Petition to Queen Anne from the Colony of New York seeking reimbursement for a failed conquest of New France during Queen Anne's War

"That at the Intire Charge of this Colony and by the people thereof upwards of One hundred Battoes and as many Burch Canoes were built, capable to have received and Transported all the Army with their Stores and Provisions, That the fforts at Stillwater and the great Carrying place with the Store houses therein, were likewise built at our Charge before any of the Neighbouring Troops came there, That the Great ffort at the Wood Creek with the Severall Blockhouses and Store houses therein, was Cheifly built at the Charge of this Governm't. That all the Stores and provisions were at the Charge of this Colony Transported not only to Albany but from thence thorrow many difficult passages by Land and water to the Great Carrying place being about Seaventy Miles, that besides the Troops raised and provided for by this Colony, they furnished at their own Charge provisions for your Maj'ties Regular fforces, and for Six hundred of the four Nations and River Indians . . . And that besides the s'd Indians, their wifes and Children being upwards of One Thousand were Vitualled a Considerable time at Albany at the only Charge of this Colony, and so were likewise all the Severall Messages for Engaging them in the Expedition all which Charges amounting to upwards of Six Thousand Pounds wee were the Readier to lay on this Governm't by reason Collo. Nicholson and Collo Vetch Assured us, that your Maj'tie would Reimburse us"

New York, November 12, 1709. Manuscript document on vellum, in a secretarial hand, and signed by the Lieutenant Governor of New York, Richard Ingoldsby, and 25 members of the New York and New Jersey Provincial Assemblies, seeking re-imbursement for an abandoned military assault against French Canada during Queen Anne's War, and detailing at length the preparations made by the colony, at their own expense; approximately 27 x 23 in. (686 x 584 mm). Among the signers of this petition are Col. Pieter Schuyler, first mayor of Albany, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and later governor of New York; councilman Rip Van Dam; William Nicoll, speaker of the New York General Assembly; David Provost, 24th Mayor of New York; Ebenezer Willson, 29th Mayor of New York; Johannes Jansen, 35th Mayor of New York; Roger Mompesson, Chief Justice of New Jersey, and member of both the New Jersey and New York Council; Robert Livingston, First Lord of the Livingston Manor, Secretary of Indian Affairs, and member of the New York General Assembly; councilman Kilian Van Rensselaer; councilman John Barberie; councilman Adolph Philipse; Peter Herring, Johan Hardenbrook, Cornelius Sebring, John Cuyler, Hendrick Beekman, John Stillwell, Hendrick Van Rensselaer, John Van Horne, and others. Dampstaining in center of document, affecting some text. Unexamined out of frame, 35 x 30 1/2 in. (889 x 775 mm).

An important and possibly unique early colonial document, being a petition adopted by the Assembly of the Colony of New York, and presented to Queen Anne of Great Britain (1665-1714), seeking reimbursement for expenses and resources provided by them for a failed military adventure to conquer French Canada during Queen Anne's War (1702-13).

Following the death of Spanish King Charles II (1661-1700) and the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession in Europe, festering regional and trade rivalries between the British and French, and their indigenous allies, in North America, once again came to a head. Violent raids and bloody conflicts erupted in many of the vaguely defined frontier borders in New York and New England. Although both the French and British were reluctant to engage in a conflict that would disrupt the lucrative fur trade, and upset a delicate balance with the Iroquois and other native groups, by 1708 the British government began to view its defensive policy in North America as futile. In 1709 colonial leaders Francis Nicholson and Samuel Vetch devised an ambitious plan to invade and conquer New France (present-day Canada), and with the support of Queen Anne, resources and troops were requisitioned from numerous North American colonies, including New York. The planned military assault involved a two-pronged attack, comprising one overland assault on Montreal and a simultaneous sea-based assault on Quebec. With the assistance of the colonial governments troops were gathered and by the fall they stood ready and in wait of a British fleet sailing to North America to commence their assault. By July 1709, the British government's strategy changed as they began to view the European theater of war as more important in the larger conflict. They hastily abandoned the Canadian invasion, and the British fleet was redirected to Portugal. News of the Crown's change of plans did not reach the out-posted troops until October 1709, and their subsequent retreat proved to be a catastrophe. Many troops abandoned their posts and destroyed their fortifications, leaving the Albany frontier practically without defense. When Robert Hunter (1666-1734) became colonial governor of New York in 1710, he found that due to the military preparations of the previous year, the state's treasury was practically depleted.

Later in 1709, Vetch and Nicholson were sent to Great Britain to urge the Crown to plan a new assault to take New France, but the British government viewed the undertaking as too daunting. A smaller and more manageable plan to invade Nova Scotia was instead was approved, and by the summer of 1710 the British had successfully taken control of Port Royal (present-day Nova Scotia). This marked the end of French rule in peninsular Acadia, and the territory became a persistent point of struggle until the British success in the Seven Years' War.

Provenance

Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, Autographs and Letters Collected by the Late John Wanamaker, October 25 and 26, 1939, Lot 295

From the library of Richard Maass (1919-1998), noted collector and founding member of The Manuscript Society