USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. VI > Part 18
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" There appears to me an Infatuation in all the Assemblies in this Part of the World; they are not affected with the imminent Danger they are so obviously exposed to, but seem satisfied to leave the French at full Liberty to perpetrate their utmost Designs to their Ruin.
"I daily expect a King's Ship with Mr. Dobbs, Governor of North Carolina, by whom I hope to have a proper Account of the Affairs lying before the King and Council. This unexpected and unreasonable Conduct of our Assembly put a Stop to all my Opera- tions this Fall, which, if I had been able to put in Execution by a Supply of Money, 'tis probable We might have put a Stop to the French and drove them from the Ohio ; whereas now they are left at full Liberty to Murder, plunder, and every thing else they think proper. Our Assembly complains much of the want of proper aid from our neighbouring Colonies ; if Mr. Morris is arrived with You, and can bring your People to a proper way of thinking by granting a handsome Supply, it may probably raise the Spirit of our Assem- bly to renew their vote without this Rider. At present I am under the greatest Apprehensions of the bad Consequences from the lethargic Indolence of the different Colonies in not opposing the Enemy just at our doors, and indeed this Affair gives me more Concern and Anxiety than any thing ever occurred to me.
" A Governor is really to be pitied in the Discharge of his duty to his King and Country in having to do with such obstinate, self- conceited People. The French and Indians are now making Incur- sions among our Inhabitants in Augusta County, threatening our People to depart from their Plantations, and propose building Forts on Holston's, Green-bryar's, and other Rivers. I keep up the Forces We have, and have ordered a Detachment to these Places to protect our Frontiers.
"I am very sensible of your good Inclinations to support this necessary Expedition ; but no Governor can act consistantly without proper Supplies, and am very sorry there is such Supineness in the People of your Province-from their Numbers We had Reason to expect at least one thousand Men; and I think You have acted properly in resigning the Government, and if I could in Honour I should be glad to do the same, for I am quite wearied with the many Obstacles thrown in my way in Discharge of my Duty.
" I fully agree with You that no Expedition can be conducted here with a dependance on the Assemblies, and I have fully repre- sented it home, and have desired aid of Men, Money, and Ordinance Stores, without which I have small Hopes of Success. As they have this affair much at heart in Great Britain, I hope they will grant Us proper Assistance, and that soon, otherwise I fear it will be to late.
"Though You have resigned the Government I shall be glad of a Line from You at your leisure time with your Opinion on Affairs
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now in Action. You have done very judiciously in assisting the Half King, &ea., and hope You will represent the Affairs to Mr. Morris on his arrival in its true Light; and pray present my Com- pliments to him. I had a small knowledge of him in London.
" The Three Independant Companies with the other few Forces are to build a Magazine for Stores at some Place near Wills' Creek and to erect a small Battery for its'Protection ; for I think with the small Number of Men We have We cannot this Winter venture over the Allegheny Mountains. The Prospect at a distance is, if the Assemblies can be brought to Reason and grant proper Supplies, to make a Push early in the Spring before they can be reinforced from Quebec.
"I am so dejected with this last unexpected Behaviour of our Assembly that I despair of doing what my Inclination and the pre- sent Posture of our Affairs demands; however I shall endeavor with Patience, and wait to see what Time may produce. Excuse the Length of this Letter, and believe me to be with great Regard and Respect,
" Sir, Your most obedient and most humble Servant,
" ROBT. DINWIDDIE.
" To Governor HAMILTON."
At a Council held in the Council Chamber in the State House at Philadelphia, Tuesday the 15th October, 1754.
PRESENT :
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esquire, Lieu- tenant Governor.
John Penn, Robert Strettell,
Joseph Turner, Richard Peters, S
Esquires.
The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approved.
Last night nine Members waited upon the Governor and ac- quainted him that pursuant to the Charter and Laws of this Pro- vince a Quorum of the Representatives had met and proceeded to the Choice of a Speaker, and desired to know when he would be pleased to receive the House that they might present their Speaker. To which the Governor was pleased to say, he would be ready to re- ceive the House this morning at eleven o'Clock in the Council Chamber.
