Place at the Head of it. As Richmond Fort on that River is in a decayed State we desire your Excellency to order a New Fort to be erected of about 120 Feet Square as far up the River above Richmond Fort, as your Excellency shall think fit, and to cause the Garrison, Artillery and Stores at Richmond to be removed to the new Fort and the old one to be demolished.

We pray Your Excellency likewise to order a Sufficient Force up to the Carrying Place to remove any French that may be Settling there, But, as We apprehend that our Success under Providence, will depend very much on your taking this Affair into your immediate Care and Direction, we therefore pray your Excellency to Submit to the inconveniences of a Voyage to the Eastern Parts of the Province and there to give Such Orders for the Purposes aforesaid as you shall find necessary.

And that Your Excellency's Person may be Secure against any Attempts of French or Indians and that you may be enabled to effect the building the Fort aforesaid and to destroy any French Settlements that may be carrying on we will make Provision for the Pay and Subsistence of 500 Men which number, including the Six independent Companies already ordered we desire you to cause to be enlisted as soon as you shall think proper. We will also make ample Provision for your Excellency's Voyage and for an interview with the Indians if you shall find it expedient. We hope by your Excellency's prudent Management these Indians will be convinced that it is their Interest to continue at Peace with Us, and as We are Sincerely desirous that every thing may be done which may tend to perpetuate the same we will readily defray the Charge of Supporting and educating a considerable Number of the principal Indian Children if your Excellency can prevail on their Friends to agree to it.

We are Situated remote from the Six Nations and have never had the benefit of a Trade with them, yet we have frequently joined in the Treaties with them and have contributed largely towards Presents and other Expences attending Such Treaties, and are Still ready to do all that can

be reasonably desired from Us for securing their Attachment to his Majesty's Interest.

Your Excellency must be Sensible that an Union of the Several Governments for their mutual Defense and for the Annoyance of the Enemy, has long been desired by this Province and Proposals made for this Purpose. We are Still in the same Sentiments and shall use our Endeavours to effect it. An heavy charge must necessarily attend the Several Measures proposed and we shall forthwith apply ourselves to the making Provision for defraying the same. J. OSBORNE P Order.

In the House of Representatives April 9th 1754. Read and Accepted and Ordered that Colo. Richards, Capt. Chandler, and Mr. Greenleaf with Such as the Honble. Board shall join be a Committee to wait upon His Excellency the Governor with the foregoing Message.

Sent up for Concurrence

T. HUBBARD Spkr.

In Council April 10th 1754. Read and Concurred and Benjamin Lynde and John Cushing Esqrs. are joined with the Committee of the House in the Affair aforementioned. J. WILLARD. Secretary.

A True Copy Examined

Endorsed:

THOS. CLARKE Deputy Secretary.

Copy of a Message from the

Council and Representatives of the
Province of the Massachusets Bay to
Govr. Shirley in Answer to his two
Speeches.

WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO THE EARL OF
HOLDERNESS 1

MY LORD,

Boston New England April 19th, 1754.

Since I had the Honour of writing to your Lordship, I have receiv'd Intelligence, that in the Summer before last, the French made a Settlement upon a Tract of Land, which lies wholly to the Westward of the River Kennebeck and Separates a Branch of it from the Source of the River Chaudiere, being reckoned to be ten or twelve Miles over. The former of these Rivers after a Computed Course of about 150 Miles discharges itself into the Atlantic Ocean in the Latitude of about 44 Degrees North, and the latter after running about 70 Miles, falls into the River St. Lawrence in about 46 Degrees 50 Min. of the same Latitude, about one French League and a half above the City of Quebec.

This is the principal Carrying Place made use of by the Indians in their passage between this Province and Canada, and lies near the Place of Rendez-vous, from whence the several Tribes at War with this Government in the Years 1723 and 1724 made their Incursions.

This Intelligence I have communicated to the General Assembly at their late Session, and recommended to them upon the Motives set forth in my inclosed Speech, to make Provision for enabling me to Act with regard to the Supposed Settlement of the French, as the present Emergency might require, and to build a Fort higher up the River Kennebeck for securing the Possession of it against the French, and curbing the Indians in any future hostile Attempts.

