The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

LT. 21.] LIFE OF WASHINGTON. 25
the French were stationed, to request an escort of
warriors to be his guides and safeguard the rest of
the journey. When arrived at the principal French
post, he was to present his credentials and a letter
from the governor of Virginia to the commandant,
and in the name of his Britannic Majesty to demand
an answer. He was furthermore to inquire diligently,
and by cautious means, into the number of the French
troops that had crossed the Lakes, the reinforcements
expected from Canada, how many forts they had erected and at what places, how they were garrisoned and
appointed, and their distances from each other; and,
in short, to procure all the intelligence possible respecting the condition and objects of the intruders.
Fortified with written instructions to this effect, with
credentials and a passport to which the great seal of
the colony was affixed, he departed from Williamsburg, the seat of government in Virginia, on the 31st
of October, 1753. The distance before him to the
extreme point of his destination, by the route he would
pursue, was about five hundred and sixty miles, in
great part over lofty and rugged mountains, and more
than half of the way through the heart of a wilderness,
where no traces of civilization as yet appeared.
Passing through the towns of Fredericksburg, Alexandria, and Winchester, he arrived at Will's Creek in
fourteen days. John Davidson had joined him as
Indian interpreter; and Jacob Vanbraam, a Dutchman
by birth, and formerly an officer in the army, was
employed to assist in his intercourse with the French,
being acquainted with their language. At Will's Creek
he found Mr. Gist, a person long accustomed to the
woods, having several times penetrated far into the
interior, and lately begun a settlement in the valley
between the last ridge of the Alleganies and the MoVOL.. 4 c