USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. VI > Part 75
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" ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS.
" Philadelphia, 22nd November, 1755."
At a Council held at Philadelphia, the 24th of November, 1755. PRESENT :
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esqr., Lieu- tenant Governor, &ca.
Robert Strettell,
John Mifflin,
Lynford Lardner,
Benjamin Chew, Richard Peters, Thomas Cadwalader, 1 Esquires. Joseph Turner,
A Letter from Colonel William Moore, dated Yesterday, to the Governor advising him of 2,000 Inhabitants preparing to come to Philadelphia from Chester County, to compel the Governor and As- sembly to agree to pass Laws to defend the Country and oppose the Enemy, was read.
Also a Letter from Mr. Weiser to the same purpose of another considerable number from Berks County. Whereupon the Gov- ernor sent Letters to the Mayor, Recorder, & Alderman of the City of Philadelphia, & to the Magistrates in and near the said City, and also to the Sheriff of the County and City, to inform them of the said Commotion, & to take proper measures to preserve the peace.
A Message from the Governor to the Assembly to intimate to him that he thinks it necessary to Land the Neutrals lately arrived from Nova Scotia at the Province Island, and to desire the Assem- bly to provide for them there, was read and approved.
A Message from the Governor to the Assembly.
" Gentlemen :
"The success of his Majesty's Arms employed in driving the French from their Encroachments in Nova Scotia, put it into the power of Governor Lawrence to reduce the French Inhabitants of that Colony, commonly called French Neutrals, to a proper obe- dience to his Majesty's Government, or of forcing them to quit the Country. But they refusing to swear allegiance to his Majesty, it was thought by him and his Majesty's Council there, as well as by the Admirals Boscawen and Moyston, necessary for the safety of that Province, that a considerable number of them should be re- moved and divided among the other Colonies, and a part of those destined for this province are already arrived ; but as I did not think it safe in our present Circumstances, to permit them to Land,
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I have ordered the Vessels that brought them to lie at a conve- nient Distance below the Town, & have put guards upon them, & ordered them Provisions.
" Imagining General Shirley to be at New York, I have acquainted him of their arrival, and the danger that might accrue to us from such a number of People of their principles coming amongst us at this time, and desired his particular Instructions in what manner I might best dispose of them, and I wait his answer. But as I hear he is still at Albany, and the Doctors have reported to me that it is dangerous to suffer them to continue longer in such a. crowded state, I therefore think it necessary to land them at the Province Island, and recommend it to you to make Provisions for them, and to enable me to place a proper Guard over them.
"ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS.
"Philadelphia, November 24th, 1755."
A Letter from the Proprietaries to ye Gov" was read in these words .:
“ Sir-
"On Wednesday last I received Letters from Mr. Peters with Copys of Mr. Dunbar's, Orme's, Swaine's, and Bird's Letters to you, giving an account of the Defeat of General Braddock and dreadful carnage of his men, as also a Copy of your Message to the Assem- bly, with an offer of Land, and next day I came into Town to see the Secretary of State & other Ministers, to communicate them to them. Yesterday by post I received your packet with your Letters from Shippensburg and your other of the 30th of July, containing Copys of examination and other papers which has made it necessary for me to confer again with some Yesterday, as I propose to do this morning with Sir Thomas Robinson, & Lord Halifax, & as Capt". Young goes in the afternoon, I shall be put to it to write to you and Mr. Peters.
"I must begin with desiring you will accept of my hearty and sincere thanks for the great Zeal you have shewn for the publick service and that of the Province in your late Journey to Shippens- burg, as well as for the care of our Interests in the Message you have sent to the House on the Land Tax Bill, which we have seen to that of the 13th August, and think you have managed the Argu- ment in a very masterly & unexceptional manner to the world in general. I desire you will be assured of the best returns in my power whenever I can be serviceable to you.
