USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. V > Part 21
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" Most Excellent Sir :
" The President & Directors of the Royal Company of this Island have taken upon them to answer You upon the Subject of the Ran- som of the Prize taken by the St. Christopher, & having given the necessary orders to that Body, that part of Your Excellency's Let- ter remains answer'd.
"By the three annex'd Instruments of Writing, which among us are of the highest validity for the Justification of Liberty, Your Excellency may see that Mark Antony Blas De La Chandelaria, Mar- roquin, & Stephen Joseph Ocharcoaga, were born free; & as I am persuaded that it is agreeable to Your Excellency's Nature, I desire they may be treated as such & sent to me, with what other Spanish Prisoners you may have in your Power.
" The same favour that I beg for the three before named I desire for Andreas Antonio & Michael Joseph; as they were not born here I know nothing of them, but as soon as they arrive we shall enter into the strictest enquiry, according to our Custom, which is suffi- ciently rigorous, & if it appears they are not free, I shall remit to
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Your Excellency their value ; if they are found to be free I shall send You Instruments in Writing, Certifying their being so, to Your entire Satisfaction, for the performance of which I give You my word of Honour.
"I remain with immutable affection at Your Excellency's Ser- vice, & beg God may preserve You many Years.
" DN. FRANCO. CAXIGALDE DE LA VEGA.
" Havannah, Dec". 4th, 1747."
" Excellent Sir :
" George Davis, Commander of the Pompey, returns to Your Port with Sixteen English Prisoners, as the annex'd List Certifys, and tho' Your Excellency sent but four Spaniards, I am persuaded it was because You had no more to send.
"I commiserate much the misfortune of those Prisoners, for which reason I have determin'd to send all British Subjects to the British, first treating them with the greatest good nature. I hope Your Excellency will do the same by all Spaniards who may meet with the like Misfortune, that by this Means a good Correspondence for the Exchange of Prisoners being establish'd one & the other Nation may reap the Benefit of being soon restor'd to their Country.
"I repeat my being at Your Service with the most affectionate Good will, & beg God may preserve Your Life many Years.
"DN. FRANCO- FAXIGALDE DE LA VEGA. " Havannah, 21st Nov"-, 1747."
Thereupon the Board call'd for the Minute of Council of the 29th of June, & the Copy of the President's Letter of that Date to the Gov". of the Havannah, & on considering them they thought them- selves engag'd to send to the Havanna' the Negroes mention'd in the said Certificates, & on Mr. Turner's undertaking to carry them there in the Brigantine Pompey, Capt". George Davis, if Capt". Davis might have the Privilege to wear a Flag of Truce, the Question was put whether the Privilege of the Flagg shou'd be granted or no; And all the Members except Mr. Lawrence & Mr. Logan voted in the Affirmative.
Order'd, That the Secretary prepare an answer to the Spanish Governor's Letter, & a Lycence for Capt" Davis to wear the Flagg, & to carry to the Havannah four Negroes, viz. : Mark Antony, Blas Dela Candelaria, Marroquin, Stephen Joseph Ocharcoaga, & Andreas Antonio, Micheal Joseph the other Negroe mention'd in the Certi- ficate having died of a Fever.
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PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
At a Council held at Philadelphia 2d March, 1747.
PRESENT :
The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr., President. Thomas Lawrence, Abraham Taylor, } Esqrs.
Robert Strettel,
The Minutes of the preceding Council were read & approv'd.
The President's Letter to the Governor of Havanna' was read & order'd to be enter'd :
" Sir-
" Captain George Davis deliver'd me Your Excellency's two Let- ters of the 4th of September & 21st of November last, together with Sixteen English Prisoners, towards whom, as You have exer- cised a very distinguishing humanity & sent them to their Native Country by the first opportunity, I cannot but in their behalf return You my heartiest acknowledgment. It is not in my power to send You any of His Catholick Majesty's Subjects, I having already sent fourteen at their own Instance to Leoganne for fear of their being oblig'd to stay here all the Winter, no opportunity offering for Your Port. They were well fed & well taken care of here, & as they were without Cloaths, this Government before their Departure gave them Cloaths, & wrote to His Excellency Monsr. Chastenoye, Gov- ernor of Leoganne, to aid them all in his Power to get to the Havan- nah.
" On the Certificates transmitted by Your Excellency the three Negroes, Blas Marroquin Estevan, Hosea Cherquava, & Marcus An- tonia, are released & put on board Captain George Davis, who has my Orders to deliver them to Your Excellency, & to whom for that purpose I have granted the Privilege of the Flag.
