never endeavoured to put the Trade of this Place, where the Intereft or Dignity of the Crown is concerned, on any other Footing than it is in the other • Colonies.'

The two Members appointed to wait upon the Governor with this Paper were alfo charged with the Bill for ftriking 4,00ol in Bills of Credit on the Proprietaries Account; and to acquaint him thereon,

That the Houfe think it highly neceffary that there fhould be fome Preamble to the faid Bill, otherwife thofe who are not particularly acquainted with our Affairs may imagine that the Proprietaries have thereby given Four Thoufand Pounds over and above the Five Thousand Pounds fpecified in the Act for granting Sixty Thousand Pounds to the King's Ufe; the House therefore propofe, that fince the Governor is averfe to having it mentioned in the Preamble that the faid Five Thousand Pounds was given by the Proprietaries in Confideration of their being exempted from the Payment of their Taxes towards raifing the aforefaid Sum of Sixty Thousand Pounds, although the fame is exprefly declared in that Act, without any Objection having been made thereto by the Gover nor at the Time it was paffed, they will leave out the firft Claufe of the Preamble, and instead thereof in⚫fert the following Claufe, viz.

.

Whereas the honourable Proprietaries of this Province have been pleafed to make a free Gift of the Sum of Five Thousand Pounds, for the Purposes and in • the Manner particularly fet forth by an Act of General Affembly of this Province, paffed in the Twenty-ninth • Year of his Majefty's Reign, intituled, An Act for granting the Sum of Sixty Thousand Pounds to the 6 King's Ufe,' &c.

The Governor after reading the Meffage was pleafed to anfwer,

That he believed the Houfe had mifunderstood > his Meffage that he had no Intentions of difo

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bliging them, and that he was forry to fee they had • taken any Offence; however, as he was about leaving the Government, he should not return any An'fwer to it; and that as to the Bill for ftriking Four Thousand Pounds, to be replaced by the Proprietaries Receiver General, he thought the Houfe gave ' a good Reason why there fhould be fome Preamble to the faid Bill, and that he would take the one propofed into Confideration.'

The Refult of which Confideration was, the fending down another Preamble in Lieu of the firft, fpecifying the free Gift, but dropping the Confideration of Exemption, without taking any Notice at all of the last; which other Preamble was unanimously rejected on the first Reading.

That they were still willing to pass the Bill with their own second Preamble, they, nevertheless, informed the Governor; and, in the fame Meffage, they also defired to be informed, "Whether he had come to any Refolution concerning the Excife-Bill, and the 40,cool. Bill for the King's Ufe?" And here the Affair ttuck: The Governor remained mute; or at least only answered the two laiter Parts of the Meffage, without taking any Notice of the former. "The Excife Bill, he said, he neither could or would pass:" And as to the 40,000l. Bill he fent it down fo amended, by leaving out the Clause for Taxing the Proprietary-Eftate, as again rendered the Seffion abortive: The Houfe refolving to adhere to their Bill as fent up, without admitting his faid Amendments.

So that, after all the Parade which had been made both there and here of this prodigious Gift, the Province was either to receive it in fo pedling a Way, as rendered it in a Manner ufelefs; or elfe, tho' they took it upon their own Credit, to releafe the Donors in Effect of all future Claim, by confenting to drop the Terms on which alone it could be confiftently accepted.

What is farther remarkable, during the Course of this Interchange of Meffages, one from the Governor concerning Indian Affairs was fent to the Affem

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bly, which was altogether irreconcileable with that which he had fent them fixteen Days before. It will be recollected, that on the 5th of the current Month July, the Western Indians, in Contradiction to the Advices received from Sir Charles Hardy, and Sir William Johnson, were to fall on the Province in Time of Harveft: And now on the 21ft, in Conformity to thofe Advices, fuch of the faid Western Indians as had attended the Conferences between the Six Nations and the faid Sir W. Johnson, had not only laid down the Hatchet, but alfo engaged to follow the Example of the faid Nations in affifting us against the French.-Nor was this all: A Number of the Safquehanna Indians, and Teedyufcung a King of the Delawares, had difcovered fo good a Difpofition to return to their Alliance and former Friendfhip with us, that nothing was wanting but an Interview between him (the Governor) and them; and a proper Provifion for the Expences thereof, and the fulfilling fuch Engagements as the prefent Exigencies might require.

