* in the greatest Danger, being already invaded by the French, and in immediate Expectation of Outrage from the Indians in their Alliance: I will therefore join with you in any Bill for ftriking what Sum you fhall think our preffing Occafions demand, provided a Fund be established for finking the fame in five • Years.

I am exceedingly obliged to the Houfe for their 'kind Sentiments with regard to me, and shall make it my peculiar Care fo to act as to merit the Continuance of their good Opinion; and can truly fay, it is no fmall Mortification to me to be obliged to differ in Opinion from the Reprefentatives of the Province, who, I am convinced, act from upright Motives, and what they efteem to be its true Intereft; but would willingly hope, when they come to reflect on the Obligations I am under to pay Obedience to his Majefty's Inftructions, that they will not prefs me to disobey them; especially when they confider, that, fhould I difregard my own Honour and Safety in paffing a Bill circumftanced as this is, there is great Danger of its being difapproved by his Majefty; and what Lofs and Confufion fuch an Event would cause in the Province, by the Paperbills becoming of no Value, I need not particularly • mention."

From the Year 1740 down to the Time of this Altercation, his Majefty's Minifters had never once interfered in this Difpute; nor in thefe Requifitions from the Secretary's Office, in the King's Name, of Aids from his American Subjects, is the leaft Trespass on the Right of the Subject, by any Injunction direct or indirect concerning the Mode of raifing thefe Aids, to be traced: And yet this petty Proprietary Governor dares to make a Bugbear of his Majefty's Difapprobation, at the fame Time, and in the fame Breath, that he leaves a Gap for difpenfing with the very Inftruction he pleads, provided the Proprietary Turn is Lerved, of reducing the Term to Five Years.

It is moreover reasonable to think the Governor had in his Hands at this very Time a third Letter from the Secretary of State, now Sir Thomas Robinson, dated October 26, 1754: For on the very next Day after this Meffage was delivered, he fent down a Copy of the faid Letter to the House, accompanied with another written Meffage fo timed and conftructed, as to render it as embarraffing as poffible.

This third Letter imported, that the Ministers had at last come to a Refolution of taking fome Measures of their own for the Defence of America. Amongst others it was faid, the King had commanded two Regiments of Foot, confifting of 500 Men each, to repair to Virginia, there to be completed to 700; as alfo to fend Orders to Governor Shirley and Sir William Pepperell, to raise two Regiments of 1000 men each; for which Officers were to be appointed, and to repair to America forthwith; all to be commanded in chief by a General Officer of Rank and Capacity, accompanied by a Deputy-Quarter-Mafter-General, and a Commiffary of the Mufters, who were likewise to fet out as foon as conveniently might be, in order to prepare every thing for the Arrival of the Regiments to be fent, and those to be raised. What follows is in the very words of the Letter, viz.

You will receive from that General, and the other Officers just mentioned, a full and exact Account of the Arms, Cloathing, and other Neceffaries, to be fent upon this important Occafion; as likewise of the Ordnance Stores, and of the Officers and At⚫ tendants belonging thereto; all which being ordered for this Service, are fuch Proofs of his Majefty's Regard for the Security and Welfare of his Subjects in those Parts, as cannot fail to excite you to exert yourself, and those under your Care, to take the most vigorous Steps to repel your common Danger; and to fhew that the King's Orders, which were fent you laft Year by the Earl of Holderneffe, and were renewed to you in my Letter of the 5th of July,

.

• have

⚫ have at last rouzed that Emulation and Spirit which < every Man owes at this Time, to his Majefty, the Publick, and himself. The King will not therefore imagine, that either you, or the reft of his • Governors, will fuffer the leaft Neglect or Delay in the Performance of the prefent Service, now ftrongly recommended to you, particularly with Regard to the following Points, viz.That you should • carefully provide a fufficient Quantity of fresh Victuals, at the Expence of your Government, to be ready for the Ufe of the Troops, at their Arrival.

That you should likewife furnifh the Officers, who may have Occafion to go from Place to Place, with all Neceffaries for travelling by Land, in Cafe 'there are no Means of going by Sea: And that you should use your utmoft Diligence and Authority, in procuring an exact Obfervance of fuch Orders as fhall be iffued, from Time to Time, by the Commander in Chief, for quartering the Troops, impreffing Carriages, and providing all Neceffaries for fuch Forces as fhall arrive, or be raised within your • Government.

