People were plainly told by Evans, that, till both the Proprietary and his Governor were put upon proper Establishments, they were not to expect the Fruits of his Favour and Protection.

The laft of thofe Charters, the faid Governor, in one of his Papers, was pleas'd to ftile a tedious Bill of Property, fitted fo entirely to the People's Intereft, and with fo little Regard to the Proprietary, that it feem'd ftrange how reasonable Men could, without Confufion, offer it. And in another he difcourses of it as a Project of the Speaker's to incorporate the whole Province, and take away near the whole Power out of the Hands of the Proprietary and Governor, and lodge it in the People.

To which the Affembly reply'd in the remarkable Words following;

And as to what is faid concerning the Charter prepar'd at the Proprietary's Departure, the Draughtsman has affur'd us, that no Project or Power is compriz'd in that Charter but what was the Proprietary's Direction, perus'd and corrected by his Coufin Parmiter, before it was engrofs'd, and afterwards fign'd by himfelf: But whether the Proprietary defign'd thereby to reverfe the Method ' of the Government according to an English Conftitution, and establish a Republic in its Stead, or leave the People to ftruggle with the Queen's Governors, which he THEN expected would be the Confequence of the Bill THEN moving in Parliament against Proprietary-Governments, the Draughtfman cannot tell: But he well remembers, that the Proprietary told him, That he held himself oblig'd to do what he could to confirm his Tenants in their Lands and Properties, and give them all the * • Powers

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* "William Biles acquainted this Houfe, that Nathaniel Puckle had a Letter from the Proprietary to be communicated to several Perfons here, encouraging them to infift upon the Privileges of their Charter and Laws, and not tamely give them up; and in

ftanced

< Powers he could, as he was Lord of this Signory, ⚫ and much more to that Effect.'

And now, to finish on the Head of the Reprefentation, which throws fo much Light on the firft Foundation of this Colony, what afterwards paffed in the Affembly concerning it, Candour requires fhould here be fubjoin'd.

But what, fays Governor Evans, I must not be filent in, is, that he (the Proprietary) highly re• fents that heinous Indignity and moft fcandalous Treatment he has met with in the Letter, directed not only to himfelf, but alfo to be fhewn to fome • other Perfons diffaffected to him, in the Name of the Affembly and People of this Province, of which I have formerly demanded a Copy, but was then deny'd it, under Pretence (when it was too late) that it fhould be recall'd: If that Letter was the Act of the People, truly reprefented, he thinks fuch Proceedings are fufficient to cancel all Obligations of • Care over them: But if done, by particular Perfons only, and 'tis an Imposture in the Name of the whole, he expects the Country will purge themfelves, and take Care that due Satisfaction be given • him.'

i

The Reader will obferve that the Letter is not complain'd of as fcandalous because of its Falfebood, but because of its Freedom, in which it must be understood confifts the Indignity.

And the Affembly's Reply was as follows:

As to the Representation, or Letter fent to the Proprietary by Order, or in the Name of the former Affembly, which he takes, it feems, as an Indignity, and refents it accordingly; it not having been done by this Houfe, but being the Act (or in the Name) of a Former, as we are not intitled to the

ftanced what Advantage it has been to the People of Rhode-Island, Connecticut, and other Proprietary Governments, to aflert their Rights," &c. Votes of Affembly, for Auguft 21, 1704. • Affront,

Affront, if any be, neither are we concerned in anfwering it Our Part is only to lament (as we really do) that there fhould be true Occafion for fuch Representation; or, if none, that it fhould be offer'd to our Proprietary, whom we both love and ho"nour; and, therefore, we hope his Obligations of Care over us and the People of this Province by no fuch Means fhall be cancell'd.'

That this Man's Government fhould be one continued Broil, from the Beginning of it to the End, is Proof fufficient, that Mr. Penn left his Frame at least in a very imperfect State.

Nor were the People themselves infenfible of it, nor more backward to declare their Sentiments concerning it, than of the other Parts of his Conduct.

