Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. VI, Part 2

Author:
Publication date: 1838
Publisher: [Harrisburg] : By the State
Number of Pages: 814

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Phipps, Governor, of Massachusetts, 451, 605, 607.

Proclamation for a fast day, on account of drought, 422.

Proprietaries, letter from, 730. Taxing estates, &c., 730. Send money, 732. Letter to, from Governor, 738.

Proprietary estate proposition, &c., to tax, 525, 526, 537, 569, 585, 619, 627, 680, 684, 696, 707, 718, 739. Letter from, on taxing, 730. Transmit &5,000, 733.

Provincial Council, new members added to, 666. Pass resolutions for men and money, and demand answer from Assembly, 706. Appoint Commissioners to inquire into cause of alienation of Indians, 711. Their Report, 724-728.

Provincial Commissioners, letter to, from Governor on friendly In- dians on Susquehanna, 745.

Quakers complained of, 600. Their address, Governor's remarks on, 739. Presents to Indians, 739.

xiv

CONTENTS.

Reading, alarm from Indians, 651, 656.

Remonstrance of Mayor, &c., of Philadelphia to Assembly, respect- ing French neutrals, 734.

Reports of John Penn and R. Peters, on purchase of lands on Susquehanna, from the Six Nations, 111. Manner of proceed- ing in public, 114. Private suggested, 114. From Doctors Græme and Bond, 173. Colonel John Armstrong's, of Mission to Connecticut, 259. Respecting a Road, 304, 377, 395. Of Council, on distribution of Powder, &c., 679. On alienation of Indians, 728.

Resolutions of Assembly, 32.

Rhode Island raises men, 606.

Road, no Wagon road West, from Carlisle through the mountains, 302. Along the Delaware, opposite Easton, 304. From Ship- pensburg towards fort Du Quesne, Braddock's, 317, 318, 323, 368, 378, 380, 383, 395, 405, 406, 409, 415, 425, 431, 453, 466, 493, 521, 523, 555, 617. Commissioners appointed to make, 318, 323, 377, 395. Another proposed, 405. Assembly will not furnish arms, 415.

Robinson, Sir Thomas, letter from, 176, 201, 303, 373, 394, 451.

Roman Catholics, letter from Justices of Berks county respecting fears of, 503, 533.

St. Clair, Sir John, his arrival in Virginia, 298. Letters to and from, 298, 299, 300, 301.

Scarroyady in Philadelphia, 358, 567. Message from, to Governor Morris, 615. To be consulted, 697. His instructions, 697.

Servants, enlisting of, 777.

Sharpe, Governor, letters from, 178, 410, 419, 420, 453, 456, 477, 639, 643. Meets Braddock and Governors at Alexandria, 365.

Sheriffs and coroners elected, 144, 638.

Shickalamy, John, letters to, 420.

Shirley, General William, letters to and from, 410, 496, 513, 549, 558, 560, 563, 595, 665, 776. His regiment at New York, 416. To Colonel Dunbar, 549. Orders for Colonel Dunbar, 559, 560.

Shirley, Governor William, letters to and from, 16, 20, 63, 309, 310, 439, 463. Arrives in Philadelphia, 358. Meets General Braddock and Governors at Alexandria, 365. Meets Indian Council at Philadelphia, 364, 370.

Shirley, W., (secretary to General Braddock), letter from-gives his views of the expedition, 405.

CONTENTS.

Sipple, Watman, deposition of, 416.

Spangenberg, Reverend Mr., letters to and from, 358, 756.

Speeches of the Half King to Governors of Virginia and Pennsyl- vania, 31.

Stobo, Captain, letters from, 141, 160.

Susquehanna, Purchases on, by Connecticut, 260, 262, 291, 293. Murders, &c., 676. Indian alarms and murders on west side of, 647, 651. Cruelties committed, 670.

Sussex County, Sheriff and Coroner elected, 638.

