Peninsula, and St. John's River in the Bay of Funda, and continuing their Incroachments within his Majesty's Territories. I have the Honour to be with the greatest Respect, My Lords, Your Lordships's most humble and most Obedient Servant W. SHIRLEY. The Rt Honble Lords Commissioners for Trade and the Plantations. Endorsed: Massachusets Bay Letter from Willm Shirley Esqr Govr of the Massachusets-Bay to the Board, dated at Boston the 23d of May 1754, transmitting four Papers containg an authentick Account of the taking of an English Fort upon the Ohio, by the French. Having received your Dispatches of the 19th of April and 1st of May last, with their several enclosures, and having laid the same before the King, I am to acquaint you, that His Majesty extremely approves the resolution which has been taken by the Assembly of your Province, in consequence of the proposal recommended by you, to use their best endeavors to drive the French from the river Kennebeck. 1 Mass. Col. Ser. Letters, 54, 306-308. A copy is in P. R. O., C. O. 5, 211. Sir Thomas Robinson was born in 1695 and served as a diplomatist at the court of Maria Theresa. On the death of Pelham in 1754 Robinson was made Secretary of State for the Southern Department, and gave way to Fox in November, 1755 And I am at the same time to inform you, that His Majesty is graciously pleased to authorize and direct you to proceed upon the plan, and to pursue the measures which appear, by your speeches to the Assembly, and their answer thereto, to have been so well calculated for that purpose. I am likewise to assure you, as a mark of His Majesty's particular attention to the welfare of his loyal subjects in New England, that everything recommended by the said Assembly, will be fully considered: and that immediate directions will be given for promoting the plan of a general concert between His Majesty's Colonies, in order to prevent or remove any encroachments upon the dominions of the crown of Great Britain. It is with the greatest pleasure, that I take this early opportunity of giving you the satisfaction to know the very favorable manner in which the account of your prudent and vigorous conduct, as well of the zeal and activity of those under your government, have been received by the King, which cannot fail to excite and encourage them in taking such farther steps as will, most effectually, provide for their own security, and will give a proper example to His Majesty's neighbouring Colonies. I am Sir Your most obedient humble Servant To Governor William Shirley. SIR, WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO JOSIAH WILLARD 1 Falmouth, Casco Bay, July 8th, 1754. The Speaker to whom I am much obliged for his Assistance in the Publick business here, and the Pleasure of his Company, both which I shall miss upon his leaving us, doth me the favor to be the bearer of this. As he is able to give you a perfect Acct. of the Issue of the Conference with the Indians, I refer you to him for it; It hath been, I think favorable, beyond even our Expectation; 1 Mass. Col. Ser. Letters, 54, 309. and may I hope have good Consequences for the tranquility of the Province, and the general service: It certainly will, if Indian Faith may be in the least depended upon. Mr. Danforth, Mr. Oliver and Colonel Brown are to imbark this day with the Speaker, and some other Gentlemen of the House for Boston, and Mr. Fox is extremely ill, so that there will be wanting four Gentlemen of the Council to make up a Quorum upon any Emergency of Publick business. I must therefore desire you to let Mr. Wheelwright, Mr. Cheever, Colonel Minot, and Colonel Lincoln know that their attendance upon it here will be requisite, and that I hope they will not fail of letting me see them here, as soon as may be; They will have an Opportunity of coming in the Ship, which I have ordered to wait upon the Gentlemen of the Council and Mr. Speaker and the Gentlemen of the House, who go to Boston, and to attend upon Mr. Wheelwright and the other three Gentlemen to bring them hither. I desire you will transmit to me what Publick Letters, or accounts of Publick Affairs, you shall judge proper to be communicated to me here; It will be a great pleasure to me to hear from time to time, how matters go on, and to receive your letters upon any subject. I am with truth, Sir, Your faithful Friend and Humble Servant W. SHIRLEY. The Honble Mr. Secretary Willard. