same Interest, as opposed to France, and some Refemblance of Religion, as oppofed to Popery; but we have such a Rivalry, in respect of Commerce, as will always keep us from very clofe Adherence to each other. No mercantile Man, or mercantile Nation, has any Friendship but for Money, and Alliance between them will laft no longer than their common Safety or common Profit is endangered ; no longer than they have an Enemy, who threatens to take from each more than either can steal from the other.

We were both fufficiently interested in repreffing the Ambition, and obftructing the Commerce of France; and therefore we concurred with as much Fidelity and as regular Co-operation as is commonly found. The Dutch were in immediate Danger, the Armies of their Enemies hovered over their Counstry, and therefore they were obliged to dismiss for a Time their Love of Money, and their narrow Projects of private Profit, and to do what a Trader does not willingly at any Time believe neceffary, to facrifice a Part for the Prefervation of the Whole.

A Peace was at length made, and the French with their ufual Vigour and Industry rebuilt their Fleets, reftored their Commerce, and became in a very few Years able to conteft again the Dominion of the Sea. Their Ships were well built, and always very numerously manned; their Commanders, having no Hopes but from their Bravery or their Fortune, were refolute, and being very carefully educated for the Sea, were eminently skilful.

All this was foon perceived, when Queen Anne, the then Darling of England, declared War against France. Our Succefs by Sea, though fufficient to keep us from Dejection, was not fuch as dejected our Enemies. It is, indeed, to be confeffed, that we did not exert our whole naval Strength; Marlborahigh was the Governor of our Counfels, and the

great

great View of Marlborough was a War by Land, which he knew well how to conduct, both to the Honour of his Country, and his own Profit. The Fleet was therefore ftarved that the Army might be fupplied, and naval Advantages were neglected for the fake of taking a Town in Flanders, to be garrifoned by our Allies. The French, however, were fo weakened by one Defeat after another, that, tho' their Fleet was never deftroyed by any total Över throw, they at laft retained it in their Harbours, and applied their whole Force to the Resistance of the confederate Army, that now began to approach their Frontiers, and threatened to lay wafte their Provinces and Cities.

In the latter Years of this War, the Danger of their Neighbourhood in America feems to have been confidered, and a Fleet was fitted out and supplied with a proper Number of Land Forces to feize Quebec, the Capital of Canada, or New France; but this Expedition miscarried, like that of Anfon against the Spaniards, by the Lateness of the Seafon, and our Ignorance of the Coafts on which we were to act. We returned with Lofs, and only excited our Enemies to greater Vigilance, and perhaps to ftronger Fortifications.

When the Peace of Utrecht was made, which those who clamoured among us most loudly against it, found it their Intereft to keep, the French applied themselves with the utmost Industry to the Extension of their Trade, which we were fo far from hindering, that for many Years our Miniftry thought their Friendship of fuch Value, as to be cheaply purchafed by whatever Conceffion.

Instead therefore of oppofing, as we had hitherto profeffed to do, the boundless Ambition of the Houfe of Bourbon, we became on a fudden folicitous for its Exaltation, and ftudious of its Intereft. We affifted the Schemes of France and Spain with our Fleets,

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Fleets, and endeavoured to make thofe our Friends by Servility, whom nothing but Power will keep quiet, and who must always be our Enemies while they are endeavouring to grow greater, and we determine to remain free.

That nothing might be omitted which could teftify our Willingness to continue on any Terms the good Friends of France, we were content to affist not only their Conquefts but their Traffick; and though we did not openly repeal the prohibitory Laws, we yet tamely fuffered Commerce to be carried on between the two Nations, and Wool was daily imported to enable them to make Clott, which they carried to our Markets and fold cheaper than we.

