Points, fummoned them to meet him, with all the Circumftances of Alarm and Terror his Imagination could furnish.

1

Intelligence (probably the fame Intelligence contained in the two Letters communicated by his Secretary to the Speaker) That a Party of French and Indians, to the Number of 1,500 as he was informed, had paffed the Allegheney-Hills, and having penetrated as far as the Kittochtiny Hills, within about Eighty Miles of Philadelphia, were incamped on the Sufquehanna, was the Business he had to impart to them; and from his Manner of imparting it, he feemed more delighted than fhocked with the Recital. This Invasion, said he, was what we had the greatest Reafon to believe would be the Confequence of General Braddock's Defeat, and the Retreat of the regular Troops. [Why did they retreat then from the actual Seat of War? Was the wild Country on the Ohio better worth defending than Penfylvania? Was any projected Acquifition of more Importance to the Public than the Prefervation of fuch a Country? Did not this very Governor talk of the Plenty of the Province and its defenceless State, from Time to Time, almost in the Stile of Invitation as if he meant to befpeak the very Event he was now expatiating upon? And is not he more to be upbraided for fuffering thofe Troops to be recalled, if he did no more, without making the ftrongeft Remonstrances against it, than the Affembly who befought their Protection: And if it fhould appear from his whole Conduct, that he defired nothing more ardently than that fuch an Event fhould happen; and that his principal Endeavour was, to improve it when it did happen to Proprietary Purposes, at the Expence of the Fortunes, Liberties, and Lives of the Inhabitants, with what Abhorrence must we reflect on the Pains taken in this Speech, to aggravate the calamitous State of the Province, and to place it to the Account of those, who had in a most signal Manner deferved the Thanks, not only of the Penfylvanians, but

T 3

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alfo of all the Friends and Lovers of Liberty and Virtue diftributed thro' the British Empire?]

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Had my Hands been fufficiently ftrengthened (fo he proceeded) I fhould have put this Province, into fuch a Pofture of Defence, as might have prevented the Mischiefs that have fince happened. A Dofe of Venom apparently prepared and adminiftered to poison the Province:-If the Governor might have been their Saviour, and was not, for Want of proper Powers, the Affembly accufed as having with-held them, were to be confidered as public Enemies. To be treated as fuch could not but follow.-The Populace are never fo ripe for Mischief as in Times of moft Danger.-A provincial Dictator he wanted to be conftituted.-He thought this would be the furest Way of carrying his Point: And if the Penfylvanians had taken fo frantic a Turn, they would not have been the firft who like the Flock in the Fable, had, in a Fit of Despair, taken a Wolf for their Shepherd.

But to return. That the Delaware and Shawanese Indians had been gained over by the French, under the enfnaring Pretence of restoring them to their Country,' constituted his next Inflammatory. And then in order to magnify his own Merits, he farther fuggefted, That he had fent the fame Intelligence, both to the King's Minifters, together with a Representation of the defenceless State of the Province, and to the neighbouring Governments, that the latter might be at once prepared to defend themselves and fuccour them: That the Back Inhabitants having upon this Occasion, behaved themselves with uncommon Spirit and Activity, he had given Commiffions to fuch as were willing to take them; and Encouragement to all to defend themfelves, till the Government was enabled to protect them: But that they had complained much of Want of Order and Difcipline, as well as of Arms and Ammunition; and he was without Power, Money, or Means to form them into fuch regular Bodies, as the Exigency required, &c. That the Defigns of the Enemy could only be conjectured from their Motions

and

and Numbers; and that from thofe and the known Circumftances of the Province, it was reafonable to apprehend, they had fomething more in View, than barely cutting off and deftroying fome of the frontier Settlements." And for a Conclufion he fummed up his Lords the Proprietaries Will and Pleasure as follows, o

His Majefty and the Proprietaries having committed the People of this Province to my Charge and Care, I have done, and ftill fhall very readily do, every Thing in my Power to fulfil that important Truft; and to that End, I think it my Duty to call upon you to grant fuch Supplies of Money as his Majefty's Service, at this important and dangerous Crifis, may require, and to prepare a Bill for establishing a regular Militia, exempting fuch as are confcientioufly fcrupulous of bearing Arms, it being impoffible, without fuch a Law, though large Sums of Money fhould be raifed, to prevent Confufion and Disorder, or conduct Matters with any Degree of Regularity.