" You have indeed done us great justice where you tell the As- sembly that we do not shrink from the payment of a small sum of money; very far from that, tho' we would not contribute towards their Indian Expences when they did not spend half their income, 'yet when a Tax was laid in any time of difficulty we gave them
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reason to expect we would readily assist the publick, and we are as willing to give at such a time as this is as we were unwilling when the House so wantonly demanded it of us. I wish you or Mr. Peters had informed me whether uncultivated Land is charged, which I suppose to be the case, and from ours they would probably have raised half the Tax; had they conformed to the Land Tax Acts here, they would have laid it on Lands occupied only, to be paid by the Tenant, and if one of your objections is of this kind their bill will be entirely discountenanced here, for when I mentioned that part to a great man he at once said no such Tax could be laid here or in any other place, as no Land which is not let or occupied pays to any Tax ; this part of their Bill would have been ruinous to us, and to be taxed for our other Estate by their own Assessors, as you will observe is not just. It is most certain they never proposed we should appoint Commissioners of Land Tax as the King does here, to whom an appeal lyes from the County Commissioners appointed by the Act; in one part of their Message they object to our having a negative in the Choice of Assessors, because we may not pay an hundredth part of the Tax. If this was the proportion we might be very easy with it, but our regard for our Country so much exposed to a powerful enemy will not allow us to think of trifles, but in- clines us to act such a part as will shew our regard to the publick safety, and, therefore, as the Assembly have donc, reserving to our- selves our just rights of not being lyable to Taxation, and desirous to put a stop to all dispute on this head very improper at this Con- juncture, we are willing to contribute to the utmost extent of our ability for the publick Service, and, therefore, enclose an order on our Receiver for Five thousand pounds, to be paid out of our Arrears of Quit-Rents, to such person or persons as shall be agreed upon between yourself and the Assembly. This I desire you will informn them was resolved on as soon as your Letter came to my hands, and is sent as a free gift from us to the publick, and then pass such act with an exception as to us, without incerting any thing of. this Gift as our proportion of such a Tax, and if they grant the rest of the £50,000 for the King's use, I desire you will not insist on the appropriation of the remainder, for the times are critical, and every body's Eyes are on us. I have visited Sir Thomas Robinson this morning, who says he has heard several people express a dislike to your refusal on our part to assist the publick at such a time as this, and approves of my proposal of making a free gift; told me he was sorry to see such long papers, as he always does, and I believe fears that these disputes will cause an enquiry to be made by Parliaments, which may be dangerous at this Conjuncture, when all persons ought to engage against the common Enemy, but I desire you will on this occasion let it be made publick, that our Tenants must bring in their Rents to enable us to do it, as Mr. Peter writes me they now make very few applications to the Office, so that tho' I know well the people are in a very alarming situation, yet as money is received
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and paid by them, our small rents in the settled part of the country must be paid to enable us to assist the publick as well as for our own support.
"I approve of your proposal for the granting Land to such as shall assist to remove the French, as it is what was done by the King in Virginia, and is a proper encouragement for the Proprietors of a Country, but I have not great expectation of success from it, especially as the Assembly will not pass any Act to subject the Men to Military Discipline when they are settled, to make it penal for them to desert, or to provide them with Arms and Ammunition. I think you and Mr. Peters did not judge right to communicate this proposal to Mr. Franklin, as he should not have been consulted without you could have followed his advice, and you see by their Message he has in resentment made the same observation that he did to Mr. Peters. These observations are not quite just with regard to Virginia, unless there was a proposal made by Mr. Din- widdie after the proclamation of the 19th of February, 1754, in which two hundred thousand Acres are offered, but no allowance to any sol- dier mentioned, and it was to be in proportion to their good behaviour & respective Merit, which put much in the power of the Grantor, & it was not to be granted without Fees, as I see you have made the offer, which I think you could not be supposed to do, as patents will not be issued by the officers without some Consideration unless one is granted for the whole, & they subdivide it. I suppose it should be granted in one Tract if it succeeds, that they may be near together. The Assembly have treated the offer with great freedom; but to make it more favourable still to the people, I am willing to agree that for a second fifteen Years the Quit Rent that shall be paid shall be laid out in a Fort, Arms, or other Military or publick service to the Settlers within the said District, and no part of it applied to the use of my Family. Mr. Franklin says it is as if four or five miles to the Westward had been granted to others to defend the rest for us; if he can procure an Act of Assembly or by any other means to oblige them to do that effectually I very readily consent they have a grant made for the whole for one Indian Arrow, or any small acknowledgment; this you may propose to Mr. Franklin or to the Assembly if you think proper; these People should then have a long strip of Land, I suppose to guard the whole Frontier, and to make good what he says should guard the Northern Frontier also. I think you should make the Estimate for a certain number of peo- ple for a certain time, with other regulations, to render it as difficult as possible to evade the Conditions, under penalties, besides forfeiture of the Lands, and as to the shape of it, we leave it to you and them to settle; the people must settle it and not sell.
