Att a Council held for ye province of East New Jersey at perth-Amboy ye 30th day of May anno Dom': i700 Gover Hamilton Sam Leonard Present William Sandford Benjamin Griffith of y Councill William pinhorn one of ye members of this board took ye usuall oaths appointed by Law &c. The Honble Coll" Andrew Hamilton Governour of this province, did before this board take ye Oaths by vertue of a Dedimus potestatem under ye broad Seal of England, bearing date ye 30th day of Apprill in ye 9th year of his present Majties Reign, appointed to be taken by ye Several acts of parlament of England &c. The house of Representatives being meet, they Came before this board, and Capt Andrew Bowne said that in obedience to his Ho'r the Governours proclamation, they were Come here, & further said yt at ye desire of ye Rest he was desired to ask his Ho; y Gover to know by what authoritie he acted as Governour, & yt he had nothing more in Charge save yt one question. Then his ho; ye Gover Answered yt true it was yt it had been usuall for ye House of Representatives, To desire a seight of ye Govers Commission, & if yt was what they desired they shonld be satisfied, & accordingly ye Gover's Commission was Read, and then ye Gover gave them a full account of all ye Steps yt had been made towards an approbation &c, and after some debate they did all with draw &c Adjourned till further occasion Att A Council held at perth Amboy 15th August 1700 Gover Hamilton Sam Dennes Present Sam" Leonard John Bishop Benj Griffith of ye Councill His Ho: ye Gover" proposed to this board yt for prevent ing tumults & disorders within this province for ye future, a proclamation may be drawn up & published &c. Ordered yt a proclamation be forth with drawn up, forbidding all his matys good subjects to hold any tumultuous or Seditious or unlawfull assemblyes or meetings within this Province, & Commanding all Magistrates & officers to Suppress all Such, & Commanding and Requiring all his Ma:tys Leidge Subjects to be aiding & assisting in suppressing ye same, &c. which proclamation was accordingly drawn up, Read and approved of by this board, & ordered to be published in Every town within this province, & a Copie thereof to be affixed upon ye most publick place in Every of ye sd towns, in and through out the province &c. Adjourned till further Order Att a Councill held at Perth-Amboy, for ye province of East New Jersey 20th Dece'r anno Dom: 1700 Gover Hamilton Sam Dennes present John Bishop Sam11 Hale of ye Councill Aggreed & Ordered yt a petition be drawn by this board to ye Kings Most Excellent Majtie, which was accordingly don, & being Read here was approved of & signed by this board. George Willoks Came before this board, and Exhibited an Information against William Dockwra Esq' Cheife Secretary & Register of this province, as an unjust and Corrupt Man & unfitt for an office of so great trust, and desired this board would be pleased to appoint him atime to hear him prove the sd Charge. The sd Information being read before this board, aggreed & ordered that ye said George Willoks do appear before this board on the third tuesday in march next, to prove & make good his sd Information & Charge agst sd wm Dockwra. And also aggreed & ordered yt in ye mean time Thomas Gordon present Deputy Sec'ry & Reg'r Do Safely keep all ye Records & papers belonging to ye sd office, & not deliver them to ye sd w Dockwra nor to any other by his order untill further order of this board. Adjourned till ye 3d tuesday in March next At At A Council held at Perth Amboy for the Province of East New Jersey upon the 17th Day of June Anno D'ni 1701 Coll: Andrew Hamilton Gover William Pinhorne Samuel Dennis Present Samuel Leonard John Bishop Samuel Hale of ye Councill Capt Andrew Bowne came before this board, and acquainted the Governour, that he had a Commission from the proprietors in England to be Governour of this Province of East New Jersey. The Governour acquainted him that he had a Letter from the Proprietors residing in this Province & Neighbourhood, whereby they desired to be present at the opening of the Commission, And they were accordingly called in. David Lyal one of the Proprietors Acquainted this Board, that he had seen said Bownes Com'ission a few dayes before, and that he perceived it was Defective, as not being Signed by so many hands as make a Majority even of the Proprietors that reside in and about London, that he therefore had good reason to Suspect it to be Surreptitious & without the knowledge of the other Proprietors, and that it was a juggle, put upon most of those unwary Proprietors that signed this Com'ission. by one Salter, that he had acquainted his fellow Proprietors residing in this Province of it, & that they had formed a