In the Council Chamber at Philada., 12th February, 1747. Thomas Lawrence, Abraham Taylor, PRESENT: Samuel Hasell, Thomas Hopkinson, } Esqrs. The Minutes of the preceding Council were read & approv'd. The President having inform'd the Board that he was prevented by Indisposition from waiting on them, they resumed the Consideration of Indian Affairs, and gave orders to the Secretary to prepare a Proclamation as full as possible against carrying Rum into the Indian Country, to be laid before them at the next Meeting. And it is their Opinion that Mr. Weiser shou'd be instructed to take the Proclamation with him under the Great Seal, & deliver it at the Treaty to the Indians, & make them sensible that by virtue thereof they have the remedy in a great measure in their own Power; & by staving the Casks they may throw such a discouragement on these Practices as will effectually prevent the future Sale of Rum amongst them. The Members then took into Consideration the List of Indian Goods thought by Mr. Lawrence & Mr. Logan proper to be sent with Mr. Weiser; & the Secretary informing the Members that Mr. Weiser wou'd be in Town next Week, they postpon'd the further Consideration of the Present till they shou'd have consulted with him on the Subject. The Associators having return'd some more Officers, the following Commissions were filled up, viz. : Officers chosen for John Hughes, Esqr., Capt. Philadelphia County. Henry Pauling, Esqr., Captain. Jacob Hall, Esqr., Capt. Officers chosen for Bucks County. Alexander Graydon, Esq.,Capt.) Langhourne Biles, Esqr., Capt. Anthony Denormandie, Gent. Lieut. James Barber, Gent., Ens". Garret Vanzant, Gent., Lieut. George Bennet, Esqr., Capt. YOL. V.-13. } Officers chosen for Lancaster County. Thomas McDowell, Lieut. Officers chosen for New Castle County. William McCrea, Esqr., Capt. David Bush, Esqr., Capt". Alexander Moody, Gent".,Lieut.John McKinley, Gent., Lieut. Francis Graham, Gent"., Ens". Charles Bush, Gent., Ens". Alexander Chance, Gent. Lieut. As the President is frequently indisposed, & several Officers apply to take the Oaths to the Government, the Board think it might conduce to their Ease if the Secretary had a Dedimus to administer the said Oaths to such as shou'd apply, & therefore request the President to Grant a Dedimus to him for that purpose, & likewise a Dedimus to the Justices of the Peace of each County to administer the Oaths to the Officers of the respective Counties. In the Council Chamber at Philada., 18th February, 1747. The Minutes of the preceding Council were read & approv'd. The Secretary laid before the Board a Draught of a Proclamation, which was read, & having approv'd it, they directed him to transcribe it in order to be sign'd by the President, & Publish'd with the usual Solemnity. "By the Honoble. the President & Council of the Province of Pennsylvania. "A PROCLAMATION. "Whereas, by several Acts of Assembly of this Province, the Selling of Rum to the Indians is prohibited under severe Penalties, & particularly by an Act of the 12th of King William it is enacted as follows: That all Rum, Brandy, or other Strong Liquors that shall be carried, or offer'd to Sale or Disposal to or at any of the Indian Towns or Habitations within the Bounds of this Province, shall be forfeit, and it is hereby declared to be forfeit, one-third to the Governor & two-thirds to such Person or Persons as shall seize the same; and all Persons (as well Indians as others) are thereby impowered to seize & secure all such Rum, Brandy, & other Strong Spirits so found at any Indian Town or Settlement as aforesaid; And by another Act of the 8th Year of the late King George the first, it is (among other things) enacted 'That no Person whatsoever, otherwise than is therein declared, shall Sell, Barter, or give to any Indian or Indians, or to any other Person for their use, nor by any Means directly or indirectly furnish or cause to be furnish'd any Indian or Indians with any Rum, Wine, or other Strong Liquors, mixed or uninixed, under the Penalty of Twenty Pounds for cach Offence, one half to the Governor for support of Government, & the other half to the Informer or such Person or Persons as will sue for the same.' And further, 'That in Case any Rum or other Strong Spirits, above the quantity of one Gallon, be carried amongst the Indians at their Towns, or beyond the Christian Inhabitants, the Person carrying the same, or he in whose possession the same shall be found, shall forfeit & pay the Sum of Twenty Pounds to the Uses aforesaid.' And further, 'That no Person or Persons whatsoever after the first Day of August then next following, under the Penalty of Twenty Pounds for the uses aforesaid, shall Trade or Traffick with any Indian for any Commodity whatsoever, but at their own Dwelling Houses and Places of Residence with their Families, within some settled Township of this Province, without being