In September, 1864, Canadian delegates met with their counterparts from the Maritime provinces at the Charlottetown Conference on Prince Edward Island with the goal of uniting to form a new country. Britain supported Confederation as a way to reduce the burden of the colonies on the British treasury, while many delegates saw it as a means to protect themselves from aggression by the United States. Delegates from Canada included John A. Macdonald, George Brown, and George-Étienne Cartier.