and ascertained, and confirmed by the king in council, as is related in our vol. II. p. 161. in the fection of Connecticut.

As to the eastern boundary of the province of NewYork; New-York hint at claiming fo far east as Connecticut river, because 1. By ancient Dutch maps published before the English royal grants of the colonies of Maffachufetts-Bay and Connecticut, the Dutch had actually a fort at the mouth of Connecticut river, as appears by records. + 2. That part of New-Netherlands in the duke of York's grant, is defcribed, " and alfo all that island or "iflands, commonly called by the feveral name or names "of Mattowacks or Long-Ifland, fituate, laying, and being towards the weft of Cape-Cod and the narrow Highganfets, abutting upon the main land between the "two rivers, there called and known by the feveral names "of Connecticut and Hudfon's rivers, and all the lands "from the weft fide of Connecticut river to the east fide "of Delaware-Bay." 3. This ifland, now called LongIsland, remains with the province of New-York, by a mutual tacit confent of both colonies. In answer to these allegations it is obvious, 1. That the line lately fettled between New-York and Connecticut, and confirmed or ratified by the king in council, is at twenty miles. eaft of Hudson's river, and cuts off all their claims of this nature upon Connecticut. 2. By the like parity of reafon, and precedent, the New-York claim to that part of Maffachusetts-Bay, which lies weit of Connecticut river, is cut off; moreover, the Dutch never traded or fettled fo high upon Connecticut river. 3. Therefore in equity, New-York is bounded north of Connecticut N. W. corner, by a line parallel to and at twenty miles diftant eaft of

+ The children of William Brown, Efq; of Salem in New-England, are great-grand-children of a grand-daughter of mynheer Provolt, at that time governor of this fort.

VOL. II.

Hudfon's

Hudson's river, to over-against the great crook *, elbow, or great falls of Hudfon's river, and thence in a due north line to the fouth boundary line of the French Canada country; | this line with other difputable claims

*Great crooks of boundary rivers not well discovered and defcribed at the times of granting and bounding colonies, are now conftrued as a termination of fuch lines; thus it was lately by determination of the king in council with respect to the line between the provinces of Mafiachusetts-Bay and New-Hampshire at Pantucket falls of Merrimack river, fee vol. I. p. 423.

The various difputes between the courts of Great-Britain and France (I must once and again beg pardon for meddling in state affairs, or arcana imperii, by chance they fall in my way, and in some manner I fcramble over them) concerning the national properties and jurifdictions of fome difputable countries in America, which perhaps might have been fettled in the late definitive (fo called) treaty of Aix la Chapelle, more expeditiously and with better effect, confidering 1. That by meer dint of good fortune, providence feemed to be of Our fide, and gave us poffeffion of Louisbourg at the mouth or entrance of St. Laurence or Canada great river, the French Dunkirk of North America. 2. By our natural fuperiority at sea, we had entirely obftructed the French plantation American trade, which might have induced or forced the French to make us fome favourable conceffions; than by tedious and generally ineffective fubfequent treaties by commiffaries, which frequently terminate only in a neutrality till next general rupture, or in fome mutual conceffions by way of equivalents detrimental to that fide who may have lately received the law; thus for inftance, if the court of Great-Britain at this juncture should quit claim, the neutral islands in the Weft-Indies to the French, as an equivalent for fome conceffions to be made in Nova-Scotia by the court of France to the British.

At present, 1751, the French with a confiderable military force, make a stand on the north fide of Chiconecto bay and river in about 45 d. 25 m. The parallel of 45 d. is the northern extent of king James I. grant 1606 to the North-Virginia company; this is perhaps the foundation of the French claim. If the partition line with France or Canada is to be settled at 45 d. north lat. continued, it will fall in with St. Laurence or Ontario river, a little above Montreal; including the greatest part of Champlain or Corlaers lake with the formerly Dutch country adjoining. If the fouth limits of Canada are thus fectled, New-York weft line will begin at this termination, and pafs along Ontario river to Ontario lake, along Ontario lake, and its communicating run of water to lake Erie, till it meets with Penfylvania north line.

is now in agitation at Paris by British and French commiffaries.

Unless there be fome general, but definitive articles of agreement, fee vol. I. p. 13, with the French, concerning boundaries, we ought to have a continued refidence of commiffaries at Paris or elsewhere; if the prefent commiffaries are fo happy as to fettle the boundary lines, between Canada on the French fide, and NovaScotia, New-England, and New-York on the British fide, there will ftill remain further lines to be fettled, of which I can give fome inftances, which may occafion great contention, the fymptoms whereof appear already; but as these things at prefent are in embrio, I fhall touch upon them only by way of annotational amufement. *

