43 6 A M E R 
feflions, and mutual injuries fucceeded. The difputes 
among the fettlers in America, and the meafures taken 
by the French to command all the trade of the St. Law¬ 
rence river on the north, and of the MiffilTi; pi on the 
fouth, excited a jealoufy in the Englifli nation, which foon 
broke out in open war. The next year three other expe¬ 
ditions were undertaken in America againft the French. 
One was conducted by general Monckton, who had orders 
to drive the French from their encroachments on the 
province of Nova Scotia. This expedition was attended 
with fuccefs. General Johnfon was ordered with a body 
■of troops to take poffeffion of Crown Point, but he did 
not fucceed. General Shirley commanded an expedition 
againit the Fort at Niagara, but loft the feafon by delay. 
In '755, general Braddock marched again!! Fort du 
■Quefne, but, in penetrating through the wildernefs, he 
-incautionfiy fell into an ambufcade, and- fu.ffered a total 
■defeat; General Braddock was killed ; but the enemy 
■not purfuing the vanquifhed acrofs the river, being eager 
in plundering the baggage of the dead, a part of his 
troops were faved by flight under the condnfii of general 
Walhington, at that time a colonel, who then began to 
"exhibit proofs of thofe military talents, by which he after¬ 
wards conducted the armies of America to victory, and 
■that country to independence. The ill fuccefs of thefe 
•expeditions left the Englifh fettlements in America ex- 
•pofed to the depredations of both the French and Indians. 
■But the war now raged in Europe and the Eaft Indies, and 
■engaged the attention of both nations in thofe quarters. 
It was not until the campaign in 1758, that affairs af- 
fumed a more favourable afpett in America. But, upon 
a change of adminiftration, Mr. Pitt was appointed mi¬ 
ni Her, and the operations of war became more vigorous 
and fnccefsful. General Amherft was fent to take pof- 
feffion of Cape Breton ; and, after a warm liege, the gar- 
trifon of Louifburgh furrendered by capitulation. Gene¬ 
ral Forbes was fnccefsful in taking poireflion of Fort du 
Quefne, which the French thought fit to abandon. But 
■general Abercrombie, who commanded the troops deftined 
to a£t againit the French at Crown Point and Ticonderoga, 
attacked the lines at Ticonderoga, and was defeated with 
a terrible (laughter of his troops. After this defeat, he 
•returned to his camp at Lake George. 'l ire next year, 
more effectual meafures were taken to fubdue the.French 
in America. General Prideaux and Sir William Johnfon 
began the operations of the campaign by taking the French 
fort near Niagara. General Amherft took pofteilion of 
the forts at Crown Point and Ticonderoga, which the 
French had abandoned- But the decifive blow, which 
proved fatal to the French interefts in America, was the 
defeat.of the French army, and the taking of Quebec, by 
the brave general Welfe. This hero was (lain in the be¬ 
ginning off the action on the plains of Abram, and M. 
Montcalm, the French commander* dikewife loft iris life. 
The ;lo;fs of Quebec was foon followed by the capture of 
Montreal by general Amhe.rft, and Canada has remained 
ever fince in pofteilion of the Englifli. Colonel Grant, in 
1761, defeated the Cherokees in Carolina, and obliged 
them to fue for peace- The next year Martinico was ta- 
: ken by admiral Rodney and general Monckton; and alfo 
the illand of Grenada, St. Vincent’s, and others. The 
■(Capture of thefe was loan followed by the furrender of the 
.Kavarvnah, the capital of the illand of Cuba. 
In ,1-7-63, a definitive treaty of peace was concluded at 
Paris, between Great Britain, France, and Spain; by 
which the Fnglifh ceded to the French fevepal iftands which 
•they had taken front them in the Weft Indies, but were 
•confirmed in the polfeftion of all North America on this 
fide the Miflillippi, except the illand of Orleans. But this 
war, however brilliant the fuccelles and glorious the event, 
proved the caufe of great and unexpended misfortunes to 
Great Britain. Engaged with the combined powers of 
France and Spain during feveral years, her exertions 
■were furprifing, and her'expence itfimenfe. Todil’charge 
iho debts of the nation, the parliament was obliged to 
I C A. 
have recourfe to new expedients for railing money. Pre¬ 
vious to the laft treaty in 1763, the parliament had been 
fatisfied to raife a revenue from the American colonies by 
a monopoly of their trade. 
