174 NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OP 



the West India islands, Quebec, St. Johns, Nova Scotia, Bermudas, 

 and East and West Floridas into the "Association," which was then 

 rehed upon as a means of colonial redress. 



Besides the appeals and the invitations addressed to the Canadians, 

 there was a hope that a successful invasion of Canada might bring the 

 population there into that support of the common colonial cause for 

 which the other means had failed. Accordingly, the expedition under 

 Montgomery, in the winter of 1775-'6 had a purpose additional to 

 mere conquest — that of gaining the support and the assistance of their 

 fellow-colonists. 



Still clinging to this object. Congress resorted to one other and the 

 last attempt — an embassy to speak in person to the Canadian — the 

 commission composed of Dr. Franklin, Charles Carrol, and Samuel 

 Chase, taking with them for their coadjutors a Roman Catholic priest, 

 the Rev. John Carrol, (afterwards archbishop of Baltimore,) and equally 

 pacific agents, a printer and a French translator. 



All these efforts — addresses made and made again, invasion, the 

 embassy of commissioners — all proved utterly unavailing in bringing 

 to those early Congresses any co-operation from other British provinces. 

 The addresses were not responded to, probably were hardly heeded; 

 the military expeditions failed, and the commissioners found no audi- 

 ence. The printer who accompanied Dr. Franklin and the other com- 

 missioners proved of no avail, in consequence of an unanticipated but 

 fatal obstacle, and that was that reading was a very rare accomplish- 

 ment with the P^rench Canadian population. Quebec was not more 

 impregnable to Montgomery than were the minds of the Canadians to 

 Franklin and a printing-press. 



These schemes for more extended colonial combination — began in 

 1774, continued daring 1775 and into 1776 — all came to naught; and 

 now we can see, what was not visible to those who conceived those 

 schemes, how happy it was that they did come to naught. I do not 

 mean to question or to disparage the sagacity of those colonial states- 

 men, who during three years persevered in those schemes and the 

 various methods of accomplishing them. Judged with relation to the 

 objects aimed at, those schemes were wise and patriotic ; but the objects 

 were only colonial opposition, and the combination which was contem- 

 plated was only to be a temporary one, to cease whenever the colonial 

 grievances should cease. But in God's government over the destinies 

 of the race and country other and greater results were in reserve, — 

 independence, nationality, union, — and considered with relation to such 

 results, I repeat it was most happy that all attempts to bring about 

 Canadian combination proved absohitely fruitless. It was only eleven 

 years before, let it be remembered, that Canada had been transferred, 

 by conquest and the treaty of Paris, from French to British dominion. 

 A province so recently foreign in laws, in language, in the various 

 social elements, must needs have proved an incongruous, if not a dis- 

 cordant member in such a union as was on the eve of completion be- 

 tween the thirteen colonies. The very I'act that it was necessary for 

 Congress to cause the addresses to Canada to be translated into French, 

 is of itself enough to show how little congeniality there would have 

 been for the perpetual purpose of union. When, therefore, Canadian 



