he might be able to lay the fame before his Majefty in fuch a Manner as might make the Interpofition of Par liament unneceffary: That he was really concerned to find, that instead of providing for the Articles recommended to them by his Majefty, in a Manner agreeable to his royal Directions [It has been already obferved, that no Manner had been, or could be, with Propriety, directed by the King] they infifted on his paffing the Bill, in the Shape they had fent it up; tho' before inform'd he could not do it: That he then again affured them, he would not affent to that or any other Bill for emitting Paper-Money, but upon the Terms above-mentioned:-He alfo took Occafion to add among other Things, that this Difpute fo long depending, might certainly have received his Majefty's Determination long ago, had they applied for it. [Which, by the Way, might have been retorted with equal Truth on the Proprietaries]-That, were there no other Method of raifing Money for the prefent Service, but that by them propofed and infifted upon, their Conduct might have appeared in a more favourable Light: But that as they had, or ought to have had in Bank, by the Laws in being, 14, or 15,000 1. together with a Revenue of 7,000 l. a Year; as the City and Province were in rich and flourishing Circumftances, the People numerous, and burdened with none or very trifling Taxes, he could not confent to pafs the Bill propofed; it being (faid he) a direct Breach of a royal Inftruction intended to enforce an Act of Parliament of the fixth of Q. Anne, which [whether Act or Inftructions is doubtful] they knew had been fhamefully flighted and difregarded in this and the neighbouring Provinces. Upon the whole, con'tinued he, you will confider, Gentlemen, in what Light you will appear to his Majefty and a British Parliament, who are expending great Sums of Money for the Defence of thefe Colonies, while you, the very Province moft concerned as being invaded, inftead of contributing towards your own Defence, are entering into an ill timed Controverly concerning

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the Validity of royal Instructions, which might have been determined long ago, and may be delay'd to a more convenient Time, without any the least Injury to the Rights of the People.Let me therefore, • Gentlemen, once more recommend the present unhappy Circumstances of this Country to your most ferious Confideration; and entreat you to lay afide • (for the prefent at least) every Thing that may admit of any Difpute, and enter heartily into fuch Measures as may beft anfwer the public Expectations, and affist his Majefty in the Measures he has concerted, and is carrying into Execution, for the • Prefervation of this Country.'

The Affemb'y again, as if to give the Governor Time for fecond Thoughts, fent him up the Reply that follows.

Before we enter upon the Confideration of the other Parts of the Governor's Meffage of the 24th • Instant, we must acknowledge ourselves engaged to return him our hearty Thanks for informing us, that, as he was in a great Measure a Stranger to our Constitution, and, to be fo highly entrusted by the Proprietaries, it seemed quite neceffary he should • receive Inftructions from them.-And notwithstanding he may think it not quite decent, or may believe it unprecedented for a Governor to be called upon for a Sight of his Inftructions, yet he will communicate them to the House whenever the public Service fhall require it."-In return to this candid Declaration, and the Afurance he is pleased to give us, as well as the ready furnishing us with other • Parts of those Inftructions, we beg Leave to inform the Governor, that we not only apprehend it the ⚫ undoubted Right of a British Parliament to addrefs the Crown for fuch Information as they judge abfolutely neceffary to their Deliberations; but alfo, that the Proprietary Inftructions to our former Governors, have been repeatedly laid before the Affemblies of this Province.'

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Here certain Inftances were recited: And the Sequel was in these Words. "We therefore, under thefe Confiderations, and for that we are of Opinion those Proprietary Inftructions, which the Governor is pleased to inform us our Proprietaries gave him on their appointing and entrusting him with this Government, are the principal, if not the fole, Ob• ftructions to the paffing our Bill for granting Twenty Thousand Pounds for the King's Ufe; and alfo, for that whatever Bills we might prepare for this, or any other Purpose, after all the Expence to the Country, and after all our Pains in framing them, would be liable to the fame Difficulties, unless we could know what thofe Proprietary Inftructions are. We fay, under these Confiderations, and from the Regard our Governor is pleafed to exprefs for our Charter, and our Liberties, we earnestly Request he would now candidly communicate thofe Inftructions to us, as the Time when " the public Service requires it," in the most particular Manner: For, as we are now under an abfolute Neceffity of addreffing the Crown, in Support of our civil and * religious Liberties, in which we have the Pleasure of 'the Governor's Concurrence, and indeed his Defire that we fhould apply to his Majefty on this Occafion, we must, in Juftice to ourselves, and in Difcharge of the Duty we owe to thofe we reprefent, * make thofe Proprietary Inftructions, and the Force and Validity of them, the great End of our humble Petition to the Crown at this Time, unless the Governor fhall be pleafed to convince us to the contrary.'

