USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. IX > Part 60
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" Brother :
" You may perhaps hear bad Stories from other Nations, but I would not have you listen to them, but let you and I still hold fast the antient Friendship.
" Brother :
" You and I are Brothers. The Nations to which I belong, the Nanticokes and Conoys, never yet since the beginning of the World, pulled one Scalp nor even one Hair from your Heads, and this I say gives us a Right to call ourselves your Brothers. Although you have done me some Hurt I have never yet cast my Eye upon that, but have always looked stedfastly to our antient Friendship. " Brother :
"Now we have healed this sad Breach, and you see all my young men here are satisfied it is so made up, and I hope your young Men are also pleased. But Brother I would have you tell your young Men never to make the least Breach of our Friendship again, and I will tell our young Men the same.
A Belt, 7 Rows.
" Brother :
"Now you have heard all your Brothers had to say to you on this good Day. There is, as I told you, a Council Fire at Sha- nango, which is the Door of the Six Nations. When I go home all your Brethren shall know what you have said, and Sir William Johnson shall also know it.
"Brother :
" We the Nanticokes and Conoys, have wiped away all the Grief from the Eyes of our great Warrior, Seneca George. We shew you this Belt, wherewith we joined you in wiping his Eyes. " Brother :
" Last fall Sir William Johnson and all the Governors kindled a Council Fire at Fort Stanwix. He sent for all his Indian Bre- thern, as far as Allegeany, to meet at this Council Fire. It was his Business when they met, to find Provision for them, and he did so. But they killed one six Years' old Steer for me, and I had no Satisfaction for it. If you think proper to consider this matter and allow me satisfaction, I shall think well of it.
"Brother :
"To-Morrow I intend to leave you. I was in hopes you would have sent me a Squaw to keep me warm at Night. Perhaps you
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have one to keep you warm, but as you did not send me one, I must go home to my own as fast as I can. But you know the Cus- tom is that you must give me a little Bread to eat on the way."
Colonel Francis then spoke as follows :
" Brothers, Seneca George, Last Night, and all you, my Brethren :
" I am really rejoiced to hear all the good things you have said, and to find that the Governor's Message to you, with his small Pre- sent of Goods, have wiped away all the tears from your Eyes, and confirmed in your Hearts the old Friendship and good will you have to your Brothers, the English. All who are present with me re- joice on the same account. You see I have caused to be written down on Paper all the good things you have said, that I may send them directly to the Governor, who will put them in his Heart, and remember them the first time you speak together.
" Brother:
" As to what you say about a Squaw, I have really none here. We keep all ours in Philadelphia, and we are as desirous to get home as you are. I am sorry that we have so little Provisions here, But you shall this very evening have all that I can get for you. I will kill one of our best Cattle for you. I will send you all the Flour I have left to make a cake on your way, and I will give some Powder and shot to your young Men to kill a little Deer to eat with your Cake as you go along. I shall likewise send you a little Walking Stick, [The Indian Phrase for Rum] and am sorry I cannot make it long enough for a setting Pole, But really our Rum Keggs begin to run very low; however, I will make the stick as long and strong as I can.
"Brother Last Night :
" I will consider what you say about your Steer, and look what there is in my Purse when I go home to my lodgings from the this Council Fire."
Colonel Francis having finished the above, which was received with great Cheerfulness and many Signs of Approbation by the Indians, Mr. Frederick Weiser desired Colonel Francis that he would be pleased to deliver in his name the following short speech to Seneca George.
" Brother Seneca George :
" Now the Business of the Governor is finished, the Son of your old Brother and Friend CONRAD WEISER, desires to speak a few words to you. Myself and all the Children of Conrad have had great Grief and many Tears for the unhappy Death of your Son, and our Tears have run down our Cheeks in greater abundance be- cause a Cousin of ours, the Sister's Son of our Father Conrad, has been suspected of doing the Mischief. He is soon to be tried by the English Laws, and if he should be proved Guilty, which we
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hope he may not be, We are willing he should suffer the same Pun- ishment as if he had committed the Crime against a White Man.
" Brother :
This Matter hath grieved and surprized us greatly, for neither the man who is said to have done this, nor any of our Family, have ever had any difference with our Indian Brethren, and Time will shew whether this man is guilty or not; and as we do not wish to skreen him from Justice, We desire you will not entertain in your Hearts any ill will against any of the Family or children of your old Friend and Brother Conrad Weiser, on account of this one man, who, if he is guilty, must have been carried away by a very evil spirit towards the Indians, and different from the spirit of all his Family. As a mark of our love to you, I who am the eldest Son of your old friend Conrad Weiser, desire you will accept this small Present from his Family, to wipe all Tears from your Eyes."