As the Enemy are now laying wafte the Country, and flaughtering the Inhabitants, there is no Time to be loft; I therefore think it neceffary upon this Occafion to inform you, that I am ready and willing to confent to a Law for emitting any Sum in PaperMoney the prefent Service may require, if Funds are eftablifhed for finking the fame in five Years: But I cannot think it confiftent either with the Powers of my Commiffion, or the Duty I owe the "Crown, to pafs any Bills of the fame or a like Tenor "of those I have heretofore refufed. And I hope you will not waste your Time in offering me any fuch Bills, as you must know from what has paffed between me and the late Affembly, and the Informa⚫tion I now give you, it is not in my Power to confent to; and I earnestly recommend it to you, to afford in Time that Affiftance which your bleeding Country ftands fo much in Need of.'

So that in cafe they would not wave their Privileges in the Manner prescribed, and protect the Proprietary Eftate gratis, their Country might bleed to Death if it would; for they were not to be permitted to make Ufe of their own Money their own Way, to fave it.

One Act of Parliament there is, and one only, which not only admits, that Governors and DeputyGovernors may abufe their Power and oppress the Subject, but also affects to provide for the Punishment of fuch Oppreffors. But then the Word Oppreffion is left fo vague and indefinite, that no Subject ever did, or can derive any Benefit from it. Of all the feveral Species of Oppreflion, That, now practifed by this Man upon a whole Province, was furely the most grievous; And as it required no common Share of Firmness to withstand it, fo it required an equal Degree of Prudence to temper that Firmness, in fuch a Manner as might obviate all the Mif-conftructions and Mifreprefentations the Withstanders had good Reafon to be fure would be put upon it.

Petitions from various Quarters, and many of them of fuch an oppofite Tendency that they were irreconcileable with each other, poured in upon them. Some of the Petitioners declaring themfelves bigbly fenfible of the Zeal and Diligence the Affembly had fhewn for the Intereft and Welfare of their Conftituents, in contending for what ought in Juftice to be granted.-0thers pretending to pray, that the Houfe would not keep up unneceffary Difputes with the Governor, nor by Reafon of their religious Scruples longer neglect the Defence of the Province.-Both requiring to have Arms put into their Hands.-And others expreffing their fervent Defires that Measures might be pursued confiftent with their peaceable Principles, and that they would continue humbly to confide in the Protection of that Almighty Power, which had hitherto been as Walls and Bulwarks round about them.

11 and 12 of Will. 3d. Cap. 12.

The Affembly received all with Compofure; and refolved to give all the Satisfaction they could to all. To the Points inforced by the Governor they attended firft; and to take off the Panic which prevailed in the Province, undertook to rectify the Intelligence he had given, which could not but contribute greatly to the Increase of it.In their Reply to that Part of his Speech for Inftance they told him, "They could not find by the Letters and Papers he had been pleafed to lay before them, That any fuch Number of French and Indians were encamped on any Part of the River Sufquehanna."-What they admitted was, "That the Back-fettlers were greatly alarmed and terrified; that Cruelties had been committed on the Inhabitants by the Delaware and Shawanefe Indians, principally within the Lands purchafed by the Proprietaries at Albany but the Year before: That, perhaps, there might be a few of the French Mohawks among them; but this was not very clear; and that thefe were to be followed, as feveral of the Accounts faid, by a large Number of Indians and French from Fort Du Quefne, with a Defign of dividing themselves into Parties, in order to fall on the Back Settlements, of Penfylvania AND Virginia: And that the Indians, ftill inclined to preferve their Alliance with the Province, feemed on the other Hand, as much terrified, left provoked with thefe Hoftilities, the English generally should revenge upon them the Barbarities fo committed by the Invaders: That therefore great Care and Judgment was, in their Opinion requifite, in conducting their Indian Affairs at that critical Conjunc ture: That as the Six Nations were in Alliance with the Crown of Great Britain, and Numbers of them then acting with great Fidelity and Bravery under General Johnson, it seemed abfolutely neceffary on their Part to make it their Request to the Governor to be informed, Whether he knew of any Difguft or Injury the Delawares or Shawanefe had ever received from Penfylvania, and by what Means their Affec