USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. V > Part 72
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to Canada in Irons. I communicate this piece of Intelligence as it cannot but be agreeable to You, if the Information contained in the Letter be true. You will observe the French threaten to renew their attempts next Year ; this they will probably do unless the Difficulties which they may apprehend from the Indians in the Ex- ecution should deter them. The French building Forts and making Settlements on the Ohio will prove of pernicious Consequences to his Majestie's Dominions, for as that River (according to the Idea I have of the Country) is much nearer to the back Settlements than the Course the French used to take through the Lakes, they will more easily make Incursions upon the British Subjects, being near and having a Place of Retreat and Security at their Forts, they will intercept the Indian Trade, and draw the Indians into a greater dependance on them than is consistent with the Safety of his Majestie's Subjects in that Part of America; if the French have Forts at proper Places on the Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia may find that in another War they will become as sharp Thorns in their Sides as Fort St Frederick at Crown Point is to Massachu- setts Bay and New York. These Considerations may perhaps de- serve the attention of Mr. Penn and your Assembly.
" I am, Sir,
" Your most obedient and most humble Servant, " JAMES DELANCY. " The Honble. Governor HAMILTON."
Then was read another Letter from Governor De Lancey, enclos- ing an Extract of a Letter from the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, both which are in the following words :
"NEW YORK, 11th December, 1753.
" Sir :
"On Friday last I received the enclosed Letter with others to the Governors of Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New Hamp- shire, and the Massachusetts Bay, from the Lords Commissioners for Trade and the Plantations, to be forwarded as addressed, and as they are referred to in their Lordship's Letter to me, I enclose you an Extract of it, in Pursuance of which I proposed an Interview with the Indians at Albany on the thirteenth or fourteenth Day of next June ; the Assembly here have this Day resolved that they will make Provision for the Presents usually given on such Occu- sions, and for the Expence of my Voyage thither, so that I intend to meet the Indians at the Time and Place above mentioned. The Assembly have also resolved upon my laying before them the Let- ter from the Earl of Holdernesse, that they will make a suitable Provision for assisting any of the neighboring Colonies to repel Force by Force in case they be invaded in an hostile manner by any
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Force whatsoever. This I thought necessary to communicate to you.
"I am, with great Esteem, Sir,
" Your Honour's most obedient and most humble Servant,
"JAMES DE LANCEY.
" His Honour JAMES HAMILTON, Esqr., Governor of Pennsyl- vania."
Extract of a Letter from the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, dated September 18th, 1753.
" As we find it has been usual upon former Occasions when an Interview has been held with the Indians for the other neighbouring Governments in Alliance with them to send Comissioners to be joined with those of New York, and as the present wavering Dispo- sition of the Indians equally affects the other Provinces, we have wrote to the Governors of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, and New Jersey, desiring them to represent to their respective Assemblies the Utility and Necessity of this Measure, and to urge them to make proper Provision for it; and therefore it will be necessary that when you have settled the Time and Place of Meeting You should give early notice of it; and this leads us to recommend one thing more to your Attention, and thatis, to take Care that all the Provinces be (if practicable) comprized in one general Treaty, to be made in his Majestie's Name-it appearing to Us that the Practice of each Province making a sepe- rate Treaty for itself in its own Name is very improper and may be attended with great Inconvenience to his Majestie's Service."
Then was read a Letter from Governor Shirley in the Words fol- lowing :
" BOSTON, November 26, 1753.
"Sir :
"I received by the last Post a Letter from the Earl of Holder- nesse, dated 28th August past (a circular one, as it appears to be, to all his Majestic's Governors in North America), acquainting me that his Majesty had received Information of the March of a con- siderable Number of Indians not in Alliance with Him, supported by some regular European Troops, intending, as it is apprehended, to commit some Hostilities on Parts of his Majestie's Dominions in America; and directing me to use my utmost Diligence to learn how far the same may be well grounded; acquainting me also that his Lordship had it particularly in charge to let me know that it was his Majestie's Royal Will and Pleasure that I should keep up an exact Correspondence with all his Majestie's Governors on the Continent; and in case I should be informed by any of them of
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any hostile Attempts, that I should immediately assemble the General Assembly within my Government, and lay before them the Necessity of a mutual assistance, and engage them to grant such Supplies as the Exigency of Affairs may require.