Tax, Bill to lay a, 510, 537. Address of Assembly to Governor, respecting, 511. On proprietary Estates, 525, 526, 537, 569, -585, 626, 680, 682, 684, 707, 718, 737, 739.

Title of English to North America, stated, 100-105.

Tulpehockon, murders by Indians at, 704.

Union of the Colonies, plan for, 38, 66, 71, 72, 78, 87, 105. Franklin's plan, 105, 109, 745, 747.

Virginia, letters to and from Governor of, 1, 3, 27, 31, 55, 136, 160, 163. Number of forces, 138, 177, 294, 296, 297, 308, 419, 445. Boundary line, 8. Proposes two forts on Ohio, 32. Arrival of Sir John St. Clair, 298. Governor meets General Braddock and Governors at Alexandria, 365.

War, Council of, proceedings of, 608-611.

Ward, Mr., surrenders fort on Monongahela, 28, 29.

Washington, George, on surrender of fort in forks of Mononga- hela, 28. Defeat, 51, 131. Wounded at Braddock's defeat, 488, 489. His conduct there, 488. Two horses shot under him, 488.

Weiser, Conrad, sent to Indians with a Message to, 24. Journal, 35, 36. Instructions, 147. Letters to and from, 34, 47, 148, 248, 291, 443, 457, 467, 494, 613, 640-641, 647, 649, 652, 655, 659, 660, 681, 760, 762. Journal to and from Aucquick, 150. In Philadelphia, 340, 567. History of Wyandots, 551. York County, Sheriff and Coroners elected, 144, 638. Zeisberger, David, offers to convoy Indians, 736.

MINUTES

OF THE

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL OF PENNSYLVANIA.

At a Council held at Philadelphia, Tuesday the 2d April, 1754. PRESENT :

The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor.

Robert Strettell, Richard Peters, Esquires.

The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approved.

The Assembly being to meet this Night by Summons, the Gov- ernor ordered the Secretary to read the several Letters that had passed between him and the other Governors with whom He had corresponded, together with the Draughts of Two Messages prepared by him on the Subject Matter thereof, which were approved, and the Secretary was ordered to deliver them, the first to-morrow Morn- ing and the second in the afternoon.

A Letter from Governor Hamilton to Governor Dinwiddie. " Sir :

"Ever since I had the Honour to write You of the twenty-sixth of February I have been labouring indefatigably with my Assembly to induce them to act vigorously on the present critical Juncture of Affairs at Ohio, and to grant such Supplies as might enable us to resist the Invasions of the French on that Part of his Majestie's Dominions, and thereby not only comply with the King's just Ex- pectations from Us but likewise consult the Preservation of our own Province and Others his Majestie's Colonies on this Continent; And I heartily wish it were in my Power to give You a more favourable Account of their Proceedings on that head than I am yet able to do. After having sat and canvassed this affair for near Five Weeks together, they at length on the ninth Instant adjourned themselves VOL. VI .- 1.

