in the Manner required, they do nothing; and all the Mischiefs that enfue are to be laid at their Door.

The Affembly were not, however, to be amufed by the Waving of a Government-Wand; but on the contrary having bestowed as much Time upon the Affair as was neceffry for a thorough Difcuffion of it, came to a Courfe of fpirited Refolutions; of which the most material and perfpicuous are those which follow, viz.

That the Raifing of Money for Support of Government and other public Ufes, by an Excife on fpirituous Liquors, hath been practifed in this Province, with very little Intermiffion, for more than thirty Years paft, and hath not been found, communibus annis, to produce more Money than was neceffary for thofe Ufes.

That the railing Money by fuch Excife, has by Experience been found lefs burthenfome to the People, than the Method of Poll and Pound Rates; and hence the Load of public Expence hath been more chearfully borne, Government more liberally fupported, those who serve the Public better and • more punctually paid, and greater Sums given from time to time to the King's Ufe, than could o-. therwife have well been raised.

That if the Excife Act be extended but four • Years, and the Sum of ten thousand Pounds is to be funk thereby in that Term, yearly provincial Taxes by Poll and Pound Rates (always more grievous to the People) must probably in a fhort Time become neceffary, to defray the ufual and contingent Expences of the Government.

That if there really were, which is very uncertain, fo great a Sum outstanding due to the Publick, as if collected, would be in the Difpofition of the Houfe, and fufficient to Anfwer the prefent Emergency; yet, to inforce the Collection fuddenly, by feizing and felling the Eftates of the delinquent

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Borrowers, in this Time of Scarcity of Money, when so many Plantations being offered at once to Sale, could not probably find a fufficient Number of "good Purchafers, and must confequently fell for much lefs than their real Value, would be cruel, oppref• five, and ruinous to the People.

That the Right of Judging and Determining, not only of the Sum neceffary to be raised for any public Service, but of the Time and Manner of raifing it, and Term for paying it, is folely in the Representatives of the People; and that the Governors of this Province have not, nor ever had, nor can have, any Right to interfere therein, under • Pretence of rectifying Miftakes, eafing the People, or any other Pretence whatever.

That a juft, upright and prudent Administration ' of Government, will always be the best and most • effectual Means of obtaining and fecuring the Af⚫fections of the People; and that it is neither neceffary nor expedient to deny the present Affembly the Exercise of their juft Rights, that a future Governor may have an Opportunity of obliging a future Affembly by permitting it.

That an Act of Parliament made exprefly to remedy Disorders in the Eastern Governments, and in which this Province is neither named, nor intended, cannot by any Contruction be fuppofed binding on the Governors or Affemblies of Penfylvania.

That to refufe a Grant of ten thousand Pounds to 'the King's Ufe at this critical Juncture, when the Service of the Crown, and the Welfare, present and future, of all the British Colonies, feem to the 'Governor fo eminently to demand Supplies, meerly from an Opinion in the Governor, that he can judge better than the People's Reprefentatives what is moft for their Eafe, or that a future Governor may have an Opportunity of making himself acceptable, appears to this Houfe to be facrificing too much,

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to Confiderations of uncertain and fmall Mo

ment.

6 That we have now offered the Governor a Bill for 'granting ten thousand Pounds to the King's Ufe, to be funk by extending the Excife for ten Years, (a Bill of the like Tenor of that of 1746 [paffed by "Governor Thomas] for granting the Sum of five thousand Pounds to the King's Ufe, to be funk by extending the Excife for ten Years) to which he has 'been pleased to refufe his Affent.

That as the Governor [in his Meffage of the ift of March last] acknowledged the Term of ten Years ⚫ for extending the Excife to fink the FIVE thousand Pounds, was " a SHORT Space of Time," and that "there was not the leaft Probability of that Act's pro"ducing any of the Inconveniencies complained of;' the fame Term of ten Years for extending the Excife to fink TEN thousand Pounds, muft, in confequence, be allowed a "SHORT Space of Time :" And, the Bill he now refufes being of the fame Tenor, there cannot be "the leaft Probability of its producing the Inconveniences complained of; the "preventing of which for the future appears clearly "[to the Governor] to have been the fole End and "Purpofe of the Royal Inftruction."