" In Obedience to these Directions, as I have heard imperfect Accounts of some late Hostilities committed by a Body of Indians, supported by French Troops, upon his Majestie's Territories within the Limits of your Honour's Government, and of a Fort's being erected there by them, I trouble You with this Letter to let You know that in case these reports (concerning the Occasion of which I shall be obliged to You for a particular Information) are well grounded, and your, Honour hath Thoughts of attempting to remove the French from their Encroachments by the armed Force of the People within your Government, and shall stand in need of Assist- ance from his Majestie's other Colonies on the Continent, I will most gladly concur with You in that Service by endeavouring to procure from the General Assembly of the Province their due Pro- portion of Supplies upon this Occasion ; always depending upon the Assembly of your Honour's Government granting the like assistance to the People of this Province whenever they shall stand in need of it against his Majestie's Territories within their Limits, which, from your Honour's known Spirit and Zeal for promoting his Majestic's Service and the general Prosperity of his American Colonies, I can't entertain the least Doubt of your most ready Dis- position to obtain upon any proper Emergency.
"I shall be very glad to maintain a strict Correspondence with You pursuant to his Majestie's Commands, signified to me in the Earl of Holdernesse's before-mentioned Letter.
" I am, with great Esteem, Sir,
" Your Honour's most humble and most obedient Servant, "W. SHIRLEY.
" The Honoble. JAMES HAMILTON, Esq"."
And then was read again Lord Holdernesse's Letter of the twenty eighth Day of August last, formerly entered in the Minutes of Council.
After which the Governor's Message to the Assembly was taken into Consideration and approved, and is as follows :
A Message from the Governor to the Assembly.
"Gentlemen :
"Having in September last received a Letter by Express from Col. Fairfax of Virginia, informing me that some Chiefs of the Ohio Indians were then at Winchester soliciting the assistance of that Gov- ernment, and intended as soon as they should have finished there to come to Carlisle in the County of Cumberland, where they en-
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treated I would be pleased to give them the Meeting, I assembled the Council, and being favored with the attendance of the Speaker and such Members of your House as were in Town, I laid it before them for their advice, who were unanimously of opinion that a Conference with these Indians might afford a good opportunity of becoming acquainted with a true State of their Dispositions and affairs, and the proper Presents should be provided out of the Sum voted by the Assembly in the Month of May last, and there distributed for their service and Relief. Entirely concurring with these Sentiments, as my own Health did not permit me to undertake such a Journey, I issued a Commission to Mr. Peters, Mr. Norris, and Mr. Franklyn, empowering them to hold a Treaty with those Indians, and to make them the Presents of Condolence and such others as they shall find suitable on being truly informed of their Necessities, who accord- ingly proceeded to Carlisle and held a Treaty with them; For the Particulars whereof, together with the Expences acruing thereon, I shall refer you to the Treaty itself and the Commissioners who are Members of your House.
" I have received a Letter from the Right Honourable the Earl of Holdernesse, one of his Majestie's Principal Secretaries of State, which with others of the like Tenor to all his Majestie's Governors on the Continent, was sent Expressly by a Sloop of War to Virginia wherein his Majesty lays his Royal Commands on me, in case the Subjects of any Foreign Prince shall have presumed to make En- croachments, erect Forts, or commit any other Hostilities within His Majestie's Dominions, if after representing to them the Injustice of their proceedings they do not desist, to draw forth the armed Force of the Province and to endeavour to repel Force by Force, and to call the Assembly and to engage them to grant such Supplies as the Exigincy of Affairs may require. Whilst I was preparing to make the Requisition enjoined by his Majesty, I received a Letter from Governor Dinwiddie informing me that he had dispatched Major Washington on that Service to the Fort lately built on the Ohio by the French, and an Express has this week brought me Governor Dinwiddie's account of that Gentleman's Return, with the answer of the Commander of that Fort, who avows the Hostilities already com- mitted, and declares his Orders from the King of France are to build more Forts, take Possession of all the Country, and oppose all who shall resist, English as well as Indians, and that he will certainly execute these Orders as early as the Season will permit.
