary at this conjuncture for saving them from the incroachmts of the French. 2. That an effectual scheme for such an Union can't be carry'd into execution but by authority of the Parliament of Great Britain. 3. What may serve as a present rule for fixing the several proportions which each Colony should be allotted to bear of the charges of supporting the government propos'd to be erected in the Plan, there estimated by the number of members allotted for each government to send to the General Council I say, Sir, that their determination of these points ought to be look'd upon as the declared sense of all the Colonies; and this together with their representation of the state of the Colonies seems to have laid a good foundation for immediately proceeding at home to the forming of a proper

plan in all points for a General Union of the Colonies, settling the quotas of men and money for each Colony to find towards the charge of it as stated in the plan of the Commissioners to be establish'd by authority of Parliamt and carry'd into execution in the Colonies without further consulting them upon any points whatever.

As to the plan of Union form'd at Albany, I would beg leave, Sir, to submit the following remarks upon it to your consideration, vizt1

I. That the reason of committing to the several Houses of Representatives solely the choice of the members which each. Colony is allowed to send to the Grand Council seems to be because it is propos'd that the Council should have power to levy taxes upon the People, which it is thought could not be exercis'd by any Council whatsoever in the Colonies which should not be wholly chosen by the People, or at least by their Representatives, without raising a general dissatisfaction.

2. That on the other hand it is clear that as such Council can be consider'd no otherwise than as the General Representative body of all the people of the Colonies compriz'd in the Union, the giving to them a share in making peace and war with the Indians and concluding treaties with them, in the disposal of military commissions, in the power of raising troops and erecting Forts, would be a great strain upon the prerogative of the Crown and contrary to the English Constitution.

3. That the command over the Militia, power of raising them by warrant of impress, marching them upon any service at least within the limits of the several Colonies, appointing all military Officers, erecting and demolishing of Forts, declaring war against the Indians and making treaties of peace with them; are vested solely in the respective Governours of all of them, proprietary and charter, as well as those whose government is founded on His Majesty's commission, except in the two Colonies of Connecticutt and Rhode Island, whose governmts stand upon their old char1 Compare Shirley's remarks with Franklin to Shirley, Dec. 4, 1754, ante, p. 103.