MINUTES OF THE

to the sixth of May, which by our Constitution they have a Right' to do without having at all provided for this Service, as in Duty to their King and Country they ought to have done. As I am well acquainted with their religious Scruples I never expected they would appropriate Money for the Purpose of War or Warlike Prepara- tions, but thought they might have been brought to make a hand- some Grant to the King's Use, and have left the Disposition of it to me, as they have done upon other Occasions of the like Nature; and had I been able with Certainty to acquaint them of the Measures taken by your Colony, it is not improbable but that they might have been induced upon this Occasion to have done something of the same kind, but I much doubt whether in such a Proportion as the present Emergency requires. It was, therefore, particularly unfor- tunate that your Letter came not to my Hands till the Day after their Adjournment, that I might have made known to them the Steps that are taking by your Government, since their Want of In- formation in that particular was alledged as the principal Reason of their declining to do any Thing at this Time. Whether this be any Thing more than an Excuse for not complying with the King's Commands, or whether they are really sincere in their Profession of demonstrating their Loyalty by granting to his Majesty a Supply in any degree answerable to the present Exigency, will be made appa- rent in a short time, for upon the Arrival of your Express and upon considering that so long an Adjournment as to the sixth of. May would be in Effect to prevent any Measures being taken for that Purpose for this Year, I have issued Writs for calling them together on the second of next Month, when I shall not fail again to repre- sent to them the absolute Necessity of their taking vigorous and ex- peditious Measures in this very critical and dangerous Situation of our Affairs. But in order to enable me to do this with the greater Force, I must beg the Favour of your Explanation upon the follow- ing Particulars in the fullest Manner possible : What Number of Men are actually raised and by You proposed to be raised, and for what Time are they engaged ? What Arms, Cloathing, and Bed- ding are they to be provided with ? For how long time are they to be victualled, of what Kind, and in what Proportion to each man ? What Quantity of Liquors and of what sort to each Man? How are the Provisions, Cannon, and Warlike Stores to be transported to Ohio ? What is the Number of your Cannon, the Quantity of Pow- der, and other Warlike Stores ? Do the Men receive a Bounty on enlisting, and what pay by the Day or Month ? Are your Forces to be regimented, and who is to command in chief? In case you should be joined by a Body of Indians, is it proposed that they enter into pay and be victualled, cloathed, &ca, as the other men, or in what other Manner are they to be treated ? What is proposed by you to be done at Ohio this Summer ? If you should be able to erect one or more Forts or Places of Security this Summer, how many men do you propose to leave in Garrison during the Winter ?

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Are there a Number of Serviceable Arms to be purchased in your Colony in case I should want them ? I must likewise desire you will favour me with a Copy of your Act of Assembly for raising and appropriating the said Ten Thousand Pounds, as I.may have Occasion to make use of some Parts of it here.

" Upon perusing your Letter I confess myself to have been sur- prized at finding that your Assembly had voted only the Sum of Ten Thousand Pounds for this Expedition, which according to our Estimation will not equip and maintain more than Four Hundred Men for Six or Seven Months (but of this, as I am perfectly unac- quainted with matters of this Kind, I should be glad to have your Sentiments), and these Men, unless they are supported by a great Body of Indians or Men from the other Colonies, will be vastly in- ferior to the Forces the French will be able to bring against them, if our accounts are to be depended on. What assistance, indeed, you can rely upon from the other Colonies I am a Stranger to, but I cannot see from whence any great Matters are to be expected un- less from this Province, which as I before observed is altogether un- certain ; for my own Part, had I found our Assembly in a Disposi- tion to give, I never proposed asking them for fewer than a thou- sand Men, for unless we are able to make a good and secure Lodg- ment against the Enemy this Summer it is clear that the whole Expence of the Armament will be thrown away and perhaps the Lives of many of his Majestie's Subjects sacrificed to little or no Purpose.

"I return You Thanks for the kind Offer You 'are pleased to make of your Services to this Colony at the Meeting which You proposed to hold in May at Winchester. I heartily wish You Health to undergo the Fatigue of the Journey and Success in your Endeavours to promote the Union between the Northern and Southren Indians, which at this time would be peculiarly happy, being the most likely means to defeat the Purposes of the French.

" Having thus mentioned every Thing that appears to me ma- terial at present, I have only to desire You will please to favour me with your Answer by my Express, with as little Delay as possible, that I may be able to speak to my Assembly thereupon immediately upon their Meeting, there being no Time to be lost if any thing is intended to be done to Purpose.

" I am with very great Respect, Sir,

" Your most obedient and most humble Servant,

" JAMES HAMILTON.

" Philadelphia, 13th March, 1754.

" The Honourable ROBERT DINWIDDIE, Esquire."

