September 5th, 1754. The speech of the Honorable Robert Dinwiddie, Esq; His Majesty's lieutenant-governor, and commander in chief, of the colony and dominion of Virginia, at the prorogation of the General Assembly

This pamphlet captures a pivotal moment in the lead-up to the French and Indian War. It records the formal address delivered by Robert Dinwiddie, the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, to the colony's General Assembly upon its prorogation in September 1754. At this time, Dinwiddie was actively seeking legislative support and funding to defend British colonial interests against French expansion in the Ohio River Valley, a geopolitical struggle that would eventually escalate into a global conflict.

The document was printed in Williamsburg by William Hunter, who served as the official public printer for the colony of Virginia and also functioned as a deputy postmaster general for the American colonies. Hunter’s press was central to the dissemination of official government communications during this period. The typography and layout reflect the standard, functional aesthetic of mid-18th-century colonial broadsides and official pamphlets, designed primarily for clarity and formal record-keeping rather than decorative appeal.