A Present from Mr. Weiser :
Seneca George having sat after this Speech 3 or 4 minutes in a deep silence, with his Eyes fixed on the Ground ; and Tears visibly flowing from them, got up and spoke as follows : " Brother :
" I have really been pleased with what the Governor has spoken by you, Colonel Francis, for making up this sad affair. Now as to what has been said by the Son of Conrad Weiser, I am glad to see one of his Sons, and to hear him mention a little of the old Friend- ship and Love that was between us and our Brother his Father .- Yes, old Conrad Weiser was indeed my Brother and Friend. He was a Councillor of the Six Nations, and knew all that passed among them or was in their Hearts. I am very glad the Tears have flowed from the Eyes of his Children, as they have done from mine, on account of this unhappy affair, which has certainly been a very great Grief to me-for he that is lost was a Son that lay near my Heart. He was all the Child I had; and now I am old, the loss of him hath almost entirely cut away my Heart. But I am yet pleased my Brother Weiser, the Son of my old Friend, has taken this Method to dry my Tears.
" I assure my Brother Weiser this matter shall be remembered no more against his Family to their Hurt, but I will look upon it that an Evil Spirit got into the mind of the Person who did it."
All the while Seneca George was delivering the above, he kept advancing still nearer and nearer to the Table where Colonel Francis, Mr. Weiser and the other Gentlemen sat, and his action and whole behaviour were surprizingly great. That part especially, where he spoke of his Son, was understood even before interpreted, by the tone and manner in which it was delivered. When he came to the last part, where he declared he had no Ill-will to the Family of the Weisers, he sprang forward with a noble air of Forgiveness-and shaking Mr. Weiser by the Hand, " I have [said he] no ill-will to
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you Mr. Weiser. None to you Colonel Francis. Nor any to you Father, (so he called Doctor Smith) nor any to you (meaning Mr. Stewart)," and shaking every one by the Hand, then spreading out his arms and turning quite round to all the Company, " nor have I any ill-will to any of you my Brethren the English."
That manly Spirit of Forgiveness and Reconciliation which Sen- eca George showed on this Occasion, by his Looks, Gesture, and whole Action, made some of those at the Table cry out as he ran up, holding out his hand to them, " This is Noble," for here his Speech stood in need of no Interpretation.
Here the Conference ended.
After the Conference, James Nanticoke, who had been obliged to return home, sent this Message by James Curtis ; "That he re- quested his Brother, the Governor of Pennsylvania, not to give any Passes to any young Nanticokes that might desire to go to see their Lands in Maryland, unless they should bring some Token from him and John Curtis, for that their young men had no Busi- ness in Maryland, as they had agreed to sell their Lands to the Gov- ernor."
A Conference with the Delawares inhabiting the Big Island, and West Branch of Susquehanna.
During the Conference with Seneca George and his Friends, Col- onel Francis had great uneasiness on account of the Delaware Chief New-Aleka, and about 42 of his Friends, who had come down the West Branch, on a Rumour that there was to be a General Treaty at Shamokin, and that the Governor was to be there. The Nanti- cokes and Conoys refused to admit them into the Conference, and said they had no Business with it, while the others complained that they had waited many Days, lost part of their Hunting Season, and were now Starving for Hunger.
Colonel Francis sent Isaac Still to bring three or four of their Chiefs to a private Conference, who being come, told him that since they could not see the Governor, nor hear from him, they intended to proceed to Philadelphia. Colonel Francis told them the Gover- nor was not at Philadelphia, but gone on a long Journey, but that he would carry any Message they had to the Governor, and that they might not be wholly disappointed, he would give them some Provisions, and a little walking-stick, to help them back to their Hunting. The Chief then desired Colonel Francis to carry this Message, Viz* :
" That they would return home and Hunt a while for a few Skins to make a pair of Breeches for the Governor, which they would bring down to him in the Fall, to have a Talk with him, ac- cording to Old Custom, for they now longed to see him, and had many things to say."
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It was therefore found. necessary to give them some Flour, &cª . and to get them away as well pleased as possible, for the Inhabi- tants became apprehensive that they would kill Cattle, or do some other Hurt, for want of Provisions, and on account of the Disap- pointment in their Journey.
