The proprietaries then have in present possession a property there at least equal to one-sixth of that of the people. They ought therefore to pay the same proportion of the taxes. That the reader may form some judgment of the profits made by this monopoly of land in America, in favor of the house of Penn, we shall just mention, that the land is first purchased of the Indians within the limits of their grant: the Indians of late years have somewhat raised their price; and for the last great purchase in 1754, which was of about seven millions of acres, they demanded (how much do you think?) no less than two thousand dollars amounting, at seven and sixpence currency each, to seven hundred and fifty pounds. The land so bought the proprietor has the moderation to sell (except the best of it reserved in manors for himself) at so low a price as 157. 10s. per hundred acres, which will produce Pennsylva. Curr. Deduct the purchase money - £.1,085,000 0 0 750 0 0 Remains profit 1,084,250 0 0 Besides the profit of a tenth of the seven millions of acres, reserved in manors to be sold hereafter at an advance of at least three hundred pounds per hundred acres, And also the quit-rent to be reserved on seven millions of acres, at a halfpenny sterling per acre, 14,583l. 6s. 8d. which at 165 per cent. and 20 years purchase, is worth 2,100,000 0 0 481,250 0 0 Profit, in all £3,665,500 ◊ ◊ But the Indian council at Onondago not being satisfied with the sale of so much land at once, the proprietors have since been obliged to disgorge a part of the hunting country they had not paid for, and re-convey the same to the Indians, who, when they are disposed to sell it, may possibly demand two thousand dollars more, for which the above account must then have credit, One would think, that where such good bargains are bought of the poor natives, there should be no occasion for fraudulent art to over-reach them, in order to take more than is granted; and that if a war occasioned by such injuries, should be drawn upon the innocent inhabitants, those who were the cause of the war, if they did not, as in justice they ought, bear the whole expence of it, at least they would not refuse to bear a reasonable part. Whether this has ever been the case is now a subject of public enquiry. But let us see how the land bought in such lumping pennyworths of the natives by the monopolist, is huckstered out again to the king's subjects. To give the reader some idea of this, after remarking that fifteen pounds ten shillings per hundred acres for wild land, is three times dearer than the proprietor of Maryland's price, and ten times dearer than his majesty's lands in Virginia and Carolina, both as good if not better countries, we shall present him with a genuine account, stated under the hand of the proprietor's receiver-general, obtained with great difficulty by the purchaser of two tracts of land, some time after he had paid his money; when on more particular consideration of the sum paid compared with the quantity bought, he imagined he had paid too much. The account is as follows, viz. John Fisher in right of Jacob Job. Dr. ! £.65 12 1 To land, 423 acres 53 perches, in Pextang township, Lancas- - 39 11 2 Interest from 19th March, 1942, to 20th February, 1747, is 4 26 11 11 24 9 6 141 4 8 Dr. John Fisher in right of Thomas Cooper, To land, 268 acres in Pextang township, Lancaster county, granted by warrant of 9th January, 1743, to said Cooper, 41 10 9 Interest from 1st March, 1737, to 9th January, 1743, is 5 years, 10 months, 8 days, 14 11 9 56 2 6 19th January, 1743, paid 7 10 0 48 12 6 Interest from 9th January, 1743, to 20th February, 1747, is 11 19 10 10 6 7 70 18 11 Philadelphia, 23d February, 1747. Received of John Fisher, two hundred and twelve pounds, three shillings and seven pence, in full for 423 acres in Pextang township, granted by warrant of 19th March, 1742, to Jacob Job, and for 268 acres in same township, by warrant of 9th January, 1743, to Thomas Cooper, both in the county of Lancaster. N.B. The quit-rent in full to 1st March, 1747. LYNFORD LARDNER, Receiver Gen. The purchaser not being skilled in accounts, but amazed at the sum, apploed to a friend to examine this account, who stated it over again as follows, viz. John Fisher in the right of Jacob Job, 1742. To 423 acres, 50 per. of land, in Pextang, county Dr. £.65 12 1 1743. To interest on 501. 