• Eftates of all the Inhabitants, ought to be confidered, and the whole Expence proportionably laid upon the whole Value; in which Cafe, you will find, that the Expence which we voluntarily fubmit to, out of Affection to the Inhabitants, is much more ⚫ than fuch our Proportion fo laid would amount to: Befides these general Expences, the firft of us fent • Cannon, at his own Charge, to the Amount of above Four hundred Pounds Sterling, for the Defence of our City of Philadelphia, neglected by a late House of Representatives; which, alone, is fuch a Sum as • the Proportion of a Tax on our Eftate would not ' in many Years amount to. And, as this is the Cafe, we are not difpofed to enter into any Agreement with the House of Reprefentatives for Payment of any particular Proportion of Indian or other public Expences, but fhall leave it to them (to whom it of Right belongs) to provide for fuch Expences, as they fhall judge neceffary for the public Service.

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14. As you defire to appear willing on your Parts, to ease your Conftituents of a fmall Part of the • Indian Expence, by throwing it upon us, we fhall, on our Part, and hereby do recommend it to you 'to give them a real and far greater Relief, by taking off a large Share of that only Tax which is borne by them. As the general Expence amounts to little more than Three thousand Pounds a Year, we conceive it may very well be provided for out of the Interest of the Paper-Money, and one half of the prefent Excife; efpecially, if we shall be induced, from the State of your Trade (which we expect foon to receive) to confent to an Encrease of your Paper Currency. This would eafe the Inhabitants of about Fifteen hundred Pounds a Year, ' which would be felt by many of them, when they • would not be fenfible of the Trifle you propose we fhould contribute to the public Expences. We ' have directed the Governor to confent to fuch a Law when you fhall think fit to prefent it to him.

15. As we fhall ever, in the firft Place, endeavour to promote the real Interests of the good Peo•ple of Penfilvania; we make no Doubt of preferving an Union and Harmony between us and them, * unless Men of warm or uneafy Spirits fhould unhappily procure themselves to be elected for Reprefentatives, and should, for the fupporting of their own private Views, or Interefts, influence their Brethren, otherwife honeft and well-defigning, to espouse their Caufe; in fuch Cafe indeed, Ditputes may arife, wherein we shall engage with the utmost • Reluctance; but even then, as we fhall make the general Good the Rule of our Actions, we fhall, ⚫ on all fuch Occafions, if ever they fhould happen, • fteadily, and without wavering, purfue Measures the moft likely to conduce to that good End.

16. The Representatives being annually chofen, we are aware that we are not writing now to the fame • Perfons who sent the Representation to us; the Perfons moft forward to push on a Measure (which, ⚫ from the Anfwér, we directed our Governor to give to the former Application he was defired to make to us, must be fuppofed difagreeable) may not now be in the House, but may be fucceeded by more prudent Perfons returned for their Places, who would be careful not to press a Matter too far, in which the Rights of the People are not really concerned: However, the Anfwer we give must be to the Representation fent us. And we defire, in any Matter of the like Nature, that the Houfe will be fatisfied with fuch an Anfwer, as the Governor may have Orders to give on our Behalf.

"Thomas Penn, "Richard Penn."

In the Temper the Affembly was in before the reading of this ungracious Paper, it was but natural to expect, that they would have taken Fire imme

diately,

diately, and proceeded at once to their own Juftification.

But, much to the Honour of their Prudence, they took a different Method. They ordered it to lie on the Table, together with their own Votes, Report, Reprefentation, &c. alluded to in it; and returning to the two Points already before them, refolved to clear their Way, by dispatching them first.

These it will be remembered, were the CurrencyBill returned to the Houfe by the Governor, before their Adjournment, with a Negative, and the Governor's Meffage with Refpect to the Refolution of the Indians to withstand the French, in Cafe they should be invaded by them on the Obio.

They had alfo under Confideration feveral new Difpatches from their Agent here at Home, and alfo an Account of the Value of their Imports from hence; which for the Year 1749, was in all £.238,637 - 2-10, For the Year 1750, £.217,713 -0- 10. And for the Year 1751, £190,917-5-1. Whence it was apparent, that for want of a fufficient Currency, to invigorate the Industry, and fupply the Wants of the Province, the Importations from hence were in a gradual Courfe of Declenfion.-And after mature Deliberation on the whole Matter, they again fent up their Bill to the Governor with the following Meffage, viz.

