Sir

From Governor George Clinton

NEW YORK 2a Jan3 1747

This day I have ordered the Writts for New Election to bear Tent & to be returnable in 40 Days which is y 12 of Feb next as I conceive there will be occasion to call the Assembly then, upon the affairs of the intended Expedition agat Crown point wch Gov Shirly seems to have at Hart, But as the Assembly of yt Province has made some Amendments & the Agreement enter'd into here by the Commissers yt mett to concert Measures on y' head, I am apt to think this Assembly will Scarcely ratifie those Amendments wch I have inclosed however it will be necessary for me to make tryal, I find the Spirit & Designs of the Faction takes much with the People, that I dispair of any alteration here, Jon has never been near me Since the Dissolution & his reason for not appearing is That ye Ordrs to the Militia have so inured the People yt they are determind to make Choice of the Faction again & indeed the Mayor has told me ye same. How matters may go in the Country I cannot Say, But this I am certain off, That ye moment they begin to Treat me ill I'll Send them packing. I am very desirous to avoid giveing them any handle, & Therefore should be glad you would prepare an agreable Speech to them, y' I may convince the people I have no Malice at Hart, You are a good Judge of what is to be recommended & I think it proper to demand my Support from 1st of Septembr last with all my appointments, to mention the compleating y House & Stables, & Sundry disbursements to y Indians for Scalps & passage of ye New Levys to Albany to make provision for Expresses for which I am much out of pockit The affairs of ye Indians to be Strongly recommended & to make provision for them & for yo Smiths yt were sent among them who Coll" John

son Supplyed with every thing yt was Necessary, provision made for a Commands Officer even ye Company yt are raised & to be raised in ye pay of ye Province I am in hopes of getting 3 Companyes from Connecticut wch should be mentioned yo Fort at Albany to be repaird & provision made for Powder & victualling & pay for ye Troops at Oswego if any thing Else occurs to you take notice of it.

I should have been glad of Mr Catherwoods waiting on you, but the affaires of the Officers & other Matters dayly are such yt I cannot Spare him; But as I shall want Mr Colden y Commissary here, you may send down by him the Speech when done.

There has been no news from England Since you went away, I am to acknowledge yo favours of yours & shall transmitt the minuts you mention. Mr Murry & Horsmanden was to wait on Majr Rutherfurd y night he came down from Albany & drank a bottle with him I guess with some good view but I take Rutherfurd to be to much a Man of Honour to be deluded by Such Wretchess

Mr Clintons Miss & Compliments with mine wait upon Mr Colden, You & Family & wish you a Happy New Year & many We begun it yesterday with abt Sixty and Merry we was & hope to ye Satisfaction of ye Young Assembly, I am with great Sincerity

I have the honour of your Excell" Commands of the 2 Instant Several are making interest in this County

for the next Elections In a few days I shall be able to form some Judgemt who are likely to carry them but it seems still generally agreed that Col Gaasbeek can have litle hopes It is agreed in Orange County to set up Col Mathews in opposition to Gale Col. Dukey who was formerly much in Gale's Interest is now as much to the contrary.

I evidently see the necessity of the Assembly's meeting as soon as possible & I am entirely of your Excellency's Opinion that your speech should be in as smooth terms as possible to preserve your Dignity & that not the least mention be made of any past difference As your Excellency has allow'd me time I shall exercise my thoughts on that head so as to express what may be proper to say on that occasion in the most concise & easy terms that I can think of I shall in obedience to your Excell commands send my son to New York about the beginning of FebTM & shall send my thoughts by him

As I have no copy of the Agreemt I cannot judge of the amendments made at Boston but I believe the Assembly will be puzled in their resolutions in either agreeing to the Amendment or in refusing The taking of Crown point is exceedingly popular & they may therefor risque their popularity wch they have so much at heart by refusing to consent to the amendments unless the reasons for refusing be very apparently sufficient If they be not so they may not only loose themselves with the people but give the people of Boston an Opportunity of setting their conduct in no good light with his Majesty's ministers & which I am confident the People of Boston will not fail to do in order to inhance their own merit

On the other hand I am perswaded that the Assembly will find themselves under such difficulties in the Execution of this Agreemt that they will gladly get of from it if they can The greatest difficulty I apprehend will be in raising their Quota of men & this may some time hereafter give your Excell a handsom opportunity of exposing the obstinacy of the last assembly in refusing to retain the New levies on the terms your Excell" pro

posed My humble opinion with submission is that your Excellency should press this affair only in general terms but so as to appear in good earnest for it & then to leave the Assembly entirely to themselves to proceed in what manner they shall think proper because I believe it will be hardly possible to extricate themselves from the difficulties which may arise in their resolutions & therefore perhaps may be glad of finding out some method of freeing themselves from those difficulties by raising some new dispute As to my part I can have no opinion of the success of any interprise at this time if the New England officers & men be such as we have in this Province

As I believe it will be difficult for them to give Satisfaction on all hands I doubt not but from thence your Excell may take a good handle to try a New Election if you shall think proper

As to J-n's excuse I am perswaded it is a meer excuse for before that of the Militia happen'd I was assured by Mr Nicholls & others that his Interest was declining & as to the Mayor he has been too short a while in the City to have gain'd any considerable interest against such an opposition as is now made

Your Excellency's having made this trial of the Militia I thought & do still think will sufficiently justify your Excellency in case of any sinister accident from the Ennemy which could not so easily have been done without something of this kind since a neighbouring Colony Connecticut make it a constant practise to have a certain number of men in their Militia in constant readiness to march on any emergency who are thereby excused from all other Duty This trial will likewise shew to the ministry what dependance there is on the Militia Several have been attempting to introduce the practise of the men's choosing their own officers as has been lately done in Philadelphia of which there has happen'd a very late instance on Orange County these attempts will help to demonstrate the inclinations of the People in America to deprive the King of the power of the Militia

I am very certain Maj' Rutherfurd was hearty in your

Interest & not only disliked but despised the opposition he was for going through & making our selves easy at least in the Council with out which he thought we must be under perpetual difficulties

I can hardly doubt of your Excey receiving such accounts from home as may give a great turn to affairs here I have known an entire change in a few hours by a vessels arriving from England.

We have a report here that a Neutrality between the six Nations & French Indians is agreed upon that neither of them shall make incursions into Canada nor into this Province Its possible this may have been without your Excell" being in any manner inform'd of it If so our assembly may have any Interprise agt Crown point less at heart & it may be more difficult to engage the Indians.

Dear Sir

From Benjamin Franklin

PHILADa Jan 27, 1747.

I have received your Favour relating to the Cannon. We have petitioned our Proprietors for some, and have besides wrote absolutely to London for a Quantity, in case the Application to the Proprietors should not Succeed; So that, Accidents excepted, we are Sure of being Supply'd some time next Summer. But as we are extreamly desirous of having some mounted early in the Spring, and perhaps your Engineer should propose to use all you have, the Works he may intend will not very Soon be ready to receive them, we should think ourselves exceedingly obliged to your Government, if you could lend us a few for one Year only: When you return to New York, I hope a great Deal from your Interest & Influence.

Mr Read, to whom Osborne consigned your Books, did not open or offer them to Sale till within these two Weeks, being about to remove when he receiv'd them,