USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. VIII > Part 32
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" We have nothing to fear, in my Opinion, and as little to Loose from the Delawares, they chuse to lye by and wait the Event of this Summer's Campaign ; they give assurances that all their Al- lies in the late War will follow their Example in Burying the French Hatchet. Three Chippeways, encouraged by the Kind treatment given the Taways whom they fell in with on their Way home, have come here two Days ago. I shall endeavour to send them home with suitable Impressions of us ; likewise Shingas ap- pears backward in going to Philadelphia, but tells me he waits for the Chiefs of other Tribes that live a great way off, and intends going down with them ; he does not guess at the Time. As soon I discover their intentions this Way, you shall have proper notice of it ; The Captives will be detained to the last minute and many Secreted.
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" The Mingo fellow got here and were gone to their Town before your letter reached me ; they appeared in very good Temper, telling me they went home to bring their Chiefs here to hold a Council ; by the time their Messengers, left in Philadelphia, should arrive at this Place.
" I am sorry that Returns of the Regiment have not been trans- mitted the Governor, but could not imagine that Colonels Armstrong and Burd would omit sending proper Returns of their Battalions at the close of the Campaign, by which the Number of Pennsylvania Troops stationed at Pittsburgh must appear. Had the Governor been pleased to honor me with the least shadow of Orders, I should bave been far from violating or neglecting them.
"You will discover in Shingas' speech his attention to the Inter- ests of Trade ; every part of his Conduct here is of a Piece ; the In- dians are surprized, and so must every one be that offer repeated Promises of proper Assortments of Goods, being sent to barter with them on the Government's Account, none have yet appeared,
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though multitudes of pedlars come here with the Same Species car- ried on Horses. I dropt a Line to Mr. West regarding the Indian Trade. Course Goods will not do; such things as the Indians have formerly dealt in must now be more Showey and of the finest Sort. The Price they don't Value, so they find it much the. Same down the Country.
" As soon as an Army marches up superior to the French force on the Lakes, you will have the Chiefs of these Ohio Indians and many Men go to treat at Philadelphia. The Safety of their Fami- lies will Induce them to Wait for our first taking Vigorous measures. I am, Sir,
" Your most Hume- Obed Servt., " HUGH MERCER."
" Intelligence received the 17th of March, 1759, at Pittsburgh.
" Thom. Bull, the Indian Employed to Spy at the Lakes, arrived. He set off from hence the Second Instant, and in two Days reached Venango; staid there that Night; next Day got to Cushtuloga's Town, and the Day after in the Evening Reached La Beef; Stayed there One Night, and Went on with three french Men to Prisque Isle next Day. At Prisque Isle the Garrison consisted of Two Officers, two Merchants, a Clerk, Priest, and One Hundred and Three Soldiers, as near as he could reckon by counting them in the Barracks, for they were not Employed about any Work.
"The Commanding Officer's Name is Burinol, with whom Bull was formerly well acquainted, and therefore not suspected his com- ing from us. He Treated him with great Openness, and told him that thirty Towns of the Waweacteneius, Taways, Chepisaws, Tel- matenais, and French Mingoes, had Engaged to join the French and come to War here. He Saw Fifteen Hundred War Billets ready prepared for their Equipment. He, likewise, says (but whether the Officer told him, or he understood it from any other Person I cannot make out) that the Indians just Ready to sett off were stopt by the Belts and Speeches sent among them by the Eng- lish, and that they had resolved to desist till such time as they came to Kuskusky to hear what we had to say to the Delawares, and their Resolution thereupon. By this they were to be guided, and if they found Peace Established, to take their Tomahawk out of their Young Men's Hands that yet inclined to the french, and follow the Example of their Grandfathers the Delawares.
"Accordingly a great Body of Fifteen Hundred of these over Lake Indians were soon Expected to arrive at Kuskusky.
" The Officer told him that he had lately a Council with the Mingoes, and told them he was Sorry to See One-half of the Min- goes broke away to the English; he addressed them to leave the English, and Come and Sit by his Fire, as formerly.
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" They Replied, that they took the Tomahawk out of their Hands and Buryed it; that they would do so by the English, and advise both to fight as formerly, Over the great Waters, without disturbing their Country ; that they might Live in Peace with both ; and that the English. should return home. The French replied, he would go home as soon as the English moved off. Burinal told him he had sent a Belt to the Delaware Chiefs. The Beaver, George, and Cuttighegan, to come and Council with him, and by Bull's account they were directed to set off about this Time.
