purposes in Sir Thomas Robinson's last letter, and as much or more, than we think, can be reasonably expected from us. How the governor became so suddenly acquainted with the real value of our estates, is not easy to conceive; but we know from long experience, having many of us received our birth in this province, that the inhabitants are not generally wealthy or rich, though we believe them to be, in the main, frugal and industrious, yet it is evident that their lands are greatly encumbered with their debts to the public. From these considerations, we are obliged to think the governor's estimation of our wealth is undoubtedly too high, unless he includes the value of the proprietary lands; for, by the report of a committee of assembly in August, 1752, it appears, that the taxables of this province did not exceed twenty-two thousand; and the grant we have offered of twenty thousand pounds, from the best calculations we can make, doth at least amount to five times the sum that hath ever been raised by a twopenny tax through this province. As we think the governor cannot be a competent judge of the real value of our estates, in this little time of his administration, and as we have now submitted our cause to higher determination, we conceive ourselves less concerned in his computations of our estates, whatever they may be.

"The governor is pleased to inform us, "That the proprietaries are too nearly interested in the prosperity of this country, to do any thing to its prejudice, and he should have imagined that the people could not now stand in need of any proofs of the proprietary affection, or suspect them of having any designs to invade their just rights and privileges, which, he is confident, they detest and abhor.". We cannot suppose the governor would mean they detest and abhor our just rights and privileges; and yet we are convinced the clause in their commission to him, their lieutenant, whereby they impower him to act as fully and amply, to all intents, constructions, and purposes, as they themselves might or could do, were they personally present, "You, (our governor) following and observing such orders, instructions, and directions, as you now have, or hereafter, from time to time, shall receive from us,

or our heirs," is not only repugnant to our just rights and privileges, but impracticable, against common sense, against law, and void in itself; and yet if the governor should think his hands are so tied up by these instructions, that he is not at liberty to act for the public good, we must conclude they are of dangerous consequence at all times, and particularly in this time of imminent danger, not only to ourselves, but to the British interest in North America.'

To this message the governor returned a short answer in these words:

'Gentlemen,

'I am very much surprized at your proposal to adjourn till May, as you have made no provision for the defence of the province, or granted the supplies expected by the crown, and recommended by the secretary of state's letters: I must therefore object to the proposed adjournment, while things remain in this situation, and hope you will, in consideration of the danger to which your country stands exposed, continue sitting till you have granted the supplies to the crown, and effectually provided for the defence of the people you represent; but if you are determined to rise at this time without doing any thing, remember it is your own act, and all the fatal consequences that may attend your leaving the province in this defenceless state, must lie at your doors,'

The house in return unanimously resolved, 'That the governor has been respectfully and repeatedly solicited by this house, to pass a bill presented to him, for granting twenty thousand pounds for the king's use, which, in our opinion, would have answered the expectations of the crown from this province, as signified by the secretary of state's letters, had the governor been pleased to have given it his assent; therefore, whatever ill consequences ensue, from supplies not having been granted at this critical juncture, must lie at his door.'

The governor, by. his secretary, demanded a copy of their minutes. The house ordered the minutes both of this and their last sessions to be printed, and that a copy finished should be delivered to the governor: and, having then re

solved to adhere to their adjournment, adjourned accordingly.