The Address from the Assembly of the 27th Instant was read, and the Governor sent the following Verbal Message to the House by the Secretary, in Answer thereto.
" Sir :
" The Governor commands me to acquaint the House that he will issue a Proclamation, to enforce the several Laws for the preserva- tion of Fish, &ca., agreeable to their Request of the 27th Instant.
" September 29th, 1769."
The Governor then laid before the Board the five following Bills, sent up by the House of Assembly for his concurrence, Vizt .:
" An Act for the support of the Government of this Province, and Payment of the Public Debts."
" An Act for the relief of John Galbreath, a languishing Prisoner in the Goal of Chester, with respect to the imprisonment of his Person."
" An Act to continue the act entituled 'An Act to enable the Commissioners hereinafter named, to settle the accompts of the Managers, and to Sue for and recover from Several Persons such Sums of Money as are now due and unpaid on account. of a Lottery set up and drawn, for erecting a House of Worship at the Town of Carlisle, &ca."
" An Act for the Relief of John Relfe and Abraham Howell, Prisoners in the Goal of Philadelphia, with respect to the imprison- ment of their Persons."
" An Act for raising, by way of Lottery, the Sum of £3543, 15s, Od, one Moiety or half part for erecting a Bridge over Conestoga Creek, where the Road erosses the same, leading from Philadelphia to Lancaster ; and the other Moiety for paving the Streets of Lan- caster, the Distance of the first Squares from the Court House."
The said Bills being read and considered, the Board advised the Governor to return the first four to the Assembly with his assent; And as the King had lately sent his Royal Instructions to the Gov- ernor forbidding the passing any more Bills for raising Money by Lottery Bills but on certain Conditions, The Board were of Opinion that the present Lottery Bill should be returned, with a Verbal Mes- sage refusing his assent thereto, and setting forth the Reasonsfor the same, as they were expressed in a Report of a Committee of the Privy Council to His Majesty, respecting Lottery Bills to be passed in the Colonies. The following Verbal Message was accordingly drawn up at the Table and sent down to the House with the Bill, viz *·:
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A Verbal Message from the Governor to the Assembly.
" Sir :
"The Governor returns the Bill entituled ' An Act for raising by way of Lottery, the Sum of £3543, 15s, Od, &ca., and commands me to inform the House That he has lately been honoured with His Majesty's Orders, by advice of the Privy Council, strictly 'enjoin- ing him on no pretence whatever, to give his Consent to any future Act for raising any Sum or Sums of Money by Lottery, without previously writing to know his Majesty's Pleasure therein, and fully stating the several Reasons which may appear to him to make the passing such Act adviseable,' and that in obedience to this Order, he is under the necessity of refusing his assent to this Bill.
" September 29th, 1769."
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Council Chamber, Saturday, 11 O'clock, A. M., September 30th, 1769.
The Governor having yesterday received a Message from the As- sembly, requesting him to acquaint the House when he would be pleased to pass the Bills he had agreed to, and having appointed the present Time for that purpose, sent a Message to the House by the Secretary, requiring their Attendance in the Council Chamber, that. the Bills which had received his Assent might be enacted into Laws.
The whole House attended accordingly, and the Speaker presented to the Governor the four following Bills, which the Governor was pleased to pass, and then His Honour signed a Warrant for affixing the Great Seal thereto, and appointed Mr. Tilghman and the Secre- tary to accompany two Members of Assembly to see them Sealed and deposited in the Rolls Office, Viz":
1 .. " An Act for the Support of the Government of this Province, and Payment of the Public Debts."
2. " An Act for the relief of John Relfe and Abraham Howell, Prisoners in the Goal of Philadelphia, with respect to the Imprison- ment of their Persons."
3. " An Act for the relief of John Galbreath, a Prisoner in the Goal of Chester, with respect to the Imprisonment of his Person."
4. " An Act to continue the act entituled 'An Act to enable the Commissioners hereinafter named, to settle the Accompts of the Managers, and to sue for and recover Several Sums of Money now due and unpaid on account of a Lottery set up and drawn for erect- ing a House of Worship at the Town of Carlisle, under the Pasto- ral Care of the Reverend John Steel."
The Speaker then presented to the Governor, on behalf of the House, an Order on the Treasurer for £500, in part of His Honour's Support for the present Year, for which the Governor re- turned the House his Thanks.
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At a Council held at Philadelphia, on Thursday 5th October, 1769.
PRESENT :
The Honourable JOHN PENN, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor, &cª.
