Fear, though moft an Enfeebler of any of the Paffions, has the ftrongest Dominion over us; and while we are scarce half of ourselves, it is not to be wondered, that we become the Property of any Body else.

With a Face, and a Voice, and whatever elfe was fuitable for the Practice now to be tried, did the Governor now meet the Affembly; and having difpatched his Text (the Defeat of Braddock) in lets than fix Lines, came at once to Ufe and Application in the Terms following: This unfortunate and unexpected • Change in our Affairs will deeply affect every one of his Majefty's Colonies, but none of them in fo fenfible a Manner as this Province, which, having no Militia, is thereby left exposed to the cruel • Incurfions of the French and their barbarous Indians, who delight in fhedding human Blood, and whò 'make no Diftinction as to Age or Sex, as tỏ thofe that are armed against them, or fuch as they ⚫ can fuprize in their peaceful Habitat ons

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-all

are alike the Objects of their Cruelty,flaughter ing the tender Infant and frighted Mother with equal Joy and Fierceness. To fuch Enemies, fpurred on by the native Cruelty of their Tempers, encouraged by their late Succefs, and having now no Army to fear, are the Inhabitants of this Province expofedand by fach muft we now expect to be over-run, if. "we do not immediately prepare for our own Defence; nor ought we to content ourfelves with this, but refolve to drive and confine the French to their own juft Limits.'

Here the noble Example of the Eastern Governments (New-England) in forcing the Enemy to keep a due Distance from their Borders, was recommended and inforced: And then returning to his main Point, he again expatiated thus: Allow me therefore, Gentlemen, to recommend to your moft ferious Confider"ation the prefent State and Condition of your Country, the Danger to which the Lives and Properties

of all those you have undertaken to reprefent ftand

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expofed

expofed at this critical and melancholy Conjuncture; and to defire that you would not, by an ill timed Parfimony, by reviving any Matters that have been in Difpute, or from any other Motive, fuffer the People to remain any longer undefended, or the Blood of the Innocent to be fhed by the cruel Hands of Savages.There are Men enough in this Province to protect it against any Force the French can bring, and Numbers of them are willing and defirous to defend their Country upon the prefent Occafion, but they have neither Arms, Ammunition nor Difcipline, without which it will be impoffible to repel an active Enemy, whofe Trade is War.

I therefore hope, that you will, without • Delay, grant fuch Supplies as may enable me not only to fecure the People of this Province, but, by reinforcing and affifting the King's Troops, enable ⚫ them to remove the French from their prefent Encroachments.

If fomething very effectual be not done at this • Time for the Safety and Security of the Province, the Enemy, who know how to make the best Use of a Victory, will ftrengthen themfelves in fuch a Manner, that it will be next to impoffible for us to · remove them.'

In Effect, the Affembly chofe, for this once, to be blind to the artificial Part of his Speech, and to dif charge their own Duty in fuch a Manner, as fhould leave him, even on his own Premises, inexcufable for any Failure on his Side.

On the very next Day they granted an Aid to the Crown of 50,000l.; and though it is plain by this that they did not want a Goad, on the next following, when they had the Ways and Means of railing this Sum under Confideration, the Governor, by Meffage, apprized them that Colonel Dunbar, with the Remainder of the King's Forces, had reached Fort Cumberland; and that, as foon as his Circumstances would admit, he intended to continue his March to Philadelphia; and that he had laid thefe Matters be

fore

fore them, that they might fall upon Measures, as foon as poffible, for the Protection of the Western Frontier.

But this had not the defired Effect: For the Af fembly in their Reply moft rationally fuggefted, That Colonel Dunbar's Forces might be employed on this Service; and requested the Governor to make Ufe of his Inftances accordingly. This he could not refufe: But the Sequel may fhew how little defirous he was of having the Province defended by thofe Forces.

The next Day, while the Houfe was debating on the Ways and Means, among which one was known to be Taxing the Proprietary Eftate in Proportion with others, a pompous Meffage was fent down, containing an Offer on the Part of the Proprietaries, of 1000 Acres of Land, Weft of the Allegheny Mountains, without Purchase Money, and for Fifteen Years clear of Quit-Rents, to every Colonel who fhould ferve on an Expedition from that or the neighbouring Provinces against the French on the Ohio; 750 to each LieutenantColonel and Major; 500 to each Captain; 400 to each Lieutenant and Enfign, and 200 to every common Soldier And requiring the Houfe to afford fome Affiftance to fuch as fhould accept the fame.

