Spain will very soon. All places taken are to be deliver'd up on cach side, & a small Settlement in Italy given to Don Philip. "This Change, no doubt, will be highly acceptable to Pennsylvania in particular, & we having received an Account of it before the Attorney and Sollicitor General cou'd consider the Cases, we took them back, as thinking it now not necessary to send them. Mr. Hamilton proposes to embark in August, in order to meet the Assembly in October. "I am, Gentlemen, your very affectionate Friend, "To the Honoble. the President & Council of the Province of Pennsylvania. "LONDON, June, 13th, 1748." At a Council held at Philadelphia, 30th September, 1748. ANTH PRESENT: The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr., President. Samuel Hasell, Robert Strettell, Joseph Turner, Abraham Taylor, Benjamin Shoemaker, Esqrs The Minutes of the preceding Council were read & approv'd. The following Petition was read, & Mr. Till, one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, reporting that the facts set forth in the Petition were true, & y the Petitioner was a proper object of Compassion, the following Pardon was Sign'd with a Warrant to affix the Great Seal thereto, & the Secretary was order'd to expedite the Seal so as that the Pardon might be deliver'd during the Sitting of the Court. "To the Honourable the President & Council of the Province of Pennsylvania. "The Petition of John King of the City of Philad Mariner, "Most humbly Shewith: "That your Petitioner is a Poor Orphan & Mariner on board Captain Mesnard's Ship from London; that about three Weeks since your Petitioner & one of his Brother Mariners, named Joseph Seal, had a difference on board the said Ship; that the said Joseph Seal Challenged Your Petitioner to leave the Ship & go on the Wharf to fight; that they went on Shore, & the said Seal first struck your Petitioner, & in the Combat the said Seal fell to the Ground & received by the fall a mortal Wound in his Head, of which he Instantly Dyed, & now your Petitioner stands indicted for Man slaughter, to which he has pleaded Guilty. Altho' your Petitioner never designed more Injury to the said Joseph Seal than to Combat with him, & that owing to the Challenge, & in some sort force, of the said Joseph Seal. "Wherefore your Petitioner humbly implores Your Honours' Mercy & Compassion, that in Consideration of his tender Years, & intending no such Injury to the deceas'd, your Honours will be pleased to pardon this offence & prevent your Petitioner's being stigmatized & branded.. "And your Petitioner will ever Pray, & "Philad3., Sept. 27th, 1748. "JOHN KING. "We think the Petitioner an object worthy your Compassion, & as such We recommend him. "JOHN KINSEY, "To the honoble. the President & Council. “ "Sept 27th, 1748." "George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France, & Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, & "Whereas, upon the Petition of John King of the City of Philadelphia, Mariner, setting forth that about three Weeks since the Petitioner & another Mariner named Joseph Seal had a difference on board Captain Mesnard's Ship, lying at one of the Wharfs of the said City; that the said Joseph Seal Challeng'd the Petitioner to fight; that they went on Shore & the said Seal first struck the Petitioner; that in the Combat the said Seal fell to the Ground, & in the fall received a wound on his Head of which he dyed; & that thereupon the Petitioner was Indicted for Manslaughter, to which he pleaded Guilty; that the said Joseph Seal did not come by his Death thro' any design of the Petitioner but by Accident only, & praying the Royal Mercy & Pardon of the said Offence. Now Know Ye, that it being made appear to Us that the facts set forth in the said Petition are true, We have thought fit graciously to extend our Royal Mercy to the said John King, & have pardon'd, & do by these Presents Pardon the said John King the Offence aforesaid, whereof all our Judges, Justices, Sheriffs, & all our Officers & other our Leige Subjects are to take Notice; and our will & pleasure is, that the said John King stand right in our Courts, if any against him wou'd speak of the Premisses. In Testimony whereof We have caused the Great Seal of our said Province to be hereunto affixed. Witness, Anthony Palmer, Esq., President, Samuel Hasell, William Till, Abraham Taylor, & Robert Strettel!, Esqrs., in Council Assembled at Philadelphia for our said Province, the Thir 345 PROVINCIAL COUNCIL. tieth Day of September, in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & forty-eight, & in the Twenty-second Year of our Reign. "ANTHONY PALMER, Presid "ROBERT STRETTELL, "ABRAM TAYLOR, "WM. TILL, "SAM. HASELL." At a Council held at Philadelphia, 4th October, 1748. PRESENT: The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr., President. The Minutes of the preceding Council were read & approv❜d. The Returns of the Sheriffs & Coroners for the several Counties were taken into