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

166 DUG D'ANVILLE. [1746.the present Canada was to be letalone, he bethoughthim of a less decisive conquest, and proposed toemploy the provincial troops for an attack on CrownPoint, which formed a halfway station betweenAlbany and Montreal, and was theconstant rendezvousof war-parties against New York, New Hampshire,and Massachusetts, whose discords and jealousieshad prevented them from combining to attack it.The Dutch of Albany, too, had strong commercialreasons for not coming to blows with the Canadians.Of late, however, Massachusetts and New York hadsuffered so much from this inconvenient neighborthat it was possible to unite them against it ; and asClinton, governor of New York, was scarcely lessearnest to get possession of Crown Point than wasShirley himself, a plan of operations was soon settled.By the middle of October fifteen hundred Massachusettslevies,troops were on their way to join the New Yorkand then advance upon the obnoxious post.^Even this modest enterprise was destined to fail.Astounding tidings reached New England, andstartled her like a thunder-clap from dreams of conquest.It was reported that a great French fleet andarmy were on their way to retakeLouisbourg, reconquerAcadia, burn Boston, and lay waste the otherseaboard towns. The Massachusetts troops marchingfor Crown Point were recalled, and the countrymilitia were mustered in arms. In a few days thenarrow, crooked streets of the Piu-itan capital were1 Memoirs of the Principal Transactions of the Last War.