thence; as the Govr. of Canada seems to have done his upon this Occasion from the Court of France. And I would further observe that this Route affords the French a shorter Passage for making Descents, from Quebec, upon this Province, and destroying the whole Province of Main, with the King's Woods there, and in the Government of New Hampshire, than any other whatever from Canada. These Advantages, which the Possession of this River would give the French over this Province, make it easy to account for their constant Endeavours, ever since the Treaty of Breda, at which it was determined, in the most solemn manner, between the two Crowns that the River Pentagoet or Penobscot was the Boundary between New England and Accadia or Nova Scotia, to extend their Limits by Claim upon all Occasions, (as in fact they have done) to the Eastern Side of the River Kennebeck tho' they never attempted, until within these few Years, to pass over the River St. Lawrence within the Extent of this Province. I am satisfied it is needless for me Gentlemen to urge any Thing more to shew, how necessary, for the Safety of this Government, it is, that We should secure to ourselves the Possession of this important River, against the Incroachments of the French, without Delay; and I think the present Situation of Affairs in that Country must convince you, how vain a Scheme it would now be, to have your sole Dependance for gaining this Point upon making Annual Presents to Indians, who appear to have enter'd into an Offensive Alliance with the French against you, and have shewn evident Marks of a Disposition to put the River into their Power. How different are such Proceedings from those of the French? Whilst we have been suing in vain to a few Indians for their Permission to settle Lands within the undoubted Limits of this Province, and which Themselves can't deny to have been purchased of their Ancestors; and have in effect promis'd them a yearly Tribute, to restrain Them from committing Acts of Hostility against us; the French have marched Armies into distant Countrys of numerous and powerfull Tribes, which without any Colour of Right, They have invaded. They have forbid Them to make further Grants of any of Their Lands to the English, and have built, and are still building Strong Forts with an avow'd Intent to drive Them off from the Lands already granted to Them, and to exclude Them from all Commerce with those Indians, whom They have threatned with Destruction, if they shall presume to interfere in their favour. It is time, Gentlemen, for you to desist from having your chief Dependance upon Temporary Expedients, which seem rather to have exposed the Government to the Contempt of these Indians than to have conciliated their Friendship to it, and to take Counsel in part from the Policy of our Neighbours. Vigourous Measures against the French, in case they shall refuse to quit his Majesty's Territories within this Government, without being compell'd to it by Force, building at strong Fort near the Head of the River Kennebeck, above the Settlements of the Norridgewalk Indians, and pushing on our own Settlements upon it in a defensible Manner, would effectually rid the Province of the Incroachments of the former, and either hold the latter in a due Dependance upon us or oblige Them to abandon the River. And further by making ourselves, thro' this means Masters of the Pass, which was the general Place of Rendezvous during the Indian War in 1723 and 1724 of all the Tribes engaged in it, both in their Incursions and Retreats, We should have it in our power to curb all those Indians for the future, and, in a great Measure, prevent them from attempting to make Depredations in our exposed Settlements. I must further observe to you, upon this Occasion, Gentlemen, how dangerous Delays to make suitable Preparations for removing the French would be. How practicable was it, at first, to have put a Stop to their Proceedings in building their Fort at Crown Point? and you can't but remember, what mischievous Effects of the neglect to do that in the Beginning, were felt by This, and the Province of New York, in the Ravages which they suffer'd from thence during the late War. A Short Delay to dislodge Them from their Incroachments near the River Kennebeck, might give Them an Opportunity of making Themselves Masters of that River likewise in the End, and in that case we may expect soon to see another Fort built by Them near the Mouth of it, and the French in Possession of all the Sea Coast between that and River St. Johns. GENTLEMEN, I have other Matters of Importance to lay before You, But as Those I have already mentioned, require a most speedy and mature Consideration, and I would not, in the least, divert your Attention from providing for what is immediately necessary to be done for the Safety of the Province; I shall defer communicating them to you for a few Days. But must not omit to apprize you that tho' I have sent Orders to Capt. Lithgow for putting Fort Richmond into as good a Posture of Defence, as