" Gentlemen : French Forts and French Armies so near us will be everlasting Goads in our Sides; our Inhabitants from thence will feel all the Miseries and dreadful Calamities that have been heretofore Suffered by our Neighbour Colonies. All those Outrages, Murders, Rapines, and Cruelties, to which their People have been exposed, are now going to be experienced by ourselves unless a Force be immediately raised sufficient to repel these Invaders. It
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is to be hoped, therefore, that as Royal Subjects to his Majesty and in Justice to your Country You will not fail to take into your Con- sideration the present Exigincy of Affairs ; and as it will be attended with a very considerable Expence, and require a large number of Men, make provision accordingly, that I may be enabled to do what his Majesty as well as the neighboring Colonies will expect from a Government so populous and likely to be so nearly affected with the Neighbourhood of French Garrisons.
" I have further to inform You that I have received a Letter from the Right Honourable the Lords of Trade, dated the eighteenth Day of September last, informing me that his Majesty has ordered an Interview to be held the next Summer at Albany with the Six Nations, and a large Present to be there distributed, and desiring I will lay this Matter before you, and recommend to You to make Provision for appointing Commissioners to be joined with those of the other Governments, and for Indian Presents; and it being left to the Governor of New York to appoint the Time of this Interview he has informed me by Letter that he has fixed the Thirteenth or Fourteenth of June next for that Purpose ; further acquainting me that the Lords of Trade have recommended it to him to take Care that all the Provinces be (if practicable) comprised in one general Treaty to be made in his Majestie's Name, it appearing to their Lordships that the Practice of each Province making a seperate Treaty for itself in its own Name is very improper, and may be at- tended with great Inconveniences to his Majestie's Service.
" Several Letters have passed between me and the Governor of New York, Virginia, and the Massachusetts, in which they make this Province the Tender of their Assistance, express an hearty Desire of acting in Concert with Us against his Majestie's Enemies, concur in Sentiment with His Majestie's Ministers of the Necessity of a general Union of all the Provinces both in Councils and Forces ; and as Experience, the best of Instructors, makes it evident beyond a Doubt that without this his Majestie's Colonies in America are in Danger of being swallowed up by an Enemy otherwise much in- ferior to them in Strength and Numbers, I most earnestly recom- mend it to You, and hope what is so well and justly said on this and other Matters by Lord Holdernesse, the Lords of Trade, and the neighbouring Governors, will have their full Force and Weight with You in your Deliberations.
"The several Matters set forth in the late Treaty at Carlisle evince the Necessity of appointing some Person to reside at Ohio among the Indians there in whom the Government can place a Con- fidence ; and unless you can engage some such Persons You must be sensible that your Presents will be of little Use, and the Indians will be lost to the English Interest.
" You will likewise do the Publick great Service if together with this necessary Measure You will take the Indian Trade into your VOL. V .- 46.
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Consideration and put it into some Order, for I am entirely of Opinion with the Commissioners that this is absolutely necessary as well for the Indians as for ourselves, and should be pleased it was well considered and a Bill prepared for the Purpose.
" Gentlemen : there is so much to be done and so little time to do it in, the Season being so far advanced, and Governor Dinwiddie ex- pecting the Forces from this Province to join those of Virginia early in March on Patowmack, that I most earnestly entreat You will not delay the Supplies nor deal them out with a sparing Hand, but use all the Expedition in your Power ; for You will undoubtedly agree with me that so alarming an Occasion has not occurred since the first Settlement of the Province, nor any one thing happen'd that so much deserves your serious Attention.
"The Secretary has my Orders to lay before You the several Letters and Papers mentioned in this Message, or otherwise neces- sary to give You a perfect knowledge of all Matters you may want to be informed of in the Course of your Deliberations.
" JAMES HAMILTON.
" February 14, 1754."
At a Council held at Philadelphia, Tuesday the 19th of Feb- ruary, 1754.
PRESENT :
John Penn,
Benjamin Shoemaker,
Thomas Lawrence, Robert Strettell, Esquires.
Joseph Turner, Richard Peters,
The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approved.
