Illustration: EPOCH MAP I PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BASED UPON GOVERNMENT MAPS _Dark buff represents 2,000 ft. and over._ _Epochs of American History_ THE COLONIES 1492-1750 BY REUBEN GOLD THWAITES, LL.D. EDITOR OF "JESUIT RELATIONS," "EARLY WESTERN TRAVELS," "ORIGINAL JOURNALS OF THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITIONS," ETC. AUTHOR OF "FRANCE IN AMERICA," "FATHER MARQUETTE," "DANIEL BOONE," "ROCKY MOUNTAIN EXPLORATION," "HISTORIC WATERWAYS," "WISCONSIN," ETC. WITH FOUR MAPS AND NUMEROUS BIBLIOGRAPHIES LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. FOURTH AVENUE & 30TH STREET, NEW YORK LONDON, BOMBAY, AND CALCUTTA _Copyright, 1890_, BY CHARLES J. MILLS. _Copyright, 1897_, BY LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. _Copyright, 1910_, BY LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. _All rights reserved._ First Edition, December, 1890. Reprinted, September, 1891, February, 1892, (Revised), January and August, 1893, December, 1893, (Revised), August, 1894, October, 1895, July, 1896, August, 1897, (Revised), November, 1897, July, 1898, July, 1899, April, 1900, January, 1901, October, 1901, August, 1902, November, 1902, October, 1904, September, 1906, May, 1908, June, 1910, (Revised), October, 1911. EDITOR'S PREFACE. In offering to the public a new HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES,--for such the three volumes of the EPOCHS OF AMERICAN HISTORY, taken together, are designed to form,--the aim is not to assemble all the important facts, or to discuss all the important questions that have arisen. There seems to be a place for a series of brief works which shall show the main causes for the foundation of the colonies, for the formation of the Union, and for the triumph of that Union over disintegrating tendencies. To make clear the development of ideas and institutions from epoch to epoch,--this is the aim of the authors and the editor.