"The Fort is a square, with four Bastions, Square Log Work ; no plat Forms raised yet, so that they can't be used; Only a small Platform in each Bastion for a Centinel; no Guns upon the Walk, but four Four Pounders in One of the Bastions, not mounted on Carriages. The Wall only Single Logs; no Bank within or Ditch without; Two gates, of one Equal Size, about Ten Feet Wide, One fronts the Lake, about Three Hundred Yards Distance, the other the road to La Beef. The Magazine is a Stone House, covered with Shingles & not sunk in the Ground, standing in the Right Bastion, next the Lake, going to Prisque Isle from La Beef. The other Houses square Logs; a Considerable Quantity of Indian Goods, but little Flour ; Twelve Battoes are every day expected to arrive from Niagara with Provisions, the Lake being open to within Three Hundred yards of the Store. No Body of French is expected soon from Niagara, but about Five Hundred from a Fort on the North Side of the Lake Erie, in the Waweailuneus Country (which I have formerly heard of to be Built of Cedar Stockaids), were to have come along with the Indians above mentioned, and were still expected to Prisque Isle as soon as the Lake is clear of Ice. There was Four Battoes at Prisque Isle, and no Works carrying on but one small House in the Fort. He was requested to stay, or to return soon, as a great many Delawares were expected to be soon there to Council.
"The Officers made him a Present of a Pair of Stockings. On his Desire to know the Number and Situation of the English here, Bull replied that he had not been here since last fall ; that we first Came when a few staid, but he heard since from the Delawares, that & great Number had since came up, and that they had erected a fine Fort.
" Bull left that Place, telling the French that he was going to Wioming to see his Father, and got to La Beef that Night. The Fort is of the same Shape, but very small; the Bastions, Stockaids, and joined by Houses for the Curtains, the Logs mostly rotten ; Platforms are erected in the Bastions, and Loop holes pro- perly cut. One Gun is mounted on One of the Bastions, and Points down the River. Only one Gate, and that fronting this Way, or the Side opposite the Creek. The Magazine is on the right of the Gate, going in, part of it sunk in the Ground, and above is some Casks of Powder to Serve the Indians. Here are two Officers, a
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Storekeeper, a Clerk, a Priest, and One Hundred and Fifty Soldiers, the Men not Employed. At La Beef are twenty-four Battoes, One of them made lately, and One of them repaired lately. One Le Sambrow is the Commanding Officer. They have a larger stock of Provisions here than at Prisque Isle.
" He found at Venango two Officers and Forty Men, La Marie Commander. He does not know the Stock of their Provisions, nor where their Powder is kept, but gives the description of the Fort as I received formerly. Only two Battoes are at Venango, and Two he heard had late come there with Indian Goods. The Ohio is clear of Ice at Venango, and the French Creek is clear to La Beef. The Road is trod and good from Venango to La Beef, and from thence to Prisque Isle, about half a Day's Journey, is very Low and Swampy, and Bridged almost all the Way. He heard no news at Venango, only that Two French Men and Two Chipawas had gone from thence to take a Scalp at this Place, and that Twenty- Six Mingoes had passed by that Place lately, going to War against the Catawbas.
"Delaware George and the other fellow, Bull thinks, will go to Prisque Isle; But the Beaver goes to the Forks of Siolas to Plant this Spring, and then return to Live at Kuskusky. French Creek Navagable for Battoes all Summer. Bull went from Venango to Kuskusky, and there met with some Chipawas coming here, and he accompanied them. There are only Two Men, Two Women, and some Indians' Children at Prisque Isle. Taways were at La Beef, and a few Delawares at Venango. Custelogo not at Home. Some of the Works at Prisque Isle are upon the Decay, and some appears to be Lately done.
"The above copied from my Journal is very incorrectly done, but nothing material Wron Worded, and I have not time to correct it.
"HUGH MERCER."
1
A Return of the Garrison at Pittsburgh, March the 17th, 17 9.
OFFICERS PRESENT.
Effective Rank and Since the first of Jan- File.
uary.
Commissionated
Non-Commissiontd.
.
Colonels.
Captains.
Lieuten's.
Ensigns.
Sergeants.
Fifes.
Drums.
Fit for Duty.
Sick.
On Commg.
Total.
Recruited.
Dead.
Discharged
Deserted.
Royal Artillery, Royal Americans, Highlanders,
1
1
2
·3
12
75
5
80
1
1
1
4
79
19
1
99
2
1
2
3
4
98
36
N
136
7
1
2
3
6
69
16
85
2
1
3
6
9
19
co
346
79
3
428
12
HUGH MERCER.