Benjamin Chew, James Tilghman, S Esquires.
The Governor laid before the Board the Returns of Sheriffs and Coroners for the Counties of Philadelphia, Chester, Bucks, Lancas- ter, Northampton, Berks, and New Castle, which being duly con- sidered, the following Persons were appointed and Commissionated as the Sheriffs and Coroners for their respective Counties, Vizt. :
Joseph Redman,
Sheriff,
Philadelphia City and County.
Caleb Cash,
Coroner, Sheriff,
Chester
County.
Joseph Gibbons, Junior,
Coroner,
Joseph Ellicott,
Sheriff, Bucks
Do.
James Wallice,
Coroner,
James Webb, Junior,
Sheriff,
Lancaster
Do.
Adam Rigart,
Coroner,
John Jennings, William Ledlie,
Sheriff,
Northampton
Do.
Jacob Shoemaker,
Sheriff,
Berks
Do.
Thomas Duff,
Sheriff,
Henry Vining,
Coroner. S
New Castle Do.
Coroner, S
James Whitehead, Junior,
Coroner, S
' A Draught of a Proclamation being prepared by Order of the Governor, in consequence of the Assembly's Request of the 27th Ultimo, for enforcing a due Obedience to certain Laws passed by the Legislatures of the Provinces of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey, for the Preservation of the Fish in the Rivers Delaware, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, and the Lehigh, the same was laid before the Board read and approved, and ordered to be printed in the Penn- sylvania Gazette, Chronicle, and Journal, the three following weeks, and 200 loose Copies to be struck off immediately, in order to be dis- tributed and fixed up in the most public places in the several Coun- ties bordering on those Rivers.
Four Gentlemen of this city waited on the Governor and presented him a Petition signed by a very considerable Number of the Inha- bitants of the Counties of Philadelphia and Chester, setting forth that the Public Highway from the city of Philadelphia to Chester now in use, leads over no less than fifteen steep and stony Hills of very difficult ascent, and is also crooked and far about, which ren- ders it very inconvenient to Travellers, but more especially to those who Travel with Carriages of all sorts :
Jesse Maris,
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That a more straight and convenient Road on level Ground, and easy to be maintained, may be opened from the Road leading into the Streets of the said City, through the Townships of Moyamen- sing and Passyunk on the North, and of Kingsess, Tinicum, and Ridley on the South side of the River Schuylkill, into the present Road leading from Philadelphia to Chester, near Crum Creek, by which the many rough Ways and Steep Hills which render Travel- ling tedious, disagreeable, and dangerous, as well as very difficult with Carriages of Burthen, may be avoided, and a considerable length of way saved in the Distance between Philadelphia and Chester :
And praying that the Governor and Council would be pleased to make such Orders as to them shall seem meet for the Viewing, lay- ing out, and opening the said Road, in such Manner as shall most conduce to the Public Benefit and the relief of the Pititioners.
The said Petition was immediately laid before the Board and read, but as only two Members of Council were present, the consideration thereof was deferred to a future Meeting, when a fuller Board should be met.
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Friday, the 6th of October, 1769.
The Returns of the Sheriffs and Coroners for York, Cumberland, Kent, and Sussex Counties, being now made, The Governor ap- pointed and Commissionated the following Persons as Sheriffs and Coroners for their respective Counties, Viz“:
George Eickelberger,
Sheriff,
York County.
Joseph Adlum,
Coroner, S
David Hoge,
Sheriff,
Cumberland, Do.
William Denny,
Coroner,
James Wells,
Sheriff,
Kent Do
Jonathan Sipple,
Coroner,
Boaz Manlove,
Sheriff,
Sussex, Do.
William Chance,
Coroner, S
At a Council held in the Council Chamber on Saturday the 14th day of October, 1769.
PRESENT :
The Honourable JOHN PENN, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor, &cª.
Benjamin Chew, Esquire.
A committee of the Assembly waited on the Governor yesterday, and acquainted him that pursuant to the Charter and Laws of this Province a Quorum of the Representatives had met, and having
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proceeded to chuse their Speaker, desired to know when he would be pleased to receive the House, that he might be presented for his Honour's approbation.
· The Governor having appointed this forenoon at 11 o'clock for that purpose, acquainted the House by the Secretary that he attend- ed his appointment in the Council Chamber, and was ready to re- ceive the House with their Speaker.
