How History Unfolds on Paper: Important Americana from the Eric C. Caren Collection, Part X

"We your Majesties most Dutifull and Loyall Subjects...fore securing the frontier against the French, this Governm't was drained... we mention this not only to demonstrate that wither this inequality nor the disregard Pensylvania had for your Majesties Command in not furnishing so much as one Man caused any obstructions in our Punctuality Complying and not overexceeding our quota for the Expedition...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 reimbursement 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. 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 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. 27 1/8 x 23 1/8 in. (689 x 587 mm).

An important and unique early colonial document, being a petition adopted by the Assembly of the Colony of New York, 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 in 1700 and the subsequent outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession in Europe, long-simmering rivalries between the British and French in North America, fueled by trade competition and alliances with Indigenous nations, reached a boiling point. Violent raids and bloody clashes erupted along the poorly defined frontiers of New York and New England. Although both empires initially hesitated to engage in full-scale conflict for fear of disrupting the lucrative fur trade and destabilizing their delicate alliances with the Iroquois and other Native groups, by 1708, the British government grew increasingly pessimistic about its defensive policy. In 1709, colonial leaders Francis Nicholson and Samuel Vetch proposed an ambitious strategy to invade and conquer New France (modern-day Canada). Backed by Queen Anne, the plan mobilized resources and troops from various North American colonies, including New York. The operation was designed as a two-pronged assault: an overland march on Montreal paired with a simultaneous naval attack on Quebec. With colonial cooperation, by autumn, forces were assembled and awaiting the arrival of a British fleet to launch the campaign. By July 1709, however, British strategic priorities shifted. Deeming the European theater more critical to the wider war, the Crown abruptly canceled the Canadian invasion and redirected the incoming fleet to Portugal. This decision was not communicated to the colonial troops until October, and led to a disastrous retreat. Many soldiers deserted their posts and dismantled their fortifications, leaving the Albany frontier virtually undefended. When Robert Hunter assumed the governorship of New York in 1710, he discovered that the state treasury had been nearly exhausted by the costly and ultimately abandoned military preparations of the previous year.

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 and uncertain. A smaller and more manageable plan to invade Nova Scotia was instead 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 over 40 years later.