Cii.VII. SOUTH AMERICA. ^ti 



Bofton, who, alarmed at the recent example, bcgm 

 to look upon their own welfare as in danger . accord- 

 ingly they held confultations on the means of prevent- 

 ing further rnifchief, and taking fatisfadion for the 

 late infult : they with reafoo apprehended, that the 

 French muft carry all before them in a country like 

 theirs, every way open, without fortrefTes or troops ; 

 and they imagined that the /rench, from the faci- 

 lity of its execution, had really formed fuch a de- 

 fign ; and that the firft faccejfs fo eafily obtained, 

 would naturally animate that ambitious nation to 

 greater enterprizes. This colony had ever looked 

 upon the neighbourhood of the French as dange- 

 rous ; and in order to have them at a proper dil^ 

 tance, the people of Bofton had made repeated fo- 

 licitations to the court of England, that Acadia 

 might be delivered up to that crown, in order to 

 form a barrier betwixt the other dominions of the two 

 powers. 



The reafon that the colony of New-England, and 

 its capital Bofton, is without any fortrefs or regular 

 troops, is owing to the apprehenfion of its inhabi- 

 tants, that they might be brought into fubjedlion to-' 

 the laws of England and adts of parliament, to the 

 prejudice of thole liberties under which they have 

 rofe to fuch a height of profperity. Thus the whole 

 country lies open without any other defence than 

 the great number of people it contains. The king 

 of England fend^ over a governor, but with fuch a 

 commiftion as is entirely compatible with its free 

 .cOnftitution. This defencelefs ftate of Boftoo 

 awakened in them a jealoufy of farther enterprizes 

 from the French ; that in a confultation, at which 

 the governor and the chief perfons of the colony 

 aftifted, it was rcfolved that New-England could 

 not be fafe by land or fea, till the French were? dif- 

 poftefted of Louiibourg; but that in order to fuc- 

 ceed, the defign muft be condutfled with fuch im- 

 penetrably 



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