By 1690, the most persistent danger to british colonial peace and safety came from

 The British colonial empire faced rivalry from other colonial powers such as the Spanish, and the french. 
The 17th century was a period of expansion of Spanish empires and,french empires who were staking claims in the region especially in the Americas, where Britain had a great deal of interest. This rivalry often caused sporadic clashes here and there.

1and 3 i think sorry if wrong