first recommended to the Governor for his Lycence by the Justices of the County Courts of Quarter Sessions where he resides, or the next Quarter Sessions within this Province to the Place of such Residence; and that no Person shall be so Lycenced without first giving Bond in the said Quarter Sessions, with one or more substantial Freeholders of the same County, to be bound with them in the Sum of One hundred Pounds, condition'd that he will duly observe the Laws of this Province for regulating the Trade with the Indians, which Recommendations & Lycences shall be renew'd annually in the manner before directed; and shall further, by his Oath or Affirmation, oblige himself that he will not directly or indirectly sell or dispose of any Rum or other Spirits, mixed or unmixed, to any Indian.' "And Whereas, frequent Complaints have been made from time to time, & of late earnestly renewed, that divers gross Irregularities & Abuses have been committed in the Indian Countries by means of the great Quantities of Strong Liquors which are every Year brought & Sold amongst them, contrary to & in contempt of the said Laws, & that many of the Indians by being intoxicated & drinking to excess of those Liquors are not only most grossly imposed upon & cheated in their Bargains, but are also thereby inflam'd to such a degree as actually to destroy many of their own Lives & greatly to endanger the Lives of others; We have, there fore, thought fit, for the future prevention of such Disorders as far as in Us lies, to publish this Proclamation, strictly Charging & Commanding That no Person or Persons do hereafter presume to trade with the Indians, without first obtaining a Licence from the Governor or Commander-in-Cheif for the time being, according to the directions given in the said Act of Assembly; & We do hereby also strictly enjoin the Magistrates of the several Counties within this Province, and especially those of the County of Lancaster where these abuses are mostly carried on, to be very vigilant & careful in the Discharge of the Duties required of them by the said Acts of Assembly, & in particular to demand such Lycence of all Persons travelling with goods to trade with the Indians; and to make or cause diligent Search to be made for any Quantity of Rum or other strong Liquors exceeding the quantity allowed by Law which they shall have reason to suspect is carrying to the Indians. And for the more effectual detecting & suppressing the abuses aforesaid, We do further earnestly recommend it to the said Magistrates to give all due Countenance & Encouragement to the Persons who shall apply or can give Information against those who have been or shall hereafter be guilty of carrying or vending Rum & other strong Liquors amongst the Indians contrary to the said recited Laws or any of them. Moreover, in as much as by the said Act of Assembly of the 12th of King William, all Rum, Brandy, & other Spirits, carryed into any of the Indian Towns, are declared to be forfeit, one-third to the Governor and the other Two-thirds to the Persons seizing the same, We do hereby give full Power and Authority to any Indian or Indians to whom Rum or other Strong Liquors shall hereafter be offer'd for Sale contrary to the said Laws, to stave & break to pieces the Cask or Vessel in which Rum or other strong Liquors is contain'd, without being accountable to Us for the Governor's third Part; And for the better Encouragement of all Persons to give in Informations & prosecute the Offenders against any of the said Laws, We do hereby further declare that the said Informers shall have & recieve to their own Use the whole Penalties & Forfeitures incurred by & to be recover'd of the Persons against whom they shall so inform, as well the Parts & Shares allotted by the said Laws to the Informer, as to those given to the Governor or Commander-in-Chief, for the time being. "Given at Philadelphia, under the Great Seal of the said Province, the 18th Day of February, in the Twenty-first Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, George the Second, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France, & Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c., Annoqz Dom., 1747. "By Order of the President & Council, "ANTHONY PALMER, Presid "RICHARD PETERS, Secretary. "GOD SAVE THE KING." Mr. Weiser, attending, was call'd in, & after much Deliberation the Present to the Indians was Settled as follows: 18 Barrells of Gunpowder @ £9 10s. £171 0 0 20 cwt. Barr Lead, viz., 10 ewt. @ 45s. & 10 cwt. @30s 16 P. Duffels, 15 P. @ £13 10s., & 1 P. @ 341 Garlix Shirts, with making & thread 105 12 1 100 Ozeabrig's Do. with 20 Groce Gartering 15 lbs. Vermillion 11 16 101 Charges paid on said Goods, viz: Paid Porterage of said Goods from Paid James Livingston Freight of & for a Trunk for Conrad Weiser's Use · £0 3 0 3 12 0 0 12 0 13 16 0 0 2 6 0 15 2 0 16 3 1 7 10 1 2 6 22 7 3 £850 15 31 |