"I am very well pleased to hear you have laid out the Ground for a Wooden Fort at Carlisle and ordered one at Shippensburg, and hope the Inhabitants will keep watch there, as you have formed
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four Companys of Militia, if Colonel Dunbar does not order some Men into Quarters in those places, which I hope he will do by Mr. Shirley's orders, if he does not before resolve upon it.
"I am much pleased with the Diligence and Care of Mr. Swaine & Burd, & desire you will thank them for me for their Services.
"The Governor had accounts from Virginia the latter end of August of Braddock's defeat, and the same Letter from Mr. Orme as you sent me, with the list of Officers killed and wounded. Arms are Shipping and Forty Thousand Pounds more order'd for America ; a Man of Warr will sail soon for some part of the Continent with Letters for the Officers and accounts of What assistance will be sent. I have but just time to get my Letter copied over, therefore must put an end to it by assuring you that
"I am Your very affectionate Friend,
" THOS. PENN.
" London, October 4th, 1755.
"We shall send powers for granting this Land as soon as they can be drawn up by two Conveyances.
" ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esquire."
Thereupon the following Message was sent to the House :
A Message from the Governor to the Assembly. " Gentlemen :
"On Saturday last I received Letters from the Proprietaries in ans". to mine giving them an account of the defeat of the Forces under General Braddock, wherein they express great concern at that unfortunate event, and at the Danger to which this Province was exposed in consequence thereof. Their care and regard for the safety of the people was such, that immediately upon receiving that piece of Intelligence, they sent me an order upon their Receiver General for Five thousand pounds as a free Gift to the publick, to be applied to such uses as that Event might make necessary for the common Security of the Province.
"This timely and generous Instance of the Proprietaries carc & anxiety for the Inhabitants cannot fail of making the most lasting impressions upon the minds of every well wisher to this country.
" I have directed the receiver General to have the money ready as soon as possible, and it will be paid to such persons as shall be appointed by Act of Assembly for the disposition of any sum you may think necessary to raise for the Defence of the Province in this Time of Danger.
" Upon this occasion, Gentlemen, I must again recommend it to you to lay aside all Disputes, and to grant such Supplies, in addi-
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tion to what the Proprietaries have given, as his Majesty's Service & the present exigencies of the Province require.
" ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS.
"Philada., Noven ber 24th, 1755."
The Mayor waited on the Governor and acquainted him that they had delivered a Remonstrance to the Assembly, which was ordered, as it was a seasonable, spirited, and well-considered ad- dress, to be inserted into the Council Minutes.
" To the Representatives of the Freemen of the Province of Pennsyl- vania in Assembly met:
" A Remonstrance by the Mayor, Alderman, & Common Council of the City of Philadelphia, in Behalf of the said City. " Gentlemen :
"You were lately called together upon more urgent Business than ever came before an Assembly of this Province, and while you have been sitting, scarce a day has passed wherein you have not heard of the inhuman Slaughter of your Fellow Subjects, & been loudly called upon for that protection, which, by the most sacred Ties you owe to the People. On such an Emergency we imagined you had an easy and expeditious mode of procedure before you, namely, to postpone all Disputes to a more seasonable time, to grant the necessary Supplies on such Terms as those on which the rest of his Majesty's Colonies have granted large sums for the like pur- poses ; and lastly, to pass a reasonable Law in order to collect and regulate the Force of the Province for repelling the present cruel Invasion. Nevertheless, while you have been deliberating, much · innocent Blood has been spilt, a great extent of our Country laid waste, & the miserable Inhabitants scatter'd abroad before the Savage Spoiler.