In the beginning of March, however, the governor thought fit to re-assemble them, and assigned the arrival of general Braddock, the necessity of considering what he had to propose without delay, and making the provisions expected by his majesty for the service in time, as his reasons for so doing. In the same message he also acquainted them, "That he had issued a commission to a number of men acquainted with the country, to form a plan of opening roads from the inhabited parts of the province westward towards the Ohio, at the requisition of Sir John St. Clair, quarter-master-general, to facilitate the march of the troops, conveyance of provisions, &c. and also to prepare an estimate of the expence, which he called upon them to provide for; also, to be enabled to take such a part in the measures proposed by the eastern governments for the maintenance of his majesty's just rights, &c. as became the honour and interest of a province circumstanced like theirs. Having then premised, that it was said, the large supply of provisions furnished to the French from these colonies, not Pennsylvania in particular, which he acknowledged had little concern in that unnatural trade, had enabled the enemy to support their forces in America, he informed them, he had given the officers of the customs preventive orders in relation thereto; and added, that he made no doubt of their joining with him in a law to make those orders more effectual. The desire of the eastern governments, that Pennsylvania would join with them in their operations to frustrate the schemes of the French, made his next topic; and he grafted a hope upon it, that they would enable him to take such part as became the honour and interest of a province, circumstanced like theirs. The establishment of a post between Philadelphia and a place called Winchester, at the desire of general Braddock, was what he recommended next; and that again was followed by another desire of the same general's, that the quotas for the common fund of the several provinces, recommended by the secretary of state, might be lodged in the hands of a

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treasurer, subject to his demands, in order to expedite business; and the general being perfectly disinterested, as also willing to account for his disbursements, he hoped they would put it in his power to return him a satisfactory answer; and for a conclusion, he recommended vigour, unanimity, and dispatch, that the happy opportunity put into the hands of the colonies by his majesty's paternal care, &c. might not be lost."

That there was no retrospect in this message was some recommendation of it; but the merit of this forbearance. lasted no longer than till the afternoon of the very same day, when the house was artfully perplexed with two messages more, which could not but revive the memory of past dissentions, and consequently the ill humour they had produced. The first contained a reprimand for their having printed Sir T. Robinson's letters, communicated to them without his, the governor's, privilege or consent, and a caution against the publication of them; and an intimation, that though he had letters and other papers relating to his majesty's service to communicate to them, he did not think it safe to do it, without proper assurances that the contents should remain a secret. The second being nearly as short, and rather more extraordinary, shall be given in his own words:

'Gentlemen,

'On the tenth of January last, I demanded, by the secretary, a copy of the minutes of your proceedings, which you promised to send me; but not receiving them, I did, on the twenty-ninth of the same month, by letter to the speaker, again demand them, and have frequently, by the secretary, reiterated my request, but could not obtain a sight of them till the twelfth instant, above two months after your rising, and then only a part of them were sent me in print, and I have not yet seen the whole of them.

'The keeping your proceedings thus a secret from me, I take to be a very unconstitutional and extraordinary measure, liable to a construction that I do not choose at present to put upon it, but only to acquaint you that I expect you will order your clerk to attend me every night with the mi

nutes of the day, that I may know what is done and doing in your house, and be able in time to lay the same before his majesty and his ministers, who expect to be regularly informed of the measures taking by the legislatures of the colonies.'

"That

Both were answered the next day in substance thus, they were humbly of opinion, such letters as those in question, containing the commands of the crown, ought generally to be inserted in their minutes as being the foundation of their proceedings, and what might be necessary for their justification; that those letters were communicated without the least caution to keep the contents a secret; that the latter, which was the most material of the two, was a circular letter which had been sent in effect to all the provinces and colonies in North America, and of which the substance, as they were informed, had been printed in the speeches of several governors to their assemblies; that the design of sending two regiments from England, and raising two more in America, was no secret, having been avowed even in the London Gazette; that the governor himself had given very full and particular abstracts of those letters, in his messages. which had been printed in their own gazettes long before the house adjourned, and passed without objection; that they were, therefore, surprized at the exceptions started now to the insertion of them in their minutes, and, no single inconvenience to result from it having been pointed out, were not inclined to expunge them; that knowing not what assurances of secresy would be satisfactory, they could only say, that whenever it should appear to the house to be necessary for the king's service, or the public good, to keep any matters laid before them secret, proper measures, they doubted not, would be taken for that purpose." Proceeding then to what related to the governor's demand of a copy of their minutes, they adjoined, "That they had ordered the said minutes to be printed with all convenient speed, and, when finished, that a copy should be delivered as required; that as soon as they could be copied and revised by a committee of the house, they were put to press ; and that the governor had been supa