ly, 700 from South Carolina being the firft that arrived in Virginia, about the middle of fummer. Before the arrival of even thefe, Major Washington, afterwards advanced to the rank of a Colonel for his good behaviour, had marched with between 3 and 400 Virginians, to obferve the motions of the French, who were in that quarter about 2000, befides Indians; it not being fuppofed they would fet foot on the ground to which he was to proceed, without a declaration of war. Three or four waggons having been fent after his fmall army with provifions, the French got notice of the affair, and fent thirty-five men to intercept them. Of that Major Washington was informed, and went at the head of forty-five men to fupport the convoy. A firmifh enfucd, in which the French were either killed or taken prifoners, except three, who were afterwards met with, and fcalped by fome Indians in the British intereft. About this time the French, with about 1000 men, came to a British fort on one of the forks of the river Monongehela, defended by an officer and thirty-three men; which was furrendered, on condition that the defendants fhould march off, and carry with them all that the fort contained. Major Washington, with the troops under his command, being advanced to the great meadows near the Ohio, he received advice on the 3d of July, that 900 French were in full march to attack him. Upon this he gave orders for throwing up a fmall intrenchment, which there was not time to perfect, because by eleven o'clock the enemy was at hand. A firing began, first by the French, and at length by the Britifh alfo, which continued till eight o'clock at night, when the former called for a parley. In confequence of this articles were agreed to, by which the troops under Major Washington were to march off next morning with the honours of war, and to carry away every thing that belonged to them, except their artillery, on their promifing not to work on any building on that fide of the mountain during a year from that day, and to fend back the prifoners taken in the af

fair that happened in relation to the waggons with provifions. The Briti faid, they had thirty men killed, an feventy wounded; and that they wer informed the killed of the French a mounted to above 300. After that de feat, feveral planters of the most wester ly parts of Virginia abandoned thei lands, and removed towards the eaft for fafety. The troops arrived, or that wer coming, from other colonies, to affift in the Ohio expedition, returned home and all thoughts of doing any thing fur ther in that quarter during the last yea were laid afide. Great preparations however, have been still making, by the French to keep what they have taken poffeffion of, and by the British to drive them from it.

Laft fummer the Spaniards took pof feffion of the bay of Honduras, driving all the British logwood-cutters from the coaft, and either taking or chafing from the bay the veffels of all nations but their own. They had there three large men of war, which had convoyed thi ther a fleet of near 200 fail of fmall veffels, having on board lime, ftones, a number of workmen to erect forts, and foldiers to garrison them. They allo talked of attacking a fort which the Britifh had on the Mufquetto fhore.

Nothing of confequence happened to any of the European fettlements on the coast of Africa during the year whole affairs we are recapitulating. In the mean time it is affured, that the feveral British forts in that quarter are repaired, and put in a good pofture of defence.

For feveral years paft there have been continual bickerings between the Briti and French in the East Indies. They did not indeed pretend to act directly against one another, but only in fupport of their respective allies in that country. For fome time the French gave out, that M. Dupleix, their Governor of Pondi cherry on the Coromandel coaft, was be come in a manner the arbiter of all In dia; and that the British had not one ly in that part of the world. M. Duplex had indeed gained feveral advantages particularly a ceffion to the French of the city of Muzalipatan, and the island of

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Divi, with their dependencies, made by a Nabob of Golconda, whom the French had got raised to that dignity, At the fame time the British, with any ales they really had on that coaft, were feated, and obliged to fecure themtives by incamping under the walls of Trichenopoly, where they were under confiderable difficulties. About the end of Auguft 1751, matters began to take a quite different turn. From that time forward the British and their allies fucceeded in almost every enterprife, took feveral forts, into which they put garri fons, cleared a great part of the country of their enemies, gained a confiderable number of battles from time to time, and took a good many prifoners; withect fuftaining any lofs of confequence the 15th of February 1754, when a party of 230 Europeans, eight officers, and about 500 Indians, with four pietes of cannon, efcorting provifions to iss