"I have likewise deliver'd to him Andreas Antonio, one of the Negroes that Your Excellency requests may be sent to You; the other dyed here of a Fever. If on the Examination into his State You find he is not a free Negroe, You will be pleas'd to remit the value that it may be given to the Captors.
"I have receiv'd no Letter from the Directors of the Royal Com- pany about the Ransom of the Prize taken by the St. Christopher, which was expected by what Your Excellency says in Your's.
"May Your Excellency be bless'd with a long Life & all manner of Happiness.
"I am Your Excellency's most obed' h'ble Servant, " ANTHONY PALMER.
" His Excellcy. Dr. FRANCO- FAXIGALDE DE LA VEGA, Gov". of Ha- vannah.
" Philada., Feb"y 1747."
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The President having receiv'd a Letter from Mr. Ogle in answer to the Council's Letter of the 25th of January last, it was read in these words :
" ANNAPOLIS, Febary. 15th, 1747.
" Sir :
" Your Letter of the 25th of January did not come to my hands till last Night, the Messenger having Died upon the Road in Balti- more County, and this Day I have forwarded the inclos'd Packet to the Governor of Virginia.
"You may be assur'd of my doing every thing in my Power to induce the People of Maryland to contribute their part towards so general a good as keeping the Six Nations our hearty Friends, & I flatter myself that the Gentlemen of Virginia will set us a good Example upon this occasion, as I have writ to ST. William Gooch.
" But how far You may rely upon us I cannot pretend to say, as it will be sometime before I can' get a Council together at this un- seasonable time of the Year; when I know their Sentiments you shall hear further from me ; in the meanwhile I beg leave to remain,
" Sir, Your most obedt. humb. Servant,
" SAM. OGLE. " The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr."
A Petition from sundry Persons living on the Road leading from Darby to Chester, was read in these words :
" To the Honoble. the President and Council of the Province of Pennsylvania, &c.
" Whereas, You was pleased by Your Order bearing date the 8th Day of September last, to appoint us, the Subscribers, with some others, to lay a Road out from Cobb's Creek to New Castle Line, with directions to follow the Road as now used, where it is not al- ready laid out, & where it is to follow the Courses & Distances therein mentioned in order (as we presume) to prevent as much as might be injuring the Owners of the Land adjacent to the sd. Road. We, therefore, in obedience to the said Order, met at Cobb's Creek Bridge, & took the courses and Distances of the Road as now used, until we came to that part of the Road which leads from Darby to Chester, and has been already laid out by course & Distance, & then upon trying the Courses thereof found them to run a considerable distance in divers Places from the Road now used, & that frequently through Improved as well as wood Lands, and would in our opinion be very injurious to a great number of the Inhabitants adjacent to the Road, & as we conceive very contrary to Your Intention.
"Therefore we pray, in behalf of ourselves & others, that You wou'd be pleased to appoint a jury and Grant them such Powers as You may think proper to enable them to lay out a Road in the most
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PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
convenient Place to accommodate the Publick, & least injurious to the Inhabitants, which We apprehend is agreeable to Your Design, & we as in Duty bound shall ever Pray.
" SAMUEL LEVIS. " CALEB COUPLAND. "JOSEPH BONSALL. "PETER DICKS. " JOHN DAVIS.
" December 3d, 1747."
And Mr. Bonsall & Mr. Davis attending without were call'd in, & on their Examination & Inspection of a Draught of the Road as it wou'd run was it to be made agreeable to the Return of the Year 1706, & of another Draught of the Road as it now runs, the Board made the following Order, viz. :
" Whereas, by our Order of the eighth Day of September last, We directed You, among others, to lay out the Road leading from Darby to Chester, agreeable to the Courses described in a Recorded Return of the same made in the Year 1706 : And whereas, on Ex- amination of several Persons living on or near the same Road, it appears that the same was never actually cleared according to the said Return, and that was it to be so now it wou'd exceedingly pre- judice the Lands through which it shou'd pass, and on further con- sideration of the matter & perusal of the Draught of the Road as it now runs, it appears to us that it will be most convenient to have it laid out agreeable thereto, And therefore we have thought proper to revoke that part of our former Order which relates to the Return made in 1706, and Do now Order & Direct that You lay the same Road out in the manner it now runs, making no other alterations than what may be absolutely necessary to make it more regular & direct in some Places, or more commodious to the Fording Places or Bridges that are now used in the said Road."
In the Council Chamber, 5th March, 1747.
