measures proper for the Occasion, you may be assured Gentlemen that I shall exert my best endeavours to Carry them into Execution. Council Chamber Febry: 13th: 1755. SIR, W. SHIRLEY. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS 1 Boston, February 17, 1755. The Designs of the French (in which they have so far already succeeded) for invading His Majesty's just Rights in these Northern Parts of America, contrary to the most Solemn Treaties, require these Governments, as well for their own Safety, as in Faithfulness to his Majesty, without Delay to use all Means in their Power to frustrate these perfidious and pernicious Practices. Among other Measures necessary to be taken especially at this critical Conjuncture, (the present Aspect of Affairs threatning a speedy Rupture) Nothing we can do seems likely to tend more by the Blessing of God, to defeat the Schemes of the French to swallow up all his Majesty's Dominions on the Continent of America, than that the Governments should agree in the most effectual Means for stopping all Supplies of Provision and Warlike Stores being sent out of any of these Colonies, without the inclosed Precaution against their being carried to the French. The General Assembly of this Province have pass'd, an Order for that End (a Copy of which I now inclose 2) and 1 Original, Massachusetts Papers, Library of Congress. A similar letter to Gov. Greene of Rhode Island is in R. I. Col. Rec. 5, 413-414. That Shirley expected hostilities at any time is shown by his letter to James Johnson in Mass. Arch., Col. Ser. 54, 370. 2 The reply of Morris of March 4, acknowledging the receipt of this letter and the enclosed order of the Mass. Assembly is printed: I Penna. Arch. 2, 262. In it Morris thanks Shirley for appointing the former's nephew to command of a company in Shirley's own regiment. have desired me to solicit the Governours of the rest of His Majesty's Colonies, to joyn with us in this necessary Expedient for our common Safety. Your Honour will observe that the time for the Continuance of this Prohibition is restrained to three Months. But if the other Governments should join with us; I make no Doubt of bringing my Assembly to extend it further. It would give me great Pleasure to have your Honour's Concurrence with me in Sentiments, concerning what appears to me so salutary a Measure, at this Conjuncture for the general Good of all His Majesty's Colonies in North America. I have the Honour to be with the greatest Respect Enterd in Council Minute of 10th March, 1755. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO ROBERT HALE 1 By his Excellency WILLIAM SHIRLEY ESQ. Captain General and Governour in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England. INSTRUCTIONS to Robert Hale Esqr. for Soliciting the Government of New Hampshire to unite with this Government 1 Original, with autograph postscript of later date, in Amer. Antiq. Society. and the other two Governments of New England etc. in an Expedition proposed for preventing the further encroachments of the French. You are hereby directed to proceed to Portsmouth with my dispatches to His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr. Governor of that Province. Upon your arrival there and appearance either before the Governor and Council or the General Assembly of that Province or before the Governor alone (as you may have opportunity) you are strongly to solicit the joining of that Government with this and the other two Governments of New England and in a vigorous and speedy prosecution of the Expedition proposed in my Speech 1 to the Assembly of this Province and to contribute towards the Execution of it that Governmts Quota of Men and Provisions set forth in the said Assembly's Resolves a Copy of which as also of my said speech will be delivered to you. And you are in a particular manner among such reasons and arguments as shall occurr to you for inducing them to join in the said Expedition, to urge those which are contained in my aforesaid Speech and in my letters to the respective Governors Copy of which last shall likewise be delivered to you. In case you shall not be able to induce the said Governments to join in the prosecution of the aforesaid Expedition. upon the terms proposed in the before mentioned Resolves of the Great and General Assembly of this Province, you are to desire of them to let you know whether they will join it upon any and what other terms together with the reasons of their noncompliance with those proposed by this Govern ment. Lastly you are from time to time to transmit to me accounts of your proceedings herein and the progress you make in the discharge of this Commission either by the Post or Express as the Occasion may require and upon finishing your Negotiations with that Government you are to return to 1 See Shirley to the General Court of Massachusetts, Feb. 13, 1755, ante, p. 127. The Resolves of the Mass. Court are printed in N. H. Prov. Papers, 6, 359. Boston and lay an account of your whole proceedings therein with the final answer of the said Government before me. GIVEN under my hand in Boston the twenty second day of February, 1755; In the twenty-eighth year of his Majesty's Reign. W. SHIRLEY. P.S. You are to make use or not of the inclosed Vote of the Assembly dated the 27th of February according to your own discretion. You are to Endeavour to induce the Governmt of New Hampshire to raise a greater number of men than what is mention'd as their Quota in the Resolves of the Assembly dated February provisionally, viz in case the Governmt of New York shall not raise the Eight hundred men alloted to them to raise. W. SHIRLEY. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO JAMES DELANCEY 1 [SIR,] 1 Boston, New England, Feby. 24th, 1755. It would be needless for me to observe to you, how His Majesty's Colonies upon this Continent are surrounded with the encroachments of the French, they have long since marked out for themselves a large Empire upon the back of it, extending from Cape Breton, to the Gulf of Mexico, and Comprehending the Country between the Apalachian Mountains and Pacific Ocean, with the numerous powerful Tribes of Indians inhabitting it, and they are now finishing the extreme parts by a communication between Louisbourg and Quebec, across the Isthmus of Nova Scotia and Bay of 1 New York State Library, Sir William Johnson Papers, 1, 144. 45-51 Copy in Ms. of Johnson. See also Shirley to William Greene, R. I. Col. Rec. 5, 414; to Robert Hunter Morris, Penna. Col. Rec. 6, 310, and substantially the same letter to Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire in Amer. Antiq. Society under date of Feb. 25. Words within brackets were burned from the original or otherwise lost. Fonda, at one End, and a Junction of Canada with the Mississippi by a Line of Forts, upon the great Lakes and Rivers, at the other. It is fallen to the Lott of the most Eastern Colonies to be Hemmed in by that part of their encroachments, which begin in Nova Scotia, and End at Crown Point, among which the fort of Beau Sejour upon the Isthmus of the Peninsula, that on St. John's River, and Fort St. Frederic near Crown Point, are the Principall. His Majesty out of his Paternal Care for the Welfare, and security of his good Subjects of these Colonies, in September, 1753 Signified his Royal pleasure, by the Rt. Honble. Earl of Holderness's letter, dated the 21st of that Month to his Governours there, that they should, with the armed Force of the Militia under their respective Commands (if need be), remove all encroachments upon his Territories within the limits of their Severall Governments, and use their best endeavours for promoting a general Union among them for their Common defence against an Invader. In July last, by a letter from the Rt. Honble. Sr. Thomas Robinson, dated the 5th of that Month, His Majesty Signified his Orders to me and Colo. Lawrence, Lieut. Govr. and Commandr. in Chief of Nova Scotia, that we should concert measures for attacking the French Forts in that Province, And in Decembr last, I had the honour to receive another letter from Sr. Thos. Robinson dated the 26th of October, wherein he acquainted me, that His Majesty, upon taking the State of His Colonies in North America, into his Royal consideration was graciously pleased, ordering two Regiments of Foot from Ireland, under the command of Sr. Peter Halket and Colo. Dunbar, to be sent to Virginia, to order Me and Sir William Pepperell, to raise each of us a Regiment of Foot, consisting of 1000 men, under our respective Commands, for the defence of his Colonies here. In obedience to the first mentioned Orders, Colo. Lawrence and I have concerted measures for dislodging the French from their Forts in Nova Scotia, and driving them out of that Province, and, among other preparations for that |