Evans, for Example, having made ufe of the following Clause in one of his Papers to the Affembly, To wit;

"The Governor, at his Arrival, found the People • poffefs'd of a Charter, by Virtue of which the prefent Affembly now fits, containing the Frame of Government, fettled folemnly, as he has reafon to believe, between the Proprietary and the People, becaufe by the Subscription, it is faid to be thankfully accepted of by the Affembly then fitting, and was fign'd not only by the Proprietary, but by the Speaker of the Affembly, in the Name of all thofe of the Province (as it is affirm'd) who were then prefent, and unanimoufly confenting, and is farther witness'd by the Council: This, therefore, ought fully to conclude: For if the People could alledge, that any Thing more was their Due, it ought at that Time to have been fix'd and fettl'd; the Af fembly then fitting, as the Governor is inform'd, having fully confider'd and debated it; or if any Demands, which it is imagined might further have been made, were not then granted, the Governor cannot think it proper for him to intermeddle or to

concern himself farther than by Virtue of the King's Letters Patent, to the Proprietary, and the Proprietary's Commiffion to him, with her Majefty's Royal Approbation, to govern according to that Charter, and the Laws in Force, &c.

..

The Affembly thus reply'd.

As to the prefent Charter, which the Governor found in being at his Arrival, tho' it be far fhort of an English Conftitution, yet even that has been violated by feveral Inroads made upon it and "if the Governor cannot grant the juft and reafonable Demands of the People's Reprefentatives agreeable with an English Eftablishment, there is Cause to conclude, that the Proprietary is not fully reprefented here. And, however the Charter was receiv'd, yet it was not with fuch Unanimity as is alledg'd, becaufe diminutive of former Privileges; neither was it prepar'd by the House of Reprefentatives, but done in great Hafte.'

*

"

We are not ftriving for Grants of Power, but what are effential to the Adminiftration of Juftice, and agreeable to an English Conftitution: And if we have not been in Poffeffion of this thefe twenty four Years, we know where to place the Fault, and fhall only fay, it is high Time we were in the Enjoyment of our Rights.'

And lastly, the faid Affembly having drawn up two -feveral Remonftrances to the Proprietary, reciting the Particulars of their Grievances and Complaints against the faid Governor, took Occafion in the laft of them, dated June 10, 1707, to exprefs themfelves as follows..

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We, and the People we reprefent, being still grieved and oppreffed with the Male-Adminiftra

* The Governor had rejected the Bill propos'd by the Affembly for citablishing Courts of Juftice, &c. and had done it by an Or dinance of his own.

tion and Practices of thy Deputy, and the ill Carriage, unwarrantable Proceedings, and great Exactions of thy Secretary, are like to be destroyed by the great Injustice and arbitrary Oppreffions of thy <evil Ministers, who abuse the Powers given thee by the Crown, and we fuppofe have too much prevail'd upon thee to leave us hitherto without Re• lief.

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That the Affembly which fat here on the 26th of the fixth Month, 1704, agreed upon certain Heads or Particulars, which, according to the Order of that Day, were drawn up in a Representation, and was fign'd by the Speaker, and fent thee by a Paffenger in John Guy's Brigantine, who was taken into France, from whence the fame Reprefentation was convey'd to thy Hands; whereby thou art put in mind, upon what Score the Purchafers and firft-Adventurers embark'd with thee to plant this Colony, and what Grants and Promifes thou made, and the Affurance and Expectations thou gave them and the Reft of the Settlers and Inhabitants of this Province, to enjoy the Privileges deriv'd from thy own Grants and Conceffions, befides the Rights and Freedoms of England: But how they were disappointed in feveral Refpe&ts, appears, in Part, by the faid Reprefentation, to which we refer; and become Supplicants for Relief, not only in Matters there complain'd of which are not yet redrefs'd, but alfo in Things then omitted, as well as what have been lately tranfacted, to the grievous Oppreffion of the of the Queen's Subjects, and public Scandal of this Government.'

av We are much concern'd, that thou conceived evise fuch Difpleafure as thou did against that Affembly, and not in all this Time vouchfafe to fhew thy dshot Readiness to rectify thofe Things which they made appear were amifs: Nor haft thou fhewed thy particular Objections to the Bills, which, with great 5 Gare and Charge, were then prepar'd, for confirming thy Charters to this City and Country, refpect

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