FRENCH OCCUPATION.                       663
mouth and up the Mississippi to its sources, appears to me, to be the boundary between the French and us in that part of the Country, and of course become our Frontiers; as the west side of the Mississippi will no doubt be settled by the French, I would offer to your Lordw consideration, whether it would not be good policy at this time while we certainly have it in our power to secure all the advantages we have got there by making a purchase of the Indians inhabiting the Country along the Mississippi from the mouth of the Ohio up to the sources of the River Illinois, and there plant a respectable colony, in order to secure our frontiers, and prevent the French from any attempt to Rival us in the Fur trade with the Natives, by drawing the Ohio and Lake Indians over the Mississippi, which they have already attempted by the last accounts we have from Detroit. From planting this new Colony, many great advantages would arise to this Kingdom as well as to His Majesty's subjects in North America; it would extend Trade and commerce with the furthermost Nations of western Indians hitherto unknown to us, which would enable the Trading people in the Colonies, to import more of the Manufactories of this Kingdom, than they have, heretofore done, which is an object of the greatest consequence to a Trading people; it would extend His Majesty's settlements in America, and make his subjects appear more formidable in the Eyes of the Indians, which is now become absolutely necessary, in order to preserve the peace between them and us; it would cut off all connections between the French and those Nations settled over that large Tract of Country on this side of the Mississippi and give us the absolute dominions over all the upper Lakes: Huron, Michigan and Superior, and bid fair for giving an everlasting peace to His Majly" Southern Colonies; besides, from this Colony in a very few years, we should be able to supply with provisions of every kind the several posts or marts, that may be erected for Trade with the Natives on much easier terms than they have or can be supplied from any of our Colonies. At present it may be objected, that the establishing such a Colony, so far from the sea, will be attended with too great an expence to the Nation, which may be easily answered. The fertility of the Country and the fineness of the Climate is now known to us, which is sufficient to encourage industrious people to settle it, in a very •little time without any expence to the Nation or hindrance to the growth of the present Colonies, and I dare say, people enough will be found that will undertake it.
Your Lordpp" may be surprised that after the conquest of all Canada, and as soon, as a p°aee took place between England & France, and the Natives convinced that His Majesty's Anns