Such were the Tidings now imparted, with an Affurance, that he fhould therein have a particular Regard to the Honour and Safety of the Province,

To the Province nothing could be more agreeable than fuch Tidings; nor could any Service be named in which they would have laid out their Money more willingly But their public Stock was exhaufted; and by the feveral Negatives put upon their Bills they were difabled from raifing more: Confequently were as much diftreffed now for the Means of making Friends, as before for the Means of defending themfelves against their Enemies.

What Sum would be fufficient? was the firft Queftion: The Governor being confulted on that Head, anfwered, "That he had made no Calculation; but it feemed to him, that about 4 or 500 l. might ferve; tho' the Expence would be the greater, as he fhould be obliged to have a Body of Soldiers for his Guard:" The Commiffioners of the 60,000l. Act were next

advised

advised with; and upon the Iffue of all, they made ufe of this Incident to lay a brief State of their Cafe before the Governor in the ufual Way of Meffage; in which having expreffed their Satisfaction in the News imparted, they proceeded as follows, viz.

And in this critical Juncture, when a happy Iffue of a Treaty with the Indians must be of fo great Advantage to the Proprietary Intereft, as we apprehend the prefent Treaty must be, we cannot fuffer ourfelves to doubt their Willingness to contribute towards the heavy Expences the Province groans under for Indian Affairs; efpecially confidering the Governor has juft now refused to pafs our Bill for granting Forty Thousand Pounds to the King's Ufe, because the Proprietary Eftate was therein taxed, in common with all the other Eftates in this Province, for their mutual Defence; and has alfo refufed to • continue our Excife Act, fome Time fince expired; fo that the Province is greatly indebted, and our only remaining Fund reduced to the lowest Extremity.

Under thefe Circumftances, we made Application to the Commiffioners, appointed by the A& for granting Sixty Thousand Pounds to the King's Ufe, to know whether any Money remained in their Hands, which might be applied to the prefent Emergency; but we find, that the Fifty-five Thousand Pounds, to be funk by the Provincial Tax, is expended; that near Four Thousand (Part of the Five Thoufand) Pounds given by the Proprietaries, in Confideration of their being exempted from their Share of that Tax, is not paid into the Commiffioners Hands; and if the whole Sum was paid, the Debts, already contracted for the Defence of the Province, are nearly equal thereto. Neverthelefs, as we apprehend the Treaty propofed to be held with the Safquehanna Indians, and the Delaware King Teedyufcung, may be attended with lafting good Confequences, we have refolved, that the Sum of Three Hundred Pounds be allowed by this Houfe for that Purpofe."

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The Members fent herewith, were also to apprize him, that if it was pleafing to him, they fhould adjourn to the 16th of Auguft: And his Answer was,

That he should not engage for the Proprietaries contributing any Thing towards the Expences that may attend the propofed Conference; that as the Houfe had voted Three Hundred Pounds for that Purpose, he should wait at Easton or Bethlehem till the whole was expended, then take his Horfe and ride away to New York to meet Lord • Loudon; and that as to the Time of Adjournment, he fhould not fay whether he was pleafed or difpleafed with it, but leave it int rely with the House to do as they pleased.'

A Compliment from General Shirley to the Province on his being recalled, acknowledging the "repeated Inftances of their contributing towards the De"fence of his Majesty's juft Rights and Dominions, "and to affure them of his hearty Wishes for their "Welfare," without one civil thing to his Brother Governor, tho' the Letter is directed to him, is the only Remarkable of the Seffion hitherto omitted: And injuriously, wickedly, and impudently, as the Province has been aspersed, no Voucher of that authentic Nature can, or ought to be dispensed with.

On the 16th, according to their Adjournment, they met again: And the next Day they were honoured with the Governor's Meffage; which told them, in the first Place, what they had long told each other before, namely, “That their Treafury was exhausted: That the Troops wanted their Pay: That a Supply was necessary, &c." The taking and burning of an Out-fort on the Juniata, called Fort Granville, made a good terrifying Ingredient in it: The reft was the Stuff that he had talked over and over, till the Ear was weary of hearing it; except that Major Rutherford, the Commanding Officer in that Province of the new American Regiment then raising, wanted Barracks for 1000 Men; and that his Recruits being chiefly indentured Servants, it would be neceffary for

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