PRESENT :
The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr., President.
Thomas Lawrence,
Samuel Hasell, ?
Abraham Taylor, Robert Strettell, Esqrs. Joseph Turner, Thomas Hopkinson, J
The Minutes of the preceding Council were read & approv'd.
The Board being inform'd that Mr. George McCall was going in the Sloop - to Cape Breton, & that she was not to tarry there but to return immediately to this Place, thought it necessary to inform the Commander-in-Cheif thereof the unhappy Circumstances
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of the Province, & to apply for a loan of Cannon, & thereupon the following Letter was wrote & approv'd & sign'd by the President.
"PHILADA., 5th March, 1748.
" Sir :
"The Administration of the Government of this Province of Pennsylvania being, in the absence of the Governor, devolved on the Council, I as their President & at their Instance in Council Assembled, have the honour to inform You that from sundry ad- vices given by Prisoners & others who have been lately at the Havannah & in several of the French Ports in the West Indies, We have the greatest reason to expect an Invasion from a number of French & Spanish Privateers sometime this Summer. . These Intelligences have likewise been confirm'd in Letters from Persons of undoubted veracity residing in the British West India Islands; & that thereupon we have done all in our Power to put the Province in a posture of Defence by forming an Association, & thereby bringing together a voluntary Militia, & by preparing Batteries on the most commodious Places in our River, & all this at a private Expence, for We have the Misfortune to have an Assembly consist- ing chiefly of Quakers. Having no Cannon we have wrote to Eng- land for some, & for fear of disappointment we have in the most pressing manner apply'd to the Neighboring Governments to be furnish'd, but without Success, from the unhappy Circumstances they find themselves in; and now, Sir, as our last resourse, we make it our earnest request to You, on behalf of His Majestie's Subjects of this Province, if there be any battering Cannon fit for Service with You, which You can any ways spare, that You wou'd be pleas'd to supply us with them.
"Mr. George McCall, the Gentleman by whom we send this, will inform You of our melancholy Situation, & of the great & imminent Danger to which this Colony stands expos'd ; & as he has assur'd us that the Vessel he goes in will not tarry, but immediately return to this place, if we shou'd be so happy as to be favour'd with the Loan of the Cannon, We further desire You wou'd be pleas'd to deliver them to him to be shipp'd on board her, assuring You we shall take the greatest Care imaginable of them & return them to You or Your Order on Demand, or if this Vessel shou'd not return so soon as is expected we beg You wou'd put them on board any other Ves- sel that is ready to Sail for this Place or any other of the Neigh- bouring Colonies.
"The importance of this Colony, situate in the Center of His Majestie's American Dominions, whose Trade is so essentially ne- cessary for supplying the British Islands & His Majestie's Fleets there, & the Service that will be done His Majesty by the preserva- tion of the Lives of so many of His Subjects, are Considerations that make us hope You will favour us with all the Assistance in
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PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
Your Power, not only in the Loan of the Cannon but in giving Information to all the Commanders of His Majestie's Ships of War of the Enemie's Designs, that if they can any ways, consistent with their Orders, extend their Cruises to the Capes of Virginia, nothing else can prevent a total obstruction of Trade on this Continent-an Event which wou'd be of the worse Consequence at this time, as added to all our other Calamities we shou'd thereby be disabled from furnishing the Indians with Amunition & Goods, & so force them to go over to the French Interest. I conclude with saying Your Assistance will lay an Infinite Obligation on all the Inhabitants of this Province, & in particular on the Gentlemen of the Council, & on
"Sir, Your most obed' h'ble Servant, " ANTHONY PALMER.
"To His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief for the time being at Cape Breton."
-
At a Council held at Philadelphia, 8th March, 1747. PRESENT :
The Honourable ANTHONY PALMER, Esq., President. Thomas Lawrence, Samuel Hasell, Abraham Taylor, Robert Strettell,
Benjamin Shoemaker,
Joseph Turner,
Esqrs.
Thomas Hopkinson,
William Logan,
The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approv'd. .
The Council resum'd the Consideration of the Condition of the Province, & one of the Members saying that Mr. Samuel McCall had received a Letter from Mr. Rutherford at New York from which there was reason to believe Mr. Armstrong, his Majestie's Engineer, was arrived there, the Board was of opinion that they ought to re- new their application to the Governor of New York for a Loan of Cannon, & to add the greater weight thereto, they thought that sollicitations shou'd be made by two of their Members, & Mr. Lawrence & Mr. Taylor were requested to undertake the Journey, & on their consenting to go, the following Letter was wrote to Mr. Clinton & approv'd.