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To make up Weight, a Letter of Intelligence from an Indian Trader lately returned from Canada, whither he had fled to avoid being apprehended for killing a Man, was fent along with this Meffage: And, upon the Heels of both, a Remonftrance (not a Petition) was conjured up, from fundry Inhabitants of the City and County of Philadelphia (Emigrants from the famous Borough of Totness it must be prefumed) and prefented to the Affembly; containing a fubmiffive Conceipt, That 100,000l. was as fmall a Sum as would anfwer the prefent Exigency; and fignifying the Willingness of the Prefenters to contribute their Proportion of the fame, or of a larger Sum if neceffary: Not to inlift on fundry Petitions from many of the Inhabitants of Three Townships; and Two more from fundry Inhabitants of the County of Chester, who made it their Prayer to be furnished with Arms and Ammunition for Defence of their Houfes and Families.

The

The Affembly, in the mean Time, with a Degree of Composure and Steadiness, which, in a higher Orbit, would be called Dignity and Magnanimity, delivered their Sentiments and Purpofes in one Addrefs to the Governor, in the following concife but weighty Terms: viz. We have deliberately and feriously "confidered the Governor's Speech of the Twentyfourth Inftant, together with the Letters and Pa-, pers he has been pleased to lay before us, by which we find, that the Defeat of the Forces, under the "immediate Command of General Braddock, and the

Retreat of Colonel Dunbar, to Fort Cumberland, "are attended with very shocking Circumftances: "Nevertheless, it gives us real Satisfaction, under

this unfortunate and unexpected Change in our "Affairs, that this Province has feafonably and cheerfully complied with the Demands of the King's Forces, and that no Part of this unhappy Defeat σε can be laid to our Charge.

"We think it our Duty on this Occafion to be "neither parfimonious nor tenacious of fuch Matters "as have been in Difpute, and are now under the "Confideration of our Superiors; but, referving to "ourselves all our juft Rights, we have refolved to แ grant Fifty Thousand Pounds for the King's Ufe,

by a Tax on all the real and perfonal Eftates within "this Province, in which we shall proceed with all "poffible Difpatch; hoping to meet in the Governor "the fame good Difpofitions he fo earnestly recom"mends to us.

"The Governor's Call of our House at this "Time is agreeable to us, as it impowers us to "exert ourselves yet farther in the Service of our

Country; and the like Opportunity given to the "Lower Counties, under the Governor's Adminiftration, we doubt not will be acceptable to them, and add their Contribution to the common Cause, before the Time to which they stand "adjourned."

And

And now a plain, unrefining Reader would think, That, the Danger of the Province being fo great as the Governor had defcribed it, and the Difpofition of the Affembly fo fincere to provide for its Security, the Iffue of the Seffion could not but be as happy as the Profpect was promifing.

The very Reverfe of this, however, happened to be the Cafe. The Affembly found the Proprietaries in Poffeffion of an immenfe Eftate, in Lands and QuitRents: This Eftate was as much endangered as any other Eftate, and was to be defended in common with the Reft: They did not think the Immenfity of it gave it any Title to any Exemption of any Kind, and they found no fuch Exemption specified in any of

their Charters.

Proceeding, therefore, by the Rules of Reafon and Equity, as well as Policy, they taxed the whole Land alike; and fubjected the Proprietaries, as Land-holders, to a proportional Share of all the Claims and Impofitions, which their Deputy would have exempted them from as Governors in Chief, and was fo ftrenuous for impofing on the People alone:And this one bitter Ingredient was Mors in Olla, Death in the Pot. The Burdens laid by the Proprietaries, or by Proprietary Power on the Province, could not be too heavy: But they themselves would not charge a Finger with the leaft Part of the Weight of them.

On the fame Day that the Bill was fent up, it was returned with fuch Amendments, as entirely exonerated the whole Proprietary Estate; and the following Meffage was immediately prepared by the Affembly, and dispatched to the Governor. To wit.

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May it pleafe the Governor,

The taxing of the Proprietary Eftate with the Eftates of the People of the Province, for their common Security in this Time of imminent Danger, feems to us fo perfectly equitable and juft, that we are furprized the Governor fhould propofe it as an A'mendment