Old Virginia and her neighbours

FROM TIDEWATER TO THE MOUNTAINS. 381valiant soldier such behaviour seemed fit only forchurls ; while waiting for the danger to come uponone, instead of inarching forth to attack the danger,was surely as impolitic as unchivalrous. So, withoutwaiting on the uncertain temper and deviousarguments of many-headed King Demos, the governorhurried his men on board ship as fast ashe could enlist and arm them, well knowing thatin a " dangerous conjuncture " the more preciousminutes one loses, the more costly grow those thatare left. During half of the eighteenth century,as the conflict with France was again and againrenewed, such experiences as those of Spotswoodwith his burgesses were repeated in most of thecolonies, until the royal governors became profoundlyconvinced that the one thing most neededin English America was a Continental Governmentthat could im230se taxes, according to some uniformprinciple, upon the people of all the colonies forthe common defence. At the Albany Congress of1754, when the war-clouds were blacker FranMin'athan ever, Benjamin Franklin came forwardwith a scheme for creating such aFe^jJ'erai*U'"°'^icentralgovernment for purely federal purposes.That scheme would have inaugurated a FederalUnion, with president appointed by the crown ;itciples, for they stick not to vow to their Electors that no considerationwhatever shall engage them to raise money, and someof them have so little shame as publickly to declare that if, inAssembly, anything should be propos'd w'ch they judg'd mightbe disagreeable to their Constituents, they would oppose it, the'they knew in their consciences y' it would be for y° good of theCountry." Spotswood's Official Letters, ii. 1, 2, 124, 125, 100, 132,164.