1
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MINUTES OF THE
Virginia Regiment, 1st. Batt". Pennsylvania, 2d. Batt". Pennsylvania,
2
6
2
00
19
1
20
1
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PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
At a Council held at Philadelphia, Monday, the 2d day of April, 1759.
PRESENT :
The Honourable WILLIAM DENNY, Esqr., Lieutenant Gover- nor.
Robert Strettell,
Benjamin Shoemaker, )
Joseph Turner,
Richard Peters,
Lynford Lardner,
Benjamin Chew,
Esquires.
Thomas Cadwalader,
An Express having yesterday brought two Letters from Secretary Pitt, which came in the Halifax Packet, and likewise a Letter from General Amherst, the same were read and ordered to be entered.
A Letter from Mr. Pitt to Governor Denny.
" WHITEHALL, 23d January, 1759. " Sir :
"I am now to acquaint you that the King has been pleased, im- mediately upon receiving the account of the Success of his Arms on the River Ohio, to direct the Commander-in-Chief of his Majesty's Forces in North America, and Brigadier General Forbes to lose no time in Concerting the properest & speediest means for compleatly restoring, if possible, the ruined Fort Duquesne to a defensible and respectable State, or for erecting another in the Room of it, of Suf- ficient Strength, and every Way adequate to the great Importance of the several objects of maintaining His Majesty's Subjects on the undisputed Possession of the Ohio; of Effectually cutting off all Trade and Communication this Way, between Canada and the Western and Southern Indians ; of protecting the British Colonies from the Incursions to which they have been exposed since the French built the above Fort, and thereby made themselves Masters of the Navigation of the Ohio ; and of fixing again the Several In- dian Nations in their Alliance with and dependance upon His Ma- jesty's Government. And the Province under your Command is so particularly and nearly interested in the Speedy Execution of this great and Salutary Work, that it will be matter of no small Surprize, and must reflect the greatest Blame on their Conduct, should they in any point fail to assist, to the Utmost, the King's Oficers who shall be Employed on this Occasion ; I have therefore the King's Commands to signify to you his Pleasure that you should use your utmost Endeavours with your Council and Assembly, to induce them to exert every Means in their Power for Collecting and forwarding the Materials of all Sorts, and the Workmen which shall be wanted, and which the Commander-in-Chief in North America, or Brigadier General Forbes shall require for the Service ; and that your Province do also furnish every Assistance of Men,
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Cattle, Carriages, Provisions &cª., that shall be necessary for the Support and maintenance of the King's Forces that shall be em- ployed in this Essential Work, as well as in all farther Operations to be undertaken in those parts the Ensuing Campaign.
" I am, Sir,
" Your Most Obedient Humble Servant,
"W. PITT."
Another Letter from Mr. Pitt to Governor Denny.
" WHITEHALL, February 5th, 1759. " Sir :
" The King having been pleased to appoint Rear Admiral Saun- ders to be Commander-in-Chief of all His Majesty's Ships employed or to be employed in North America, I am to signify to you the King's Pleasure, that you do Transmit to Rear Admiral Saunders all intelligence relative to his Department in the Same Manner as you was directed to do, by my Letters of the Nineteenth of Febru- ary and Thirtieth of December, 1757, to the former Commanders- in-Chief of His Majesty's Ships, and it is also the King's Pleasure that you do on any Application from Admiral Saunders, or the Commandor-in-Chief of the King's Ships, use all Legal Means to Supply him with such a Number of Sailors and Workmen from your Province as he shall at any time require for his Majesty's Ser- vice.
" I am, Sir, "Your most Obed" Hume Servt., "W. PITT."
-
A Letter from General Amherst to Governor Denny.
" NEW YORK, March 28th, 1759. " Sir :
" With my Dispatches from Mr. Secretary Pitt, this Moment re- ceived by the Halifax Packet, came the enclosed for you, by which you will see that the King has been pleased to direct me and Briga- dier General Forbes to lose no Time in concerting the properest and speediest means for compleatly restoring, if Possible, the ruined Fort Duquesne to a Defensible and respectable State, or for Erect- ing another in the room of it, of sufficient Strength and every Way adequate to the great Importance of the Several Objects of main- taining His Majesty's Subjects in the undisputed Possession of the Ohio ; of effectually cutting off all Trade and Communication this way between Canada & the Western and Southern Indians ; of pro-
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tecting the British Colonies from the Incursions to which they have been Exposed since the French built the above Fort, and thereby made themselves Masters of the Navigation of the Ohio; and of fixing again the Several Indian Nations in their Alliance with and dependance upon his Majesty's Government, for all which wise and good Purposes, it is his Majesty's Pleasure that you should use your utmost Endeavours with your Council and Assembly, to induce them to exert every means in their Power for Collecting and forwarding the Materials of all Sorts, and the Workmen which shall be wanted, and which the Commander-in-Chief in North America or Brigadier General Forbes shall require for this Service ; and that your Pro- vince do also furnish every other Assistance of Men, Cattle, Car- riages, Provisions, &c., that shall be necessary for the support and maintenance of the King's forces that shall be employed in this Essential Work, as well as in all further Operations to be under- taken in those Parts the Ensuing Campaign.