The whole House waited on the Governor and presented Joseph Galloway, Esquire, as their Speaker, who after receiving the Gov- ernor's approbation, claimed the usual Priviledges in the name and behalf of the House, viz":
1st. " That the better to discharge the Business of the Public, they may at all seasonable Times have free access to the Governor." 2dly. " That their Persons may be protected from all Arrests and Insults during the Time of Priviledge accustomed."
3rdly. " That it may please the Governor to take no Notice of any Report that may be made touching any Matter or Thing that may be moved or debated in the House, until the same shall be passsd into Resolves, nor give the least Credit to such Reports."
4thly. "That his own [the Speakers] unwilling mistakes may be excused and not imputed to the House."
These being requested as the Rights and Priviledges of the Free- men of Pennsylvania, derived and confirmed to them by the Char- ter and Laws of the Province, the Governor was pleased to make · answer that he thought them inherent in a Representative Body, and he should be careful to protect the House therein.
NEW-CASTLE, Monday the 23rd of October, 1769.
Three Members of Assembly waited on the Governor with & Message from the House, acquainting him that they had met on the 20th of this Month, pursuant to the Charter and Laws of the Gov- ernment, and had chosen their Speaker, and requested to know when and where they should wait on him in order to present him for his Honour's approbation. And the Governor having answered that he should be ready to receive the House immediately at His Lodgings, they accordingly attended there and presented Mr. Cæsar Rodney as their Speaker, who after being approved by the Governor, claimed the usual Priviledges which were allowed, and then they withdrew.
Tuesday, the 24th of October.
A Committee waited on the Governor and acquainted him that the House were duly qualified and desired to know if His Honour VOL. IX .- 40.
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had any Business to lay before them. The Governor answered that he had none at present.
At a Council held at New-Castle, on Saturday the 28th of October, 1769.
PRESENT :
The Honourable JOHN PENN, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor.
Benjamin Chew,
James Tilghman, Esquires.
Two Members of Assembly brought up a Bill for the Governor's concurrence, entituled " An Act," &cª, which was read and returned to the House with two small amendments.
The President and Council having, in the absence of the Gover- nor, on the 11th of June last, issued a Warrant of Respite for sus- pending the Execution of the Sentence of Death awarded against Samuel Galloway, of Kent County, who had been convicted of Bur- glary, until the 10th day of November next, The Governor, with the advice of his Council, and on the Intercession of the Judges of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, thought proper to grant the said Samuel Galloway a Reprieve during Pleasure.
The Governor acquainted the Board that Mr. Benjamin Noxon and Mr. John Malcolm had been recommended to him as proper Persons to be in the Magistracy for the County of New Castle, and being approved as such, the Governor directed a new General Com- mission of the Peace to be made out immediately, with their names inserted therein. A Commission was accordingly issued this Day, appointing the Members of the Council and the following Gentle- .men Justices of the Peace and of the County Court of Common Pleas for the County of New Castle, Viz" :
Evan Rice, John Stapler,
Thomas M'Kim,
William Williams,
Thomas James,
Jacob Peterson,
David Finney,
John Evens,
William Patterson,
Thomas Tobin,
Thomas Cooch,
Theodore Maurice,
William Armstrong,
Thomas M'Kean,
James Lattimer,
John Jones,
Benjamin Noxen, John Malcolm.
Two Members of Assembly. waited on the Governor with the Mid- dleborough Marsh Bill, and acquainted His Honour that the House had acceded to his Amendments.
The Bill was then returned to the House, with a Verbal Message that he agreed to pass the same into a Law whenever the House should present it for that Purpose.
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A Committee of Assembly waited on the Governor and ac- quainted him that the House inclined to postpone the remainder of their Business till the Spring, and proposed for that purpose to ad- journ till the 6th of March next, if that time was agreeable to His Honour, but if otherwise, they requested the Governor would be pleased to mention some other Time which might be more conve- nient to him, and the House would take it into consideration. The Governor made answer that their proposed time of Adjournment was very agreeable to him.
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Eodem Die, 6 o'clock, P. M.
A Committee of the Assembly waited on the Governor and re- quested to know when and where he would be pleased to receive the House in order to Pass the Bill to which he had given his Assent. His Honour having answered that he was ready to receive the House immediately, at his Lodgings, they accordingly attended there, and the Speaker presented the Middleborough Marsh Bill, which the Governor enacted into a Law, and signed a Warrant for affixing the Great Seal thereto; and then directed the Secretary to accompany two Members of Assembly to see it Sealed and deposited in the Rolls office.
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