It will be proper here to obferve, that there were four 
kinds of government eftablillied in the Britiftt American 
colonics. The firft was a Charter government, by which 
the powers of legiflatioh were veiled in a governor, coun¬ 
cil, and affembly, chofen by the people: Of this kind 
were the governments of Connecticut and Rhode Illand. 
The fecond was a proprietary government, in which the 
proprietor of the province was governor; although he 
generally rellded abroad, and adminiftered the government 
l»y a deputy of his own appointment; the allembly only 
being chofen by the people; Such were the governments 
of Pennlylvania and Maryland, and originally of New 
Jerfey and Carolina. The third kind was that of royal 
government, where the governor and council were ap¬ 
pointed by the crown, and the allembly by the people: 
Of this kind were the governments of New' Hamplhire, 
New York, New Jerfey (after the year 1702), Virginia, 
the Carolinas after the relignation of the proprietors in 
1728, and Georgia. The fourth kind vvasrhatof Maffa- 
chufett’s, which differed from all the reft. The governor 
was appointed by the king; fo far it was a royal govern¬ 
ment; but the members of the council were elected by 
the reprefentatives of the people. The governor, how¬ 
ever, had a right to negative a certain number, but not 
to fill up vacancies thus occafioned. 
This variety of governments created different degrees 
of dependence on tire crown. In the royal government, 
to render a law valid, it was conftitutionally required that 
it ftiould be ratified by the king; but the charter govern¬ 
ments. were empowered to enafit laws, and no ratification 
by the king was necelfary. It was only required that fuch 
laws ftiould not be contrary to the laws of England. The 
charter of Connecticut was exprefs to this purpofe. 
Such was the ftate of the Britifh colonies at the con- 
cltilion of the war in 1763. Their flourifhing condition 
at this time was remarkable and linking: their trade 
had profpered in the midft of all the difficulties and dif- 
tretfes of a war in which they were fo nearly and fo im¬ 
mediately concerned. Their population continued on the 
increafe, notwithftanding the ravages and depredations 
that had been fo fiercely carried on by the French, and 
the native Indians in their alliance. They abounded with 
fpirited and aCtive individuals of all denominations. They 
were flulhed with the uncommon profperity that had at¬ 
tended them in their commercial affairs and military tranf- 
aCtions. Hence they were ready for all kind of underta¬ 
kings, and faw no limits to their hopes and expectations. 
Their improvements in the necelfary and ufefu 1 arts did 
honour to their indultry and ingenuity. Though they 
did not live in the luxury of Europe, they had all the 
folid and fubftantial enjoyments of life, and were notun- 
acquainted with many of its elegancies and refinements. 
A circmnftance much to their praife is, that notwithftand¬ 
ing their peculiar addiction to thofe occupations of which 
lucre is the foie objeCt, they were duly attentive to cul¬ 
tivate the field of learning; and they have ever fince their 
firft foundation been particularly careful to provide for 
the education of the rifing progeny. Theirvaftaugmen¬ 
tation of internal trade and external commerce, was not 
merely owing to their polition and facility of communi¬ 
cation with other parts; it arofe alfo from their natural 
turn and temper, full of fchetnes and projeCts; ever aim¬ 
ing at new diicoveries, and continually employed in the 
fearch of rpeansof improving their condition. Their in- 
duftry carried them into every quarter from whence profit 
could be derived. There was fcarcely any port of the 
American hemifphere to which they had not extended 
their navigation. They were continually exploring new 
fources of trade, and were found in every fpot where bu- 
finefs could be tranlaCted. To this extenlive and inceftant 
application tu commerce, they added an equal vigilance in 
i the 