" PHILADA., 8th March, 1747.
" Sir :
" As the President & Council of this Province acquainted Your Excellency some time ago with the Accounts we had receiv'd of an Attempt upon this Colony being intended to be made by the French & Spaniards this Summer, and that the Inhabitants had resolv'd to erect one or two Batteries upon this River, and had wrote to Eng- land for Cannon, but were afraid they wou'd come too late to answer
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the purposes intended, & therefore desir'd Your Excellency wou'd be so good as to assist us with the Loan of such as cou'd be spared from Your own Works. And Your Excellency in Your Letter of the 5th January was pleas'd in the most kind & obliging manner to express an Inclination to oblige us on that occasion, as you thought it wou'd contribute to His Majesty's Service. Encouraged by Your Excellency's humane & benevolent disposition, & prompted by our own unhappy Situation, We have taken the Liberty to renew our former Application, and have appointed Mr. Lawrence & Mr. Tay- lor, two of the Members of this Board, to wait upon Your Excel- lency to request as the last favour the loan of as many Cannon as the Gentleman (whose arrival Your Excellency waited for, & who We understand is now with You) thinks proper. If Your Excellency knew how many hearts You wou'd set at ease, and how many hands wou'd be lifted for the preservation of that life to whom they owed their own, We think all other Arguments wou'd be un- necessary. For our own parts We have no doubt but that what- ยท ever shall be thought to promote His Majestie's Service & the Good of the Colonies will be the object of Your Excellency's Care. I am, Sir, for myselfe & the Gentlemen of the Council,
"Your Excellency's most obedient Servant,
" ANTHONY PALMER.
"His Excellency, GEORGE CLINTON, Esqr."
A Letter was likewise wrote to Mr. Shirley in these words :
" PHILADA., 8th March, 1747. " Sir :
" Being indispos'd when the last Post went away he did not carry the acknowledgements due to You for your obliging Letter of the Ist of February in answer to the Council's application for the Loan of Cannon. The Gentlemen of the Council who did me the honour to join with me in that Letter are perfectly satisfied with the reasons You give why you cannot comply with their Request, and desire me to return You their heartiest thanks for the just & commissera- ting Sense you express at our calamitous Situation.
" As we know not but we may be disappointed in every applica- tion we have made for Cannon, & we have try'd but every Place where there was the least prospect of succeeding, & as our depend- ence is now principally on the arrival of the Cannon order'd to be sent us from England, which is a very precarious dependence in War time, the safety of this Colony runs a great risque, unless some of the Commanders of His Majestie's Ships of War or of Your Pro- vince Sloops can be directed to cruize early in the Spring between Sandy Hook & the Capes of Virginia, and to look into the Bay of Delaware. The Council, therefore, make it their earnest Request that You wou'd use all your Interest to bring this about. The ap- pearance of any Vessel or Vessels of force on our Coasts, & that
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PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
early in the Season, may entirely defeat the Enemies Schemes, or at least oblige them to postpone the execution of them; and if they are oblig'd to do this the Colony may be preserved-for then our Cannon may arrive, & we may have time enough to make sufficient Preperations for our Defence.
"It is certain that His Majestie's Fleets in the West Indias de- pend on being supplied from New York and this Place, and we are told that there will be a large Fleet in the West Indies; surely then no greater Service can be done to His Majesty, exclusive of saving the Lives & Fortunes of so many of his Subjects, than to prevent an obstruction of the Supply of His Majestie's Navy. This con- sideration will, we hope, make the People of your Government who have been so remarkably zealous for their Regard to the Trade of the Continent, pleas'd & desirous to see their Vessels of Force or- der'd on a Service of such great Importance even to them, & will, I know, animate You to use your utmost endeavers with the Cap- tains to extend their Cruizes as far as will answer these good pur- poses. I am with perfect Esteem,
"Sir, Your most obedient humb. Servant, " ANTHONY PALMER. " His Excellency, WILLM- SHIRLEY, Esqr."
And another Letter was wrote to Admiral Knowles at Jamaica, and one of the same Tenor to the Commodore of His Majesty's Ships of War in the Leeward Islands :
" Sir-
" The Administration of this Government being in the absence of the Governor devolv'd on the Council, at which Board I have the honour to be President, we in Council assembled think it our Duty to represent to You the unhappy state of the Colony, & the reasons we have to apprehend an Invasion of our Province & the Plundering of our City & a Total loss of our Trade.