" We, therefore, in the most solemn manner, before God and in the name of all our Fellow-Citizens, call upon you, adjure you, nay we supplicate you, as you regard the Lives of the people whom you represent, to give that legal protection to your Bleeding Country which ought to be the Chief object of all Government at such a perilous Juncture as this, and let it be no longer said that while we are daily hearing so much concerning priviledge and right we are in the mean time deprived of that most essential Right and great first privilege (which God and nature gave us) of defending our Lives and protecting our Families.
" We profess the same reasons for this Application which deter- mined many of the Inhabitants of this City to make a like applica- tion on the twelfth Instant, and as those reasons now lie before you, we need not repeat them further than by observing that a well-regu- lated Militia has always been found both the surest & least expensive Method of defence, and that upon any other Plan great sums of
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Money must be thrown away to little purpose, & the People thereby burthen'd with grevious Taxes.
" Another reason for thus applying to you is the great Distress which this City, committed to our care, is like to labour under by the vast increase of the poor from all parts of the Country and the Melancholy prospect of having far greater numbers of the unhappy back settlers driven in upon us from their Habitations, and continu- ally flying to the Shelter and Charity of the City as the place of the greatest safety. This must necessarily be prejudicial to the general course of Business & enhance the value of all necessaries by encreasing the number of mouths, & at the same time diminish the number of hands that should supply our Market, all which will prove a Burthen upon us too heavy to bear.
" Seeing, therefore, our affairs are brought to such a Crisis, & as this our reasonable Demand cannot require much time for your Con- sideration, having already been so often made to you by petitions from all parts of the Province, we do earnestly recommend Dispatch to you, for as the people seem already in a deplorable and desperate Condition we fear it will not be possible to preserve the peace and quiet of this City nor of the Province itself much longer if some effectual Methods are not speedily taken for their general Defence and Security.
"By order of the Board.
"WILLIAM PLUMSTED, Mayor.
"November 24th, 1755."
-
November 25th, 1755.
The Governor having been informed by the House that the Bills entituled " An Act for the better ordering and regulating such as are Willing & desirous to be united for Military purposes within this Province" was engrossed, acquainted the House that he was ready to receive the Speaker and the House in the Council Chamber in order to enact it into a Law, and the Speaker and the House attending, it was accordingly enacted into a Law and the Great Seal affixed to it & lodged in the Roll's Office.
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At a Council held at Philada, the 26th November, 1755, A. M.
PRESENT :
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esquire, Lieu- tenant Governor, &ca.
Benjamin Shoemaker, John Mifflin,
Joseph Turner,
Lyndford Lardner, Esqrs.
Richard Peters,
Robert Strettell,
A Bill entituled "An Act for granting £60,000 to the King's use and for striking Fifty-five thousand pounds thereof in Bills of. Credit and to provide a fund for sinking the same" (wherein the Proprietary Estate is exempted from Taxation towards raising the same sum in consideration of their granting Five thousand pounds in lieu thereof) was presented to the Governor and read, but it growing late the Council adjourned till the afternoon.
The two following Letters with several others of the same Import were laid before the House :
A Letter from Timothy Horsefield, Esquire, to William Parsons, Esquire.
" Sir :
"I have now to inform you that David Zeisberger is this minute returned from Gnadenhutten, who was sent Yesterday with the Letter informing we would convoy the Indians that wanted to go to the Governor. He came to Gnadenhutten about 5 or 6 o'Clock last night; when he came within sight of the Town he heard the firing of Guns, which he thought to be at ye Mahoney, the place where our Brethren's Farm is, and when he came to the first House he heard more firing, where somebody hallowed to be fetched over the Wa- ter, whome they fetched over; it was one of our Brethren that escaped from the Mahoney, who told David that the Enemy was at the Mahoney and had killed the most part of our poor White Brethren ; he knew of only two that escaped ; upon hearing this David came immediately away to inform the people in Arms, whom he found encamped about 6 Miles this side Gnadenhutten ; The first Company, being some of the Irish Settlement people and some Dutch, when they heard of the Mischief, directly got to arms and march'd in good spirits ; 2 miles further this way, he came to Col- onel Anderson's Company who encamped at the Gap without any Fire ; So soon as he heard of it, immediately called his Men to Arms, and sent one Man with David to the Settlement with orders for the Men then in the Settlement, & some of Bucks County Men who loged there last night, to march directly to their assis- tance.