protest against it under their hands, which he gave in at the Table, and desired in behalf of himself and the rest his Fellow Proprietors, that the same might be read and Entred, which was read Accordingly Capt Bowne desired a Copy of the Protest which was ordered to be given him The Governour told Capt Bowne that he had heard ye Protest read, & desired to know what he had to Answer to it. He Replyed he would answer no Questions, If the Proprietors in England had sent him a lame Commission let them see to it, But that he was resolved to publish it. The Governour told him that, As the Government of the Jerseys was not so desirable a thing as to be Courted, yet that since the Commission appeared Insufficient for said Bowne to Act by, he could not warrantably Surrender it, which would be to to leave the people without Government, & by Consequence to fall into disorder & Confusion That he had received lately a Letter from Mr Secretary Vernon (which was produced at the Board) Signifying the Kings Pleasure that he should know of the Motion of a French Squadron of Men of Warr, bound for the Spanish West Indies, & that he take all Necessary care for the defence of the Provinces under his Command in Case of any Attempt to be made upon them, That if he Surrendered the Government, He was disabled of Executing the Kings Commands by the Secretary of State, & that Capt Bowne was not qualified by this defective Commission to execute them. That since the Publication of this Commission (Though he did not apprehend it would supersede his Commission, Since no Commission could supersede his, but such a one as was Sufficient to Act by) might be a handle to licentious people to cavil at, he advised him not to publish it. Notwithstanding, the said Capt Bowne went out & Said he was resolved to publish his Commission. The Governour & Councel went also out, & the Governour protested against the publication of it, & if he would pretend to publish it, he would declare it a Riot. Said Bowne bid him punish him then. The Governour Replyed he questioned not to find a Time to do it, tho he now valued himself upon the Mobb at his heels. The said Bowne caused read off his Commission. The Gover & Council went away. Adjourned till to Morrow Morning At a Council held at Perth Amboy for the Province of East New Jersey upon the 18th day of June Anno Domini 1701 Present Collonel Andrew Hamilton Governour Samuel Hale Samuel Leonard John Bishop Samuel Hale William Sandford of the Council Ordered that Proclamations be Issued out, to Acquaint the People of Capt Bownes Defective Commission that no body pay Obedience thereto. That the Governour would still Continue his care over them. And Commanding them to have their Arms fixt, And Ammunition provided, that they may be in a Posture of Defence (in Obedience to his Majestie's Commands, mands, Signified to the Governour by Mr Secretary Vernon) In Case of any Descent &c, Which were Accordingly Drawn and Signed by the Governour, under the Seal of ye Province, & sent to the Several Counties to be forthwith published ORDERED That a Letter be written to the Proprietors in England Acquainting them of the Reason why they advised the Governour against Surrendring the Government, vizt: that the Commission Appeared defective, & that several of them selves had heard M Roysse & Mr Walkker say they did not value Capt Bownes Commission of a Farthing, or such like words, but that it answered their End, if it Superseded Coll1 Hamiltons, by which in probability it appeared that the use of the Commission to Capt Bowne, was only to Supersede Coll1 Hamiltons, & then to throw up his own Commission as defective, & to lodge the Gover❜ment in the People, for want of necessary powers from the proprietors in the Province to appoint a Governour. Ordered that the protest which was yesterday given in by the Proprietors, residing in and about this Province, & Read before this Board against Capt Bownes Commission, &c Be entred by the Secretary upon the publick Records of this Pro vince &c Adjourned till further Occasion Att A Councill held at perth-Amboy for ye Province of East New Jersey ye 12th of August Anno Dom': i70i The Gover Informed this board yt he had Rece'd a Letter from England Signed by wm Dockwra Thomas Cooper, Tho: Hart Tho: Barker Clemt Plumstead & Peter Sonmans dated 27th March last, wch was now read before this board, & to which an Answer was written & Signed by ye members of this board. A PETITION by George Willoks was read here praying, yt Seeing ye Councill did not meet in March last according to an Order made in Decer preceeding, to hear him make good his Information Against Mr Dockwra, yt this board would now please to appoint a time to hear him make good his sd Charge ag'st Се |