USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. IX > Part 32
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The Board having taken the foregoing Letters into Consideration, advised the Governor to lay the same before the Assembly, and to recommend it to them by a Message to establish a Fund for defray- ing the Expences of providing Quarters, &c., for his Majesty's Troops to be sent into this Province, and of removing the Intruders on the Indian's Lands.
The following Message was accordingly prepared, approved, and Sent to the Assembly, together with the Several Letters from the General, & other papers therein referred to : 1
A Message from the Governor to the Assembly.
" Gentlemen :
" I am to inform you that a Detachment of the Royal High- land Regiment, in the month of June last, was sent into this Province from New York, by his Excellency General Gage, and have ever since been quartered in the Barracks in this City. I have, also, been lately favoured with a Letter from the General, wherein he gives me notice that his Majesty's Service will soon oblige him to Send a compleat Battalion of the King's Forces, consisting of Five hundred men, Officers included, and desires me to order provision to be made for quartering & providing them, according to an Act of Parliament, passed in the Fifth Year of His present Majesty's Reign, intituled 'An Act to amend and render more effectual in his Majesty's Dominions in America an Act passed in this present Session of Parliament entituled ' An Act for punishing Mutiny & Desertion, and for the better payment of the Army and their Quarters." This Act, among other things, requires that the King's Troops in their Quarters should be furnished and supplied at the Expence of the Province, with Sundry
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necessaries, without paying anything for the same. For your more full Information, I have ordered the Act to be laid before you ; and as there is no money in the public Treasury, you must be Sensible that it is impossible for me to comply with the General's Requisi- tion without your aid ; I, therefore, most earnestly recommend this matter to your Consideration, and hope you will establish a Fund sufficient for the Occasion.
"You will find, by another of the General's Letters of the 2d of July, herewith laid before you, that the Western Indians complain loudly of the Encroachments made by our people upon the unpur- chased Lands. As nothing can be of more Importance to the Pro- vince, or consistent with Justice, than the speedy Redress of this Evil, for the doing of which, I have his Majesty's express Com- mands, I propose to take every measure in my power to compel all those Intruders to quit their Settlements; but as this necessary step cannot be taken without some Expence, I hope you will make timely provision for it.
"September 10th, 1766."
" JOHN PENN.
Friday, 12th September.
Two Members of Assembly waited on the Governor, and pre- sented him a Message from the House, in the following words, viz' :
A Message to the Governor from the Assembly.
" May it please Your Honour :
"We have taken into our Consideration your Message of the tenth instant, and are heartily disposed to make provision for the quartering and providing the Troops, which his Excellency General Gage has informed your Honour will soon be sent into this Pro- vince, and we shall accordingly Frame a Bill to be sent up to your Honour to establish a Fund for that purpose.
"The Intelligence which your Honour has been pleased to com- municate to us, respecting those lawless Intruders on the Lands to the Westward of the Allegheny Mountains, is truly alarming, as such unwarrantable proceedings may involve His Majesty's Sub- jects in this and the neighbouring Governments, in all the Calama- ties of an Indian War, if those Settlers should be suffered to con- tinue there.
" But as we apprehend many of those rash people have gone from Virginia, between which province and this the Boundary has not been exactly ascertained, nor is it distinctly known on which side of the supposed Boundary those people are seated, & as that Province will be alike involved in the fatal Consequences of such a manifest
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PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
Breach of Faith with the Indians, We beg leave to recommend it to your Honour to take the earliest opportunity to communicate to Governor Fauquiere the Necessity of his uniting with you in taking the most expeditious as well as effectual Steps to remove those In- truders on the Lands to the Westward of the Allegheny Mountains, agreeable to his Majesty's Proclamation.
" We are fully sensible this Business cannot be effected without Expence ; and as we are animated with the warmest desire to pre- serve the Peace so happily established with the Indians, and the People of this Province have ever been ready to give their Money chearfully for that good purpose, we cannot doubt that the succeed- ing Assembly will provide a Fund to discharge our Proportion of such reasonable Expence as your Honour may be put to, when ever you shall lay the Accounts before them for that purpose, or for the removal of Persons who have, or hereafter may attempt to settle or make Encroachments on any part of the unpurchased Lands within this Province.
"Signed by Order of the House.
"JOSEPH FOX, Speaker. " September 12th, 1766."
At a Council held at Philadelphia on Thursday the 18th Sept., 1766.
PRESENT :
The Honorable JOHN PENN, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor, &c.
Benjamin Chew,
Richard Penn,
Lynford Lardner, Esqrs.
