the quaker colonies-第16章

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ling　upon　the　village　early　in　the　morning；　he　effected　a　complete　surprise。　The　town　was　set　on　fire；　the　Indians　were　put　to　flight；　and　large　quantities　of　their　ammunition　were　destroyed。　But　Armstrong　could　not　follow　up　his　success。　Threatened　by　overwhelming　numbers；　he　hastened　to　withdraw。　The　effect　which　the　fighting　and　the　Quaker　treaty　had　on　the　frontier　was　good。　Incursions　of　the　savages　were；　at　least　for　the　present；　checked。　But　the　root　of　the　evil　had　not　yet　been　reached；　and　the　Indians　remained　massed　along　the　Ohio；　ready　to　break　in　upon　the　people　again　at　the　first　opportunity。

The　following　year；　1757；　was　the　most　depressing　period　of　the　war。　The　proprietors　of　Pennsylvania　took　the　opportunity　to　exempt　their　own　estate　from　taxation　and　throw　the　burden　of　furnishing　money　for　the　war　upon　the　colonists。　Under　pressure　of　the　increasing　success　of　the　French　and　Indians　and　because　the　dreadful　massacres　were　coming　nearer　and　nearer　to　Philadelphia；　the　Quaker　Assembly　yielded；　voted　the　largest　sum　they　had　ever　voted　to　the　war；　and　exempted　the　proprietary　estates。　The　colony　was　soon　boiling　with　excitement。　The　Churchmen；　as　friends　of　the　proprietors；　were　delighted　to　have　the　estates　exempted；　thought　it　a　good　opportunity　to　have　the　Quaker　Assembly　abolished；　and　sent　petitions　and　letters　and　proofs　of　alleged　Quaker　incompetence　to　the　British　Government。　The　Quakers　and　a　large　majority　of　the　colonists；　on　the　other　hand；　instead　of　consenting　to　their　own　destruction；　struck　at　the　root　of　the　Churchmen's　power　by　proposing　to　abolish　the　proprietors。　And　in　a　letter　to　Isaac　Norris；　Benjamin　Franklin；　who　had　been　sent　to　England　to　present　the　grievances　of　the　colonists；　even　suggested　that　〃tumults　and　insurrections　that　might　prove　the　proprietary　government　unable　to　preserve　order；　or　show　the　people　to　be　ungovernable；　would　do　the　business　immediately。〃

Turmoil　and　party　strife　rose　to　the　most　exciting　heights；　and　the　details　of　it　might；　under　certain　circumstances；　be　interesting　to　describe。　But　the　next　year；　1758；　the　British　Government；　by　sending　a　powerful　force　of　regulars　to　Pennsylvania；　at　last　adopted　the　only　method　for　ending　the　war。　Confidence　was　at　once　restored。　The　Pennsylvania　Assembly　now　voted　the　sufficient　and；　indeed；　immense　sum　of　one　hundred　thousand　pounds；　and　offered　a　bounty　of　five　pounds　to　every　recruit。　It　was　no　longer　a　war　of　defense　but　now　a　war　of　aggression　and　conquest。　Fort　Duquesne　on　the　Ohio　was　taken；　and　the　next　autumn　Fort　Pitt　was　built　on　its　ruins。　Then　Canada　fell；　and　the　French　empire　in　America　came　to　an　end。　Canada　and　the　Great　West　passed　into　the　possession　of　the　Anglo…Saxon　race。



Chapter　VII。　The　Decline　Of　Quaker　Government

When　the　treaty　of　peace　was　signed　in　1763；　extinguishing　France's　title　to　Canada　and　turning　over　Canada　and　the　Mississippi　Valley　to　the　English；　the　colonists　were　prepared　to　enjoy　all　the　blessings　of　peace。　But　the　treaty　of　peace　had　been　made　with　France；　not　with　the　red　man。　A　remarkable　genius；　Pontiac；　appeared　among　the　Indians；　one　of　the　few　characters；　like　Tecumseh　and　Osceola；　who　are　often　cited　as　proof　of　latent　powers　almost　equal　to　the　strongest　qualities　of　the　white　race。　Within　a　few　months　he　had　united　all　the　tribes　of　the　West　in　a　discipline　and　control　which；　if　it　had　been　brought　to　the　assistance　of　the　French　six　years　earlier；　might　have　conquered　the　colonies　to　the　Atlantic　seaboard　before　the　British　regulars　could　have　come　to　their　assistance。　The　tribes　swept　westward　into　Pennsylvania；　burning；　murdering；　and　leveling　every　habitation　to　the　ground　with　a　thoroughness　beyond　anything　attempted　under　the　French　alliance。　The　settlers　and　farmers　fled　eastward　to　the　towns　to　live　in　cellars；　camps；　and　sheds　as　best　they　could。*　Fortunately　the　colonies　retained　a　large　part　of　the　military　organization；　both　men　and　officers；　of　the　French　War；　and　were　soon　able　to　handle　the　situation。　Detroit　and　Niagara　were　relieved　by　water；　and　an　expedition　commanded　by　Colonel　Bouquet；　who　had　distinguished　himself　under　General　Forties；　saved　Fort　Pitt。

