Trees fit for the Service of the Royal Navy; and with fine large Oaks. Colonel Westbroke, who for many Years furnished the Masts etca. for Messrs. Gulstons, Contractors with the Government for supplying the Masts etca. for the King's Yards, made an Observation upon this River, that it had a sufficient Quantity of white Pines to Supply the Royal Navy for more than fifty Years. Rt. Honble. Earl of Holderness. Endorsed: Boston 19th: April 1754. GOVR. SHIRLEY. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO MASSACHUSETTS [William Shirley Esqr., Captain General and Governour in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay in [LS. New England. To Samuel Welles, John Chandler, Thomas Whereas, in Pursuance of Letters from the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners for Trade and the Plantations, dated the 28th of August and 19th of September, 1753, to the Governors of several of his Majesties Plantations in North America, a General Convention of Commissioners for their respective Governments is appointed to be held at the City of Albany in the Month of June next for holding an Interview with the Indians of the five nations, and making them Presents on the Part of the said Governments, usual upon such occasions in order to confirm and Establish their 1 Printed: 1 Penna. Arch. 2, 137. The Proceedings of the Indian Conference at Albany, June 19-July 11, 1754, are in the Sir William Johnson Mss., N. Y. State Library, 1, 127. ancient attachments to his Majesty and their constant Friendship to his Majesty's Subjects on this Continent: and Whereas the Great and General Court or Assembly of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay aforesaid, have elected and appointed you to represent and appear for the said Province at the Convention aforesd, for the Purposes abovementioned: as also for entring into articles of Union and Confederation with the aforesaid Governments for the General Defence of his Majesty's Subjects and Interests in North America as well in time of Peace as of War. Now I do by these Presents impower and Commissionate you the said Samuel Welles, John Chandler, Thomas Hutchinson, Oliver Partridge and John Worthington as Commissioners (or any three of you) to appear for and represent the Province of the Massachusetts Bay aforesaid, at the proposed Convention of Commissioners, to be held at the City of Albany in the Month of June Next, then and there to Concert, with the Commissioners (from all or any of his Majesty's British Governments) that may be there Convened, Such Measures as may be judged proper for the Purposes aforesd, and to agree upon the same; and herein you must observe Such Instructions as are herewith delivered you, or may from time to time be given you by the Great and General Court or Assembly of this Province. Given under my hand and the Publick Seal of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay aforesaid the nineteenth Day of April, 1754, in the twenty-seventh year of his Majesty's Reign. W. SHIRLEY. By his Excellency's Command, J. WILLARD, Secry. A true Copy Att Samuel Welles, JOHN CHANDLer, OLR. PARTRIDGE, WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO SIR THOMAS ROBINSON SIR, [Extract]1 Boston, New England, May 8th, 1754. I have not dwelt, my Lord, so long upon the State of the French Incroachments, and English Settlements in Nova Scotia, in order to convince your Lordship of the Necessity of removing the former before a Rupture shall happen with France; That would be needless: Your Lordship did me the honor to inform me at Horton fully of your Sentiments upon that point; But my intent is to submit it to your Lordship's consideration, whether it is not high time, that it should be done, as soon as may be. It seems certain that it will grow more and more difficult, if not soon done. It would have been much more practicable to have dislodg'd the French from St. John's River, before they had fortified themselves upon it, and gain'd such an Influence over the Indians there, as they now have; and to have drove them off the Isthmus, before they had any Cannon or Fortress upon it. However, tho' at present it might be no easy matter for His Majesty's Troops, with their present strength in Nova Scotia, to reduce the French Fort at Beau Sejour by assault, as they have three Bomb-Proofs within it, yet I am assured by the Commandant of Fort Lawrence, as well as other Officers of it, that it is practicable for them, with the assistance of 1000 Men from New England, (if that should be rather approved of than transporting the like Number of Troops from Europe,) to distress their Garrison so much, by cutting them off from all Supplies of Provisions and Water, (which last they are oblig'd to fetch half a Mile from their Fort, not being able after many attempts to find any within it) that they could not hold out long. 1 B. M., Additional Manuscript 32736, 259. A transcript is in the Library of Congress. It seems not to be doubted but that the Force I have before mention'd, might enable the Kings Troops to make themselves very easily Masters of the small Fort at Gaspero, and the Town of Bay Vert, and hinder Provisions or other Stores from being landed there, or transported to Beau Sejour; as also of the small French Fort on the point of Land between the Rivers Amrancook, and Petcoject [sic] the Village of Westcough, and the point of Wood near it, with all the French Settlements along the Coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence between Bay Vert and the Gut of Canseau, where Provisions, stores, or Troops may be landed. The Reduction of the French Settlements upon the River St. Johns seems still easier; Besides the practicableness of cutting them off from all Supplies of Stores and Provisions, (it being agreed on all hands to be impracticable for them to receive any from Canada down the River, on account of the many falls and Carrying-Places near the head of it) the two small Forts near the mouth of it, supposing both of them to be garrison'd, and mounted with Cannon, which I believe is not the case, may be soon reduc'd by Ships; They are not more than two miles and an half up the River, where they stand opposite almost to each other in water deep enough for large Ships of War to ride in, and where the River is not much more than a Musquet Shot over. The Fort or Forts here in Oliver Cromwell's time were taken by Ships. When the French were drove off the Isthmus, and out of the River St. Johns, it would be very easy to secure the whole Peninsula and Bay of Funda. As to the former, the Revolt of the Inhabitants of Chignecto to the French might in such case be made a favorable Circumstance, as it hath left a large Tract of rich Lands capable of maintaining 1000 Families, which if settled with Protestants from New England, who would make the best Settlers there, or from the North of Ireland, who would be the next best, or from old England, with a strong large Fort and Garrison behind them, between Bay Vert and Beau Basin in the Bay of Chignecto, with one or more Block houses on each side, would not only be a good Barrier against the French of Canada, but by cutting off all Communication between them and the Indians of the Peninsula, make the latter wholly dependent upon our own Truck-houses for all necessary supplies, and soon beget in them an attachment to the English. This propos'd Settlement in Chignecto, and Fort upon the Isthmus would likewise very much conduce towards reclaiming the Inhabitants of Minas and Annapolis River to a due sense of their Allegiance to his Majesty, and proper disposition towards his Government, by a constant inspection of their behavior, promoting Traffick and all manner of Intercourse between them and the English, gradually introduce the English manners, customs, and language among them; which, with the help of some French Protestant Minister residing there, capable of teaching the English Tongue, and some Privileges or Exemptions allowed to those, who should send their Children to learn English, and be instructed in the Protestant Religion, or at least to do one of them; prohibiting French Missionary Priests to reside amongst them, and allowing them in their stead one or more Romish Priests in each district, of another nation, for the publick Exercise of their Religion, at least for some years, might in a few Generations make them good Subjects; which they would naturally incline to be, when they found the English would remain Masters of the Province and they could depend upon his Majesty's Government for protection both against the French and Indians; In such case Intermarriages would naturally be introduced, and they would in the end become wholly English. The continuance of the Inhabitants of Chignecto in that district ever seem'd so dangerous to me, that upon being order'd by the Duke of Newcastle to form a Plan of a Civil Governmt for the Colony, and to transmit my sentiments to him of what was necessary to be done for the security of it, I propos'd in my letters to his Grace, and to the Duke of Bedford his Successor, the removal of the Accadians from Chignecto, and placing them near the Fort of Annapolis Royal, where they might be properly look'd after, planting |