bringing in a large Supply of Wood from the Eastern Parts, at as Moderate a Rate as may be, in which if I can assist you by granting protection for Safeguarding the Men that shall be employed in Carrying the Wood to the Vessels and loading it on board of 'em I shall be very ready to do it, or anything else in my Power that may be proposed to me for the forwarding of this affair. This will inform Your Honor that this government has taken into consideration the great danger which all His Majesty's colonies in North America are in (as well as their own particular danger) of being in time destroyed by the French, and Indians under their influence, without a firm union between themselves, for their mutual defence, and for weakening and destroying the power of the enemy; and more especially for driving the French from the borders of the Province of New York; and this Province has appointed commissioners to meet in a congress, to be held at New York, on the 2d day of September next, with such commissioners as may be appointed by all His Majesty's governments, 1R. I. Col. Rec. 5, 219. Governor Wanton's reply is dated July 3 and is as follows: SIRI received your favor of 29th June, and now acquaint Your Excellency, that it is not in my power to do any thing otherwise than to represent the matters therein contained, in as strong terms as I can, to our General Assembly, which will meet by adjournment, the second Tuesday in August; and then I shall be capable of acquainting Your Excellency of their resolutions thereupon. I am, sir, your humble servant, from New Hampshire to Virginia, inclusively; then and there to treat and agree upon measures for encouraging the Indians of the Six Nations vigorously to prosecute their incursions on the enemy; as also to agree upon the method and proportion of raising men and money, for carrying on the war, both offensively and defensively; and to project and settle such enterprises and plans of operation as the common interest shall require. Your Honor will, I doubt not, duly consider the great importance of this matter, and represent it in the strongest light to your Assembly, that they may see not only how deeply His Majesty's interest in general is concerned, but that their own particular safety will be soon much affected by the growing power of the French; and more especially the hazard there is, that they will bring the Six Nations into their interest, in case they are not forthwith most vigorously supported by the English, without which, it will be a very little while before the Southern as well as the Northern colonies will be exposed to their fury. And therefore I would earnestly recommend it to the several governments separately to make provision without delay, for the encouragement of the Six Nations, till the congress can be held; this government having already advanced many large sums of money, and still continuing to do more for this service. Your Honor will be pleased to give me seasonable advice of the resolution of your government on this most important affair. I am, Sir, Your Honor's most Obedient and most To the Hon. Gideon Wanton, Esq. P.S. I am to acknowledge the receipt of the favor of your answer to my last letter. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO GEORGE CLINTON 1 Boston, July 24, 1747. SIR, As it appears to me, by the latest advices I have received from Albany, as well as from what is contained in the New York prints, that there is the utmost danger of a total defection of all the Six Nations from us to the French interest, unless we do speedily and vigorously join with them in prosecuting an Expedition against the French for dislodging them from Crown point, as well as from the Fort they have built much nearer to the English settlements, I have issued a Proclamation for summoning every Member of the General Court of this Province to attend the consultation, that will be had on that affair upon the 12th of August next, and as the least loss of time will greatly hazard the success of this Enterprise, if we should engage in it, I must intreat Your Excellcy to have the Assembly of your province sitting at or before that time, and lay before them the danger there is of all His Majesty's Northern Colonies, especially your Province and ours, being soon depopulated and swallowed up by the Enemy, unless we now join with the Six Nations without delay in pursuing the War against the Enemy, and I must pray Your Excellcy will give me early advices of the measures, Your Governt shall take in this affair, and that in the mean time Your Excellcy would send a Message speedily to the Six Nations, that Your Governt and ours will do all in our power for the prosecution of this design, and for the engaging the other English Governts with us therein; and I would further desire your Excellcy to send your circular letters, as soon as may be, to this Governt and the Governts of New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, earnestly recommending this affair to them. I am with the greatest regard Sir, Your Excellcys most Obedient and most humble Servant. W. SHIRLEY. 1 Docts. rel. to Col. Hist. of N. Y. 6, 382. P.S. I should be obliged to Your Excellcy if you would send the inclosed by express to the Governt of New Jersey. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO GEORGE CLINTON 1 SIR, Boston, August 15, 1747. Yesterday about noon I received Your Excellcy's express in which I had a large packet from the Duke of Newcastle. I have only time to inform Your Excellcy that the expedition against Canada is laid aside at present, the reasons of which are contained at large in the Duke of Newcastles letter to me, an extract of which I will send you as soon as possible, that the consideration of disbanding the Forces raised for it is referred to Mr Knowles and myself, and we are ordered to consult with the several Govrs. as to the manner of doing it; that Mr Knowles and I are to do every thing necessary for the settlement of Nova Scotia forthwith for the protection of that and Louisbourg, and to make use of what part of the American Levies we judge requisite for that service, and I am commanded to compleat not only my own Regiment, but Genl. Phillips's out of them, so that Your Excellcy perceives the Expedition against Crown Point must be carried on by Soldiers in the pay of the Colonies, for, whatever part of the Levies that shall not be retained for the service and defence of Nova Scotia, are ordered to be discharged, as soon as Mr Knowles and I have determined what number is necessary for the above mentioned service, and the manner of doing it is settled between us and the respective Governours. This indeed I imagined and foretold would be the case, and was the reason I pressed so much for the Expedition's proceeding last year, not doubting but his Majesty's Ministry would be of opinion, that the reduction of Fort Frederick ought to be undertaken by the Colonies, without any assistance from home. 1 Docts. relat. to Col. Hist. of N. Y. 6, 384. The letters relating to the Johnson-Lydius-Stoddard controversy are in the Johnson Manuscripts, N. Y. State Library, 23, 40–47. However, I impart this to your Excellcy now, in confidence, that it may remain in your own breast 'till you hear of it in form by a joint letter from me and Mr Knowles. I am very sorry that Coll: Johnson should take umbrage at Lydius's, being concerned with him in what has been done by this Governt towards cementing the Indians of the Six Nations in our interest; I would not have him imagine that myself or any part of the Governt put Lydius's service in competition with his own, or that these Indians have been engaged in acts of hostility against the French by any person's influence but his own under Your Excellcys directions, and his Uncle Sir Peter Warren to whom my letters upon that head to the Duke of Newcastle have, I believe, been shown, can inform him that I have done his merit all the justice in my power. But Lydius has been a person long known to Coll: Stoddard and this Government, and has occasionally had the management of small sums among the Indians for them, and for my own part I thought he stood extreamly well with Coll: Johnson. SIR, I am, Sir, with great Respect W. SHIRLEY. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO GIDEON WANTON1 Boston, August 20, 1747. I send now to inform Your Honor, that on the 16th inst. arrived here a flag of truce from Quebec, with one hundred and seventy-one English prisoners, belonging to this Province, and divers other of His Majesty's colonies in North America, &c., by which ship I received a letter 2 from the 1 R. I. Col. Rec. 5, 224. 2 The letter from the Marquis of Beauharnois, transmitted by Governor Shirley, is very long, and relates to the exchange of prisoners. It is exceedingly courteous in its tone, and acknowledges the kind attentions paid to the French prisoners in Boston, by the authorities there. It appears that one of them, Lieutenant |