The Governor, still indisposed, sent to the Council for their Con- sideration a Message which had been delivered him by Two Mem- bers of Assembly on the Fourteenth Instant, which was read in these Words :
" May it please the Governor-
" We gratefully acknowledge the Governor's Care in all our In- dian Affairs, and more particularly at this critical Juncture ; it therefore cannot but be very agreeable to us to find he has already so far recovered his Health as to join with Us in the Publick Busi- ness now before the House.
" The distressed Circumstances of the Indians our Allies on the River Ohio demand our closest Attention, and we shall not fail to proceed in the Matters contained in the Governor's Message with all the Dispatch an Affair of so much Importance will admit of, in which we doubt not to comply with every thing that can be reason- ably expected on our Parts.
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" In the meantime having some Days since prepared a Bill which we conceive absolutely necessary not only to the Trade and Wel- fare of this Province but to the Support of Government, upon the Success of which our Deliberations at this Time must in a great Measure depend, We now lay it before him as a Bill of the utmost Importance, and to which We unanimously request he would be pleased to give his Assent.
"Signed by Order of the House. "ISAAC NORRIS, Speaker. "In Assembly, February 14th, 1754."
And then the Bill was read, entituled " An Act for Striking the Sum of Forty Thousand Pounds, to be made Current and emitted on Loan, and for re-emitting and continuing the Currency of the Bills of Credit of this Province."
The Council calling to Mind the Assembly's passionate and in- decent Treatment of the Governor the last Year on the Subject of King's Instruction, which could now no more than be dispensed with, thought it would be to no Purpose to renew that Dispute.
The Secretary was ordered to read the Report of the Committee appointed to consider the Governor's Message of the Seventh of September, 1753, entered in the Minutes of Assembly of the last Year; and as it contains Matters of a very extraordinary Nature it was thought proper that an Extract of it should be entered in the Council Minutes, which is as follows, viz":
" As the Governor has been pleased to return the Bill for Striking Twenty Thousand Pounds to be made Current and emitted on Loan, and for re-emitting and continuing the Currency of the Bills of Credit of this Province, in a manner which denies any further ac- cess to him on that Head, except on the alternative of accepting the additional Clause proposed to be added to that Bill; and as that Clause upon the Vote of the House has been unanimously re- jected, We have now no other Method to secure Ourselves from future Insinuations of being unfaithful to the high Trust reposed in us by our Constituents, but by leaving our Sentiments of the Governor's Amendment and Message on our Minutes in the Clear- est manner We are able.
"In Obedience, therefore, to the Orders of the House, We have considered the Governor's Message of the seventh Instant, sent down with the Bill, and have likewise reconsidered the Votes of this House, to which the Governor is pleased to refer as a Proof that the Governor and Assembly in the Year 1746 thought the Lords Justices' additional Instruction, upon which the said Clause is founded, was neither illegal or temporary or destructive of the the Liberties granted to the People of this Province.
" The Governor is pleased to say it appears to him the then As-
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sembly have clearly admitted the Validity of that Instruction in ordinary Cases, and that they only hoped the Governor on reconsid- ering the Royal Instruction might think himself at Liberty to give his Assent to a Bill for a further Sum of Money in Bills of Credit when any extraordinary Emergency required it. And yet not- withstanding the Governor's private Sentiments, it appears clear to Us that both the then Governor and the House too agreed in the essential Point that the additional Instruction of the 'Lords Jus- tices was not binding upon either of them; for it is beyond all Contradiction that altho' Governor Thomas had sent down that In- struction to a former Assembly, and had again mentioned it at that Time, yet he gave his Assent to the Bill for granting Five Thou- sand Pounds for the King's Use, and the Money was raised, as we apprehend, in direct Opposition to the Instruction which expressly enjoins the Governor, and he is thereby required upon Pain of his Majestie's highest Displeasure, not to give His Assent to or pass any Act whereby Bills of Credit may be issued in lieu of Money, with- out a Clause be inserted in such Act declaring that the same shall not take Effect until the said Act shall be approved by his Majesty, his Heirs or Successors,' without the least Distinction be- tween ordinary and extraordinary Cases ; and if the Assembly made Use of those Distinctions to induce the Governor to think himself at Liberty to pass that Bill, and in Effect did convince him that the Instruction was not to be submitted to upon its own Terms, we must own he had a greater Regard to the Sentiments of that Assembly than we have any Reason to believe our Governor has to the re- peated Requests of this House. And we have no Reason to doubt if we could prevail on our Governor to give his Assent to our Paper Money Bill this House would as readily assure him they hoped he might think himself at Liberty to pass that Bill and all other Bills presented to him by the Representatives of the Freemen of this Province, not only upon extraordinary Emergencies but in all ordi- nary Cases too, without the least apprehensions of his Majestie's Displeasure so far as those Laws were consistent with the Royal Charter.
