Washington made a brave defence, but at length accepted of honourable terms of capitulation.

The policy of repressing the encroachments of the French on the British colonies was generally approved both in England and America. It was, therefore, determined to take effectual measures for driving them from the Ohio, and also for reducing Niagara, Crown-Point, and the other posts which they held within the limits claimed by the king of Great-Britain. To effect the first purpose, general Braddock was sent from Ireland to Virginia with two regiments, and was there joined by as many more. He was a brave man, but destitute of the other qualifications of a great officer. He slighted the country militia and the Virginia officers. Colonel Washington begged permission to go before him and scour the woods with his provincial troops: but this was refused. The general with fourteen hundred men pushed on incautiously till he fell into an ambuscade of French and Indians, by whom he was defeated and mortally wounded. The British troops were thrown into confusion; but the provincials, more used to Indian fighting, were less disconcerted. They continued in an unbroken body under colonel Washington*, and, by covering the retreat of the regulars, prevented their being cut off entirely.

The bravery and patriotism of colonel, afterwards general Washington, were so conspicuous at this period, that the most important services were expected of him. In a sermon preached before a company of volunteers in Virginia, August 17, 1755, by the Rev. Samuel Davies, the author refers to him in the following words: "I may point out to the public that heroic youth, colonel Washington, whom I cannot but hope Providence has hitherto preserved in so signal a manner for some important service to his country,"

For two or three years after this, the war was carried on against France without vigour or success: but when Mr. Pitt was placed at the head of the ministry, public affairs assumed a new aspect. Victory every where crowned the British arms; and in a short time the French were dispossessed not only of all the British territories on which they had encroached, but also of Quebec, the capital of their ancient province, Canada *.

In the course of this war, some of the colonies made exertions so far beyond their reasonable quota, as to merit a reimbursement from the national treasury: but this was not universally the case. In consequence of internal disputes, the necessary supplies had not been raised in due time by others of the provincial assemblies: this did not accord with the vigorous and decisive genius of Mr. Pitt, who is said to have told Mr. Franklin, "that when the war closed, if he should be in the ministry, he would take measures to pre.vent the colonies from having a power to refuse or delay the supplies that might be wanted for national purposes." As often, however, as money or men were wanted from the colonies, requisitions were made to their legislatures, which were generally and cheerfully complied with. Their exertions, with a few exceptions, were great, and manifested a serious desire to carry into effect the plans of Great-Britain for reducing the power of France.

In the prosecution of this war, the colonies fitted out four hundred privateers, and furnished nearly twenty-four thousand men to co-operate with the British regular forces in North America. *See Mavor's History of England, vol. ii. p. 394-5.

The success of the former; the activity of the latter; the convenience of their harbours; and their contiguity to the West-India islands, made the colonies great acquisitions to Britain, and formidable adversaries to France. From their growing importance the latter had much to fear. Their continued union with Great-Britain threatened the subversion of the commerce and American possessions of France.

At the general peace, Canada was cedA. D. ed to Great-Britain by France; and the 1763. two Floridas by Spain: her possessions, therefore, in the New World, were of an extent equal in dimensions to several of the kingdoms of Europe. The possession of Canada in the North, and of the Floridas in the South, made her sole mistress of the North American continent.

From the first settlement of English America, till the close of this war, the conduct of GreatBritain towards her colonies affords an useful lesson to those who are disposed to colonization.She treated them as a judicious mother does her dutiful children. They shared in every privilege belonging to her native sons, and but slightly felt the inconveniences of subordination. The catalogue of their grievances was small, and chiefly related to a few acts which operated against colonial manufactures. These were mostly evaded, but if carried into execution would have been slightly inconvenient, and only to a few.

1764.

Till this period the colonial regulations A. D. seemed to have had no other object in view but the common good of the whole empire exceptions to the contrary were few, and had no appearance of system. When the approach of the colonies to manhood made them more ca

pable of resisting impositions, Great-Britain changed the ancient system under which her colonies had long flourished. When policy would have dictated relaxation of authority, she rose in her demands, and multiplied her restraints. For some time before and after the termination of the war, a considerable intercourse had been carried on between the British and Spanish colonies, consisting of the manufactures of Great-Britain, imported by the former and sold by the latter, by which the British colonies acquired gold and silver, and were enabled to make remittances to the mother country. This trade, though it did not clash with the spirit of the British navigation laws, was forbidden by their letter. On account of the advantages which all parties reaped from this intercourse, it had long been connived at by persons in power; but, at the period alluded to, some new regulations were adopted, by which it was almost destroyed. So sudden a stoppage was a serious blow to the northern colonies. It was their misfortune, that though they stood in need of vast quantities of British manufactures, their country produced very little that afforded a direct remittance to pay for them. They were, therefore, under a necessity of seeking elsewhere a market for their produce, and, by a circuitous route, acquiring the means of supporting their credit with the mother country. This they found by trading with the Spanish and French colonies in their neighbourhood. From them they obtained gold, silver, and valuable commodities, the ultimate profits of which centered in Great-Britain. This intercourse gave life to business of every denomination; and why it should be stopped, could not be accounted for by the Americans, without supposing that the rulers of Great-Britain were jealous

of their adventurous commercial spirit. Their actual sufferings were great, but their apprehensions were greater. Instead of viewing the parent state, as they had long done, in the light of an affectionate mother, they conceived her as beginning to be influenced by the narrow views of an illiberal step-dame.

In September, the trade between the British, French, and Spanish colonies, was in some degree legalized, but under circumstances that brought no relief to the colonists. Indeed, the act passed on the occasion granted certain duties to the king upon goods imported, which were the produce of a colony not under the dominion of his majesty. Till that act passed, none avowedly for the purpose of revenue was to be found in the parliamentary statute book. The wording of it made the colonists fear that parliament would go on in charging them with such taxes as they pleased. The imposition of duties for the purpose of raising a revenue in America, was considered as a dangerous innovation.

The national debt of Great-Britain amounted at this period to nearly an hundred and fifty millions; and while the minister was digesting plans for diminishing this heavy burthen, as it was then thought, he conceived the idea of raising a substantial revenue in the British colonies, from taxes laid by the parliament of the parent state. This in England was a very popular project. And in March was passed A. D. the memorable stamp act, by which it was enacted, that certain instruments of writing, as bills, bonds, &c. should not be valid, unless they were drawn on stamped paper, on which a duty was laid. No sooner was this act published in America, than it raised a general

1765.