12s. 1d. from the 19th March, To five years' quit-rent for said land at one half 14 18 9 8 59 20th February, 1747. Sum due on Job's right £.73 16 7 John Fisher in right of Thomas Cooper, 9th January. To 268 acres of land in Pextang aforesaid, grant ed said Cooper by warrant this day By cash paid that day 1 9th January, 1743, balance due Dr. £.41 10 9 7 10 0 £.34 0 9 To interest on 341. Os. 9d. from 9th January, 1743, - 87 8 Carried over £.42 8 5 Brought over £.42 8 5 To four years and two months quit-rent for said 4-7 21 20th Feb. 1747. Sum due on Cooper's right £.46 15 74 In Feb. 1747, John Fisher obtained a proprietary patent for the lands above-mentioned. But by the accompts then exhibited to him, and which he paid, he was charged on Job's right one hundred and forty-one pounds four shillings and eight pence, which is sixty-seven pounds eight shillings and a penny more than the above account, and also was charged on Coopers right, seventy pounds eighteen shillings and eleven pence, which is twenty four pounds three shillings and three pence three farthings more than the above accompt of Cooper's. So that by the two accompts it is supposed he has paid ninety-one pounds eleven shillings and four pence three farthings more than could legally be received from him. The reason of such great difference in the accompts are as follow, viz. 1st That interest has been charged on the consideration money for Job's land for ten years and eighteen days, before the land was surveyed. 2d That quit-rent has also been charged for that time at 85 per cent. 3d That the principal and interest to the time of warrant and survey. were added together, and that interest was charged for that total to the time the patent was granted. 4th That interest has been charged on the consideration money for Cooper's land, for five years ten months and eight days, before the land was surveyed. 5th That quit-rent has also been charged for that time at 85 per cent. 6th That the principle and interest to the time of warrant and survey were added, and interest charged for that total to the time the patent was granted, which is compound interest. To these remarks of the accountant we shall only add, that the price of exchange between Philadelphia and London is not fixed, but rises and falls according to the demand for bills; that eighty-five per cent. charged for the exchange in this account is the highest exchange that perhaps was ever given in Pennsylvania, occasioned by some particular scarcity of bills at a particular time; that the proprietor himself in his estimate reckons the exchange but at 65, which is indeed near the medium, and this charge is twenty per cent. above it. That the valuing the currency of the country according to the casual rate of exchange with London, is in itself a false valuation, the currency not being really depreciated in proportion to an occasional rise of exchange; since every necessary of life is to be purchased in the country, and every article of expence defrayed by that currency (English goods only excepted) at as low rates after as before such rise of exchange; that therefore the proprietor's obliging those who purchase of him to pay their rents according to the rate of exchange is unjust, the rate of exchange including withal the risque and freight on remitting money to England; and is besides a dangerous practice, as the great sums to be yearly remitted to him, put it in the power of his own agents to play tricks with the exchange at pleasure, raise it at the the time of year when they are to receive the rents, by buying a few bills at a high price, and afterwards lower it by refraining to buy till they are sold more reasonably. By this account of the receiver general's, it appears we have omitted two other articles in the estimation of the proprietary estate, viz. For the quit-rents of lands many years before they are granted! For the interest of the purchase-money many years before the purchases are made! On what pretence these articles of charge are founded, how far they may be extended, and what they may amount to, is beyond our knowlege; we are therefore obliged to leave them blank till we can obtain more par ticular information. Although we have not in this work taken particular notice of the numerous fals hoods and calumnies which were continually thrown out against the assembly and people of Pennsyl vania, to keep alive the prejudices raised by the arts of the proprietary and his agents; yet as we think it will not be deemed improper to give the reader some specimen of them, we shall on that account, and as it affords additional light concerning the conduct and state of that province, subjoin a paper printed and published here in September, 1757, by a gentleman who had the best opportunities of being acquainted with the truth of the facts he relates. Any other proof, indeed, of their authenticity can scarce be thought requisite, when 'tis known that since that time no one has ever offered to publish the least thing in contradiction; although before, scarce a week elapsed without the news papers furnishing us with some anonymous abuse of that colony. To the printer of the Citizen, or, General Advertiser. SIR, IN your paper of the ninth instant, I observe the following paragraph, viz. The last letters from Philadelphia bring accounts of the scalping the inhabitants of the back provinces by the Indians; at the same time the disputes between the governor and the assembly are carried on to as great a heighth as ever, and the messages sent from the assembly to the governor, |