Matilda Montgomerie; Or, The Prophecy FulfilledRichardson, Major (John)
History
Matilda Montgomerie; Or, The Prophecy Fulfilled
Richardson, Major (John)
United States -- History -- War of 1812 -- Fiction
was adopted, and has been pursued for years; and now do we reap the
fruit of what, after all, is but an act of justifiable policy. In my
capacity of Superintendent of Indian affairs, Major Montgomerie, even
more than as a Canadian brought up among them, I have had opportunities
of studying the characters of the heads of the several nations. The most
bitter enmity animates the bosoms of all against the Government and
people of the United States, from whom, according to their own showing,
they have to record injury upon injury; whereas from us they have
received but benefits. I repeat, this is at once politic and just. What
could Canada have hoped to accomplish in the approaching struggle, had
the conduct of the American Government been such as to have neutralized
the interest we had excited in and for ourselves? She must have
succumbed; and my firm impression is, that at whatever epoch of her
existence, the United States may extend the hand of conquest over these
colonies, with the Indian tribes that are now leagued with us crowding
to her own standard, not all the armies that England may choose to send
to their defence will be able to prevent it."
"Filling the situation you now occupy, Colonel, there can be no doubt
you are in every way enabled to arrive at a full knowledge of Indian
feelings and Indian interests; and we have but too much reason to fear,
that the strong hatred to the United States you describe as existing on
the part of their several leaders, has had a tendency to unite them more
cordially to the British cause. But your course of observation suggests
another question. Why is it that, with the knowledge possessed by the
British Government of the cruel nature of Indian warfare, it can consent
to enlist them as allies? To prevent their taking up arms against the
Canadas may be well, but in my opinion, (and it is one generally
entertained through the United States,) the influence of the British
authorities should have been confined to neutralizing their services."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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