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unless these western colonies united their strength in making a well-concerted push to dislodge the French from their encroachments; and that no time was so favorable as when his majesty's forces and those of the eastern colonies were employed against them to the northward; it was therefore to be taken into immediate consideration, and he was to be enabled to give governor Sharpe the expected assurances, that Pennsylvania would, for its own sake, contribute accordingly.'

A complaint from commodore Spry, that he was in great want of seamen for his majesty's ships under his command, and that he expected a supply from those colonies, brought up the rear with a requisition 'that he might be enabled by bounty or otherwise to raise and send him as many as the province could spare, which would be a very seasonable and acceptable service.'

In conformity to so pressing and plausible a message, a money-bill was immediately ordered, and some progress was made therein. But advice having been received from sir Charles Hardy and sir William Johnson, that the Delawares and Shawanese had promised to cease from hostilities, and were disposed to renew and strengthen their alliance and friendship, and the governor (Morris) having caused a suspension of arms to be proclaimed thereon, they contented themselves with assuring him, 'that he should not fail of the necessary support in the prosecution of such measures as might tend to bring this good disposition of the said Indian tribes to a happy issue; and with recommending it to the commissioners of the sixty thousand pounds act, to concur with the governor in furnishing such supplies of money as might be necessary thereto.' They also again put the governor in mind of the Indian trade bill, so often recommended to him before; urging, that it might be of great service at that juncture, by bringing such of our Indians as had never been joined with, and desired to be distinguished' from, those who had committed the outrages on the back settlements, under the immediate inspection and care of the government, by supplying their necessities on the easiest terms,

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securing their affections, and inducing others to come in for the same beneficial considerations.'

A promise to reconsider it, this drew from him; but, as if he had resolved to set his own price on such a service to the province, he put them in mind, by a message the same hour, "That, though the trouble and expence of administration had been considerably greater than in any former time, no sums had been granted for his support since their first session; and he therefore desired, they would take this matter into consideration, and make such provision as was agreeable to justice and the practice of former assemblies.'

What the governor's case was with respect to revenue, and what the merits of his service, may be collected from the sheets already before us; so that it will be enough in this place to say, that the assembly could turn a deaf ear as .well as he; and, that he, having given them to understand, in his message concerning sir Charles Hardy's intelligence, and the suspension of arms, that he had called the assembly of the lower counties to meet him on the 4th of June, in order to render the late embargo permanent and effectual, by prevailing with them to pass a law to the same effect, and that he imagined his absence for three or four days would be no interruption to their proceedings, they adjourned them

selves to the 28th.

Before they separated, however, which deserves notice, six members requested leave to resign their seats for certain reasons by them specified in a paper presented to the house at the same time; and it was, after consideration, resolved thereon, that, in case they continued in the same mind after the adjournment, and delivered the said paper into the hands of the speaker [in proof thereof] their seats should be deemed vacated accordingly. They did continue in the same mind, and delivered the following paper as proof thereof.

'May it please the Speaker and the House,

'A few days since we communicated to the house our inclinations to resign our seats; in which the house appeared disposed to favour us.

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"This repetition of our continuing in those intentions, does not proceed from any design of involving the house in unnecessary trouble; but as many of our constituents seem of opinion, that the present situation of public affairs calls upon us for services in a military way, which, from a conviction of judgment, after mature deliberation, we cannot comply with; we conclude it, most conducive to the peace of our own minds, and the reputation of our religious profession, to persist in our resolutions of resigning our seats, which we accordingly now do; and request these our reasons may be entered on the minutes of the house.'

The speaker hereupon sent an order to the secretary, being the proper officer, to issue writs for so many re-elections, who thought fit to refuse obedience, the governor being of opinion, that though there was an express provision by law for filling a vacancy occasioned by wilful absence, there was none for a vacancy occasioned by resignation. Upon which the speaker, by the advice of such members as were then in town, issued his own writs, founded on the same law, from whence the governor derived his objection. These writs the sheriffs obeyed, what instances soever they might have been importuned with to the contrary; the freeholders exercised their rights of electing in pursuance of them; the returns were made in the usual form; and the house resolved nem. con. that the members so returned had been duly elected.