The Governor, by the Secretary, acquainted the House that he was in the Council Chamber ready to receive them with their Speaker; and accordingly the House waited upon the Governor and presented their Speaker, and the Governor was pleased to ap- prove their Choice. Then the Speaker, in the Name and Behalf
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of the House, claimed the usual Privileges, derived and confirmed to them by the Charters and Laws of this Province; to which the Governor was pleased to say that he not only confirmed those Rights and Privileges to the House, but should be always ready to confirm any others that they were entitled by Law to demand; and likewise acquainted the House that by the Time they had taken their respective Qualifications He should have something ready to communicate to them, and should, therefore, again require their Attendance by the Secretary.
The Governor laid before the Board the Speech he proposed to make to the Assembly, which being approved, the Governor sent a Message to the House, by the Secretary, requiring their Attend- ance in the Council Chamber immediately.
And accordingly the Speaker, with the whole House, waited upon the Governor, who made a Speech to them in the following Words :
" Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Assembly :
" On Mr. Hamilton's Resignation the Honourable Proprietaries were pleased to appoint me to the Command of this Province; and as I am persuaded they have nothing more at Heart than the Wel- fare and Prosperity of the People, I flatter myself their Choice of me was from the Opinion they entertained that I. would, to the utmost of my Power, promote the general Happiness, in which it shall be my earnest Endeavours not to disappoint them. I there- fore take this early opportunity of assuring You that I shall upon all Occasions be studious to protect the People committed to my Charge in the Enjoyment of all their civil and religious Privileges, and at the same time be careful to maintain the just Rights of Government, as equally conducive to the Public Good.
" The particular Matter I have at Present to recommend to your Consideration is the State of the Frontiers of this and the neigh- bouring Governments, where you will find the French acting with a steady Uniformity and avowed Resolution to make themselves Masters of this Country. Their Encroachments upon his Majes- tie's Territories, and their hostile Proceedings in this Time of Peace, may shew Us what We are to expect in case of open War, if We suffer them to strengthen themselves in the Possession of that Country they have so unjustly seized, and from whence they may not only annoy us by the Indians in their Alliance, but can at any time march a Body of Troops into this plentiful Province, situated in the Center of the British Dominions in America.
" I am sure I need only mention to You the arbitrary and tyranical Nature of their Government and the detestable Principles of their Religion to convince You of the unhappy Condition these Colonies will be reduced to should they ever become subject to the French. I do, therefore, in his Majestie's Name earnestly recommend it to
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You to exert Yourselves at this critical Juncture in Defence of your Country while their Numbers are small and before they have estab- lished themselves in their present Situation, and shall only observe that if this Opportunity be lost it is not likely We shall ever have another so favourable.
" If, when You shall think it a proper Season to proceed to pri- vate Business, You shall find any Laws wanting for the better Gov- ernment of the Province, I shall be ready to enter upon the Con- sideration of what You shall propose, and give my Consent to such as I shall judge reasonable and for the publick Utility."
MEMORANDUM.
. On the Eighteenth of October Two Members waited on the Gov- ernor with the following Address from the House, and at the same Time delivered him an Order on the Provincial Treasurer for Five Hundred Pounds, To whom the Governor was pleased to say that He thanked the House for the Order, and would take their Address into Consideration and return an Answer to the House forthwith if he found it required one :
" To the Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania, d.ca.
" The Address of the Representatives of the Freemen of the said Province in Answer to the Governor's Speech of the Fifteenth Instant.
" May it please the Governor :
" We the Representatives of the Freemen of the Province of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met, beg Leave to congratulate the Governor on his Accession to this Government and his safe Ar- rival in Pennsylvania.
" It is very agreeable to Us to find that the Choice of him was from an Opinion our Honourable Proprietaries entertained that he would to the utmost of his Power promote the general Happiness of this Province, in which the Governor is pleased to assure Us it shall be his earnest Endeavour not to disappoint them, and that he will on all Occasions be studious to protect the People committed to his Charge in the Enjoyment of all their Civil and Religious Liber- ties; And We do with the same Sincerity promise to contribute every thing in our Power to support him in the Exertion of all the just Rights of Government conducive to these good Ends.
