further humbly offer, That your Majes Pleasure be signified yt ye suspension ye Petr lyes under be taken off. wch is most humbly submitted Whitehal January 10: 170. DARTMOUTH, JOHN POLLEXFEN Wm BLATHWAIT MATH: PRIOR. At ye COURT at St JAMES the 11 January 1704 Present Lord Keeper, Lord Treasurer, Lord President, Lord Privy Seal, Duke of Somerset, Duke of Marleborough Earl of Stamford Earl of Radnor, Earl of Abingdon, Earle of Bradford, Lord Ferrers Lord Pawlet, Lord Dartmouth, Lord Granvill, Lord Coningsby Mr Speaker Mr Boyle Mr Secretary hodges, Ld Chief Justice Holt La Chief justice Trevor Mr Vernon, Mr Smith, Mr how. Whereas in Obedience to an order of this board of ye 14 of ye last month, on ye Petition of Robt Livingston of New York to be Restored to his Place of Secretary for ye Indian affairs, with his Salary of one hundred Pounds sterl. per annum, from which he was suspended by Coll: Fletcher ye late governour, The Lords Commiss's for Trade and Plantations, did by their Report this day read at the Board, humbly represent, that they have Examined this matter, and it appearing to them, that ye Petr has continued to be very Servicable in managing ye Treaties with ye Indians notwithstanding ye said Suspension are therefore humbly of opinion, that his suspension does not deprive him from having a just Pretence to his said Salary, weh ye Lords Commis's apprehend ye Revenue of New York by reason of anticipations will not be able to Satisfy, Her Majesty in Councill taking ye same into Consideration, is pleas'd to approve ye sd Representation, and accordingly to order, That ye Petitioners sa suspension be taken off, and that he be not Deprived from having a just Pretension to his Salary, by reason of ye sd Suspension, and ye Goyr or Commander in Cheife of her Majesties Province of New York for ye time being, is to give ye necessary Directions for Restoring and Readmitting ye Petr into his offices without further Delay. JOHN POVEY. REPORT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE ON THE SETTLEMENT OF ADDITIONAL PALATINES IN NEW YORK. [ Lond. Doc. XVII. ] TO THE QUEENS MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. MAY IT PLEASE YOUR MAJESTY. In obedience to your Majesty's commands signified to us by the Right Honble the Earl of Sunderland, we have considered the Proposals made by Colonel Hunter for settling 3000 Palatines at New York, and Employing them in the Production of Naval stores, and thereupon humbly Represent to your Majesty That the Province of New Yorke being the most advanced Frontier of Your Majestys Plantations on the Continent of America, the Defence and Preservation of that place is of the utmost importance to the security of all the Rest; and if the said Palatines were seated they would be an additional strength and security to that Province not only with regard to the French of Canada, But against any Insurrection of the scattered Nations of Indians, upon that Continent, and therefore we humbly Propose that they be sent thither. By the best Information we can gett, the most proper Places for the seating them in that Province, so as they may be of benefit to this Kingdom by the Production of Naval Stores, are on the Mohaques River, and on Hudsons River, where are very great numbers of Pines fit for Production of Turpentine and Tarr, out of which Rosin and Pitch are made. First, in relation to the Mohaques River; Your Majesty was pleased by your Order in Councill of the 26th June 1708, to confirm an Act past at New York the 2d of March 169% for vacating several Extravagant Grants, whereby large Tracts of Land are returned to your Majesty and among the rest A Tract of Land lying on the Mohaques River containing about 50 miles in length and four miles in breadth, and a Tract of land lying upon a creek which runs into the said River, containing between 24 and 30 Miles in length. This last mentioned Land, of which Your Majesty has the possession, is claimed by the Mohaques, but that claim may be satisfyed on very easy terms The Objection that may be made to the Seating of the Palatines, on the fore-mentioned Mohaques River, is the Falls that are on the said River between Schenectady and Albany' which will be an interruption in the Water Carriage, but as that may be easily helped by a short land carriage of about 3 miles at the west, We do not see that this objection will be any hindrance to the seating of them there, In Case there be not an opportunity of doing it more conveniently in some other part of that Province. There are other large Tracts of Lands on Hudsons River, which are resumed to your Majesty by the foresaid vacating act, vizt A Tract of Land lying on the East Side of that River containing 12 miles in breadth, and about 70 miles in length, and one other Tract, on the West Side, containing 20 miles in Breadth and 40 miles in length. By all which it appears that there are Lands sufficient in Your Majesty's gift, for the proposed settlement of the said Palatines, in case the same have not been regranted by your Majesty's Governor, or the Commander in Chief there, since these lands were so resumed, which we do not hear has been done. We therefore humbly offer that the Governor or Commander in Chief be Directed upon their Arrival to Seat them all either in a Boddy