The Governor laid before the Board Six Bills sent up by the House for his Honour's Concurrence, which being read and approved, were ordered to be returned to the House without any Amend- ments. The Titles of the Bills are as follows, vizt. :
1. "A Supplement to the Act entituled 'An Act to enable certain persons therein named to erect a Court House at Easton, in the County of Northampton, and to levy a Tax upon the Inhabitants of the said County to defray the Expence thereof.'"
2. "An Act the better to enable persons therein named to hold Lands, and to invest them with the privileges of natural born Sub- jects of this Province."
3. "An Act to enable the Comm'rs herein after named to settle the accounts of the managers, and to sue for & recover from several persons such sums of Money as are now due and unpaid on account of a Lottery set up & drawn, for erecting a House of Wor- ship at Carlisle, in the County of Cumberland."
4. "A Supplement to the Act entituled 'An Act for granting to his Majesty the sum of £ 55,000, and for striking the same in Bills
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of Credit, and for providing a Fund for sinking the said Bills of Credit by a Tax on all Estates, real and personal, and Taxables within this Province.'"
5. "A Supplement to an Act entituled 'An Act to prolong the time limited for drawing the Lottery instituted & directed to be drawn in & by virtue of an Act entituled An Act for raising, by way of Lottery, the Sum of Three thousand Three Pounds fifteen Shillings, to be applied to the payment of the arrears of debt due for the finishing St. Peter's and St. Paul's episcopal Churches in the City of Philadelphia.'"
6. "An Act for granting to his Majesty the sum of £4,000 out of the Money now remaining in the hands of the Provincial Trea- surer."
Friday, 19th September, 1766.
Two Members of Assembly waited on the Governor with a verbal Message from the House, requesting his Honour would be pleased to appoint a time for passing the Bills which had received his As- sent; and also two Members of Council to compare them with the engrossed Copies. The Governor acquainted them that he would be in the Council Chamber at 12 o'Clock to-morrow, in order to pass the Bills, and should appoint a Member of Council and the Secre- tary to join with two Members of the House to collate them this afternoon.
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Council Chamber, 20th Septem"-, 12 O'clock, A. W. C.
The several engrossed Copies being compared with their Originals and found to agree, the Governor sent the Secretary to the House with a Message requiring their attendance. The whole house at- tending accordingly, the Speaker presented to the Governor the six Bills which had been agreed to, viz":
1. " A Supplement to the Act entituled 'An Act to enable cer- tain persons therein named to erect a Court House at Easton, in the County of Northampton, and to levy a Tax upon the Inhabitants of the said County, to defray the Expence thereof.' "
2. " An Act the better to enable persons therein named to hold Lands, and to invest them with the privileges of natural born Sub- jects of this Province."
3. "An Act to' enable the Commissioners herein after named, to settle accounts of the Managers, and to sue for & recover from several persons such sums of Money as are now due and unpaid, on account of a Lottery set up & drawn, for erecting a House of Wor- ship at Carlisle, in the County of Cumberland."
4. " A Supplement to the Act, entituled ' An Act for granting to his Majesty the Sum of £55,000, and for striking the same in Bills
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of Credit, and for providing a Fund for sinking the said Bills of Credit by a Tax on all Estates, real and personal, and Taxables within this Province.' "
5. " A Supplement to an Act entituled ' An Act to prolong the time limited for drawing the Lottery instituted & directed to be drawn in & by virtue of an Act entituled, 'An Act for raising by way of Lottery, the sum of £3003 15, to be applied to the pay- ment of the arrears of debt, due for the finishing St. Peter's and St. Paul's Episcopal Churches in the City of Philadelphia.'' "
6. " An Act for Granting to his Majesty the sum of £4000 out of the Money now remaining in the hands of the Provincial Treasurer;" which the Governor was pleased to enact into Laws; and signed a Warrant for affixing the great Seal thereto; and they were ordered to be deposited in the Rolls Office.
The Speaker then presented a Certificate for £500 to his Honour, for which he returned Thanks to the House.
At a Council held at Philadelphia, on Tuesday the 23d day of September, 1766.
PRESENT :
The Honble. JOHN PENN, Esq'., Lieut. Governor, &c.
Benjamin Chew, Richard Penn, Esqrs.
The Board having considered the necessity of taking some speedy measures for the removal of the people who have Seated themselves on any of the Indian Lands within this Province, advised the Gov- ernor to issue a Proclamation, commanding in his Majesty's name, all persons whatsoever, who have made any such settlements, im- mediately to relinquish them, and also, strictly forbidding all En- croachments of the like kind for the future.
