204 BOUQUET IN THE INDIAN COUNTRY. [1764, Mat. 



had, equally in vain, sent Colonel James Eobertson 

 as a special messenger to the provincial commis- 

 sioners. " I found all my pleading vain," the dis- 

 appointed envoy had written, " and believe Cicero's 

 would have been so. I never saw any men so 

 determined in the right as these people are in this 

 absurdly wrong resolve." ^ The resolve in question 

 related to the seven hundred men whom the As- 

 sembly had voted to raise for protecting the gather- 

 ing of the harvest, and whom the commissioners 

 stiffly refused to place at the disposition of the 

 military authorities. 



It is apparent in all this that, at an early period 

 of the war, a change had come over the spirit of 

 the commander-in-chief, whose prejudices and pride 

 had revolted, at the outset, against the asking of 

 provincial aid to " chastise the savages," but who 

 had soon been brought to reason by his own help- 

 lessness and the exigencies of the situation. In 

 like manner, a change, though at the eleventh 

 hour, had now come over the spirit of the Penn- 

 sylvania Assembly. The invasion of the Paxton 

 borderers, during the past winter, had scared the 

 Quaker faction into their senses. Their old quar- 



with, can have no effect in opening the hearts of your Assembly to exert 

 themselves like men, I am sure no arguments I could urge will be 

 regarded." — Amherst to Governor Hamilton, 7 July, 1763. 



" The situation of this countr}-- is deplorable, and the infatuation of 

 their government in taking the most dilatory and ineffectual measures for 

 their protection, highly blamable. They have not paid the least regard 

 to the plan I proposed to them on my arrival here, and will lose this and 

 York counties if the savages push their attacks." — Bouquet to Amherst, 

 13 July, 1763. 



1 MS. Jj^iiQT — Robertson to Amherst, 19 July, 1763. 