Upon these Advices, My Lord, the General Assembly hav1 B. M., Additional Manuscript 32735, 110. A transcript is in the Library of Congress. Substantially the same letter to the Lords of Trade of the same date is in C. O. 5, 887. This letter was intended by Shirley to bring his views specifically before the Ministry, and his speeches to the Massachusetts Assembly and its reply were therefore inclosed in it. See also the map drawn by Shirley's order at the close of this volume.

ing experienced the great Ravages, which were made in the Country from the Neighbourhood of this Carrying Place during the before mentioned Indian War (which could not be extinguished without destroying the Indian Settlements upon this River and driving them off it,) are extremely Apprehensive of much more Mischievous Consequences from that, which it is evident, the French are now kindling between us and the Indians, if the Indians shall be supported by a French Settlement near the Head of Kennebeck, as they will also be from another Settlement of the French, made as I understand, within the last thirty years, upon the River Chaudiere, neither of which was in being during the before mentioned War, and they have upon this Occasion desired me in their Inclosed Message to remove the French from their Settlement at the Carrying Place.

It seems certain, My Lord, that if both these French Settlements are suffered to remain, there may be Danger of their soon becoming Masters of the whole River Kennebeck; which Event would prove very destructive to His Majesty's Subjects within this Province, and greatly Affect the Security of his Territories within the other Colonies of New England: But as I am strictly enjoyned by your Lordship, in the Letter, which I had the honour to receive from You, dated the 28th of August 1753, not to make use of the Armed Force under my Direction "excepting within the undoubted Limits of His Majesty's Dominions"; I have before I determined to use any Force to remove the French, examined His Majesty's Right to the Country in Question, as thoroughly as I am able, and beg leave to lay the Result of that Inquiry before your Lordship.

According to Letters Patent under the Great Seal of England, from King James Ist in the eighteenth Year of his Reign, to the Council established at Plymouth in the County of Devon, for the planting, ruling, Ordering and Governing of New England; and to others from King Charles 2d bearing date in the Sixteenth Year of his Reign to the then Duke of York, his Brother, and to the Charter granted by King William and Queen Mary in the third Year of their Reign

to this Province, (Extracts from all which I have inclosed) both the River Kennebeck and Chaudiere with the Adjacent Country, from the Atlantic Sea to the River of St. Lawrence, appear to be undoubtedly within the Limits of His Majesty's Dominions; And what seems greatly to confirm the Ancient Claim of the Crown to this Country is, that in the Year 1613, which is five years prior to the date of the Eldest of these Patents, and but eight after the Epocha fixed by the French for their first Attempt to make Settlements in North America; Sir Samuel Argall, who then guarded the New England Coast by Sea, received Orders from England to displant them, and accordingly in that Year, upon receiving Intelligence of the Arrival of a Company of French under the Command of one Captain Saussaye at Pentagoet, destroyed the Fortification, they had begun there, with the Cross they had erected, setting up in its Place, the English Standard, and removed the French with their Effects from thence; after which he proceeded to the River St. Croix in the Bay of Funda; where he demolish'd the French Works, which the Sieur de Monts left standing, in the first Expedition of the French into North America; and then going to Port Royal (now Annapolis Royal) which he likewise found deserted, demolished all the Buildings there, and reduced the Place to a Solitude: and it doth not appear that the Court of France made any Complaints against Sr. Samuel Argall to the Government of England, for these proceedings, which were made in a time of Peace, between the two Crowns; But thereupon confined their Settlements, upon this part of the Continent, to the North Side of the River St. Lawrence; which Acquiescence in their Expulsion out of that Country, seems not to be accounted for otherwise than that they were satisfied at that time, that their Attempts to make Settlements to the Southward of the River St. Lawrence, were Encroachments upon the Right of the English; and that they had no just Cause of Complaint, for Sir Samuel Argall's breaking up their Settlements there and driving the French out of that part of the Country.

I would further Observe to your Lordship that it appears