Another Letter from Governor Hamilton to Governor Dinwiddie : " Sir :

" The Invasions lately made by the French on Parts of his Majes-

MINUTES OF THE

tie's Dominions having engaged me to enquire very particularly into the Situation of their Forts, and likewise into the Bounds and Extent of this Province to the Westward, I have from thence the greatest Reason to believe that not only the French Forts but also the Forks of Mohongialo (where You propose to erect One and to grant away Two hundred Thousand Acres of Land to such as shall engage in the Intended Expedition to Ohio) are really within the Limits of Pennsylvania. In Duty to my Constituents, therefore, I cannot but remind You of what I had the Honour to write You some time ago upon this Subject, and transcribed for your Consideration the following Extracts from Two Letters of the Honourable Proprietor Thomas Penn in relation to this Matter :

" Extract of a Letter from the Honourable Thomas Penn, Esquire, to James Hamilton, Esquire, the ninth of March, 1752.

"' As we cannot expect our Assembly will do any thing in this Matter, I desire You will enter into any reasonable Measures to assist the Governor of Virginia to build a Fort there, to Wit at Ohio, taking some Acknowledgement from him that this Settlement shall not be made Use of to prejudice our Right to that Country, at the same time You give him Assurance the Setlers shall enjoy the Lands they bona fide settle on the common Quit Rent, which is what I have agreed with Mr. Hanbury here.'

" Extract of a Letter from the Honourable Thomas Penn, Esquire, to James Hamilton, Esquire, the thirteenth of July, 1752.

"' I hope you will, as I wrote You on the ninth of March, acquaint the Governor of Virginia that We consent to this (that is to the building of a Fort at Ohio) without Prejudice to our Right to the Land, in case it should be found to lye within our Province, to be granted to the bona fide Settlers on the same Rent and Condi- tions as they are to have it from Virginia.'

" As Mr. Penn's Expectations herein appears to me extreamly reasonable, and cannot, I apprehend, at all interfere with the well- judged Encouragement You have thought fit to promise to such as shall enter into this Service. I flatter myself You will find no Difficulty in making the acknowledgement therein mentioned, as I on my Part am ready to give You any Assurance that the bona fide Setlers shall be entitled to the Lands under this Government on the same Rent and Conditions as are granted by You. I could have wished your Proclamation had ascertained the Number of Acres to be allotted to each private Man, which I think ought not to be less than Two Hundred to every Settler; my Reason for this is the having been informed that in some Expeditions carried on to the Northward where the like Encouragement had been promised, a very partial Distribution of the Lands was afterwards made among the Officers, to the great Injury and Disappointment of the Soldiers, which I would feign hope will not be the Case here, inasmuch as

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

the Expectation of obtaining Settlements in so good a Country as that is represented will be the principal Inducement to most of those who will go from this Province, of whom I should not doubt being able to procure a very considerable number were I properly sup- ported by the Assembly.

" I am, Sir, Your very humble Servant,

" JAMES HAMILTON.

" Philadelphia, 13th March, 1754. " The Honourable ROBERT DINWIDDIE, Esq."

A Letter from the Governor of Virginia to Governor Hamilton. " WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia, March 21st, 1754.

" Sir :

" Last Night I received your Letter of the 13th Currant by your Express. I am sensible of the Endeavours You in Course must have taken with your Assembly for a mutual Supply agreeable to His Majesty's Commands to all the Governors on this Continent ; and it gives me much Concern & Surprize that the Gentlemen of Your Assembly should be so backward in qualifying You to resist the Invasions of the French on his Majestie's Lands on the Ohio, which if once they have a quiet Settlement there the Incursions of those People with their Indians on our present Settlements will be constantly attended with Robberies and Murders, which was the Case last Year when some of their Indians came to our Frontiers, Murder'd a Man, his Wife, and five Children, robbed them of all they had, and left their Bodies to be tore to pieces by the wild Beasts; this is no more than what may be annually expected from them.

