Point in a time of War; We shall Wipe off the reproach of the Colonies for Suffering that dangerous Encroachment upon His Majesty's Territories, to be at first erected. I should have mentioned to Your Honour, that the two Houses of the Assembly in this Province, have bound themselves [by oath] to secrecy, both with respect to the expedition now preparing against the [French] Encroachments in Nova Scotia, and that proposed against those at Crown Point; [which I thought proper to observe, that Your Honor may use your discretion in that [point,] with regard to the Assembly within your own Government. The same [union of] Sentiments, and like Spirit with which the four sister Colonies of New England acted in the late expeditions against Cape Breton and Canada, will I hope prevail in their Counsels at this most Critical conjuncture, and particularly that the depredations which the County of Albany [suffers ?] from the French and their Indians at Crown Point, not only in time of War, but [as well] in time of peace, together with its present exposed State, will move the Government of New York to an Hearty concurrence with the Massachusets Bay in the proposed Expedition. Your Honour is Sensible that, in order to avail our selves of the favourable opportunity for such an Enterprise, a Speedy determination upon it and the greatest dispatch in our preparations for it is Necessary. I have Commissionated Thomas Pownall, Esqr' to wait on Your Honour upon this occasion and to solicit your government to Join with my own, in this necessary piece of Service for the protection of His Majestys Colonies under Our care against the dangerous encroachments of the French, and hope he will Succeed in the Execution of his Commission. I am with the greatest Regard, Sir Your Honours Most Humble and Most Obedient Servant, To Governour De Lancey of New York. W. SHIRLEY. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO ELIJAH WILLIAMS AND OTHERS1 GENTLEMEN, Boston, Feby. 27, 1755. At the motion and desire of the Council and House of Representatives I do hereby direct you forthwith to desist from Building and Repairing the Line of Block Houses (you were directed to build and repair) until my further orders. And in particular you must desist from building the Fort you were ordered to build at a Place west of Massachusetts Fort until I receive an answer to a Letter I shall send to the Honble James DeLancey Esq. Lieut. Governr of New York by the next Conveyance. I am Sir Your assured Friend W. SHIRLEY. To Elijah Williams Esqr. and the Comee for building and repairing Forts and Block Houses West of Connectt. River. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO ROBERT HALE 2 Boston, March 4th, 1755. SIR, I thought it might be of use to you to have a copy of Governour Wentworth's letter to me and of my answer to it, I have therefore inclos'd them.3 1 Original, Mass. Arch., Col. Ser. 54, 382. A letter from Joseph Dwight to Shirley of Feb. 25, giving an account of conditions at Stockbridge and the movements of Indians toward the Ohio, is in Mass. Arch., Col. Ser. 54, 380. The needs of Fort Halifax are given in a letter of Feb. 20-21 from William Lithgow, ibid. pp. 371-379. Shirley's reply to Lithgow is in the same volume, p. 383, and Williams to Shirley, stating conditions west of the Connecticut, with map inclosed (Feb. 10), is on p. 367. 2 Original, Amer. Antiq. Society. 3 Shirley wrote the New Hampshire governor as to Crown Point on Feb. 21. Wentworth replied a week later, and the second Shirley I hope the inclos'd papers will be sufficient, with what other Arguments may occurr to you, for making your negotiations succeed, which I heartily wish it may. I have taken care of your friend Captn Bagley, whom I like much. hope you will be at Portsmouth in time and am with great truth, Sir, Your very assur'd Friend and Servant, W. SHIRLEY. I P.S. Mr Hutchinson set out yesterday for Rhode Island, as did the Commissioners for New York, New Jersey and Pensilvania. I dare say Mr Wentworth will be ready for you by the time you can get to Portsmouth. Colonel Hale. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO BENNING WENTWORTH 3 SIR, Boston, March 4, 1755. I have the Honour of your Excellency's Letter in Answer to mine of the 21st of Feby and am glad that what is therein propos'd hath your Approbation; I doubt not, when your Excy. shall consider it with a clear Attention in full Council, as you propose, but that the point under Consideration will appear to be the most interesting one in its Consequences at this Conjuncture, for the general service of his Majesty's Colonies upon this Continent, as well as for the particular security of the Colonies propos'd to be concern'd in the Exletter accompanied this letter to Hale. See Shirley to Wentworth, following, for outline of plans and note to same on p. 142 for Wentworth's reply to Shirley of Feb. 28. A contemporary copy of each of the last two letters is in the Amer. Antiq. Society. 