*　For　an　account　of　Pontiac's　conspiracy；　see　〃The　Old　Northwest〃　by　Frederic　A。　Ogg　（in　〃The　Chronicles　of　America〃）。


At　this　time　the　Scotch…Irish　frontiersmen　suddenly　became　prominent。　They　had　been　organizing　for　their　own　protection　and　were　meeting　with　not　a　little　success。　They　refused　to　join　the　expedition　of　regular　troops　marching　westward　against　Pontiac's　warriors；　because　they　wanted　to　protect　their　own　homes　and　because　they　believed　the　regulars　to　be　marching　to　sure　destruction。　Many　of　the　regular　troops　were　invalided　from　the　West　Indies；　and　the　Scotch…Irish　never　expected　to　see　any　of　them　again。　They　believed　that　the　salvation　of　Pennsylvania；　or　at　least　of　their　part　of　the　province；　depended　entirely　upon　themselves。　Their　increasing　numbers　and　rugged　independence　were　forming　them　also　into　an　organized　political　party　with　decided　tendencies；　as　it　afterwards　appeared；　towards　forming　a　separate　state。

The　extreme　narrowness　of　the　Scotch…Irish；　however；　misled　them。　The　only　real　safety　for　the　province　lay　in　regularly　constituted　and　strong　expeditions；　like　that　of　Bouquet；　which　would　drive　the　main　body　of　the　savages　far　westward。　But　the　Scotch…Irish　could　not　see　this；　and　with　that　intensity　of　passion　which　marked　all　their　actions　they　turned　their　energy　and　vengeance　upon　the　Quakers　and　semicivilized　Indians　in　the　eastern　end　of　the　colony。　Their　preachers；　who　were　their　principal　leaders　and　organizers；　encouraged　them　in　denouncing　Quaker　doctrine　as　a　wicked　heresy　from　which　only　evil　could　result。　The　Quakers　had　offended　God　from　the　beginning　by　making　treaties　of　kindness　with　the　heathen　savages　instead　of　exterminating　them　as　the　Scripture　commanded：　〃And　when　the　Lord　thy　God　shall　deliver　them　before　thee；　thou　shalt　smite　them　and　utterly　destroy　them；　thou　shalt　make　no　covenant　with　them；　nor　show　mercy　unto　them。〃　The　Scripture　had　not　been　obeyed；　the　heathen　had　not　been　destroyed；　on　the　contrary；　a　systematic　policy　of　covenants；　treaties；　and　kindness　had　been　persisted　in　for　two　generations；　and　as　a　consequence；　the　Ulstermen　said；　the　frontiers　were　now　deluged　in　blood。　They　were　particularly　resentful　against　the　small　settlement　of　Indians　near　Bethlehem；　who　had　been　converted　to　Christianity　by　the　Moravians；　and　another　little　village　of　half　civilized　basketmaking　Indians　at　Conestoga　near　Lancaster。　The　Scotch…Irish　had　worked　themselves　up　into　a　strange　belief　that　these　small　remnants　were　sending　information；　arms；　and　ammunition　to　the　western　tribes；　and　they　seemed　to　think　that　it　was　more　important　to　exterminate　these　little　communities　than　to　go　with　such　expeditions　as　Bouquet's　to　the　West。　They　asked　the　Governor　to　remove　these　civilized　Indians　and　assured　him　that　their　removal　would　secure　the　safety　of　the　frontier。　When　the　Governor；　not　being　able　to　find　anything　against　the　Indians；　declined　to　remove　them；　the　Scotch…Irish　determined　to　attend　to　the　matter　in　their　own　fashion。

Bouquet's　victory　at　Bushy　Run；　much　to　the　surprise　of　the　Scotch…Irish；　stopped　Indian　raids　of　any　seriousness　until　the　following　spring。　But　in　the　autumn　there　were　a　few　depredations；　which　led　the　frontiersmen　to　believe　that　the　whole　invasion　would　begin　again。　A　party　of　them；　therefore；　started　to　attack　the　Moravian　Indians　near　Bethlehem；　but　before　they　could　accomplish　their　object；　the　Governor　brought　most　of　the　Indians　down　to　Philadelphia　for　protection。　Even　there　they　were　narrowly　saved　from　the　mob；　for　the　hostility　against　them　was　spreading　throughout　the　province。

Soon　afterwards　another　party　of　Scotch…Irish；　ever　since　known　as　the　〃Paxton　Boys；〃　went　at　break　of　day　to　the　village　of　the　Conestoga　Indians　and　found　only　six　of　them　at　homethree　men；　two　women；　and　a　boy。　These　they　instantly　shot　down；　mutilated　their　bodies；　and　burned　their　cabins。　As　the　murderers　returned；　they　related　to　a　man　on　the　road　what　they　had　done；　and　when　he　protested