Virginians, by the British
Governor Dinwiddie, to put a stop to the fort building, which, although
joined by nearly 400 men from New York and South Carolina, he failed to
accomplish, having been compelled by De Villiers, at the head of a
force of 1,500 French soldiers, to capitulate, with the privilege of
marching back to Virginia unmolested. In Canada, De la Jonquiere was by
no means a favorite. Terribly avaricious, while the Intendant sold
licenses to trade, the Governor and his Secretary sold brandy to the
Indians. De la Jonquiere became enormously wealthy, but his grasping
disposition so annoyed the people of Quebec and Montreal, that
complaints against him were loudly made, and he was recalled. He died,
however, at Quebec, before his successor, the Marquis du Quesne de
Menneville, was appointed. The Anglo-Indian French War now raged
furiously. The English colonists were recommended by the British
Government to unite together in some scheme for their common defence. A
convention of delegates from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, with the Lieut.
Governor and Council of New York, was accordingly held at Albany, in
1754, and a plan of a federal union adopted. The plan was simply
this:--a Grand Council, to be formed of members chosen by the
provincial assemblies, and sent from all the colonies; which Grand
Council, with a Governor General appointed by the Crown, having a
negative voice, should be empowered to make general laws, to raise
money in all the colonies, for their defence, to call forth troops,
regulate trade, lay duties, &c. It met, however, neither with the
approbation of the Provincial Assemblies nor the King's Council. The
Assemblies rejected it because it gave too much power to the Crown, and
the King's Council rejected it because it gave too much power to the
people. Nevertheless, the Assemblies unreservedl declared, that, if it
were adopted, they would undertake to defend themselves from the
French, without any assistance from Great Britain. The mother country
refused to sanction it. Another plan was proposed, which met with
universal disapprobation. A convention was to be formed by the
Governors, with one or more of their Council to concert measures for
the general defence, to erect fortifications, to raise men, &c., with
power to draw upon the British Treasury to defray all charges, which
charges were to be reimbursed by taxes upon the colonies, impos