"We need not tell You, who are so well acquainted with the Condition of the Colonies, that the Majority of the Assembly con- sisting of Quakers, their Principles wou'd never suffer them to put this Province into a posture of Defence, nor to fit out Vessels for the protection of their Trade; encourag'd by this, the Coast was last Year infested with swarms of French & Spanish Privateers, numbers of our Vessels were taken within our own Capes, & the Enemy seeing no resistance seiz'd our Pilots & fell a plundering the Plantations Situate on the Bay side. This Success more than an- swering their expectation, we are told by Prisoners who have been carried into the Enemie's Ports that great preparations are making & mighty Schemes concerted for our Ruin; whether they be con- certed by the Government in order to make a lodgement in so fruitful a Province, the Granary of America, or be a Confederacy of private Adventurers to burn the City or lay it under Contribu-
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tion, we cannot say. To prevent this the Inhabitants have enter'd into an Association, and are preparing Batteries in the most commo- dious Places of our River, which we hope will save the City, but whatever becomes of Us our Trade runs a manifest risque of being totally obstructed.
" This is an Event of so much Importance to His Majesty, as His Majestie's Fleets in the West Indies are to be supplied with a great part of their Provisions from hence, & His Majestie's Subjects there cannot get many of the necessaries of Life but from the Continent, that we think it our indispensible Duty to apprize the Commanders of His Majestie's Fleets in the West Indies of our apprehensions, & of the whereon they are founded, not doubting but when they come to know the dangerous State of the Navigation of North America, & what terrible Mischeifs may ensue thereon, they will do all in their Power to prevent them, & order some of the Men of War under their Command to Cruize on that part of the Continent which is threatned & lies most expos'd to the Depredations of the Enemy.
" You will easily imagine whatever may be the designs of the French & Spaniards, whether they Act on a Government Scheme or only on private Views, that they will be put in Execution early in the Season, & that their Privateers will take their Stations at the most convenient Places of the Coast, if unguarded, as soon as Navi- gation begins to be safe; So that no greater Service can be done His Majesty, nor no surer Method be taken to disappoint the Schemes of the Enemy, than to order it so that one or more Men of War may be beforehand with them on the Coast. The severity of the Season it is thought has drove many of the Vessels expected to arrive here to the West Indies, & these will probably fall in with the Enemie's Privateers to the great detriment of Trade in general ; but it may at this time prove particularly fatal to His Majestie's Interest with the Indians, who are in great want of Amunition & Cloaths, none of the Fall Vessels wherein these Goods were shipp'd being arriv'd, & if they are taken it will not be possible for the several Governors to answer their Engagements to the Indian Na- tions, nor execute the Plans concerted for the operations of the en- suing Year.
"I am, Sir, Your most obedient humble Servant,
" ANTHONY PALMER.
"Philada., 8th March, 1747."
At a Council held at Philada. the 29th March, 1748.
PRESENT :
Thomas Lawrence, Abraham Taylor, Esqrs. Thomas Hopkinson, William Logan,
The Minutes of the preceding Council were read & approv'd.
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PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
The following Letter from Mr. Ogle was read :
" ANNAPOLIS, 8th March, 1747. " Sir :
"I have this Day laid Your Letter of the 25th January, with other inclosed Papers, before the Council, & find them unanimously inclin'd to do every thing in their Power to induce the Lower House of Assembly to make some acceptable Present to the Indians in Concert with Your Province, & they express'd a particular Concern that we had not an opportunity of laying the said Papers before them the last Session, which ended the 23d of December, as they apprehend the Lower House might then have been more easily per- swaded into a thing of this Nature than if we were to call an As- sembly on purpose, which is always unpopular, as it brings a con- siderable Expense upon the People. This being considered, it was the unanimous Opinion of the Council that the best way to answer the expectation of Your Government wou'd be to leave the Affair till the next Meeting of our Assembly, which is to be the Tenth of May, when I really flatter myself We shall do something on our Part to keep up that good Correspondence with the Indians which is so necessary to all His Majesty's Subjects in this part of the World; in the mean time I remain, Sir,
" Your most obedient humble Servant.
"SAM OGLE.
"To the Honoble ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr."
A list of Officers to whom Commissions have been granted since the Last Entry in the Council Books :
CAPTAINS. LIEUTENANTS. ENSIGNS.
Philada. Co.
Edward Jones,
Abraham Dehaven,
Griffith Griffiths, Ist James Richey, Lieut., John Pauling,
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