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"This being the state of the laws laying an embargo on the exportation of provisions and warlike stores; first, by the colony of New York on the 4th, then by this government on the 13th, and by New Jersey the 29th of May last; it is most unkind, and give us leave to say, in our opinion, unbecoming the dignity of government, that in the governor's last message he should not take the least notice of any law being ever passed by us for laying any embargo within this port, but only mentions his having pressed the assembly of the lower counties "to continue the prohibition of provisions and warlike stores, to the time limited by the laws of New York and Jersey," as if no such law had ever been passed by himself within this province! what purpose such a conduct towards us is to answer, the governor best knows. But when he proceeds in his said message to propose to us "to have the embargo continued for the same time that it is in the provinces of New York and Jersey," we must confess we are entirely at a loss to know what the governor would mean; our present act coming precisely within the governor's recommendation ; being made in compliance with the law of New York. If the lower counties have not complied with those terms, it is not to be imputed to the assembly of this province, who have fully discharged their part to make the embargo effectual.

We entreat the governor to consider and reflect on the share he has had in the laws of the lower counties, passed by himself, which seem calculated to give this house unnecessary trouble to no good purpose whatever; for now when he has thought fit to call us together in the heighth of our harvests, our servants generally taken from us, and the country in want of labourers, what has the governor been pleased to propose, but to pass an act to continue the embargo "for the same time that it is in the provinces of New York and Jersey," which is the tenor and limitation of our present act, it being to have continued (had the lower counties passed their acts in conformity with the laws of New York, as this province and New Jersey had already done) to the 4th day of August. And as New York has not extended their act that we know of (which will probably become unnecessary on the

proclamation of a war with France, now daily expected) any new act we could make would only be to continue the act of this province to the time it was to continue; which is such an absurdity as we presume on reflection the governor will not insist upon.

'But that no time might intervene, whereby the French might be supplied with provisions or warlike stores from this province, we, at our last sitting, put into the governor's hands a bill to continue the act for preventing the exportation of provisions, naval or warlike stores, from this province to Cape Breton, or to any other, the dominions of the French king, or places at present in possession of any of his subjects," to prevent, as much as lay in our power, any deficiencies which might arise from the conduct of the assembly of the three lower counties, if they should think fit to invalidate the acts of the other colonies for laying a general embargo.

'At the same time we also sent up a bill, intitled, a supplementary act to a law of this province, intitled, an act for the more effectual obstructing the exportation of provisions and warlike stores from the province of Pennsylvania; which bill, if the governor had passed it at the time it was sent to him by the house, or if he should hereafter be pleased to give his assent thereto, would prevent all doubts, and give full liberty to send supplies "to such of the king's ships and forces as may be employed in any part of America;” and we have never endeavoured to put the trade of this place, where the interest 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 also charged with the bill for striking four thousand pounds in bills of credit on the proprietaries account; and to acquaint him thereon,

That the house think it highly necessary that there should be some preamble to the said bill, otherwise those who are not particularly acquainted with our affairs, may imagine that the proprietaries have thereby given four thousand pounds over and above the five thousand pounds specified

in the act for granting sixty thousand pounds to the king's use; the house therefore propose, that since the governor is averse to having it mentioned in the preamble, that the said five thousand pounds was given by the proprietaries in consideration of their being exempted from the payment of their taxes towards raising the aforesaid sum of sixty thousand pounds, although the same is expressly declared in that act, without any objection having been made thereto by the governor, at the time it was passed, they will leave out the first clause of the preamble, and instead thereof insert the following clause, viz.

'Whereas the honorable proprietaries of this province have been pleased to make a free gift of the sum of five thousand pounds, for the purposes and in the manner particularly set forth by an act of general assembly of this province, passed in the twenty-ninth year of his majesty's reign, intitled, an act for granting the sum of sixty thousand pounds to the king's use,' &c.

The governor after reading the message was pleased to

answer,

'That he believed the house had misunderstood his message; that he had no intentions of disobliging them, and that he was sorry to see they had taken any offence; however, as he was about leaving the government, he should not return any answer to it; and that as to the bill for striking four thousand pounds, to be replaced by the proprietaries receiver general, he thought the house gave a good reason why there should be some preamble to the said bill, and that he would take the one proposed into consideration.'

The result of which consideration was, the sending down `another preamble in lieu of the first, specifying the free gift, but dropping the consideration 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 same message, they also desired to be informed, "whether he had come to any resolution concerning the ex

cise-bill, and the forty thousand pounds bill for the king's use?" and here the affair stuck; the governor remained mute; or at least only answered the two latter parts of the message, without taking any notice of the former. "The excise-bill, he said, he neither could or would pass;" and as to the forty thousand pounds bill, he sent it down so amended, by leaving out the clause for taxing the proprietary estate, as again rendered the session abortive; the house resolving to adhere to their bill as sent up, without admitting his said 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 so peddling a way, as rendered it in a manner useless; or else, though they took it upon their own credit, to release the donors in effect of all future claim, by consenting to drop the terms on which alone it could be consistently accepted.

What is farther remarkable, during the course of this interchange of messages, one from the governor concerning Indian affairs, was sent to the assembly, which was altogether irreconcileable with that which he had sent them sixteen 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 harvest; and now on the 21st, in conformity to those advices, such of the said western Indians as had attended the conferences between the Six Nations and the said sir William Johnson, had not only laid down the hatchet, but also engaged to follow the example of the said Nations, in assisting us against the French. Nor was this all: a number of the Susquehanna Indians, and Teedyuscung a king of the Delawares, had discovered so good a disposition to return to their alliance and former friendship with us, that nothing was wanting but an interview between him (the governor) and them; and a proper provision for the expences hereof, and the fulfilling such engagements as the present exigencies might require.

Such were the tidings now imparted, with an assurance, that he should therein have a particular regard to the honour and safety of the province.

To the province nothing could be more agreeable than such tidings; nor could any service be named in which they would have laid out their money more willingly; but their public stock was exhausted; and by the several negatives put upon their bills, they were disabled from raising more; consequently were as much distressed now for the means of making friends, as before for the means of defending themselves against their enemies.

What sum would be sufficient? was the first question; the governor being consulted on that head, answered, "That he had made no calculation; but it seemed to him, that about four or five hundred pounds might serve; though the expence would be the greater, as he should be obliged to have a body of soldiers for his guard;" the commissioners of the sixty thousand pounds act were next advised with; and upon the issue of all, they made use of this incident to lay a brief state of their case before the governor in the usual way of message; in which having expressed their satisfaction in the news imparted, they proceeded as follows, viz.

'And in this critical juncture, when a happy issue of a treaty with the Indians must be of so great advantage to the proprietary interest, as we apprehend the present treaty must be, we cannot suffer ourselves to doubt their willingness to contribute towards the heavy expences the province groans under for Indian affairs; especially considering the governor has just now refused to pass our bill for granting forty thousand pounds to the king's use, because the proprietary estate was therein taxed, in common with all the other estates in this province, for their mutual defence; and has also refused to continue our excise act, some time since expired; so that the province is greatly indebted, and our only remaining fund reduced to the lowest extremity.

'Under these circumstances, we made application to the commissioners, appointed by the act for granting sixty thousand pounds to the king's use, to know whether any money