tifh claimed as their own. Independent of the injury to the fur-trade, 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 ensuing year, a body of men was fent out under the command of Mr. Wafhington, who, though a very young man, had, by his cond in the preceding year, fhewn himfelf worthy of fuch an important trust. Whilst marching to take poffeffion of the poft at the junction of the Allegany and Monongahela, he was informed that the French had already ere&ed a fort there. A detachment of their men marched against him. He fortified himself as trongly as time and circumftances would admit. A fuperiority of numbers foon obliged him to furrender Fort Neceffity. He obtained honourable terms for himfelf and men, and returned to Virginia. 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 difficulty occurred, which had nearly prevented the expedition. This was the want of waggons. Franklin now stepped 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.--Walk

ington, who accompanied him as an aid-de-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 foine 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 into execution, ruin must inevitably have been the confequence. Governor Shirley, finding that he had incurred these debts for the fervice of government, made arrangements to have them discharged, and released Franklin from his difagreeable fituation.

The alarm spread 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 interest prevented the adoption of any fyftem of defence which would compel the citizens to bear arms. Franklin introduced intò 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 pass; for although their principles would not suffer them to fight, they had no objection to their neighbours fighting for them. In confequence of this act, a very refpectable miT

litia was formed. The fenfe of impending danger infufed a military fpirit,in all, whofe religious tenets were not opposed, to war. Franklin was appointed colonel of a regiment in Philadelphia, which confifted of 1200 men.

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

The defence of her colonies was a great expence to Great Britain. The moft effectual mode of leffening this was, to put arms into the hands of the inhabitants, and to teach them their ufe. But England wifhed not that the Americans fhould become acquainted with their own ftrength. She was apprehensive, that, as foon as this period arrived, they would no longer fubmit to that monopoly of their trade, which to them was highly injurious, but extremely adontageous to the mother country. In compain with the profits of this, the expence of

maintaining armies and fleets to defend them was trifling. She fought to keep them dependant upon her for protection, the beft plan which could be devised for retaining them in peaceable subjection. The leaft appearance of a military fpirit was therefore to be guarded againft, and, although a war then raged, the act organizing a militia was difapproved of by the miniftry. The regiments which had been formed under it were difbanded, 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 raging on the frontiers. Not even the fense of danger was fufficient to reconcile, for ever so short a time, their jarring interefts. The affembly ftill infifted upon the justice of taxing the proprietary eftates, but the governors conftantly refused to give their affent to this meafure, without which no bill could pass into a law. Enraged at the obftinacy, and what they conceived to be unjuft 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 interests, 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 Pennfylvania, and departed from America in June 1757. In conformity to the inftructions which he had received from the legislature,

held a conference with the proprietaries, whg. then refided in England, and endeavoured to prevail upon them to give up the long-contested 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 eftates of the Penn family. They, alarmed at this intelligence, and Franklin's exertions, ufed their utmoft exertions to prevent the royal fanction being given to this law, which they reprefented as highly iniquitous, defigned to throw the burden of supporting government on them, and calculated to produce the most ruinous confequences to them and their pofterity. The caufe was amply difcuffed before the privy council. The Penns found here fome strenuous advocates; nor were there wanting fome who warmly efpoufed the fide of the people. After fome time fpent 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 estates should pay no more than a due proportion. This he agreed to perform, the Penn family withdrew their oppofition, and tranquility was thus once more reftored to the province.

The mode in which this difpute was terminated is a ftriking proof of the high opinion entertained of Franklin's integrity and honour, even by those who confidered him as inimical to their views. Nor was their confidence illfounded. The affeffment was made upon the