were attacked by a body of about 8ooo French and Indians, with feven pieces of cannon. The escorting party were in effect almost all either killed or taken prifoners. On advice of this, the governor and council of Fort St George difpatched two veffels with troops on board to reinforce the camp near Trichesopoly, where they arrived about the middle of March last year; at which time Col. Lawrence, the commander in chief there, wrote to the company at London, that his men were in good fpirits, and only wifhed for an opportunity to revenge the lofs. By a fhip from Pondicherry, arrived at Port L'Orient in France fince the British Eaft-India compaty received any advices that we have heard of, there were letters, which acknowledged two of the fucceffive loffes which the French fuftained before the air of the convoy on the 15th of Febary laft year. In relating that affair, the convoy is faid to have confifted of 300 whites, between 2 and 3000 black caPaliers, and 12 officers, who all perished in the action, except about 150. Thefe accounts add, that the Nabob of Golconda had just given the French company a province of 50 leagues cir

cuit, which in time of peace commonly produces twenty lacs de Rompich yearly, [in French money, about feven millions of livres], but under exprefs condition, that they fhall maintain, at Pondicherry, a body of 600 men for his fervice. Befides the British fquadron which failed for the Eaft Indies early last year, along with the company's fhips, we are informed, that two men of war lately put to fea for that quarter, the one of 70 and the other of go guns. The company have put on board their outward bound fhips a confiderable number of men, with great quantities of artillery and warlike ftores. It is to be fuppofed that the French company have done the like, though no particular account has come to hand.

A general view of the conduct of the French in America, and of our fettlements there.

T the treaty of Utrecht it was athe of I wasga

St Lucy, Domingo, and St Vincent, fhould remain neuter; and that neither England nor France fhould poffefs or plant them. But that peace was scarce concluded when they gradually began to plant thofe very iflands from Martinico and Guardeloupe, which we fuffered them quietly to do.

In 1744 they declared war against England, and then had a right to keep and fortify thofe iflands, which they did; but in 1748 it was agreed, that the treaty of Utrecht fhould be the bafis of that of Aix-la-Chapelle, and therefore thofe iflands were fill to be neutral. England, on her part, evacuated Cape Breton in conformity to the treaty; and the fame was expected on the part of France: but to this day thofe iflands remain in their poffeffion; where they are daily increafing in number of people. The French conduct therefore in regard to thofe iflands is unjuft, and a direct breach of the two treaties; and if they are suffered to remain in their hands, it will inevitably be attended with dangerous confequences to Antigua, Montferat, Nevis, and St Chriftopher's, which are already much inferior in numbers to those of Martinico, Guardeloupe, and Grand

terre:

inbargo, beat up for volunteers, in4000 men, bought arms, provi, hired tranfports, and failed in for days after the refolution firft taken. ey took the place, which greatly aned the French King, who then was Flanders. A congrefs was held aut two years after at Aix-la-Chapelle. What had we to offer France in lieu of her conquefts? Why, nothing but Cape Breton, And for her Cape Breton He gave up all Flanders.

We come next to Rhode island, which about the fize of the ifle of Wight, and is cut off from the continent by an arm of the fea, about half a mile over. On this continent they have feveral curties, of which Warwick and Propiente are two, and Narraganlet a third. port is the capital, and has an excelharbour. The town is much bigger tin our city of Worcester, and contains aree times the number of inhabitants. The principal articles of their trade horfes, lumber, and cheese. All goods they confume, they fetch from e and from Holland. They trade all the English, Dutch, French, Danish iflands, as well as to the Havannah, whence they bring a great eal of filver, every dollar of which finds way to London to pay for our manues. They alfo build very fine i with which they do good fervice

in time of war.

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principal is that of Saybrook, which admits of fhips of burthen about fifty miles up. Its fource is above fifty more. this river ftands Hartford, MiddleTown, Wetherfield, and many other towns; and neither of thefe contain lefs than 500 houfes, befides which there is in this colony feveral hundreds more.

The foil of this country is better than that of Bofton, and is productive of every kind of European corn. They have a great plenty of black cattle, theep, hogs, and horfes; and abound in every neceffary of life. They have not any city or large capital town in their colony, fo that their trade is divided. That part of the country which lies convenient to Bofton, fetches woollen manufactures from thence; thofe which lie near New York, buy their goods there; but fome of them trade to London and Bristol. The confumption of our manufactures in this country is very great; and the product of all the provifions, horfes, and lumber, that they export to other countries, comes to London for goods.

