3 For a full biograpbiral sketch of Governor De Lancey, see Documentary History of New York, vol. IV, p. 1037.

* Virginia and Carolina did not send delegates, but desired to be considerecj as present. Doc. Hist. K. T., II, 567.

•' See Letter of Lords of Trade, directing the holding of the Congress, and the minutes of its proceedings in full, in Doc. Hist. \. Y., II, 555 and N. Y. Col. Hist., vi. p. 853.

MAMARONECK.

the letter of the Board of Trade above mentioned, resulted in the adopting of a plan of a union to be made by an act of Parliament, which, after the provisions were resolved on, was put into form by Benjamin Franklin, who was a delegate from Pennsylvania, and which was not decided upon, but merely sent to the different provinces for consideration.

Before the motion for the appointment of this committee was made, Governor de Lancey, being in favor of the colonies uniting for their own defence, proposed the building and maintaining, at the joint expense of the colonies, of a chain of forts covering their whole exposed frontier, and some in the Indian country itself But this plan, like the other, was without effect upon the Congress; for, as he tells us himself, "they seemed so fully persuaded of the backwardness of the several assemblies to come into joint and vigorous measures that they were unwilling to enter upon the consideration of the matters." ' His idea seems to have been for a practical union of the colonies for their own defense to be made by themselves ; whilst that of the committees, who despaired of a voluntary union, was for a consolidation of the colonies to be enforced by act of Parliament. Neither plan, however, met with favor in any quarter, and the Congress effected little but the conciliation of the Indians.^