or in different Settlements upon those or other Lands as he shall Find most proper, and that they be Encouraged to settle and work in Partnership, that is 5 or more families to unite & work in common. That the Governor be likewise Directed to grant under the Seal of that Province, without fee or Reward, 40 acres per head to each family, after they shall have repaid by the produce of their Labour the charges the publick shall be at in settling and subsisting them there, in the manner as is herein after proposed; To have and to hold the said Lands, to them and their heirs for ever, under the usual Quit-Rent to commence and be payable after seven years from the date of Each respective Grant; and further, that in every such grant there be an express Proviso that the Lands so granted shall be seated and planted within a reasonable time to be therein prefixed, or on failure thereof, such Grant to be void, and to revert to the Crown, And for the better preventing those people from falling upon the Woollen Manufactures, it will be proper that in every such grant, a Clause be incerted, declaring the said Grant to be void, if such Grantee shall apply himself to the making of Woollen or such like manufacture. As these People are very necessitous they will not be able to maintain themselves there, till they can reap the benefit of their labour which will not be till after one year at the soonest, We therefore 1 Cahoos falls. humbly offer that they be Subsisted, The men and women at the rate of 64 sterling a head pr day, and the children under the age of 10 years at 4d Sterling a head pr day which as we are informed will be sufficient When their houses shall be built, and the ground cleared for making their settlements they may then be Employed in the making of Turpentine Rozin Tarr and Pitch, and that this will be beneficial not only to the said Palatines but to this Kingdom. We take leave to observe : That one man may make by his own labour six tunns of these Stores in a year; and we have been informed that a number of men assisting each other may in proportion make double that quantity; so that supposing six hundred men be employed in this work, they may produce 7000 tuns of these goods a year, and if in time a greater quantity of those Stores should be made there, than shall be consumed in your Majesty's Dominions, We hope the overplus may turn to a very beneficial Trade with Spain & Portugal. We have been informed by the Conmissioners formerly sent over by the Navy Board to inspect Naval Stores in New England that Tarr might be afforded there under £5 a tun; and supposing the freight from thence in time of peace to be under £4 pr Tunn, as we do not doubt it will, and whereas the Premium of £4 per Tunn allowed upon Importation of such Tarr will more than answer the Charge of Freight, We believe it may be sold as Cheap as that from the Northern Crowns. However should the American Tarr be something Dearer, Yet it is the Interest of this Kingdom to have the same paid for in Woollen and other Manufactures from hence; Whereas that from the Northern Crowns is bought with ready Money. The only Objection formerly made to these Stores from America, was that ye Tarr had a burning quality, which consumed the Ropes; But we have been Informed by Traders in those Goods, that there comes now as good Tarr from New England & as fit for Ropes, and all other uses whatsoever, as that of Stockholm which is esteemed the best; and in Confirmation hereof, we find by an Account from the Custom house hear, in December 1707, that there was there 4704 Barrells of Tarr, Imported from the Plantations, certifyed to be good, in order to the allowance of the said Premium; We further take leave to observe that the Tarr which has most of the burning quality makes the best Pitch; And may otherwise be used on Ships sides or Sheathings. As to the quality of the Turpentine, Rozin and Pitch made in the Plantations, We have not heard of any objections thereunto; but on the contrary have been assured that they are as good in their kind as any whatsoever. As these Palatines are ignorant in the Production of those Stores, it will be necessary that three or four persons well skilled in the doing thereof (if to be had) be sent from hence, to instruct the said Palatines there, and that they be allowed £200 New York money per annum each, during their being employed in this work. In case no such persons can be found here, then We propose that Mr Bridges, Surveyor General of Your Majesty's Woods on the Continent of America, who was sent 4 or 5 years ago to New England to Instruct the People there, be Directed to go to New York for that Purpose and that he bring with him 3 or 4 other persons, the most skilfull he can get who may assist him in the Instructing the said Palatines, and for their Pains therein have a Salary of £100 pr annum during such their employ and stay at New York. It will be likewise necessary that there be Supervisors appointed to reside among the said Palatines, to over see and keep them at work, with a Salary of £100 per annum each; As to the number of the said supervisors we humbly conceive it cannot well be regulated here, for that will Depend in a great measure upon the number of the Palatines settlements, and On the Distance they may |