During all this Time, they were extending and ftrengthening their Settlements in America, contriv ing new Modes of Traffick, and framing new Alliances with the Indian Nations. They began now to find these Northern Regions, barren and defolate as they are, fufficiently valuable to defire at least a nominal Poffeffion, that might furnish a Pretence for the Exclufion of others; they therefore extended their Claim to Tracts of Land, which they could never hope to occupy, took Care to give their Dominions an unlimited Magnitude, have given in their Maps the Name of Louisiana to a Country, of which Part is claimed by the Spaniards, and Part by the English, without any Regard to ancient Boundaries, or prior Discovery.

When the Return of Columbus from his great Voyage had filled all Europe with Wonder and Curiofity, Henry the Seventh fent Sebaftian Cabot to try what could be found for the Benefit of England: He declined the Track of Columbus, and, fteering to the Weftward, fell upon the Iffand, which, from that Time, was called by the English, Newfoundland. Our Princes feem to have confidered themselves as intitled by their Right of prior Seizure to the Nor

thern:

thern Parts of America, as the Spaniards were al lowed by univerfal Confent their Claim to the Southern Region for the fame Reason, and we accordingly made our principal Settlements within the Limits of our own Discoveries, and, by Degrees, planted the Eastern Coast from Newfoundland to Georgia.

As we had, according to the European Principles, which allow nothing to the Natives of thefe Regions, our Choice of Situation in this extensive Country, we naturally fixed our Habitations along the Coaft, for the Sake of Traffick and Correfpondence, and all the Conveniencies of navigable Rivers. And when one Port or River was occupied, the next Colony, instead of fixing themselves in the inland Parts behind the former, went on Southward, till they pleased themselves with another maritime Situation. For this Reason our Colonies have more Length than Depth; their Extent from Eaft to Weft, or from the Sea to the interior Country, bears no Proportion to their Reach along the Coaft from North to South.

It was, however, understood, by a Kind of tacit Compact among the commercial Powers, that Poffeffion of the Coaft included a Right to the Inland; and, therefore, the Charters granted to the feveral Colonies limit their Districts only from North to South, leaving their Poffeffions from Eaft to Welt unlimited and difcretional, fuppofing that, as the Colony increases, they may take Lands as they fhall want them, the Poffeffion of the Coafts excluding other Navigators, and the unhappy Indians having no Right of Nature or of Nations.

This Right of the first European Poffeffor was not difputed till it became the Intereft of the French to queftion it. Canada, or New-France, on which they made their first Settlement, is fituated Eaftward of our Colonies, between which they pafs up the great River of St. Laurence, with Newfoundland on the

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Norths

North, and Nova Scotia on the South. Their Eftablishment in this Country was neither envied nor hindered; and they lived here, in no great Numbers a long Time, neither molefting their European Neighbours, nor molefted by them.

But when they grew ftronger and more numerous, they began to extend their Territories; and, as it is natural for Men to feek their own Convenience, the Defire of more fertile and agreeable Habitations tempted them Southward. There is land enough to the North and Weft of their Settlements, which they may occupy with as good Right as can be shewn by the other European Ufurpers, and which neither the English nor Spaniards will conteft; but of this cold Region they have enough already, and their Refolution was to get a better Country. This was not to be had but by fettling to the West of our Plantations, on Ground which has been hitherto fuppofed to belong to us.

Hither, therefore, they refolved to remove, and to fix, at their own Discretion, the Western Border of our Colonies, which was heretofore confidered as unlimited. Thus by forming a Line of Forts, in fome Meafure parallel to the Coaft, they inclofe us between their Garrifons and the Sea, and not only hinder our Extenfion Weftward, but, whenever they have a fufficient Navy in the Sea, can harrass us on each Side, as they can invade us at Pleasure from one or other of their Forts. :

This Defign was not perhaps difcovered as foon as it was formed, and was certainly not opposed fo foon as it was difcovered; we foolishly hoped, that their Incroachments would ftop, that they would be prevailed on by Treaty and Remonftrance, to give up what they had taken, or to put Limits to themselves. We fuffered them to establish one Settlement after another, to pafs Boundary after Boundary, and add

Fort