306 FOTHERGILL AND PENNSYLVANIA CHAP. 



received some check in 1744, when the opinion of the Law 

 Officers of the Crown made it clear that, although the 

 Assembly ought no doubt in point of prudence to attend 

 to the defence of the province, yet it could not, by its 

 constitution, be compelled to act otherwise than according 

 to its own judgment, except by an Act of parliament. 



The difficulty became more serious in the year 1754, in 

 connection with a revolt of the Indians in some of the 

 colonies. These tribes had as we have seen received 

 fairer treatment in Pennsylvania than elsewhere. When 

 news reached England of their turbulent state, Fothergill 

 wrote to Franklin suggesting that as many as possible of 

 the Indians should be invited to come into Pennsylvania 

 for the present ; some of their leaders being sent forth 

 amongst the various tribes to offer to the red men and 

 their families subsistence and help, if they would retire 

 into the province during the present troubles. The 

 expens'e, he adds, will be great, but will it not enlist the 

 Indians in sympathy with the colonists, and prevent the 

 French from engaging them to molest you ? l 



Unfortunately for this well-meant proposal, the tribes 

 even in Penn's province had become hostile ; deceived 

 and defrauded of their lands by a policy alien to that of 

 the beloved Onas, they were ready to listen to French 

 agents and took up the hatchet against the colonists. 

 Thus the seventy years' era of peace and friendship with 

 the original inhabitants of the soil came to a sad end. 

 The lonely white settlers along the frontiers, many of 

 them Presbyterians, suffered at their hands ; and terrible 

 tragedies took place when the red man's cruelty was let 

 loose. The province was alarmed : the governor essayed 

 to set up a compulsory military service for its defence ; 

 but the Quaker Assembly offered a dogged resistance, 

 voting indeed 10,000, but coupled with conditions he 

 would not accept. It was freely stated that the insecurity 

 of the province was due to the Friends. At this juncture 

 General Braddock came into the country with British 

 troops to operate against the French and their Indian 



1 J. F. to Israel Pemberton, 11.11.1754, Etting MSS. 



