'The diftreffed Circumftances of the Indians, our Allies, on the River Ohio, demand our closest Attention, and we shall not fail to proceed in the Matters contained in the Governor's Meffage with all the Dispatch an Affair of fo much Importance will admit of, in which we doubt not to comply with every Thing that can be reafonably expected on our Part.

In the mean Time, having fome Days fince prepared a Bill, which we conceive abfolutely neceffary, not only to the Trade and Welfare of this Province, but to the Support of Government, upon the Succefs of which our Deliberations, at this Time, must in a great Measure depend; we now lay it before 'him as a Bill of the utmoft Importance, and to which, we unanimously request he would be pleased to give •his Affent.'

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Four Days the Governor and his Council employed in confidering what Return fhould be made to it; or, rather in fearching out fuch an Expedient as fhould force the Province into the Meafures of the Proprietaries, or elfe, by their Refufal embroil them with the Government. In his very first Paragraph, he gave an abfolute Negative to their Bill: He told them, that the Product of their prefent Funds was greatly more than fufficient for the Support of Government: That he hoped to find them better Subjects to his Majefty, and greater Lovers to their Country, than to make the Iffure of their Bill, in which he and they had an equal Right to judge for themfelves, the Rule of their Conduct. If, however,' (continued he) you fhould be of Opinion, that there will be a Neceffity to ftrike a farther Sum in Bills of Credit, to "defray the Charges of raifing Supplies for his Majefty's Service in this Time of imminent Danger, and will create a proper Fund or Funds for finking the fame in a few Years, I will concur with you in palling a Law for that Purpose, thinking myfelf fuf ficiently

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ficiently warranted fo to do, in Cafes of real Emer > "fast gency.

And now, Gentlemen, I hope you will, upon due "Confideration, be of Opinion with me, that the chief End of your Bill will be hereby, in a great Measure, anfwered, as the Sum to be ftruck and "circulated upon this Occafion, will be fuch an Addition to your prefent Currency, as probably may be thought fufficiently for fome Time.'

The Affembly alfo, in their Turn, took a fufficient Time for Deliberation: And, having touched on the unufual Manner, in which the Governor had been pleafed to reject their Bill, and affumed fome Merit to themselves, in not fuffering any separate Interests of their own to interfere with the common Good: Obferv'd, there was fome Difference between the Royal Orders and the Governor's Manner of reprefenting them; chofe therefore to adhere to the former: Availed themfelves moft prudently and fenfibly of the Cautions fo circumftantially recommended and inforced in them, more especially concerning the undoubled Limits, and the Restrictions thereupon, that his Majefty may not be rendered the Aggreffor: Said it would be highly prefumptuous in them to judge of thofe undoubted Limits: That inftead of being called upon to refift any hoftile Attempt made upon any Part of Penfylvania, they were called upon to grant fuch a Supply as might enable the Governor to raife Forces to be ready to join thofe of Virginia: That, therefore, they hop d the Governor, under thefe Circumstances, would concur with them, that the most prudent Part for them would be to wait the Refult of the Government of Virginia, where no Provifion had as yet been made that they knew of, nor in any of the neighbouring Colonies, tho' the feveral Governors, in Purfuance of the King's Command, had made the neceffary Requifitions of their feveral Affemblies, and they were equally bound by all the Ties of general Intereft. They allo fuperadded the Regard due to the Scruples of thofe

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confcientiously principled against War, yet deeply fenfible of the Bleflings they enjoyed, and willing to demonftrate their Duty and Loyalty, by giving fuch occafional Sums of Money for the King's Ufe, as, might be reasonably expected from fo young a Colony: Took Notice they had contracted a Debt of Fourteen bundred Pounds for Prefents to the Indians, and other Charges arifing from the late Treaty, which they fhould chearfully discharge, though their Proprietaries had refused to contribute any Part of their Indian Expences: Agreed to fend Commiffioners to Albany, as required, though the Place was fo remote, and to defray the Expence, &c. &c.