Thus the breach was closed as soon as it was opened; and whatever view the governor had to serve by his opposition, he neither did himself or views any service by it.

His message, introductory to the business of the session, contained a notification of the king's having appointed the earl of Loudon, commander in chief of all his forces in America, with two regiments of foot, a train of artillery, stores, &c. and commanded him, the governor, to give his lordship and the troops all the assistance in his power: particularly to recommend it to them, to appropriate such part of the funds already raised, or to be raised, for the public service, so as to be issued as his lordship should direct. As also of another circumstance altogether new in the British

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constitution; namely, his majesty being enabled by act of parliament to appoint a number of German, Swiss, and Dutch Protestants to be officers of a regiment to be raised and called the Royal14 American Regiment; as also of another particular recommendation which he was enjoined to make to them, that the masters of such indented servants as should engage in the king's service, might be indemnified out of the funds raised for the public service. And the nature of this review requires, that the sequel of this message should be given in the governor's own words, which were as follows, to wit:

'His majesty has further commanded me to recommend it to you, to pass effectual laws for prohibiting all trade and commerce with the French, and to prevent their being supplied with provisions; and as the law lately passed here for an embargo will, by the expiration of the act for that purpose passed in the lower counties, end on the seventh of July, I hope you will prepare a proper bill for continuing an embargo, so necessary for his majesty's service, and the safety of these colonies, for some time longer.

"The secretary will lay before you extracts of the secretary of state's letters to me, relating to the matters now recommended, and I hope you will without delay enter upon the consideration of them, and comply with his majesty's expectations.

"The money heretofore given for the king's use will be very soon expended, and I shall in that case be under a necessity of disbanding the troops raised for the defence of the province, and of destroying or abandoning the several forts erected upon our frontiers; I must therefore desire you will grant such further supplies as the present situation of our affairs require.'

14 This American Regiment was to consist of four thousand men: it was to be composed of whatever protestants the colonies could furnish, and, according to the first plan, was to have been commanded by none but foreign officers; but this plan having been objected to, some abatements were admitted; namely, that the foreign officers should not exceed one half of the whole number; that room should be left for some Americans; that the commander should be always a natural born subject, &c.

To the clause relating to the embargo, the house ordered an immediate answer to be prepared; in which, having told him what he could not but know before, "that they had already done what was now required of them, by a law still in force, and which would have so continued till August 4, the time limited by the law of New York, provided the three lower counties had also passed a law çonformable thereto," they proceeded in these words;

"As provisions might be exported from this province through those counties, not subject to our laws, and great quantities are raised there, we were fully apprized that any restraints we could lay upon our exportations here would by no means put a stop to the supplying the French with provisions, unless that government prohibited the exportations from thence also; we therefore limited the continuance of our act accordingly, and we must own the astonishment we were under, when we found the governor had enacted a law there invalidating the acts of the other colonies, by limiting the continuance of their act to one month only.

"As our act prohibits the exportation of provisions in conformity with the law of New York colony, with which New Jersey, we understand, has also complied, the governor cannot think it reasonable, that the colonies of New York, New Jersey, and this province, should be deprived of their laws by an act of the government of the three lower counties; therefore, as that act was passed by the governor himself, we presume, instead of applying to us upon this occasion, he will think it his duty to call the assembly of the three lower counties, to whom it belongs, to continue their law to the time li mited by the other governments.

"It is well known that Maryland raises great quantities of wheat, pork, and other provisions, and yet, as we are informed, their ports have hitherto continued open to the exports of provisions from thence; the governor will therefore judge the necessity of recommending a prohibition there, without which, we apprehend the acts of the northern and eastern colonies must prove ineffectual.”

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