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A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

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82 A MAD SCHEME. [1745.lieutenant-general, — one from the governor <strong>of</strong>Massachusetts,<strong>and</strong> the others from the governors <strong>of</strong>Connecticut <strong>and</strong> New Hampshire; while Wolcott,comm<strong>and</strong>er <strong>of</strong> the Connecticut forces, was commissionedasmajor-general by both the governor <strong>of</strong> hisown prov<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>and</strong> that <strong>of</strong> Massachusetts. When thelevies were complete, it was found that Massachusettshad contributed about 3,300 men, Connecticut 516,<strong>and</strong> New Hampshire 804 <strong>in</strong> her own pay, besides 150Rhode Isl<strong>and</strong> hadpaid by her wealthier neighbor. ^lost faith <strong>and</strong> disb<strong>and</strong>ed her 150 men ;but afterwardsraised them aga<strong>in</strong>, though too late to take part <strong>in</strong> thesiege.Each <strong>of</strong> the four New Engl<strong>and</strong> colonies had a littlenavy <strong>of</strong> its own, consist<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> from one to three orfour small armed vessels ; <strong>and</strong> as privateer<strong>in</strong>g —which was sometimes a euphemism for piracy whereFrenchmen <strong>and</strong> Spaniards were concerned — was afavorite occupation, it was possible to extemporizean additional force <strong>in</strong> case <strong>of</strong> need. For a navalcomm<strong>and</strong>er, Shirley chose Capta<strong>in</strong> Edward Tyng,who had signalized himself <strong>in</strong> the past summer bycaptur<strong>in</strong>g a French privateer <strong>of</strong> greater strength thanhis own. Shirley authorized him to buy for theprov<strong>in</strong>ce the best ship he could f<strong>in</strong>d, equip her forfight<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> take comm<strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> her. Tyng soonfound a brig to his m<strong>in</strong>d, on the stocks nearly ready1 Of the Massachusetts cont<strong>in</strong>gent, three hundred men wereraised <strong>and</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed at the charge <strong>of</strong> the merchant JamesGibson.

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