"The Encroachments of the French on his Majestie's Territories, and their hostile Proceedings in this time of Peace, are truly alarm- ing; and as they have been long since known in Great Britain We were in hopes on the Governor's Arrival to have received Instruc- tions from the Crown how to conduct Ourselves on this important occasion; but as we have not had any such laid before us, the Royal Order sent to the several Colonies by the Earl of Holdernesse iu
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his Letter of the Twenty-Eight of August, 1753, appears to be the only Rule by which We can now act with Safety. And as we find our late Assembly did what was most consistent with the Trust re- posed in them to comply therewith, the Governor may likewise de- pend upon our doing whatever can be reasonably expected from Us for the Good of this Province or the General Interest of the British Colonies o 1 the Continent, whenever our assistance can be applied to any valuable Purpose. But at present, as we know not where to direct our aid, and as this has not been the usual Time of doing Business, occasioned by the Governor's being obliged to give his attendance elsewhere, We are inclined, if he has no objection or any thing further to lay before Us, to make a short Adjournment; and if during our Recess any Matters of Importance should come to his Knowledge, We shall chearfully attend the Governor's Call of Our House, and Contribute our Assistance for the Publick Good.
" Sign'd by order of the House, "ISAAC NORRIS, Speaker."
In Assembly, 18th October, 1754.
On the Nineteenth of October the Governor by the Secretary sent the following Message to the House :
"' Gentlemen-
"I very heartily thank You for Your kind Address. As I have nothing further to lay before You, I shall not object to Your Pro- posal of making a short Adjournment.
"ROBT. H. MORRIS.
" Philadelphia, October 19, 1754."
And on the same Day Two Members waited on the Governor to acquaint him that the House were inclined to adjourn to the Second Day of December next, if he had no Objection thereto. The Gov- ernor was pleased to say that he had no Objection to the proposed Time of Adjournment, but if Occasion required he should call the House together sooner.
At a Council held at Philadelphia, Wednesday the 13th Novem- ber, 1754.
PRESENT :
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esquire, Lieu- tenant Governor.
John Penn,
Benjamin Shoemaker, Esquires.
Joseph Turner, Richard Peters,
The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approved.
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A Sickness spreading in the Town (tho' no formal Information has been given of it by any of the Citizens), owing to the Un- healthiness of the Vessels and the Palatine Passengers that have arrived this Year, the Secretary was ordered to desire the Doctors to visit all the Palatine Ships now in Harbour, and all the Houses within the City where any such Palatines had been entertained, and to make their Report to the Governor this Day in Council; and the Doctors attending said they had not had Time to visit the several Houses which had entertained the Sick; Whereupon they were urged to do it very carefully and without Delay, and to make a full Report of the Circumstances in Which they should find them and the neighbouring Houses, and all the People that live in or resort to them.
The Council considering that they had no Power within the City, the Secretary was ordered to signify to the Mayor, from the Governor and Council, that every thing in the Power of the Magis- trates ought to be done for the Preservation of the Health of the City.
Mr. Shoemaker declared that if any of the People who were under his Care were found in Fault, it should be remedied directly, and he would take Care to see it done himself.
Ordered, That Mr. Bourne, the Health Officer, should imme- diately give Notice to all the Captains and Owners of Palatine Vessels now in Harbour not to land any Bedding or Sick Palatines within a Mile of the City, and that he should take Care to see them separate the well from the sick, and that the Sick be removed; and that no Ship should come to any Wharf till every Thing was unloaded and the Vessel well cleaned.
The Governour, by Mr. Croghan's Messenger, sent a Message to the Indians at Aughquick to notify his appointment to the Gov- ernment, assuring them that he could not render to his Majesty or the Proprietaries a more acceptable Service than to do them every good Office in his Power, and that it was expressly given him in Charge to signifie to them that tho' the Proprietaries were absent yet they retain'd a sincere love for them, and press'd him particu- larly to be kind to the Indians, and to see that none of his People should give them any Offence or do them the least Injury; and this he assur'd them he would do as well in obedience to his Majesty and the Proprietaries as that it was the most agreeable to his Disposition, and in order to know in what manner he might serve them he would make himself well acquainted with their Affairs.
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At a Council held at Philadelphia, Friday the fifteenth of Novem- ber, 1754.
PRESENT :
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esquire, Lieu- tenant Governor.
John Penn,
Joseph Turner,
Robert Strettell,
Richard Peters, Esquires.