. A Proclamation being prepared, was approved, and ordered to be printed, and Two hundred Copies dispersed through all the back Counties, and sent to the different posts on the Communication to Fort Pitt, and also to be inserted in the Pennsylvania Gazette & Journal. The Proclamation follows in these words :
[Locus Sigilli] " By the Honourable JOHN PENN, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Province of Pennsylvania, and Counties of Newcastle, Kent, and Sussex, on Delaware :
"A PROCLAMATION.
" WHEREAS, I have received Information that many ill-disposed persons, in express Disobedience of his Majesty's Proclamation and Royal Instructions, and regardless of the rights of the Proprieta- ries, or the Indians in Alliance with the English, have, without any Licence or Authority, seated themselves upon Lands within this
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Province, not yet purchased of the Nations; And Whereas, the making such settlements doth greatly tend to irritate the Indians, and may again involve us in a War with them, if not put an imme- diate stop to; And Whereas, I have lately received His Majesty's positive Commands to suppress such , unwarrantable Proceedings, and to put an end to these and all other the like Encroachments for the future. I have, therefore, thought fit, with the advice of the Council, to issue this Proclamation, hereby strictly enjoining and requiring, in His Majesty's name, all Persons whatsoever, who have made any such settlements within this Province, immediately to evacuate & abandon them, as they will answer the contrary at their Peril; And I do hereby prohibit all his Majesty's Subjects, of this, . or any other Province, or Colony, from making any Settlements, or taking any Possession of Lands, by marking Trees, or otherwise, beyond the Limits of the last Indian Purchase, within this Pro- vince, upon pain of the severest Penalties of the Law, and of being excluded from the privilege of securing such Settlements, should the Lands, where they shall be made, be hereafter purchased of the Indians; And Whereas, it has been reported that a certain Frederick Stump, a German, settled beyond the Indian Purchase near to Fort Augusta, had my Warrant or Authority for making such settlements; I do hereby declare that the said Report is utterly false and groundless, and that neither the said Stump, nor any other Person, ever had the least Encouragement from me to settle on any Lands unpurchased of the Indians, but that on the Con- trary, I have constantly denied every Application of that kind.
" Given under my Hand and the Great Seal of the said Province at Philadelphia, the Twenty-third day of September, in the Year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and sixty-six, and in the sixth Year of His Majesty's Reign.
" JOHN PENN.
"By His Honour's Command. " JOSEPH SHIPPEN, jun' ., Secretary. "GOD SAVE THE KING."
At a Conference held at Philadelphia, on Tuesday the 25th Sep- tember, 1766.
PRESENT : The Honourable JOHN PENN, Lieutenant Governor, &c. Richard Peters, Esq'", of the Council.
Joseph Fox, Esq'., of the Assembly.
Indians Present :
Jemmy Nanticoke, John Topy, John Curtis,
Anthony Turkey, Jacob Turkey, John Parrish.
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Jemmy Nanticoke, addressing himself to the Governor, spoke as follows, by John Curtis, Interpreter :
" Brother :
" We that are now present of the Nanticoke, Conoy, and Mo- hickon Tribes, and are come from the Council Fire at Chenango, and what we have to say to you is in behalf of the Counsellors sit- ting there, and ourselves.
Then taking three Strings of Wampum, he said with the first : " Brother :
"I clear your Eyes, and wipe away all your Tears; with the sec- ond I take the Sorrow out of your Heart, and free it of all Grief and Trouble ; and with the third I cleanse the Council Chamber, and remove all Dust and Filth from it.
He then produced a black Belt, and said :
" Brother :
"It is now proper for us to mention to you that there has been a great deal of Wickedness of late, which hangs like a Cloud in the Air, and hinders us from seeing each other, and from transacting or settling such Business as we may have with one another. By this Belt, therefore, we remove these Clouds, and we now present it to you to shew our Joy that the great God of Heaven has brought us again together to see one another with the same Brotherly affection we used formerly to do; For we have not forgot all the Wicked- ness and Evils that have been committed of late Years between us; and we hope and desire you will do the same, and then our and your Children and grand-Children, who never saw these Things, and know as yet, nothing at all about them, may live together in Peace & Friendship.
A Belt.
Then producing a White Belt, with four black Diamond Figures in it, he said :
" Brother :
"I am now to assure you that all the Obstructions & Blood which the late Wars have occasioned in the Road between the Council Fire at Philadelphia, that at Chenango, and the other at Onondaga, and which have prevented all communication between us, are now taken away, and the Road is opened again, and made so clear and good that we may travel it, and pass along freely and safely to see each other in the same manner as our Grandfathers formerly did, when they lived with you on Terms of the utmost Friendship. In confirmation of this we give you this Belt.