1 Jonathan Bagley. 2 Thomas Pownall and Josiah Quincy. See Shirley to Morris, I Penna. Arch. 2, 260. 3 Cont. Copy in Amer. Antiq. Society. See Transactions and Collections Amer. Antiq. Soc. II, 10. cution of it, that ever was depending before your Excellency and Council. I agree with your Excellency that Coos should be fortify'd; I look upon a Fort there to be an essential one in the line of Forts we ought to have, as a very strong one likewise at or near the head of Kennebeck River to curb the French Settlemts at Quebec and upon the Chaudiere and a Fort also at Penobscot another perhaps at Woodcreek, not to mention any other Interior Forts; But I doubt not if the grand point under Consideration is Embarrass'd with the Settlement of any others, before we enter upon the Execution of it, that the favourable Opportunity of doing it, which will be about the same time with the landing of the Troops destin'd for Nova Scotia, will be lost. That seems to be at present the sole Object of our united Counsels and that against which our united Forces should be bent. Your Excellency sees by my speech that I purpose making a feint at the head of the River Chaudiere to alarm the French at Quebec and cause a Diversion of their Forces from Montreal, and if our united Forces should be strong enough to spare a sufficient party to go after the Indians above St. Francois River, and even to fortify Coos immediately, I shall be very glad; But I think, if that or any other point of Inferiour Consideration can't be instantly settled among all the Colonies concern'd, it ought not to interfere with the carrying of the Grand point into Execution at the proper time for doing it. The fortifying of Coos and other places will follow of course and I will join heartily with your Excy. in a Representation to his Majesty that a Fort ought to be supported there at the joint Expence of the Colonies, among other Forts necessary for the Common defence of the whole. It gives me great satisfaction that your Excellency intirely approves of my Nomination of Colo. Johnson for the Chief Command in the propos'd Expedition. As to the manner of his appointment, which your Excy. mentions as a matter to be considered of, it is a point of so small Consideration in my Apprehension, that I am not sollicitous how it is settled. Besides the reasons mentiond in my Letter to your Excellency I think others might be mentioned to shew that there was no Impropriety in what I have done; I would only beg leave to assure your Excellency that no desire of preference or precedence mov'd me to do it. Provided his Majestys Service in so essential a point as the present one is consulted, I care not who takes the Lead in any Punctilios attending it. I have desir'd Colonel Hale to wait on your Excellency in the manner propos'd in your Letter, and I am sure he will be glad of your Advice for working the Miracle so greatly to be wished for upon the Exeter men.1 As to the Difficulty of your Exys. Government's raising their Quota of Money to defray the Charge of the propos'd service I should think it might be done one of these three ways; either by borrowing it for a short time and payment of Interest as my own Govt. does when the Treasury is empty; or by an Emission of Paper Bills, to be sunk within five years, according to the liberty given by the late Act of Parliament upon such sudden Emergencies for his Majesty's Service as this which is the method used a few days ago by the Govt of New York for raising £15000 of their Currency or by Appropriating the Sterling Money, your Excellency's Government hath now in England. Your Excellency is the best judge which of these Methods is the preferable one, but certainly it may be done in one or other of them. I omitted mentioning in my last Letter that I design to Governor Wentworth considered the delegation from Exeter in the N. H. Assembly as the center of the opposition to Shirley's plans for the Crown Point expedition. In his letter of Feb. 28, of which Shitley had given Hale a copy and to which this is a reply, Wentworth had written of Hale: "if he can convert the Exeter members he will gain a great point if not a miraculous one." Wentworth had feared also the difficulty of raising money and had asked Shirley's advice as to the best means to be employed for this purpose. Hale's letters to Shirley relating his experiences in New Hampshire and the measure of success obtained are of Mar. 14, 15, 18, and 21, and are in Amer. Antiq. Society. For summaries of them see Lincoln, Manuscript Records of the French and Indian War, A. A. S. Trans. and Coll. 11, 139 ff. |