" 'These directions being so full and Explicit, leaves me Nothing to doubt, to add to them than my Warmest Wishes and Hopes, that they will meet with a vigorous and speedy execution, as well on the part of your Province as those of Virginia and Maryland, who are equally with you so particularly and nearly interested therein, and to whom the same is likewise recommended in the Strongest Terms.
" And as I have already Signified to you that I had appointed Brigadier General Stanwix to succeed Brigadier General Forbes in the Command to the Southward, and desired you to Correspond and Co-operate with him in every Matter relative to the Service in those Parts, I am now to request of you that all the Aid and Assistance required of you by Mr. Secretary Pitt's within Letter in favour of the late Brigadier Forbes may be granted to Brigadier Stanwix to enable him in the most Expeditious Manner to Execute the before mentioned great and Salutary Work or any other that may be found Necessary for the good of the Service, and that you would look upon whatever he may ask or require of your Province, during his Continuance in that Command, as coming from myself.
" I am, with great Regard, Sir, "your most Obedt. Hume. Servt, "JEFF. AMHERST."
Secretary Pitt's Letters were again read and Considered, and the following Message was drawn at the Table, agreed to, and the Secretary directed to deliver it to the House this Afternoon with the foregoing Letters :
A Message from the Governor to the Assembly.
" Gentlemen :
" By the Halifax Packet I yesterday received a Letter from the Right Honourable Mr. Pitt, One of his Majesty's principal Secre-
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MINUTES OF THE
taries of State, of the Twenty-Third of January, communicating to me his Majesty's Commands, which he was pleased to give upon receiving the Account of the Success of his Arms on the River Ohio.
" As this Province the last year shewed great Zeal and Ardour in promoting the measures conducive to that happy Event, which his Majesty is now desirous of improving to the best Advantage, and as his Majesty's faithful Subjects in every part of his Do- minions will, no Doubt, vie with each other in Contributing their utmost to the vigorous Efforts of his Majesty for reducing his Ene- mies to reasonable Terms of Peace, I am perswaded you will exert yourselves in giving your best and readiest Assistance to Brigadier General Stanwix, who is appointed to Command in the Southern Provinces, and in Answering his Majesty's other just Expectations, so warmly recommended to you by His Majesty Minister and his Excellency General Amherst.
" I also lay before you Mr. Pitt's Letter of the Fifth of February last, wherein his Majesty has been pleased to notify to me the ap- pointment of Rear Admiral Saunders to be commander-in-Chief of all His Majesty's Ships, employed or to be employed in North America; and further requiring me to use all legal Methods to sup- ply him with such a Number of Sailors and Workmen from this Province as shall at any time be applied for. This naturally leads me to remind you of an application made to me by Admiral Durell (who has the Command of the Fleet 'till the Arrival of Admiral Saunders) for a Supply of Seamen from this Province, which I have already communicated to you with his Letter. I must again press you to take the Demand into your immediate Consideration, and let me have your result upon it, so that I may be enabled to return him an Answer.
" April 2d, 1759."
"WILLIAM DENNY.
A Letter of Mr. Robert Wood, first Clerk of the Secretary of State's Office, dated the Twenty-sixth of January last, notifying the Death of the Princess of Orange, and the Orders with regard to Mourning, were read.
MEMORANDUM.
On the Fifth of April, 1759, A Bill, entituled "an Act for granting to His Majesty the Sum of One Hundred Thousand Pounds, and for striking the same in Bills of Credit in the manner herein after directed, and for providing a Fund for for sinking the said Bills of Credit by a tax on all Estates, real & Personal, and Taxables within this Province," was sent up to-Day to the Governor for his Concurrence.
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PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.
At a Council held at Philadelphia, Friday the 6th of April, 1759, P. M.
PRESENT :
The Honourable WILLIAM DENNY, Esq"., Lieutenant Gover- nor.
Joseph Turner, Richard Peters,
Benjamin Chew, Thomas Cadwalader, Esquires.