A Belt.
A Third Belt being then produced, he said :
"Brother :
" As we came down from our Country we stopped at Wyoming, where we had a Mine in two places, and we discovered that some
-
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white People had been at work in the Mine, and had filled three Canoes with the Oar; and we saw their 'Tools with which they had dug it out of the Ground, where they had made a hole at least forty feet long, and five or six feet deep." It happened formerly that some white People did now and then take only a small bit and carried it away ; but these People have been working at the Mine, and have filled their Canoes.
"You know, Brother, that by ancient Treaties, we are obliged to acquaint each other when anything hurtful shall happen to either of us. According to this, our Agreement, we now inform you of this injury done to us, which is a very bad thing, and may produce Mischief between us, because the Indians may resent it, and come and kill some of your People, which we should be very sorry for ; and if we did not inform you of it, you would justly blame us.
" Now by this Belt, we desire you will tell us, whether you know anything of this matter, or if it is done by your Consent. And we desire you will prevent anything of this sort for the future, that there may be no Breach between you and us on this Account.
A Belt.
He then added :
" Brother :
" We inform you that there is one John Anderson, a Trader, now living at Wyoming, and we suspect that either he or somebody em- ployed by him has robbed our mine. This Man has a Store of Goods there, and it may happen, when the Indians see their Mine robbed, they will come and take away his Goods. You will then complain to the Council of Onondago, that such a robbery has been committed; and when the Indians make their answer, they will say they did it in return for the injury they received by the Robbery from their mine, and by these means the Robbery subsisting between us may be broken."
Having finished what he had to say respecting their Friendship, he then delivered a Belt with seven square figures in it, and com- plained that the Indians were very poor, and begged the Governor would make a Present of a Saddle to Anthony, and a small Gun to Jacob, for shooting Pidgeons & Squirrels along the Road as he travelled home. 1
Then by a white String, he begged a Horse for the old Conoy Chief, whose name is Last Night, as he has lost the Horse which Governor Hamilton gave him, and was now grown fat and old, and could not do well without one.
Then, by a black and white String, he begged a small Horse for the old Man John Topy, which he wanted for carrying his young Children and Things home.
They concluded by John Parish's presenting the Governor with a long Peace-Pipe, that he might smoke with any Indians that should hereafter come down to confer with him about Friendship.
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At a Conference held at Philadelphia, on Thursday Septem' 27th, 1766
PRESENT :
The Honourable JOHN PENN, Esq' Lieutenant Governor, &c.
Richard Peters, Esq', of the Council.
Joseph Fox, Esq", of the Assembly.
Jemmy Nanticoke,
Antony Turkey, - Indians.
John Topy, Jacob Turkey,
John Curtiss, John Parrish,
" Brethren Nanticokes, Conoys & Mohickons, living at Chinango :
" We are glad to see you ; we take your visit kindly, and are pleased with all that you have said to us.
A String.
" Brethren,
" We agree with you, that when there has been any wickedness committed, it should all be removed, so that neither may bear any thing in our Hearts against one another, for any wickedness that has been done ; and therefore, before we proceed to give you an An- swer to your Speeches, we call to mind with grief of Heart, that three Indians of your Tribes, came to their Death in the heat of the War by some Parties of our Warriors, who did not know that they were of your Tribes, and took them to be Enemy Indians, and unfortunately killed them by mistake. And now, Brethren, with this String we take the Hatchets out of your Heads, and all Mourn- ing from your Hearts.
A String.
" Brethren :
" With these Handkerchiefs we wipe away the Tears from your Eyes.
"Brethren :
" With these Strouds we cover their Graves. We have pulled up a great Tree and gathered together all the Bones & Blood and buried them all together in a deep hole, and planted this Tree over them, that neither we nor our Children may ever find the place where they are buried. And now, Brethren (we shall proceed to give you an answer), as many Things in a time of great wickedness have been done to hinder us from seeing one another and councilling together, We join with you in wiping all Tears from your Eyes, taking all sorrow out of your Hearts, and making the Council Seats clean from all Blood and Filthiness, that we may confer with the same Chearfulness and Openness our Grandfathers used to do.
Three Strings.
" Brethren :
" We acknowledge with you the great Mercy of God in bringing us together after so much Wickedness has been committed, and we
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do hereby tell you, in behalf of ourselves and our Children, & their Children, that we have forgot all this Wickedness, and will never mention it more, that it may not come to the Ears of any of those that shall be born after us.
A Belt.
