Through this mift of controverfy it can raife no wonder that the truth is not eafily difcovered. When a quarrel has been long carried on between individuals, it is often very hard to tell by whom it was begun. Every fact is darkened by diftance, by intereft, and by multitudes. Information is not cafily procured from far; thofe whom the truth will not favour, will not ftep voluntarily forth to tell it; and where there are many agents, it is eafy for every single action to

be concealed.

All these caufes concur to the obfcurity of the question, By whom were hoftilities in America "commenced?" Perhaps there never can be remembered a time in which hoftilities had ceafed. Two powerful colonies inflamed with immemorial rivalry, and placed out of the fuperintendence of the mother nations, were not likely to be long at rest. Some oppofition was always going forward, fome mifchief was every day done or meditated, and the borderers were always better pleased with what they could fnatch from their neighbours, than what they had of their own.

In this difpofition to reciprocal invafion a cause of dispute never could be wanting. The forefts and deferts of America are without land-marks, and therefore cannot be particularly fpecified in ftipulations: the appellations of thofe wide-extended regions have in every mouth a different meaning, and are underftood on either fide as inclination happens to contract or extend them. Who has yet pretended to define how much of America is included in Brazil, Mexico, or Peru? It is almoft as cafy to divide the Atlantic

Ocean

ocean by a line, as clearly to ascertain the limits of thofe uncultivated, uninhabitable, unmeasured regions.

It is likewife to be confidered, that contracts concerning boundaries are often left vague and indefinite without neceffity, by the defire of each party, to interpret the ambiguity to its own advantage when a fit opportunity fhall be found. In forming ftipulations, the commiffaries are often ignorant, and often negligent; they are fometimes weary with debate, and contract a tedious difcuffion into general terms, or refer it to a former treaty, which was never understood. The weaker part is always afraid of requiring explanations, and the ftronger always has an intereft in leaving the queftion undecided: thus it will happen, without great caution on either fide, that after long treaties folemnly ratified, the rights that had been difputed are ftill equally open to controverfy.

In America, it may eafily be fuppofed, that there are tracts of land not yet claimed by either party, and therefore mentioned in no treaties, which yet one or the other may be afterwards inclined to occupy; but to thefe vacant and unfettled countries. each nation may pretend, as each conceives it felf entitled to all that is not exprefsly granted to the other.

Here then is a perpetual ground of conteft: every enlargement of the poffeflions of either will be confidered as fomething taken from the other, and each will endeavour to regain what had never been claimed, but that the other occupied it.

Thus obfcure in its original is the American contest.

It is difficult to find the firft invader, or to tell where invafion properly begins; but I fuppofe it is not to be doubted, that after the laft war, when the French had made peace with fuch apparent fuperiority, they naturally began to treat us with lefs refpect in diftant parts of the world, and to confider us as a people from whom they had nothing to fear, and who could no longer prefume to contravene their defigns, or to check their progrefs.

The power of doing wrong with impunity feldom waits long for the will; and it is reasonable to believe, that in America the French would avow their purpose of aggrandizing themfelves with at least as little referve as in Europe. We may therefore readily believe, that they were unquiet neighbours, and had no great regard to right, which they believed us no longer able to enforce.

That in forming a line of forts behind our colonies, if in no other part of their attempt, they had acted against the general intention, if not against the literal terms of treaties, can scarcely be denied; for it never can be fuppofed that we intended to be enclosed between the fea and the French garrisons, or preclude ourselves from extending our plantations backwards to any length that our convenience fhould require.

With dominion is conferred every thing that can fecure dominion. He that has the coaft, has likewise the fea to a certain diftance; he that poffeffes a fortrefs, has the right of prohibiting another fortrefs to be built within the command of its cannon. When therefore we planted the coast of North-America, we fuppofed the poffeffion of the inland region granted to an indefinite

indefinite extent, and every nation that fettled in that part of the world, feems, by the permiffion of every other nation, to have made the fame fuppofition in its own favour.

Here then, perhaps, it will be fafeft to fix the juftice of our caufe; here we are apparently and indifputably injured, and this injury may, according to the practice of nations, be justly refented. Whether we have not in return made fome encroachments upon them, must be left doubtful, till our practices on the Ohio fhall be ftated and vindicated. There are no two nations confining on each other, between whom a war may not always be kindled with plaufible pretences on either part, as there is always paffing between them a reciprocation of injuries, and fluctuation of encroachments.

From the conclufion of the laft peace perpetual complaints of the fupplantations and invafions of the French have been fent to Europe from our colonies, and tranfmitted to our minifters at Paris, where good words were fometimes given us, and the practices of the American commanders were fometimes difowned, but no redress was ever obtained, nor is it probable that any prohibition was fent to America. We were still amufed with fuch doubtful promifes as thofe who are afraid of war are ready to interpret in their own favour, and the French pushed forward their line of fortreffes, and feemed to refolve that before our complaints were finally difmiffed, all remedy fhould be hopeless.

We likewife endeavoured at the fame time to form a barrier against the Canadians by fending a colony to New Scotland, a cold uncomfortable tract of ground, of which we had long the nominal poffeffion

feffion before we really began to occupy it. To this those were invited whom the ceffation of war deprived of employment, and made burthenfome to their country; and fettlers were allured thither by many fallacious defcriptions of fertile vallies and clear fkies. What effects these pictures of American happiness had upon my countrymen, I was never informed, but I fuppofe very few fought provifion in those frozen regions, whom guilt or poverty did not drive from their native country. About the boundaries of this new colony there were fome difputes, but as there was nothing yet worth a conteft, the power of the French was not much exerted on that fide; fome disturbance was however given, and fome skirmishes enfued. But perhaps being peopled chiefly with foldiers, who would rather live by plunder than by agriculture, and who confider war as their best trade, New-Scotland would be more obftinately defended than fome fettlements of far greater value; and the French are too well informed of their own intereft, to provoke hoftility for no advantage, or to felect that country for invafion, where they must hazard much and can win little. They therefore preffed on fouthward behind our ancient and wealthy fettlements, and built fort after fort at fuch distances that they might conveniently relieve one another, invade our colonies with fudden incurfions, and retire to places of fafety before our people could unite to oppose them.

This defign of the French has been long formed, and long known, both in America and Europe, and might at first have been eafily repreffed, had force been used instead of expoftulation. When the Englih attempted a fettlement upon the island of St. Lucia, VOL. II.

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