The second Supply Bill presented yesterday was red, first all over and then Paragraph by Paragraph. It was observed that all the Proprietaries' Estate, Real and Personal was Subjected to all the Taxes that had been raised, as well as the Present one proposed to be raised by the Bill, in Common with other Estates; and that as the Proprietaries were absent, they had not even an Opportunity of an Appeal before the Commissioners, which every body else had, nor were there appeals so much as mentioned in the Bill. It was there- fore unanimously agreed to amend the Bill, striking out every thing that related to the Proprietary Estate.
The Amendments were made and a Message drawn in these Words and Sent to the House by the Secretary :
" Amendments to the Bill intituled ' An Act for granting to His Majesty the sum of One Hundred Thousand Pounds, and for Striking the Same in Bills of Credit in the manner hereinafter di- rected, and for providing a fund for Sinking the said Bills of Credit by a Tax on all Estates, Real and Personal, and Taxables within this Province.'
" Ist Amendt Page 14, Line 14. Dele the Word [not] and in- stead thereof insert the Word [only ].
" 2d Amend. Page 14, Lines 9, 10, 11. Dele the Words [and what Quit-Rents they respectively are liable to pay to the Propri- etaries yearly, within this Province ].
" 3d Amendment. Page 15, Lines 2, 3, 4, 5. Dele the Words [and also an Account of all such located Lands as belong to the Hon- ourable the Proprietaries of this Province, or either of them]. 4th Amendment Pages 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38. Dele from the Word [and] in the 13th Line of the 29th Page, to the Word [came] inclusive, in the 15th Line of Page 38.
"WILLIAM DENNY.
" 7th April, 1759."
A Message from the Governor to the Assembly.
" Gentlemen :
"My Instructions do not permit me to accede to a Bill for the Taxation of any Part of the Proprietary Estate unless Commis-
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sioners are therein appointed for that Purpose; nor can I conceive it reasonable that they should be obliged to submit their Estates to an assesment by Persons in whose Election or Nomination they have no Share, and be thereby excluded from a Privilege you have, with Justice, granted to all the Freeholders and Voters in his Province.
" Every moment's Delay of the supply Bill at this Critical Junc- ture does great Violence to the Vigorous Plan of Operations con- certed by our gracious Sovereign for the Ensuing Campaign. I hope, therefore, you will no Longer retard it by insisting on a Mat- ter which I have no power to Comply with, but leave it to be ad- justed in a separate Bill, according to the Proposal I made you in my last Message on that Subject.
"WILLIAM DENNY.
"April 7th, 1759."
The Repeals of the Act of Assembly, given to Mr. Croghan a Relief for ten Years was read in these Words :
"At the Court at Kensington, the 16th Day of June, 1758.
"PRESENT :
"[L. s.] The KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.
"Lord President, Earl Waldegrave,
" Earl of Holdernesse, Earl Gower,
"Earl of Rochford,
Mr. Secretary Pitt.
"WHEREAS, in Pursuance of the Powers granted to the Proprie- taries of the Province of Pennsylvania, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal, the Deputy Governor, Council, and Assembly of the said Province did, in December, 1755, Pass an Act which hath been transmitted, Entituled as follows, Viz“:
"'An Act for the Relief of George Croghan and William Trent, for and during the space of Ten Years.'
.
" His Majesty this Day took the said Act into his Royal Consi- deration; and having received the opinion of the Lords Commis- sioners for Trade and Plantations, and also for a Committee of the Lords of His Majesty's most Honourable privy Council thereupon, is hereby pleased to declare his Disallowance of the said act; and pursuant to His Majesty's Royal Pleasure thereupon expressed, the said Act is hereby repealed, declared Void, and of none Effect ; Whereof the Deputy Governor, Council, and Assembly of the said Province, for the time being, and others whom it may concern, are to take Notice and Govern themselves accordingly.
"F. VERNON."
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The Ratification of four act of Assembly was read, dated the Six- teenth of June, 1758, and ordered to be entered :
"[L. s. ] At the Court at Kensington, the 16th Day of June, 1758. "PRESENT :
"The KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.
" Lord President,
Earl Waldegrave,
" Earl of Holdernesse,
Earl Gower,
" Earl of Rochford,
Mr. Secretary Pitt.
" WHEREAS, in Pursuance of the Powers granted to the Proprie- taries of the Province of Pennsylvania, by Letters Patent, under the Great Seal, the Deputy Governor, Council, and Assembly of the said Province, did, in 1756 and 1757, pass four Acts, which have been transmitted, and are Entituled as follows, Viz“:
"' An Act for regulating and continuing the Nightly Watch, and enlightening the Streets, Lanes, and alleys of the City of Philadel- phia, and for raising of money on the Inhabitants and Estates of the said City for defraying the necessary Expences thereof.' .
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