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It was not till the fourth Day after this Meffage was prefented, that the Governor rejoined; during which Interval the Bufinefs of the Seffion feems to have been wholly at a Stand; and the Language he then used was to the following Effect. "That tho' the Houfe of Commons had a Right to addrefs the Crown for Information, and former Governors had occafionally

laid particular Inftructions before the Affemblies, he did not think Affemblies had a Right to have them all laid before them upon Demand; and was ftill of Opinion, that their Application for that Purpose, was irregular and unprecedented: That it was true, he had Proprietary Inftructions as all other Governors had had, but that be [who it feems was to be the only Judge] could not think it then for his Majesty's Service or the Intereft of the Province to communicate them farther than he had already done; efpecially as they claimed it as a Right, and feemed induftriously to feek fresh Matter of Difpute about them, when the public Service required they fhould be otherwife employed, when they expreffed fo great a Diflike to them, and when they had avowed a Purpose of making the Force and Validity of them, the great End of their Petition to the Crown, and all this without fo much as knowing, except in what related to a Militia, &c. what those Inftructions were: That, having affigned the Royal Instruction, and the Attorney General's Opinion upon it, as his Reafons for not agreeing to their Bill for ftriking 40,000l. he should be glad to know upon what Information, they had given it as their Opinion, that Proprietary Inftructions had been the principal if not the fole Directors of his Conduct, or had become fo intimately acquainted with his private Sentiments, as to know, That when he faid one Thing he meant another: That he had been, and still was, defirous, They fhould apply to the Crown for a Determination of the Difpute between them: But that as he did not know the civil or religious Liberties of the People were invaded by the Inftruction which gave Rife to it, he could have no Intention to confent to an Application in Support of them: That an Invafion of the civil and religious Liberty of a People, was to be reckoned among the worst of Crimes, and was then most aggravated when committed by those who were bound both by their Oaths and their Duty, to preferve thofe Bleffings and protect the

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People in the Enjoyment of them: That his facred Majefty, who had fo long and fo happily governed his People upon conftitutional Principles only, difdained a Thought of doing or approving any Thing that was otherwife: That a British Parliament would never esteem a Royal Instruction, iffued at their own Requeft, and intended to enforce a good and wholefome Law, in the leaft deftructive of the civil and religious Liberties of any Part of his Majesty's Subjects, whatever they, the Reprefentatives of Penfylvania, might do That it gave him particular Concern, that they fhould purpofely enter into a Dispute about that Inftruction, and chufe to publifh fuch Sentiments of his Majefty's Government, at a Time, like That, when a French Army were fortifying themselves in their Country: That he earnestly recommended to them to confider, whether fuch Expreffions might not have a Tendency to alienate the Affections of the People from his Majesty's Perfon and Government, and thereby greatly obftruct the Measures he was taking at a vaft Expence, for the Prefervation and Protection of his Subjects on that Continent: That he had lately received Intelligence that Six thousand of the best Troops of France were attually arrived at the lower Fort on the Ohio, and were there employed in fortifying the Country: That this ought to convince them, France had formed fome grand Defign on that Continent, and that as they had made their firft Attack upon Penfylvania, as the most plentiful and moft defenceless Part of his Majefty's Dominions, fo in a particular Manner, it behoved them to exert themfelves accordingly And that he muft, therefore, intreat them once more, to wave all Difputes till a more favourable Seafon, to consider seriously the Dangers their Country was exposed to, and not only grant the Supplies required, but enable him to raise a confiderable Body of Men, to be employed in Conjunction with his Majesty's Troops, eftablish a regular Militia, provide the neceffary Stores of War, &c. that the Province for Want of Difcipline might no longer be left an easy Prey

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