The Difficulty thus retorted on the Governor, and his Refentment it must be fuppofed quickened thereby, he takes up the Minutes of the laft Day's Seffions of the last Affembly, and under the Pretence of justifying his own Character, revives the old Controverfy concerning the Paper-Money Inftructions, by a long and angry Paper fent to the Houfe March 1. And, forgetting what he had formerly faid in the following Paragraph, I do not blame you, Gentlemen, for contending for what you are perfuaded are your Rights and Privileges, and confequently, can have no Objection to your examining the Validity of the King's Inftruction;' flames out as follows, Had • I been an Enemy to the Liberties and Privileges of the People, or been defirous of gratifying my own Paffions at their Expence, it must be confeffed you have furnished me with the faireft Occafion a Governor fo difpofed could poffibly have wifhed for. s For Example; you have voted a Claufe, propofed to be added to your Bill by his Majefty's exprefs Direction, at the Requeft of his two Houfes of Parliament, to be deftructive to the Liberties of the People of this Province, &c. and have even threatened to examine the Validity of the King's Inftruction, if, by a Perfeverance in my Opinion, I laid you under the Neceffity of doing it. What is this

lefs than declaring, that the Lords and Commons, and his Majefty's Privy-Council, confifting, among • others, of the moft eminent Lawyers in Greats Britain, have requefted, and his Majefty enjoined, an Act directly contrary to Law?'

And he concludes with making a Merit to the Province of the Moderation he had fhewn, in fuppreffing his Senfe of the Provocations then offered to him, in Hopes of a more difpaffionate Behaviour for the Future.

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. The very next Day this Paper was followed by another more immediately in Point: The Governor, therein, undertaking firft to defend his Negative and the Ufe he had made of it; and, fecondly, fo to turn the Tables on the Affembly, that all the Wrong fhould be on their Side, and all the Right on his own.

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The Ufe made of the different Language ufed by the Secretary of State and him, he calls an Evasion ; and what they ought not, in Point of Duty, to have taken any Advantage of. He then declares: he has undoubted Affurance, That Part of his Majefty's Dominions, within his Government was, at that Time, invaded by the Subjects of a foreign Prince, who haď erected Forts within the fame; and requires them to take Notice, That he did then call upon them, purfuant to his Majefty's Orders, in the prefent Emergency, to grant fuch Supplies as might enable him to draw forth the armed Force of the Province, &a→→→ He then undertook to prove, That the Place where the French had then their Head Quarters was within the Limits of the Province; and tells them, that if he did not communicate Materials before to affift their Enquiries into this Fact, fo neither had they applied to him for them: That if they had enquired for themfelves and fuppreffed the Truth, it was extremely difingenuous; if not, their Neglect could be imputed. to no other Caufe than a Defire to have a plaufible Excufe for not paying a proper Regard to his Majefty's Commands: That even on Account of the Scruples

Scruples urged, he had looked on Governor Dinwid die's Requifition as a very lucky Circumftance; feeing, That a Requifition from himfelf would have fet the Province in the Front of the Oppofition; and a Refufal from them, would have expofed it to the Contempt and Derifion, as well of the French as our Indian Allies: That as the French avow thefe Hoftilities, fo the Indians, menaced by them, most earnestly befought us, to build Places of Refuge, to which their Wives and Children might repair for Safety, and alfo to affift them against their Enemies: That, inftead of being governed by the Example of the neighbouring Colonies, nothing remained but to give the neceffary Supplies and thereby fet the Example to them, this Province having been first invaded and confequently in the moft immediate Danger: That without this, they could neither keep their Treaties with the Indians, nor demonftrate their Duty and Loyalty to his Majefty: That, having now done his Duty, whatever ill Confequences might happen, were to be laid at their Door: That, with Regard to the Refusal of the Proprietaries, to contribute any Part of their Indian Expences, it was true, they had refufed to do it in the Manner expected, and they had given their Reafons: But that the Propofal made by him, the Governor, by their Order, in the Year 1750 and 1751, in Regard to the building a ftrong Trading Houfe near the Place then invaded and poffeffed by the French, could not be forgot; which generous Offer* had the Affembly thought fit to clofe with, it might, at a fmall Expence, have prevented all the Mifchiefs impending, and fecured a Country to the English, which probably might not be recovered withouta heavy Charge and the Lofs of many Lives.

Whether the Hoftilities committed by the French were or were not committed within the Bounds of Penfylvania, became the great Queftion.-The Af

See the Affembly's Anfwer to this Charge hereafter, in the Time of Governor Morris,

fembly