" The Governor proceeds : 'That there has not been an Instance of passing any Law in this Province under the Restrictions contained in the amendment may be true; but he cannot think any Thing fur- ther can be inferred from thence than that no such Instruction was ever sent to the Governors of this Province before the Year 1740, otherwise it is reasonable to conclude they would have paid the same dutiful Obedience to it as was done by your late Governor.' Your Committee are at some Loss upon this Paragraph, whether they ought to produce other and older Instructions than the Year 1740, least the Governor should think himself obliged to pay a strict Obe- dience to these also; but as they are already printed in your Votes, which must now soon appear and the House probably will not order them to be erased, we shall only say that there was an additional
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Instruction by the Lords Justices to Governor Keith, dated the twenty third of July, 1723, without any Limitation of Time (and we do not think it necessary to search for any more of them), the Ori- ginal of which We presume must be in the Governor's Possession, commanding him among other Matters in these Words, 'You are to take Care that for the future You do not pass any private Act without a Clause inserted therein suspending the Execution of such Act until his Majestie's Royal Approbation shall be had thereof,' which notwithstanding the Governor neither does and We hope never will think himself obliged to observe.
" Having now taken it for granted the Instruction was allowed by the Governor and Assembly to be valid without Limitation of Time in the Year 1746, the Governor is pleased to say : 'Why, then, an Instruction allowed to be in Force in 1746, and still unrevoked, should be deemed to be of no effect, tho' the State of our Paper Cur- rency has not suffered the least alteration since that time, is what he cannot comprehend.'
"It is our Misfortune that the Governor has been pleased to keep our Bill, the only Bill of this Year to this our last Session, with- out the least Intimation that he apprehended himself at all concerned or, bound by an additional Instruction to Governor Thomas in the Year 1740, and now so Suddenly to forclose us from any further Messages or Conferences on a Bill of so much Importance, other- wise we cannot doubt he must have been made sensible that. the State of our Paper Currency (and our Trade too) has suffered a very considerable alteration within the Period the Governor is pleased to mention.
"That the States of all the Paper Curriencies in America at and since that Time under a Parliamentary Enquiry, have been since carefully examined by the House of Commons, appears by their Votes, and that the sum Current among us has likewise suffered an alteration, and a Diminution is consistent with our own Knowledge- who have now sunk One Thousand Pounds besides the Fifteen Hun- dred Pounds sunk by former Assemblies in Discharge of so much of the Five Thousand Pounds granted to the King's use by the very act to which the Governor refers.
" But the Governor, unhapily for us, 'is sincerely of Opinion that the Royal Instruction is of the same Force at present as it was in the Year 1746, and that he cannot bring himself to think that he can ever be freed from the Obligation of paying a strict obedience to it until the same shall be revoked, or that he may be otherwise discharged from it by his Majestie's authority.' Unfortunate Penn- sylvania, under such Sentiments ! If the King should judge all the Purposes of that Instruction answered upon passing the Paper Money Act laid before him by his Parliament in 1751, we must, nevertheless, for ever continue under the Burden of it without Re- dress ; and if we should suppose the Governor is restricted by the
-
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Proprietaries from giving his assent to the Emission of any further sum in Bills of Credit, as we have very little Reason to doubt, if then the Proprietaries should be pleased to withdraw that Restric- tion and leave him at Liberty to pass all our Acts upon the Terms granted us by our Charters, what will this avail if the Governor continues to think he can never be freed from the Obligation of pay- ing a strict obedience to this additional Instruction?
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