Mr. Bourne attending was called in, and reported that he had imparted the Governor's Orders to all the Persons concerned, and that such of them were forthwith obeyed as required immediate Execution, and they promised all ready Obedience to the others respecting the not landing any such Passengers within the City or their Vessel coming to any Wharf until they were thoroughly cleaned.
The Doctors attending were called in and made the following Report :
" Sir-
" Doctor Greame and I have spent this Day in Examining the Palatines that have been Landed in and near the City, and shall as soon as possible give his Honour the Governor a particular Account of the Condition in which we found them, the Persons that nursed them, and the People living in the Neighbourhood of their Habita- tions ; but the Security of the Citizens requiring the immediate removal of two Companies of them, I think it my Duty to give you this early Notice, that in the House of Philip Burcort, near the reformed Church, a considerable number of them, belonging to Daniel Benezett, are in a weak and diseased State, and are confined in so small a Room that the Air, &ca, about them is in a high Degree of Putrefaction, and two of the Family are now ill of putrid Fevers. The People in the House of Frederick Burk, at Spring Garden, are circumstanced in the same manner; they belong to. Henry Kepler. 'Tis my opinion that both the diseased and healthy Persons in both these Houses shou'd be removed to a considerable distance from the City, and care taken to purify the Houses well before other Tenants are permitted to go into them.
" THO. BOND."
The Doctors promised to make a large Report that should contain all the matters of Fact, with their Observations on the Nature of Putrid and contagious Fevers, and excused the present one, which they had drawn up in haste.
Mr. Kepler being ordered to attend, did declare that having last night received the Governor's Orders to remove all the Sick who were in the House of Frederick Burk, the same had been faithfully and carefully done.
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Mr. Daniel Benezet being last Night informed of the Doctors' Report, and ordered to remove the Sick in the House of Philip Burcort, and to attend the Council this morning, sent his Brother, James Benezet, to inform the Governor that he had in part obeyed the order, and would entirely compleat it by Night.
N. B .- The Doctors afterwards made two other Reports.
" To his Honour the Governor :
" We have with the greatest care executed the Orders you were pleased to give us to examine the Houses in and about the City where the Palatines now are or have been entertained and found as follows:
" At Christian Rinhalt's, 2d Street 5, all well. At another House near it 16, all well.
" At David Sickel's in Race Street 20, 3 Sick. ' At Jacob Cost's, dirty Alley, 20, several sick.
" At John Cowles in Arch Street 19, all well, most of these belonged to Mr. Shoemaker.
" At Lodowick Cales in Fifth Street 24, many Sick; They were Mr. Benezett's. At Philip Burkhort's, near the reformed Dutch Church, are a considerable Number, and many sick. They are con- fined in so close and small a Room, and the Air and every thing else about them in so ill a condition, that we think there is the greatest Danger of malignant and infectious Diseases being generated amongst them. Two of his Children are already ill of Fevers. The House of Frederick Burk is circumstanced in the same manner. The People in the former belong to Daniel Benezett, and in the latter to Henry Kepler.
" We are of Opinion the Security of the City requires the im- mediate removal of both the Sick and Well from these Two Houses to some distance from the Built part of the Town, and that the Sick should every where be kept from the Healthy ; and we think no House should be permitted to take in above eight or ten of these People, Sick or Well.
"We did not find that any except the two mentioned, who had entertained or Nursed the Sick, or any Persons living in the Neigh- bourhood had been infected by them. We were told that several Persons thereabouts had been ill after working on board the Ships, amongst whom was Michael Cone. This Man had been employ'd on board Captain Jackson, from Hamburg. The Circumstances attending this Ship at and after her Arrival are remarkable, and to- gether with the Observations of Persons experienced in that Trade, shew that the People on board most Passenger Ships do sooner or later undergo a disease from foul Air. We were told she had not lost above two Freights in the Passage, and finding the rest of the Company uncommonly healthy we had no reason to question the Truth of that Information. Soon after her coming into Port the
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Captain, Mate, Merchant, with the rest of the Mariners and most of the Palatines, were taken ill of Fevers. The Merchant and Mariners were brought on Shore, put into proper Lodgings, and tho' long ill did not communicate the Disease to any Person about them ; at the same Time several others besides Michael Cone con- tracted the same Disease on board of her. This is the kind of Fever we commonly meet with on board these Ships, and which not com- plicated with any other Disease we have never found to be contagious.