The

There is a tract of valuable land weft foutherly from Penfylvania Penfylvania in the grant extends 5 d. W. from Delaware river, and takes a confiderable fhare of lake Erie, and within which bounds fince the late peace the French have erected a fortification with a view of claiming that country, as formerly they built a fort at. Crown-point, to fix a claim to the country of lake Champlain. Our Indian traders inform us, that below lake Erie, upon the river Ohio, called by the French La Belle Riviere, and the great river Ouabache, which jointly fall into the grand river of Miffilippi, are the most valuable lands in all America, and extend 500 to 600 miles in a level rich foil. Luckily for us, the French, laft war, not being capable of supplying the Indians of thofe rivers with goods fufficient, thefe Indians dealt with our traders, and a number of them came to Philadelphia to treat with the English; hitherto they have faithfully obferved their new alliance: thefe Indians are called the Twichetwhees, a large nation, much fuperior in numbers to all our Six nations, and independent of them. This gave the government of Canada much uneafinefs, that fo confiderable a body of Indians with their territory, trade, and inlet into the Miffiffippi, fhould be lopt from them; accordingly the governor of Canada in the autumn 1750, wrote to the governors of New-York and Penfylvania, acquainting them, that our Indian traders had incroached fo far on their territories by trading with their Indians; that if they did not defift, he fhould be obliged to apprehend them, wherever they fhould be found within thefe bounds; accordingly in the fpring 1751, fome French parties with their Indians, feized three of our traders, and confined them in Montreal or Quebeck: the Twichetwhees, our late allies, refented this, and immediately rendezvouzed to the number of 500 to

The north and fouth boundaries in North-America, dominions belonging or claimed by different fovereignties, and of feparate colonies under the fame fovereign, are best determined by parellels of latitude which may be fuppofed invariable; thus the boundary of Hudson's-Bay company by the treaty of Utrecht is well fixed at 49 d. N. lat.; perhaps that of Canada with Nova-Scotia, NewEngland and New-York, may be fettled at 45d; in NewEngland that of Maffachusetts-Bay with New-Hampshire, by the king in council is fixed at a parellel of about 42d. 50 m; Maffachusetts-Bay with Rhode-Inland and Connecticut is in 42 d. 2 m; New-York with Penfylvania is in 42 d. compleated, or the beginning of the 43 d. which is 20 miles north of New-York station point with the Jerfies; Virginia with the Carolinas as fettled, 1739, is in about 36 d. 40 m. Some colonies are only bounded by rivers, the river Powtomack bounds Virginia from Maryland, the river Savannah divides South-Carolina from Georgia.

600, and fcoured the woods till they found three French traders, and delivered them up to the government of Pensylvania. Here the matter refts, and waits for an accomodation betwixt our governor and the French governor, as to exchange of prifoners; and as to the main point of the queftion, in such cases the French never cede till drubb'd into it by a war, and confirmed by a fubfequent peace. However, it is probable that in a few years our fettlements, if well attended to, will be carried thither, if with the protection of the Indians of that nation, they are countenanced by our governments. With this view the governor of Penfylvania is labouring with the affembly to have fome place of ftrength, fecurity, or retreat for our Indian traders, under the name of a trading or truck-house; the Indians have given their consent to this scheme, which they never granted to the French; it will be a difficult matter to perfuade a quaker affembly into any thing, where a military strength or fecurity is implied.

We may obferve, that fome part of thefe Indian lands W. foutherly of Pensylvania, to the quantity of 600,000 acres, have a year or two ago, been granted by the crown to a company of gentlemen in Virginia, free of quit-rent for 21 years; in the prayer of their petition, they propofe the fettling and cultivating the fame, as well as to carry on trade with the Indians. The whole of this affair is now reprefented at home to the miniftry, by the governor of Penfylvania.

In all affairs the French act the hucksters, at first make great demands, but afterwards gradually recede. It is faid, that as the French are now in poffeffion of Crown-Point fort and fettlement near lake Champlain in about 44 d. N. lat. their first demand of boundaries was a parallel of 44 d. lat. which cuts off from us part of New-York and New-Hampshire, almost the whole of the province of Main, all the good country upon Quenebeck river, all Sagadahock or the late property of duke of York, almoft the whole of Nova-Scotia, including Anapolis-Royal in 44 d. 40 m. and Chebucto in 44d. Iom. and Canfo; the French court are fince faid to have ceded, and propofed to make a ceffion of one degree of latitude; that is, their bounding parallel of latitude shall be 45 d. as the grant of K. James I. anno 1606, to the North-Virginia company extended no further; and moreover, that the French governor Champlain had taken poffeffion of the gulph and river of St. Laurence before this, and before the Dutch occupied the NewYork fettlement. This parallel of 45 d. in favour of the French includes all the Canfo islands with the northern parts of the bay of Fundy: and the good country upon St. John's river; leaving to Great-Britain the peninfula of Nova-Scotia, Crown-Point, and the greatest part of the country upon lake Champlain or the Dutch Corlaers lake; the ceffion of Nova-Scotia to Great-Britain by the treaty of Utrecht, was understood by the nation or people of Great-Britain to be according to the extent of the French commiffion fo far as Cape-Rofiers, to Mr. Subercaffe their last governor of L' Accadie; but by a parallel of 45 d. in the meridian of Cape-Rofiers in lat. of 50d. 30m. we give up 5d. 30m. of latitude; in the meridian of Quebeck in lat. 46d. 55m. we give up about 1d. 55m. of latitude; in the meridian of Mont

This Corlaer was a principal man amongst the Dutch fettlers, and this lake was called by his name; the French call it lake Champlain, and it generally has obtained that name; Champlain was the first governor of Canada.

Q 3

real,