Consideration, & the following Persons receiv'd their Commissions in Conncil, viz: At a Council held at Philadelphia, 5th Oct 1747. PRESENT: The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr., President. A Letter from Mr. Lawrence Growden, one of the Members of Council, was read, setting forth that he had received sundry Informations of male Practice in Amos Strickland, Sheriff of Bucks, at the late Election of Assembly Men for that County, & desiring the Board wou'd examine into the matter before they issued Sheriff's Commissions; whereupon the Secretary was sent for the Commission from Charles Brockden's Office, & the Board proceeded to the Ex amination of Mr. Strickland, but it not appearing that he was guilty of any ill design, tho' there was on his own Confession great Carelessness in the Election, he was severely reprimanded & dismiss'd and his Commission return'd to him. At a Council held at Philadelphia, 13th Oct 1748. PRESENT: The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr., President. Benjamin Shoemaker, Thomas Hopkinson,} Esqrs. The Minutes of the preceding Council were read & approv'd. A Letter from Mr. Gooch was read, together with the President's Answer, in these words: "Sir: “WILLIAMSBURG, August 17th, 1748. "The 12th Instant I receiv'd a Letter from the Governor of South Carolina, dated the 18th July, acquainting me that the Catawba Nation have for some Years past been harrass'd by various Nations of Northward Indians, who meeting with little opposition to their Incursions upon these People, have ventur'd near their Settlements & carried off into Slavery two of their People, one of them Mr. Haig, a Captain of the Militia & Justice of the Peace, a most useful man among their German Inhabitants, desiring at the same time my assistance towards their Redemption. "In Consequence of which I thought I could not do any greater Service than to request the favour of You to cause diligent Enquiry to be made amongst all the Indians in your Parts for such Person, in order that if discover'd he may be sent thither as soon as possible, & if so be he has been carried to any of the French Settlements he may be redeem'd. I am with great Respect, "Sir, Your most obedient Servant, "The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr., President of the Province of Pennsylvania." "Sir: "PHILADELPHIA., 8th Oct 1748. "I wou'd have answer'd your Letter relating to Mr. Haig sooner, but as our Interpreter, who had the Enquiry of this Gentleman given him in Charge at the Instance of the Gov" of Carolina, was daily expected from Ohio, I chose to delay it that I might write something certain. "I have the mortification to tell you that Mr. Weiser, in an imperfect Diary which he sent to me as soon as he arriv'd among our Inhabitants, says Mr. Haig is actually Murdered, and his Man, one Brown, was deliver'd to him by some Indians of the Senaca Nation. For further Particulars I must refer You to my next, entreating you wou'd advertize Mr. Glenn of this Melancholy Story, & assure him of my best respects, & that I shall do myself the Honour to inform him of every Circumstance attending the Murder, & assist in bringing the Murderers to Punishment. "Justice will not suffer me to omit informing You of a Story that prevails here as if a French Ship, bound for this Port with Letters from the Governor of Hispaniola to me as President, & with a Cargo of Sugars destinated to discharge a Ransom due to the Owners of the Privateer Pandour, from a French Merchant at Leoganne, was seiz'd & actually Condemn'd with her Cargo in the Court of Admiralty at Williamsburg, for no other reason than that the Papers she carried were suppos'd to be false; whereas the President & Council on the Petition of the Owners of the Pandour, & from the Strongest Principles of Justice, wrote to Mons" Chastesnoye to oblige that Merchant, one Rasteau, to discharge that Debt, by the Delay whereof the Faith of Nations was extremely violated, and in Consequence hereof this shou'd have been done by Bills of Exchange on old France; how they came to send Sugars I cannot account for; but I assure You the Vessel shou'd not have been permitted to have broke bulk here, but have been sent back directly, tho' considering the reality of the Debt, & the Publick Faith due to the Instruments of Governors, I shou'd not have suffer'd her to have been seiz'd unless she shou'd have broke the Laws of Nations or the particular Acts of Tradę. "I am Your Excellency's most obedient humble Servant, "His Excellency S WILLIAM GOOCH.' " At a Council held at Philadelphia, 15th Oct., 1748. PRESENT: The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr., President. The Minutes of the preceding Council were read & approv❜d. A Message from the Assembly having been delivered by four of their Members to the President before there was a Board that a Quorum of the House were met, & having proceeded to chuse their Speaker, desir'd to know when the House with their Speaker might |