The next colony is New York, the fettlement of which began about 1 30 years ago. It is divided into ten counties; three of which are on Long Island, which is 150 miles long, and about 14 broad. There is not any kind of corn, tree, fhrub, or vegetable, produced in England, which is not found in greater

abundance in this ifland. The black

cattle are innumerable; and for horfes, no country can compare with it. There are many large market-towns on this ifland, and every part of it is very populous. They have three very large regiments of well-difciplined militia; one of horfe, blues. The north fide of the island has many very fine harbours. All their trade is at New York, which contains about 5000 houfes, all of brick and ftone; which in fhape excel the fame number in any part of London, and their town-houfe is very little inferior to Guild-Hall. Their ftreets are better paved than thofe of London. Most of their trade is by water-carriage. They have many fine wharfs, fo that ships of 400 tuns may come up to them, and be always afloat. Hudion's river, the fource

of

of which is above Albany, and which is one of the largest rivers in America, flows by their city, where it is above three miles wide. On this river all the corn and other goods of the counties of Albany, Ulfter, Duchefs, Orange, and Winchefter, come down to New York. In this city are fix large markets, and none in Europe are fupplied with provifions fo good, fo plentiful, and fo cheap. It lies in 40 deg. latitude, being parallel with Naples, Greece, and Afia Minor; which are as fine countries as any in the world. Its produce is wheat, rye, barley, oats, Indian corn, peafe, and all kinds of pulfe; excellent pafturage there for black cattle, fheep, horfes, hogs, in great abundance; every fort of timber which we have in England, and many forts which we have not, as fir, faffafrafs, &c.

They have for many years carried on a confiderable trade to London and other ports of this kingdom, as well as to Spain, Portugal, Italy, Africa, and all the Weft-India iflands; and take feveral hundred pounds per ann. of our manufactures; for which we are paid in gold and filver, which they receive from Jamaica, Caraccoca, St Euftathia, St Auguftine, and fome from the Spanifh continent; or in logwood, nicarago, brazalette; and many thousands per ann. in beaver, and other furrs, fhips, and feveral other articles.

We go on to New Jersey, most of which is a very level country, and its produce the fame as that of New York, and in great abundance. They have feveral rivers, but none of them deep. They have no capital town, fo that their trade is not collected. They have but very little foreign trade. New York is the principal market for their provifions; and fupplies them with English goods. This colony was unfortunately granted to a certain number of proprietors; who often had difputes about the divifions of the lands: fo that titles were precarious, which difcouraged people from fettling it; but within thefe 25 years paft, it is become very profperous, and very populous.

Penfylvania lies in about 39 deg.

Its

product is the fame in every partic as that of New York, and full as ab dant. This colony is divided into f ral counties, and is full of people: fo the latter end of Q. Anne's reign Palatines firft found their way thit and they encouraged their frie throughout the German empire to co over to them. There have gone from the port of Rotterdam, from 8000 Palatines to Penfylvania per a from that time to this; befides m English, Scots, and Irish. Philadelp is the capital; it contains 5000 hou and for its bignefs, is as fine a city as ny on the globe. Its ftreets are all out in a line, fo that ftanding in center, you may fee four different w from one end of the city to the oth The houfes are well built, their tov houfe elegant, and their market-pl equal to any in Europe. The city stai between two navigable rivers. The habitants trade to moft parts of Euro Africa, and America, and all the An rican iflands. They carry on a con derable trade, particularly to Lond and Bristol, taking off vaft quantities woollen and other manufactures, which they pay in the fame manner New York.There has been lat an academy erected in the capital ci which has made a furprifing progrefs.

The next colony is Maryland; which Lord Baltimore is propriet But whatever be the caufe, it is thi inhabited. It is a very fruitful count and produces very good wheat, and ther European corn, and a great dea Indian corn. The inhabitants b abundance of black cattle, and ho but their principal article is tobac of which they fend a great deal to E land. They have feveral good riv Their chief town is Annapolis, wh is not large. Unhappily for this co ny, the felons of England are thou good enough to be incorporated its inhabitants. However, the pe take all our manufactures that they occafion for, which they pay in tob co, deer-fkins, and furr.

Virginia is the most ancient of all colonies, and is of great extent, ha

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