detachment of British colonists, was defeated by the French from . Great excitement prevailed in the colonies and urgent appeals were forwarded to the mother countries across the sea for aid. England and were nominally at peace, but each responded to the appeal of their respective colonists by sending troops, stores and equipment early in 1755. In a naval engagement off two French vessels were captured, but diplomatic relations had not yet been severed. Maria Theresa of Austria formed an alliance with the Empress Elizabeth of Russia for the recovery of the alienated province of , and came to their aid. Great Britain joined Frederick the Great of Prussia in opposing Austria, and the Seven Years' War commenced. But it was not until May 18th, 1756, that Great Britain declared war on , nearly two years after the affair at Great Meadows. In 1755 several important engagements rather than battles had taken place in America. On the Monongahela Braddock was crushed, but at Wm. Johnson was victorious over Dieskau. The British Parliament in 1755 voted the sum of £81,000 for the purpose of raising a regiment of four battalions, each one thousand strong, for service in . By the same parliament an act was passed "To enable His Majesty to grant Commissions to a certain number of foreign Protestants, who have served abroad as officers or engineers, to act and rank as officers or engineers in America only under certain restrictions and regulations." About fifty officers' commissions, or rather less than a third of the whole, were given to the Germans, Swiss and Dutch, but none were permitted to rise above the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel . This new regiment was at first called the 62nd, or the " Royal American Regiment of Foot," but in 1756 it was changed to the 60th Regiment . It served during the war and was stationed in British America for some time afterwards. Holland appears to have been employed on military duty in England in 1755, probably training recruits, and at the same time he was absorbing the British atmosphere. The Earl of Loudon was appointed Colonel -in- Chief of this newly formed regiment and had also been selected as the Commander -in- Chief of the forces in . Governor Wm . Shirley of Massachusetts , who held the chief command in 1755, was instructed to resign his command to Col. David Webb , who in turn was to resign to General James Abercrombie , and the latter in turn to Loudon. Webb and Abercrombie arrived in America in June, 1756, and Loudon in July, and with him came Lieutenant Samuel Holland . Loudon was a rough Scotch Lord, hot-headed and irascible, a brave soldier, but inexperienced in Indian warfare. He was also in continuous trouble with the colonials, army officers and civil officials. In April, 1756, had sent 1,200 troops to America under the command of the Marquis de Montcalm , making in all about 4,000 regular French troops in Canada . He was accompanied by Levis and Bourlamaque , two brave and capable young officers. The Governor, Vaudreuil, a Canadian by birth, was displeased with the appointment of Montcalm , as he considered that he should have been placed in command of the French troops. The discord between