314 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



merits to engage the five nations in a waf with- 

 the Abenaquies, who were daily ravaging their 

 borders. Attentive chiefly to the interest of the 

 province of which he was governor, he declined 

 the measure, lest it should bring hostilities upon 

 that province. New York commended this 

 policy as wise, prudent, and salutary to that 

 province. The New. England governments 

 condemned it as narrow, partial, and selfish ; 

 and tending to create distrust, danger, and dis- 

 union, in the English provinces ; and were loud 

 in their complaints, tlrat their, enemies found at 

 Albany, arms and ammunition to carry on the 

 war again.'jt them, and a good market for all 

 the spoil and plunder that was taken from themo 

 Such however was the importance of vigo- 

 rous measures to preserve the attachment of the 

 five nations, and to. defend their own frontiers, 

 that the English Gol^nies still retained the idea 

 of driving the French out of: Canada. The 

 congress of governors which .met at Rhode Isl- 

 and, were agreed in the necessity of this meas-- 

 urc- ; and Nicholson and Vetch who had met 

 ^v'ith them, were fully in the same sentiment. 

 It was aq;?'eed that an address should be made to 

 queen Anne, representing the great harmony 

 and exertions of the colonies in her service, the 

 necessity of reducing the French in North A? 

 merica to her government ; and praying her 

 majest}' to graut to the colonies an armament, 

 .which with their assistance, should be adequate 

 to the desif^n y and that aj;cnts should be sent 

 to Great Britain, to join with Nicholson in rep- 

 resenting the state of the country, and soliLiting;. 

 assistance against Canada, 