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO SIR THOMAS ROBINSON 1 SIR, Falmouth, in Casco Bay, August 19th, 1754. In a former Packet, which I had the Honour to transmit to the Earl of Holderness, I acquainted his Lordship that 1 B. M., Additional Manuscript 32736, 314. A transcript is in the Library of Congress. 2 See letter of April 19, ante, p. 52. upon my having receiv'd Advice from the Commander at Fort Richmond, upon the River Kennebeck within the limits of this Government that some of the Norridgwalks, a Tribe of Indians inhabiting that River, had given him Intelligence that the French had the summer before last made a considerable Settlement upon a Carrying place near the head of it, that this was done with the Allowance of those Indians, in consideration that the French had agreed to supply them with Arms, Ammunition, and other Stores in time of War with the English, and that that Tribe and another called the Arrassangunticooks or St. Francois Indians, assisted by other Indians from Canada, and a great Number of French in Indian Disguise (a practice not uncommon with the French) would fall upon the New England Settlements this Summer, which last circumstance seem'd confirm'd by the insolent behaviour of the two beforementioned Tribes, who appear'd to be upon the brink of committing Hostilities. I lay'd these Accots before the Assembly and urg'd them to make Provision for raising Forces to remove the French from this Incroachment on his Majesty's Territories, in case they should refuse to quit it upon a peaceable Summons, as also for building a new fort as high up Kennebeck River, as should be found upon a Survey of it to be practicable at present, in order to prevent the French from taking Possession of any part of it, and either keep the Indians Inhabiting it in a due Subjection for the future or oblige them wholly to abandon it. I further acquainted his Lordship, that the Assembly in answer to what I recommended to them, sent me a Message of both Houses, wherein, they desir'd me to take measures as soon as might be for removing the French from their beforemention'd Settlement, and building a new fort as high up the River as I should think proper, praying me to take those matters under my immediate direction, and for that purpose to make a voyage to the Eastern parts of the Province, promising that for the safe guard of my person in effecting the Service they would make Provision for raising 500 men (which they soon afterwards augmented to one for 800) and desiring me, in case I should judge that proper, to have an Interview and Conference with the Indians upon my Arrival in those parts. In consequence of this Message, Sir, I rais'd 800 men and having sent orders to the Commanders of the Eastern Forts to notify the two beforemention'd Tribes of Indians and another call'd the Penobscots to meet me here, the middle of June last, I embark'd with the forces as soon as the other Business of my Government would permit for this place, where I arriv'd the 26th of June accompany'd by Colonel Mascarene, who had been appointed by Governour Hopson a Commissioner on the part of Nova Scotia, to join with this Government on an Interview with the Eastern Indians; and upon my Arrival I was met by three Commissioners from the Government of New Hampshire, which I had notified of my intended Interview with the Indians, for the same purpose. As it could not be doubted but that the building a new fort, and making the propos'd march to the head of the River and extending the English Settlements upon it would be very disagreeable to the Indians, I determin'd to get an Interview with them, if possible, before I proceeded in the intended Service; that appearing to be the only chance, there was to prevent an Impending War with them. On the other hand the two Priests of the Norridgwalk and Penobscot Tribes, both French Jesuits, who notwithstanding the Indians had all Accepted Presents from this Province, and ratify'd former Treaties of Peace with it the last fall, and press'd me by letters to have a Personal Conference with them in the Spring, had so wrought upon their Dispositions in the Winter, that the Norridgwalks and Arssegunticooks seem'd, as I before observ'd to be upon the point of breaking out into Hostilities before we had taken resolution to erect the fort and reconnoitre the river and carrying place at the head of it, now redoubled their Efforts to prevent the Indians from coming to a Conference with us and they had so far succeeded, that the Penobscot Tribe, which was the only one of the three I had hopes of gaining an Interview with let me know in a letter from them before I left Boston, that they |