May it pleafe the Governor,

The Governor's Apprehenfion, at our laft Sitting, that the Diflike raised in Great Britain of the Bills of Credit in the Plantations by the late too general and undiftinguishing Complaints, fo warmly fubfifted, as to make any Application to the Crown ' about our Currency, at that Time unfeasonable, induced the Houfe, notwithstanding their different • Sentiments, to make a short Adjournment, to confider farther of the Weight of that Objection; and also of the Sums by that Bill propofed to be made, and ⚫ continued current in this Province. And now, • when

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⚫ when we reflect, that tho' the Complaints against a Paper-Currency, arifing from the Exceffes of fome • Colonies therein, were indeed at first too general and undiftinguifhing, fo as to occafion the bringing • into Parliament a Bill for reftraining the fame in all the Colonies; yet, as upon ftrict Enquiry (a State ⚫ of our Currency then lying before them) the Parliament thought fit to alter the Bill, and lay the Restraint only on thofe Colonies where that Currenhad been abufed, we cannot but look on this as ⚫ diftinguishing in our Favour; efpecially as we are affured, that no Complaints were ever made of our • Currency by the British Merchants, trading hither, who only could be affected by it; but that on the contrary they have, whenever called upon for their Opinion by the Parliament or the Lords of Trade, appeared openly and warmly in its Favour, and declared (as they did in 1739, when our A&t for 80,000l. the prefent Sum, was under Confideration) That it was not only a reasonable Sum, but absolutely neceffary for carrying on the Commerce of the Country; which appears by the Report of the • faid Lords, made on that Occafion to the Council. And as the Exports from Britain to this Province, of which we have authentic Accounts, had then, in the three preceding Years, amounted to no more than £.179,654-9-2 Sterling; and now in the Years 1749, 1750, and 1751, they amount to £ 647,317-8-9 Sterling; and our Numbers of People, and domeftic Trade, and the Occafions for a Medium of Commerce, are equally increased, there cannot, we think, be any Doubt, but the • British Merchants will now likewife be of Opinion, that the fmall Addition we at prefent propofe is abfolutely neceffary, though they may not think it fo fuitable to our Circumftances as a larger Sum; 100,000l. of Paper Currency bearing by no Means the fame Proportion to our Trade now, as 80,000l. did then. And it is certain, that, as the Money circulating among us diminishes, fo must our Trade

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and Usefulness to Great Britain, and our Confumption of its Manufactures, diminish.

Upon the whole, we intreat the Governor to confider the diftreffing Circumftances under which the Trade, and in Confequence the whole Province, ' must languish, if, contrary to our Expectations, the 'Bill we now prefent him fhould not be enacted into a Law. And we are well affured, that as the Governor has been pleased to declare his Sentiments of 'the many Advantages we derive from the Use of Paper-Money, his tranfmitting it Home, in a true Light, will make our Application to the Crown as 'effectual as it is feasonable.'

The Governor now demurred in his Turn, and by his Secretary gave the Houfe to understand, that, as it was ufual for the Affembly to meet again in August to finish the Bufinefs of the Year, he chofe for that and fome other Reasons, to keep the Bill under Confideration, till that Time.

In this the Houfe acquiefced: And having fufpended all Resolutions on the Proprietaries Paper, and the Draught prepared by a Committee of their own in Answer to it, till their next Sitting, proceeded to the Indian Affairs, and having come to proper Refolutions thereon, tranfmitted them also, together with the following judicious Meffage to the Governor, To wit.

May it pleafe the Governor,

We have, on all Occafions, acknowledged our grateful Sentiments of the Governor's Regard and Juftice towards the Indians, our Allies; and we now again return our hearty Thanks for his continued Care, and for communicating the Intelligence ' he has received concerning their prefent Diftreffes. In Purfuance of which, we have refumed the Confideration of the Letters laid before the Houfe, with the Meffage of the 16th of October laft, together with the Governor's late Meffages and Papers, fent

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