the ruinous State of it would admit, which the imminent Danger it may be in from a sudden Attack made necessary for me to do, yet I can't but think that all Money expended upon the Repairs of it above what the present Emergency makes absolutely necessary, will be an useless Expence to the Province, it being so far decayed, as not to be capable of being made strong by any Repairs whatsoever. Gentlemen of the Council and House of Representatives: I hope you will proceed in the Consideration of these Matters, with that Unanimity and Dispatch, which His Majesty's Service, and the Safety of the Province requires, and that you, Gentlemen, of the House of Representatives will make the necessary Supplies. W. SHIRLEY. Council Chamber, March 28th. 1754. Endorsed: Copy of Govr. Shirley's Speech to the Council and House of Representatives March 28th. 1754. No: 1. in Govr. Shirley's Letter of April 19th: 1754. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO THE GENERAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 Gentlemen of the Council and House of Representatives: The Occasion of my speaking to you now is to acquaint You that I received a Letter from the Rt: Hble: the Lords Commrs for Trade and the Plantations, signifying to me, that His Majesty had been pleased to order a Sum of Money to be issued for Presents to the Six Nations of Indians, and to direct the Govrs: of New York to hold an Interview with them for delivering those Presents at such Place and Time as he shall appoint; and I am directed to lay this Matter before You and to recommend to You to make a proper Provision for appointing Commissioners from this Government to meet Commissioners of Virginia, Maryland, Pensylvania, New Jerseys, and New Hampshire (to the respective Govrs of which Colonies their Lordships have wrote to the same Effect) as also for making such Presents as hath been usual upon the like Occasions. I have likewise to acquaint You that I find by a Paragraph of Their Lordships' Letter upon this Occasion to the Govr: of New York, which His Honour Lt: Govr: DeLancey Commandr in Chief of that Province, hath communicated to me, that he is therein directed to take Care that all the Provinces be (if practicable) comprized in one general Treaty to be made in His Majesty's Name, and that Mr: DeLancey hath given me Notice, that he hath appointed the said Interview to be held at the City of Albany on the 14th of June next. I am persuaded, Gentlemen, I need not use Arguments to convince You that it is of very great Consequence to the 1 B. M., Additional Manuscript 32735, 129. A transcript is in the Library of Congress. As will be seen from the endorsement this most forcible presentation of the position and needs of the American Colonies was forwarded to the London government on April 19, giving the ministry a clear presentation of Shirley's plans for America. Interest of his Majesty's Colonies upon this Continent at all Times, that as many of the Tribes of Indians inhabiting it as may be (those of the Six Nations more especially) should be kept in Friendship with the English, and a Dependance upon the Crown of Great Britain, and that as free a Commerce and Intercourse should be maintained with them as is possible; But I think it my Duty at this Time to enter into a particular Detail of these Matters. At the Treaty of Utrecht, which is confirmed by That of Aix la Chapelle, "These were looked upon to be points of that Importance to the British Interest in North America, that Care was taken in that Treaty to have the Indians of the Six Nations acknowledged by France to be subject to the Dominion of Great Britain, and it is therein expressly stipulated that the French shall give no Hindrance or Molestation either to them, or the other Natives of America, who were Friends to the English; it is also stipulated that the Subjects of both Crowns should enjoy full Liberty of going or coming upon this Continent on Account of Trade, and that the Natives of the Countries upon it should with the same Liberty, resort as they please, to the British and French Colonies, for promoting Trade on the one Side, and the other without any Molestation or Hindrance, either on the Part of the British Subjects, or of the French. With regard to the Indians of the Six Nations in particular, I would observe to You, that according to an Account given by them in an open Council at Turpehawkie at their Return from the Indian Treaty at Philadelphia in 1742, of the several Indian Nations which have been conquered by them and are now in their Alliance, and trade with the English (which Account seems to be the best we have of that Matter) the Warriours belonging to those Tribes may be computed to amount to 16,000 at least; and the French Indian whom I have retained in His Majesty's Service, who must be a good Judge of the Strength of the Five Nations themselves, upon being interrogated by me concerning the Number of their fighting Men, made Answer "That he did not know their Number, but well knew that they are a numerous People, |