" Brethren :
" We remember the Nanticokes and Conoys had a Council Fire formerly at the Mouth of Juniata; that they afterwards were ad- mitted into the great Council at Onondaga, & that they now have a Council Fire burning at Chenango ; and we most heartily join with you in opening the Roads, as well to Chenango as Onondago. We do on our parts make them quite clean, so that they may be freely and safely passed for you to visit us ; and we take all the old Chunks and pieces of wood about the Council Fire both at Chenango and Onondago, and heap them all together, that there may be nothing in the way, but you may safely travel in them when your occasions shall call you to visit us; but as to Business that relates to the Public, you know this is transacted with General Johnson, who has His Majesty's Commission to settle all Public Business relating to Indians of all Nations.
" Brethren :
" We have heard what you say about the Mine at Wyoming ; we assure you that we know nothing of this matter, and if Ander- son has settled there, he has been guilty of a Breach of our Gen- eral Orders which we have given in His Majesty's Name, strictly forbidding all Persons whatsoever from going to live or settle in the Indian Country. However, we thank you for your Information ; shall make enquiry about Anderson, and shall do our Endeavours to prevent any thing of the sort for the future ; But you know that notwithstanding all our Care, as it is at such a Distance, People may go there and we know nothing of it.
A Belt.
" But in order to prevent any Misunderstanding or Quarrels be- tween us, we now desire that if any of our People should hereafter attempt to take away any Oar from your Mine, you will endeavour to learn their Names and give the Governor early Information of it, that he may call them to an Account for it, and you may let them know that you have the Governor's Orders for this."
A List of the Goods, &c., presented by the Governor to the In- dians on this Occasion, viz':
8 Black Strouds, 12 Silk Handkerchiefs, 8 Indian Blankets, A piece of spotted Cotton Handkerchiefs, 2 Horses & a Saddle.
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At a Council held at Philadelphia, on Saturday the 4th October, 1766.
PRESENT :
The Honourable JOHN PENN, Esquire, Lieutenant Gov- ernor, &c.
Benjamin Chew, Esar3.
Richard Penn,
The Governor laid before the Board the Returns of the Sheriffs and Coroners elected for the several Counties in this Province, and the Government on Delaware, which being duly considered, the following Persons were appointed and commissionated as the Sher- iffs and Coroners for their respective Counties, vizt :
William Parr,
Sheriff,
Philadelphia County.
Caleb Cash,
Coroner, Sheriff,
Chester Do
John Trapnall,
Coroner,
William Buckman,
Sheriff,
Bucks D°·
William Doyle,
Coroner,
Jasper Scull,
Sheriff,
Berks D°
Christopher Witman,
Coroner,
John Barr,
Sheriff,
Lancaster A
Mathias Slough,
Coroner,
Peter Kacklein,
Sheriff,
Northampton D°,
David Bahringer,
Coroner,
David McConnaughy,
Sheriff,
York
Do
Joseph Adlum,
Coroner,
John Holmes, James Jack, John Thompson,
Sheriff,
Cumberland Do.
James Walker,
Coroner,
Thomas Collins, .
Sheriff,
Kent
Do
Solomon Wallace,
Coroner, 1
Rhoads Shankland,
Sheriff,
Thomas Gray,
Coroner, S
Sussex
Do
At a Council held at Philadelphia, on Friday the 10th of Octo- ber, 1766.
The Honourable JOHN PENN, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor, &c.
PRESENT :
Benjamin Chew,
Richard Penn, 'S Esqra.
The Governor laid before the Board the Records of. Conviction of Dennis Scanlan, for a Robbery on the Highway, and of Abra-
Coroner,
Sheriff,
New Castle Do
Philip Ford,
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ham Ryall and John Christ, for Burglaries, at a Court of Oyer and Terminer and General Gaol Delivery, held at Philadelphia on Tuesday, the 23d of September last, before William Allen, Willm. Coleman, and Alexander Stedman, Esquires, Justices of the Su- pream Court, &c., which were certified as true Transcripts by the Clerk of the said Court. By one of the said Records it appears that on the said twenty-third day of September, Dennis Scanlan was tried and convicted of Felony and Robbery on the Highway, committed on the Person of George Gray, the 12th day of August last, and had received Sentence of Death for the same. By another of the said Records it appears that on the said 23d of September, Abraham Ryall was tried and convicted of Felony and Burglary, committed in the mansion House of Samuel Burkeloe, in the Dis- trict of Southwark, the 10th of April last, and had also received Sentence of Death for the same And by the Other Record it ap- pears that on the said 23d of September, Jnº. Christ was tried and convicted of Felony and Burglary committed the 26th July last, in the mansion House of Christ". Aenger in the said City, and had likewise received Sentence of Death for the same.
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