As the Articles abovementioned are of a local and peculiar Nature, and arifing entirely within your Government, it is almost needlefs for me to acquaint you, that his Majefty will expect, that the Charge thereof be defrayed by his Subjects belonging to the fame. But with Regard to fuch other Articles, which are of a more general Concern, it is the King's Pleasure, that the fame fhould be fupplied by a common Fund, to be eftablifhed for "the Benefit of all the Colonies collectively in North• America; for which Purpose you will use your utmoft Endeavours to induce the Affembly of your • Province to raife, forthwith, as large a Sum as can 'be afforded, as their Contribution to this common Fund, to be employed, provifionally, for the general Service of North-America, (particularly for paying the Charge of levying the Troops to make ' up

M 4

< up the Complement of the Regiments abovemen tioned) until fuch Time as a Plan of general Union of his Majefty's Northern Colonies, for their common Defence, can be perfected.

You will carefully confer, or correfpond, as you 'fhall have Opportunities, upon every Thing relative to the prefent Service, with the faid General, Sir William Pepperell, and Governor Shirley, or either ‹ of them; and as it is the King's Intention to give all proper Encouragement to fuch Perfons who fhall engage to serve upon this Occafion, you will acquaint all fuch Perfons, in the King's Name, that they will receive Arms and Cloathing from hence, and that they fhall be fent back (if defired) to their respective Habitations, when the Service in America • fhall be over.

<

As the feveral Governors in all the King's Pro• vinces and Colonies in North America will receive, by this Conveyance, a Letter to the fame Effect with this which I now fend you, they will be prepared at the fame Time to obey his Majesty's Com• mands. And I am to direct you to correfpond with all, or either of them, occafionally, as you fhall find it expedient for the general Service.'

<

It is plain by the general Drift of this Letter, that it related equally to every Governor and every Government of North-America: And yet the Governor of Penfylvania did his best to narrow the Application of it to Penfylvania only. These are his Words. You ⚫ will obferve by the Secretary of State's Letter, that it is his Majefty's Pleasure we should contribute as far as we can to the having about Three thoufand Men in Readiness to enlift; that we fhould provide a Quantity of fresh Provisions for the Troops, and Neceffaries for the Officers that may have Occafion to travel by Land; that the Orders to be iffued by the Commander in Chief for quartering the Soldiers, and impreffing Carriages, fhould be carried into exact Execution; and that all Neceffaries fhould be provided for fuch Troops as fhall arrive, or be • raised

.

* raised within this Government.-His Majesty expects, that as the feveral Articles abovementioned are of a local and peculiar Nature, and arifing entirely within this Government, that the Charge thereof fhould be defrayed by his Subjects within the • fame.'

To both these Meffages the Affembly immediately applied themselves, to prepare fuitable Answers; and, beginning with the firft, among other Things faid, We have the Misfortune to differ in Opinion ⚫ from the Governor, after confidering the Cafe maturely as it now lies before us; nevertheless, we do <affure him, that tho' in a Matter of fmall Importance we might not, perhaps, be very tenacious of our own Sentiments; yet, in this Cafe, our All is concerned, and if we should not act becoming the Rights our Birth, as Englishmen, intitles us to, we might appear unworthy of the Regard we have already experienced, and have good Reason to hope for hereafter, from a British Parliament.'

It appears that the Cafe, as flated to the Attorney-General, regards only Emiffions of Bills of Credit on common and ordinary Occafions; and, in our Opinion, very little, if at all, affects the prefent Bill: And it is remarkable, that there is not the least Notice taken of the Act for granting FIVE Thoufand Pounds for the King's Ufe, which Governor Thomas paffed without a fufpending Claufe, by extending this very Excife Act for TEN Years, which "we have now again extended for the fame Term of Years only, and loaded it with a Grant of TWENTY Thousand Pounds.

.

• As Colonel Thomas gave his Affent to that Act after the Receipt of the additional Inftruction, which the Governor has now fent down with our Bill, and as we prefume he has no other or later 'Inftructions from the Crown, tho' he has fince re'ceived the Royal Approbation, we hope he will not

think himself more reftricted by it, than the Gen⚫tleman to whom it was immediately directed; who

"has