" His Majestie's Orders to me are to prevent their settling on His Lands on the Ohio; & further orders me to build two or three Forts on that River, not doubting but the neighbouring Govern- ments will assist me to put these his Commands in due Execution. He has further ordered Two of the Independant Companies at New York and one from Carolina to be sent hither to be under my Command. I have accordingly sent Expresses to these Colouies to send these Companies with all possible Dispatch; when arrived I propose sending them with the Forces raised here and the neigh- bouring Colonies to the Ohio.

" Our Assembly were very backward in raising Money, and the Sum raised is not half what I expected; but in Compliance with His Majestie's Orders I am willing to do all in my Power to er ect a Fort. In January I commissioned William Trent to raise One Hundred Men; he had got Seventy and has begun a Fort at the Forks of Monhongialo. His Majesty sent me out Thirty Pieces of

MINUTES OF THE

Cannon, Four-Pounders, with Carriages and all other necessary Impliments, with Eighty Barrells of Gun Powder. I have sent Ten of the Guns and One-Third of their Impliments to Alexandria, from thence to be transported to Will's Creek, and so to the Ohio in Waggons. They are a little too heavy, therefore I only sent Ten to see if they can be properly carried out ; and am of Opinion when our Assembly comes to think seriously of the Importance of this Expedition they will on their next Meeting grant a much larger Supply; which would have been more eligible to have done it at once, but hope the small sum now given will be no Precedent to your Assembly, but that they will show themselves loyal Sub- jects, and consider His Majestie's Lands are likely to be invaded, and that the Invaders will not remain quiet there, but constantly harrass our Settlements on our Frontiers.

"We are in great Want of proper Officers, but have from the best Recommendations and Informations Commissioned the best I could meet with. The chief Command is invested in Col. Joshua Frey, a Man of good sense, and one of our best Mathematicians; the Num- ber of Men to be raised now is only Three Hundred, besides those Captain Trent has raised and now on the Ohio. If we can only erect a Fort or Two as a mark of Possession, it will be doing something, but I am much cramped by the narrow Dispositions of our Assem- bly. The Time the Men are to be kept in Pay could not be deter- mined.

"I sent up Three Hundred small Arms to this small Regiment, with Powder and Shot, Thirty Tents; they propose being in an Uniform by having a Red Coat and Breeches, which they are will- ing the Charge should be stopped out of their Pay. I have ordered Six Months' Provisions, vizt., Beef, Pork, and Flour, but this Quan- tity must be encreased, as we must supply our Friendly Indians with Provisions, as the Supply is to be carried out to the Ohio. I leave the Proportion to be given to each Man to the Commanding Officer.

"I ordered a Quantity of Rum to be sent out to have some on their March, and when they come to work in erecting the Forts, a Quart of Rum to every Four Men $ day. The Guns, &ca., to be transported as above. The Men receive each a Pistole on their enlisting and Eight Pence + day Pay. The Colonel Fifteen Shill- ings, Lieutenant Colonel Twelve Shillings and Sixpence, Major Ten Shillings, Captains Eight Shillings, Lieutenants Four Shill- ings, and Ensigns Three Shillings # day. Surgeon Four Shillings, Seargeants One Shilling, Drummer One Shilling.

"I have wrote the Catawbas and the Cherokees to join our Forces on the Ohio in April next; I promised them a Present from their Father the King next Year; they must have Provisions & Arms, but I did not engage them any cloathing; the Messenger I sent to them is not yet return'd. I shall be glad if we can this Summer erect Two Forts, which, if effected, I propose leaving the Three In-

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

dependant Companies to remain in them all Winter. We have not above Three Hundred and Fifty Small Arms remaining in our Ma- gazine, some thereof I believe must be sent to the Indians, and I know of none to be sold here.

"I think the above is a full Answer to Your Queries, & am of Opinion if we cannot effect building the Forts before the French come down the River, that in that Case when our whole Force are collected together we should make a Push to dispossess them of any settlement they should presume to make there.

"Your Calculation is very right in regard to the small Sum granted by our Assembly; but hope they will at next Meeting en- crease that Sum by a further vote.

