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demands, until, at length, they would shake off the yoke, and declare themselves independent.

Whilft the French were in poffeffion of Canada, their trade with the natives extended very far; even to the back of the British fettlements. They were difpofed, from time to time, to establish pofts within the territory, which the British claimed as their own. Independent of the injury to the furtrade, which was confiderable, the colonies fuffered this further inconvenience, that the Indians were frequently inftigated to commit depredations. on their frontiers. In the year 1753, encroachments were made upon the boundaries of Virginia. Remonftrances had no effect. In the enfuing year, a body of men was fent out under the com mand of Mr. Washington, who, though a very young man, had, by his conduct in the preceding year, fhewn himself worthy of fuch an important truft. Whilft marching to take poffeffion of the poft at the junction of the Allegany and Mononga hela, he was informed that the French had already erected a fort there. A detachment of their men marched against him. He fortified himfelf as ftrongly as time and circumftances would permit. A fuperiority of numbers foon obliged him to fur render Fort Neceffity. He obtained honourable terms for himself and mer, and returned to Vir ginia.. The government of Great-Britain now thought it neceffary to interfere. In the year

1755, General Braddock, with fome regiments of regular troops, and provincial levies, was fent to difpoffefs the French of the pofts upon which they had feized. After the men were all ready, a difiiculty occured, which had nearly prevented the expedition. This was the want of waggons. Frank

lin now ftepped forward, and with the affiftance. of his fon, in a little time procured a hundred and fifty. Braddock unfortunately fell into an ambufcade, and perifhed, with a number of his men. Washington, who had accompanied him as an aidde-camp, and had warned him, in vain of his danger, now difplayed great military talents in effecting a retreat of the remains of the army, and in forming a junction with the rear, under colonel Dunbar, upon whom the chief command now devolved. With fome difficulty they brought their little body to a place of fafety; but they found it neceffary to deftroy their waggons and baggage to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy. For the waggons which he had furnished, Franklin had given bonds to a large amount. The owners declared their intentions of obliging him to make a reftitution of their property. Had they put their threats in execution, ruin muft inevitably have been the confequence. Governor Shirley, finding that he had incurred thefe debts for the service of government, made arrangements to have them difcharged, and releafed Franklin from his difagreeable fituation..

The alarm fpread through the colonies, after the defeat of Braddock, was very great. Preparations to arm were every where made, In Pennfylvania, the prevalence of the quaker intereft prevented the adoption of any fyftem of defence which would compel the citizens to bear arms. Franklin introduced into the affembly a bill for organizing a militia, by which every man was allowed to take arms or not, as to him fhould appear fit. The quakers, being thus left at liberty, fuffered the bill to pafs; for although their principles would not

fuffer them to fight, they had no objections to their neighbours fighting for them, In confe quence of this act a very refpectable militia was formed. The fenfe of impending danger infused a military spirit in all, whofe religious tenets were not oppofed to war. Franklin was appointed colonel of a regiment in Philadelphia, which confifted of 1200 men.

The north-western frontier being invaded by the enemy, it became neceffary to adopt, measures for its defence. Franklin was directed by the governor to take charge of this business. A power of raising men, and of appointing officers to com mand them, was vefted in him. He foon levied a body of troops, with which he repaired to the place at which their presence was neceffary. Here he built a fort, and placed the garrifon in fucha pofture of defence, as would enable them to withftand the inroads to which the inhabitants had previously been expofed. He remained here for fome time, in order the more completely to dif charge the truft committed to him. Some bufinefs of importance rendered his prefence neceffary in the affembly, and he returned to Philadelphia.

The defence of her colonies was a great expences to Great Britain. The most effectual. mode of leffening this was, to put arms into the hands of the inhabitants, and to teach them their ufe. But England wished not that the Americans fhould become acquainted with their own.ftrength. Sne was apprehenfive, that, as foon as this period ar-t rived, they would no longer fubmit to that monopoly of their trade, which to them was highly injurious, but extremely advantageous to the mother Country. In comparison with the profits of this,

flects

the expence of maintaining armies and s to defend them was trifling. She fought to keep them dependent upon her for protection, the beft plan which could be devifed for retaining them in peaceable fubjection. The leaft appearance of a military fpirit was therefore to be guarded against, and, although a war then raged, the act organizing a militia was disapproved of by the miniftry. The regiments which had been formed under it were disbanded, and the defence of the province entrusted to regular troops.

The difputes between the proprietaries and the people continued in full force, although a war was taging on the frontiers. Not even the lense of danger was fufficient to reconcile, for ever fo fhort time, their jarring interests. The affembly ftill afifted upon the juftice of taxing the proprietary eftates, but the governors conftantly refufed to give their affent to this measure, without which no bill could pass into a law. Enraged at the obtinacy, and what they conceived to be unjust proceedings of their opponents, the affembly at length determined to apply to the mother country for relief. A petition was addreffed to the king, in council, ftating the inconveniencies under which the inhabitants laboured, from the attention of the proprietaries to their private interefts, to the neglect of the general welfare of the community, and praying for redrefs. Franklin was appointed to prefent this addrefs, as agent for the province of Pennsylvania, and departed from America in June 175 In conformity to the inftructions which he had received from the legislature, he held a conference with the proprietaries, who then refided in England, and endeavoured to prevail upon them

to give up the long-contefted point. point. Finding that they would hearken to no terms of accommodation, he laid his petition before the council. During this time governor Denny affented to a law impofing a tax, in which no difcrimination was made in favour of the estates of the Penn family. They, alarmed at this intelligence, and Franklin's exertions, ufed their utmost exertions to prevent the royal fan&tion being given to this law, which they reprefented as highly iniquitous, defigned to throw the burden of fupporting go vernment on them, and calculated to produce the moft ruinous confequences to them and their pol terity. The caufe was amply difcuffed before the privy council. The Penns found here fome ftre nuous advocates; nor were there wanting fome who warmly efpoufed the fide of the people. Af ter fome time spent in debate, a propofal was made, that Franklin fhould folemnly engage, that the affeffment of the tax fhould be fo made, as that the proprietary eftates should pay no more than a due proportion. This he agreed to perform, the Penn family withdrew their oppofition, and tran quility was thus once more restored to the province.

The mode in which this difpute was determined is a ftriking proof of the high opinion entertained of Franklin's integrity and honour, even by thofe who confidered him as inimical to their views. Nor was their confidence ill-founded. The affeff ment was made upon the ftricteft principles of equity; and the proprietary eftates bore only a proportionable share of the expences of fupporting go

vernment.

After the completion of this important bufinefs,

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