"I don't flatter myself with much dependence upon the present disposition of the Eastern Indians, who are many ways liable to be drawn into a rupture with us by the artifices of the French, their own weakness and the influence which the French Missionary Priests have over them"

This quote by William Shirley is describing the relationship in between the Eastern Indians and the French. Shirley is revealing his issue that the Eastern Indians are vulnerable to the impact of the French Missionary Priests, and that the French might utilize their impact to manipulate the Eastern Indians into a conflict with the British. He is also suggesting that the Eastern Indians are weak and might be quickly swayed by the French. Shirley is cautioning that the Eastern Indians should be wary of the French and their efforts to manipulate them into a dispute with the British. He is likewise suggesting that the British should be gotten ready for the possibility of a conflict with the Eastern Indians, as the French might be successful in their attempts to manipulate them.