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JOURNAL OF COLONEL JOHN WINSLOW. |
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Royal to Assist Major Handfeild in Shipping oft those of that River, And you will So Order it as all the Straglers that May be Met with by the way May be taken up and Carried to Annapolis in Order to their Being Shipped with the Reste.
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CHAS. LAWRENCE.
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CIRCULAR LETTER FROM GOVR. LAWRENCE TO THE GOVERNORS OF THE OTHER COLONIES.
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HALLIFAX IN NOVA SCOTIA, 11 TH OF AUGUST, 1755.
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SIR,
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The success that has attended His Majesty's Armes in Driving the French from the Encrochments they had Made In the Province Furnished Me with a Favourable Oppertunity of Reducing the French Inhabitants of this Colony to a Proper Obedience to His Majesty's Goverment or Forcing them to Quit the Country. These Inhabitants were Permitted to Remain in Quiet Possession of their Lands, Upon Condition they Should take the Oath of Allegiance to the King within one year after the Treaty of Utretch by which this Province was Ceded to Great Britain; With this Condition they have Ever Refuced to Comply without having at the Same time from the Governor an Assurance in Writing that they Should not Be Called Upon to Bear Arms in the Defence of the Province And with this General Phillips Did Comply of which Step His Majesty has Disapproved, And the Inhabitants Pretending Therefrom to be in a State of Neutrality between His Majesty and His enemies have Continnally Furnished the French and Indians with Intelligence, Quarters, Provisions and Assistance In Annoying the Governmente, and While one Part have Abetted the French Incroachments By their Treachery, the Other have Countananced them by Open Rebellion. And Three Hundred of them were Actually found in Armes in the French forte at Beausejour When it Surrendered.
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Notwithstanding all their former Bad Behaviour as His Majesty was Pleased to Allow me to Extend Still further His Royall Grace to Such as would Return to their Duty, I Offered Such of them as had Not Ben Openly in Arms Againste us a Continuance of the Possession of their Lands If they would take the Oath of Allegiance Unqualified with Any Reservations whatso Ever, But this they have Most Audaciously as Well as Unanimously Refused, And if they would Presume to Do this when their is a Large Fleet of Ships of War in the Harbour And a Considerable Land Force in the Province, What Might Not wee Expecte from them When the Approaching Winter Deprives us of the Former, And When the Troops Which are only Hirede from New England Occasionally and for a Small Time Have Returned Home?
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