" From the great Number that have dyed we are certain the same thing has happen'd in other Vessels; that is, the People have become Sick since we visited them, or that the Sick have been Wickedly Concealed from us, and indeed we have now no room to doubt the latter, for we are informed that one of the Ships lay below on Pre- tence of being a Ground, but that she was kept back only to have time to take out the Sick.
+ "Our Fellow Citizens are under great Apprehensions of some infectious disease being communicated to them from the Halifax, and we are sincerely concerned there as been so much cause for their fears. We are, notwithstanding, conscious of having done our Duty faithfully in that affair according to the best of our knowledge. We used our utmost Endeavours to inform ourselves of the Numbers lost and of the Nature of the Diseases of which they had dyed on board the said Ship, and after comparing the condition she had been and was then in for ought we know, with that of many others which had for ten Years past been admitted up to the City without communicating any contagious Diseases to the Inhabitants, we were under no apprehensions of any particular Injury from her, and after a re-examination of her and the People on Board we have not had any reason to change our Opinion, there having nothing happened from her but what has happened from the healthiest Ships. We do not pretend to say there was no malignant infectious Cause in this or any other of the Ships, we can only say if there has been any such it has evaded our most diligent Enquiry. We can judge by no other Rules but the Histories of the Previous disorders and the present Appearance of the People, whether the diseases are con- tagous or not, that is, whether they may be communicated from dis- tempered to sound Bodies; we are sensible that several persons who have been long on Board Palatine Ships have contracted Fevers from Breathing and imbibing an unwholesome air, this it does not require the Skill of a Physician to foresee, nor is it our Duty to pre- vent, but as no Person on Shore, within our knowledge, has con- tracted Diseases from the Palatines themselves (unless where many of the Sick have been kept together), nor no person who was taken ill after being on board the Ships have communicated their Fevers to others, we hope we have not been mistaken in the nature of these diseases.
"We cannot conclude this Representation without saying that
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our case is really hard, since a Security from Contagious Diseases is expected from Us, & the Legislature has not made the necessary Regulations to prevent malignant Diseases being generated by these People after they come into Port, where there is much more Danger of it than at Sea.
"TROS. GREEME, "THOMAS BOND.
"November 16th, 1754."
To his Honour the Governor.
"In compliance with your Directions we shall with pleasure en- deavour to give you an Account of the manner by which the In- habitants of this City have at different times been infected with malignant and Contagious Fevers, and shall esteem it a particular Satisfaction if our observations afford you any useful Hints for the prevention of these terrible Diseases amongst us for the future.
"The Diseases to which all places are liable from Foreigners brought amongst them in Crowded Vessels are : first, Fevers from a foul Air which is common to these Ships; Secondly, these Fevers aggravated by other causes on board the Ships or in House where too many of the Sick have been kept together in small and close Rooms; Thirdly, Fevers from infectious matter brought on board the Ships from other places. That You may be the better able to judge of the means necessary for the preventing those Diseases, we think it will not be improper first to say something of their causes, and then to shew by Facts where the Danger of infection from them lies.
"The Steam of Bilge Water and the breath of great Numbers of People betwixt the Decks of a Ship make the air moist and in some Degree putrid, and like that of Marshy and Boggy Places will pro- duce Fevers on Persons that are a long time in them, but these Fevers are not contagious and require no other precaution but seperat- ing the Sick and keeping them in places well air'd and cleaned.
" But when to this State of the Air any considerable Degree of Animal Putrefaction is added, either from uncleaness, Fluxes, &ca., or too great a Confinement of the Air itself, it then produces a Fever different in its Symptoms from the former, malignant in its Nature, and contagious. Military Hospitals afford us daily Instances of the mildest Fevers being by these causes changed into malignant and contagious ones, and prove how dangerous it is for many Sick Persons to be kept together in the manner we found the Palatines in the two Houses mentioned to you in our last Representation. But the most fatal Circumstances attending contagious Fevers are when Persons infected by them in Jayls or other places (where the cause has been long gaining force) communicate them to the Pas-
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