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That the Governor having, as he hoped, [to use his own Words]" inconteftably proved, that the true and real Intention of the Royal Inftruction "could have been no other than to guard against the "Abufes enumerated in the Body of it; and the Act "for granting five thousand Pounds for the King's "Ufe, paffed by the late Governor, in 1746, being "of a SINGULAR and QUITE DIFFERENT NATURE "from Acts paffed upon ordinary Occafions, could "NOT be comprehended within the Meaning of the "faid Inftruction:" The Bill now offered to the Governor for granting ten thoufand Pounds for the King's Ufe, being alfo of a SINGULAR and QUITE, DIFFERENT NATURE from Acts paffed upon ordinary

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< Occafions, and of the fame Tenor with the Act paffed in 1746, cannot be comprehended, by the • Governor, (unless he has very lately altered his Opinion) to be within the Meaning of the Royal Instruction; and therefore,

That it is our Opinion, that if the Governor is • restricted by any Inftruction from paffing this Bill, it must be by fome Inftruction which he has never • been pleased to lay before this Houfe, and not the Royal Inftruction, the Operation of which, against Bills of this Tenor, he hath fo effectually invali· dated.

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That this Houfe will this Day adjourn to the nineteenth Day of the Month called Auguft, next.'

Before they adjourned, however, and without any Mention made of thefe Refolutions, they addreffed the Governor by Meffage; in which, having civilly and thankfully observed the Care he had taken, to obtain the best Intelligence he was able of what was propofed to be tranfacted at the enfuing Treaty to be held at Albany, &c. they proceeded as follows. And

as he has been pleafed to requeft our Sentiments on ⚫ the Inftructions to b given the Gentlemen Com'miffioners on the Part of this Province," to which

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he will pay the greatest Regard," we can do no • less than return him our grateful Acknowledgments ' for his Condefcenfion and Juftice; and would chearfully comply therewith at this Time: But when we confider, that no Propofitions for an Union of the Colonies, in Indian Affairs, can effectually answer the good Purpofes, or be binding farther than they are confirmed by Laws, enacted under the feveral • Governments comprized in that Union; that we know not what Restrictions the Governor may lie • under in paffing our Acts; and that we have very little Reason to depend upon any Affiftance in our • Indian Expences, where, by a former Affembly, it has been refpectfully addreffed for, and where we think in Juftice we have a Right to expect it; we

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are, under these Circumftances, at a Lofs to advise him on the important Articles he has been pleafed to propofe to our Confideration. Nevertheless, as we have already declared our Satisfaction in the Gen-. ⚫tlemen the Governor has been pleafed to name for this Commiffion, fo we confide in their Abilities ⚫ and Prudence to answer the Ends propofed in the. Letter from the Lords of Trade, of the eighteenth of September laft, by renewing at this Interview the Covenant Chain with the Six Nations, and by frustrating, as far as lies in their Power, any Attempts. which have been made to withdraw them from the British Intereft: And for this Purpose, in Compliance with the faid Letter from the Lords of Trade, we have now granted a Prefent to be made to thofe Indians on our Behalf, however inconvenient we may judge it to hold our Treaties at Al. bany on other Occafions'.

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Laftly: The Governor alfo, on his Part, defired the Members fent with this Meffage to acquaint the House, that as fome Parts of the Minutes of that Seffion might be neceffary to be mentioned in the Reprefentation the Governor found himfelf obliged to make to his Majefty, in Anfwer to his royal Order, in relation to the Invasion of his Dominions by the French and their Indian Allies, he defired the House would order a Copy thereof to be delivered to him: And an Order was thereupon made, that the faid Minutes might be delivered to him accordingly.

Their next Meeting was on the 7th of August following, by fpecial Summons: Upon which Occafion, the Governor, having fent for the Houfe, acquainted them with Washington's Defeat, and in the most folemn Manner (his Words) recommended to them a chearful and vigorous Refolution of diflodging from the Neighbourhood of their Settlements, [not the Settlements themselves, or Parts unfettled far within the. Limits of the Province, as before confidently afferted from undoubted Affurance] not indeed as Principals, but in Concurrence with the Government of Virginia,

when