Our Forces to be sure will be much inferior to the French unless the other Colonies are more Liberal and sanguine than ours has been, and you know the Uncertainty of depending on the Indians; but I always had much Dependance on the Supply from your Pro- vince, and One Thousand Men from You would give great Life to the Expedition, and in that case should have Reason to expect Suc- cess.

"I am in hopes the Men enlisted here will be at Alexandria this Week; and as Captain Trent has wrote earnestly for some Men to be sent out to his Aid, I wrote last Monday to March what Forces were at Alexandria immediately for the Ohio to join him, and ordered them to send a Runner before them that they may not be surprized.

" If our Assembly had granted even this little Sum of Ten Thou- sand Pounds last November, I think it more than probable that our Fort might have been finished before this Time; but I could not then prevail with them, which occasioned my proroguing them with some Anger. I have had a very uphill Affair to manage, and in- deed I never met with so much Trouble in any Thing I had the Management of as this.

" Pray let me know as soon as possible the Determination of your Assembly, which if they act with Spirit will be very great Encouragement to Ours.

"I remain with very great Respect, Sir,

"Your most obedient humble Servant,

"ROBT. DINWIDDIE.

"Governor HAMILTON."

Another Letter from the Governor of Virginia to Governor Hamilton. "WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia, March 21st, 1754.

" Sir :

"' Your former Letter of the twenty-fifth of February gave me much Concern for your ill State of Health, but I hope you are now

MINUTES OF THE

well recovered and shall be glad to hear of a full Confirmation thereof.

"Our Assembly in November last spent a great deal of their Time in complaining of my taking a Pistole Fee for Sealing and Sign- ing all Patents for Land. This Fee was agreeable to my Instruc- tions, established by the unanimous Consent of the Council and approved by the Lords for Trade and Plantations ; however they were so violently warm thereon that they have addressed his Ma- jesty on this trifling Fee and sent a Person home on Purpose to negotiate this Affair. They made several ill-natured and uncommon Resolves, which occasioned my proroguing them with some Marks of Anger.

" Your private Letter of the Thirteenth Currant I have duly read and am much misled by our Surveyors if the Forks of Mohon- gialo be within the Limits of your Proprietor's Grant. I have for some time wrote home to have the Line run, to have the Boundaries properly known, that I may be able to appoint Magistrates on the Ohio (if in this Government) to keep the Traders and Others in good Order, and I presume soon there will be Commissioners ap- pointed for that Service.

" In the mean time, that no Hindrance may be given to our in- tended Expedition, I think it is highly reasonable if these Lands are in your Proprietor's Grant that the Settlers thereon should pay the Quit Rents to Mr. Penn and not to his Majesty; and therefore as much as lies in my Power I agree thereto, after the Time granted them by my Proclamation to be clear of Quit Rents ceases : but Surely I am from all Hands assured that Log's Town is far to the West of Mr. Penn's Grant. I did not care to promise every pri- vate Man a certain Quantity of Land, as I find it agreeable to their Behaviour and Recommendation of their Court Martial and to raise an Emulation among them. I shall do all in my Power to prevent the Injury you justly observe on former Encouragements of the like kind. I am of Opinion if we Succeed that the New Settlers will be the greatest Barrier, and therefore the Land divided among Numbers will be much more eligible.

"I shall be in pain till I hear from You of the Result of your Assembly. The March from your Province to Will's Creek I think much easier and shorter Distance than from this,

"I enclose You the Act passed last Session for Ten Thousand Pounds, which I am ashamed of as it is so much clogged; nothing but the Emergency of our present Affairs would have allowed me to pass it. I also send you my Speeches and their addresses to me last Sessions.

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Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. VI, Part 2

Author: Publication date: 1838 Publisher: [Harrisburg] : By the State Number of Pages: 814

Author:
Publication date: 1838
Publisher: [Harrisburg] : By the State
Number of Pages: 814