" When David was got a few miles from Gnadenhutten, he saw a very great Fire, he supposed it to be the buildings at the Maho-
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ny in Flames. The Brethren in Bethlehem intend, as soon as possible, to send a Waggon load Mead and such other Provisions they can get ready, to Gnadenhutten or &ca., for the use of the Troops, and I suppose to get some of the Saucon people to go as a Guard to the Waggon, least it fall into the Enemy's hands ; pray excuse these confused Lines, being in great hast.
" I am, Sir, your very affectionate humble Servant,
" TIMOTHY HORSEFIELD.
" Bethlehem, past 5 °'Clock, November, 25th, 1755.
" Colonel Anderson desires that word be sent to the Jersey, to order more of his Men to come directly. You will please to do it."
A Letter to the Secretary from Mr. William Parsons. " Sir :
"By the Letters herewith sent to his Honour the Governor, you will see that the Enemy have attacked and burnt the Moravian Settlement at Mahoney, and killed all their White People except two, who escaped. As soon as I received this account I dis- patched John Weaver express with it to the Governor, and as the Enemy is so near us, I shall be obliged to send continually Expres- ses, which will occasion an Expence which neither myself nor the Towns people will not be able to bear. Pray Sir, help us for we are in great distress. The powder and lead came to hand, but no Letter, and I don't know what we shall do for want of Arms. If I can get a Waggon to bring my Daughter to Philadelphia, I will send her off immediately, by which Waggon may be sent Arms, &ca., if any are to bè had.
"I am, Sir, In great distress, " Your obedient humble Servant,
" WILLIAM PARSONS.
" I imagine that my plantation and every thing there is de- stroyed, by which I am totally ruined. 1
" RICHARD PETERS, Esquire."
At a Council held at Philadelphia, the 26th November, 1755, P. M.
Present as in the forenoon.
The Bill entituled "An Act for granting the sum of £60,000 to the Kings use, and for striking Fifty-five thousand pounds VOL. VI-47.
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thereof in Bills of Credit & to provide a Fund for Sinking the same," (wherein the Proprietary Estate is exempted from Taxation towards raising the said sum, in consideration of their granting Five thousand pounds in lieu thereof) was read, but Mr. Shoemaker dissented and protested against its passing, for that the Act appro- propriates and limits great part of the Money for particular pur- poses, and the whole to be paid into the hands of certain persons therein nominated to apply the same; whereas, it should in his opinion, have ordered the Money into the hands of the Governor, to be by him apply'd under a general appropriation for the use of his Majesty, and the rest of the Council thought it very exception- able, and that it ought to be amended in several parts, but taking into Consideration the distressed state of the Province, and the imminent Danger it is in, if money and a proper Force are not ím- mediately raised for its defence, & to stop the Invaders and Ravages of the Enemy, they advised the Governor to pass it without Amend- ment, and accordingly the Bill was returned to the House by the Secretary with a verbal Message that the Governor was ready to pass it.
The Governor laid before the Council two Letters he had thought proper to write to Mr. Penn, which follow in these words :
A Letter to the Honorable Thomas Penn, Esqra from Governor Morris.
" PHILADELPHIA, November 22nd, 1755. " Sir :
" I wrote you a few days ago by way of Dublin, and now send , you a Duplicate of that Letter, and the Intelligence I have since received of the mischiefs committed by the Indians, who you will observe, have fallen upon the Inhabitants at Tulpehoccon, killed several of them and destroyed many Plantations. The little Resis- tanco that is given to these People will not only encourage them to go on in their Cruel Trade but may tempt the French to come down upon us, as they know we have no Militia nor any other means of defending ourselves. Should that be the case, this once happy and flourishing Province will be in a miserable Condition by the Spring, but even without their aid, the Indians themselves may do more Mischief this Winter than twenty years will repair, as they lay waste every thing before them.
" You will judge by the Messages that have passed between me and the Assembly of the temper they are in much better than from any thing I can say. I thought it right while the Province was invaded and a prodigious clamour raised by the Assembly against you on account of your refusing to contribute any thing towards the common expence to make the offer in my Message of the 15th Instant, which they have refused to agree to, insisting on their new
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