Acres of Land in the little Cove, and was urged to take a Warrant for his Place in the Big Cove, and might have Warrants for all the Inhabitants there, and six Years to pay the purchase of said Land on easy terms. It is our desire to make our redress to your Honours for your directions what we shall do as speedily as possible, for if we do not comply with Maryland Offers we are afraid that some of their Gentlemen will soon deprive us of any Privilege in either Province. We hope your Honours will consider our Case and send us an Answer. From your distressed Friends and humble Servants.

"GREAT COVE, July the 21st, 1750.

"To SAMUEL SMITH, Esquire, and his Brethren."

Copy of the letter sent by the Justices of Cumberland County to the Inhabitants of the Great Cove in answer to their unsign'd Paper.

"Gentlemen:

“CUMBERLAND, July 25th, 1750.

"We receiv'd yours of the 21st instant, to which we cannot give you a full answer, because your case lies properly before our Government and our Honourable Proprietarie's Commissioners of Property, and not before us. We have, therefore, sent your letter to our Governor, and when his answer comes to us we shall communicate it to you. As you declare in your Petition that you have heretofore been subject to the Laws of this Province, and claim the Benefits and Privileges of our good Constitution for the future, all which think you we have a right to, and as we are sensible you are settled to the Northward of the Temporary Line, we make no doubt but the Governor, considering your Petition, will be of our opinion; and in the mean time any Services in our power you may expect from,

"Gentlemen, your assured Friends.

"To the Inhabitants of the Big Cove, In Pennsylvania.”

"The Petition of the Settlers of the Little Cove on the Temporary Line,

"To the Honourable Thomas Penn and Richard Penn, Esquires, true and absolute Proprietaries of the Province of Pennsylvania, Loca

"The Petition of the Subscribers, Inhabitants of small Tracts of Land situate Westward of the Kittochtinny or Blue Hills, at a Place known by the Name of the Little Cove and Conolloway's Creek, humbly sheweth:

"Whereas, sundry Inhabitants of the Province of Maryland (some

of 'em vested with Authority) divers times within these three Years past have attempted to survey and take possession of the aforesaid Tracts, being at or near where the Temporary Line when extended will run, as we believe; We, therefore, willing to live under the Protection of the good Constitution and Government of the Province of Pennsylvania, have hitherto prevented the various Attempts of the People of Maryland, and have presumed to seat ourselves, and have made small improvements on the said Lands.

"As we have done this purely to defend it from the People of Maryland, and not in Contempt of the Laws of the Province of Pennsylvania nor the Governor's Proclamation, we humbly pray that we may be permitted to live on our respective Improvements at least untill the Temporary Line shall be extended.

"And your Petitioners shall pray, &a.

any

After this the Governor order'd to be read the Draught of what he proposed to say to the Assembly, who by their Adjournment were to meet to day, and desired that if they could think of thing else necessary to be said they would mention it, but no Member offering any thing it was order'd to be transcribed fair and delivered to the House to-morrow.

A Message from the Governor to the Assembly.

"Gentlemen:

"Finding that the Proclamation which I issued last Summer on the Complaints of the Deputies of the Six Nations against such as had presumed to settle on their unpurchased Lands had no Effect, I thought it dangerous to suffer any longer such an open Contempt of the Authority of Government, and therefore gave orders that

the Laws should be strictly put in Execution against them; And from a Report of the Proceedings of the Magistrates appointed for that Service which will be laid before you, I thought there would have been no more cause of Complaint on this Head, but by a Letter I received the last Week from the Magistrates of Cumberland County, it looks as if such as were then spar'd have been since spirited up to stay, and that there will be an absolute Necessity of taking still farther measures against them.

"The Accounts from Ohio mention that the French still continue their Threats against the Indians who carry on Commerce with our Traders; that they are frequently alarmed as if the French were approaching in a military Manner, and therefore keep themselves upon their Guard, but as nothing hostile has hitherto been attempted, I am in hopes this may blow over and the French, from the Caution and Unanimity of the Indians in our Alliance, be obliged to alter their Measures.

"I have received two or three different Messages from the Twightwees; in their last they tell me that they have withstood the Solicitations of the French, and as a Proof of their attachment to us have refused their Presents, intimating at the same time that as they take nothing from them they would be pleas'd to receive some testimony of our Regard. And I am really of opinion that since so large an addition is made to the Trade of the Province by their Means, it would be for his Majestie's as well as the Countries Service if a small Present was sent to them by some Persons of Character who go to trade in those Parts.

"When Mr. Weiser left Ohio he committed several Matters of Consequence to Andrew Montour, finding that the Indians esteemed him and placed great Confidence in him; this gave him a sort of publick Character which has put him to some Trouble and Expence, as you will see by his Accounts which I have order'd to be laid before you, and which have been perused and allowed to be true by Mr. Weiser; I therefore recommend it to you that you will be pleased to make Mr. Montour a suitable Recompence for his Services. The Indians of those Parts are not of the most prudent Behaviour, and therefore it seems necessary there should be always among them some discreet Person who by his Influence may be able to regulate their Conduct and keep them firmly attached to the British Interest, more especially at a time when the French leave no means unattempted to alienate their affection from us, and to exclude us from any share of the Benefit of trading with them. Such a Person I take Mr. Montour to be, and as he resides at Ohio he will, I am persuaded, upon a proper Recompence be always ready and willing to serve this Province to the utmost of his power. "JAMES HAMILTON.

"August 8th, 1750."

At a Council held at the Council Chamber, Tuesday the 9th August, 1750.

PRESENT:

The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esqr., Lieutenant Gov

The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approv'd. The Governor having received a Message by Six Members that the House met yesterday according to adjournment, chose their Speaker, and desired to know when they might present him, appointed them to attend him at eleven o'Clock in the Council Chamber, and as it was now that time the Secretary was ordered to tell the House that the Governor required their attendance in this Place immediately. The House, with Isaac Norris, Esquire, at their head, attended accordingly, and Mr. Norris addressing the Governor spoke as follows: "May it please the Governor, The House of Representatives at their Meeting yesterday, agreeable to their Adjournment, found themselves under an irreparable Loss by the Death of their late Speaker, whose Knowledge in the Laws render'd him excellently well qualified for that Trust, and proceeded to the Choice of another, which Choice had fallen on him, but inasmuch as there were many Members much better qualified than he for this Trust, he pray'd the Governor would be pleased to desire the House to reconsider their Choice and appoint some fitter Person; but the Governor saying the House had made a good Choice and such as he approved, Mr. Norris proceeded, saying since the Governor would not gratify his Request, though he still thought it a reasonable one, but approved the Choice of the House, as the Privileges of the House had been claimed by the late Speaker at the Beginning of the Year, he had nothing to mention now but what was personal, to wit, that his own unwilling mistakes might be excused and not imputed to the House; to which the Governor was pleased to answer it was a Right that ought to be observed." Upon which the House withdrew.

The Governor then reminded the Council that the House in their last January Session had presented to him for his Concurrence a Bill for the regulating the Probate of Wills within this Province; that he had detained it till now, in hopes of altering it so as to make it useful, but on considering it attentively and frequently he dislik'd it exceedingly and proposed to return it with a verbal Message by the Secretary; "That the Bill abolishes long settled Modes of trying last Wills and Testaments and Jurisdictions,

established under the Royal Charter and by two Acts of Assembly, and creates new Jurisdictions, with such unlimited Powers that the Consequences to the People cannot easily be foreseen; That as the Bill now stands the Governor is apprehensive it may subvert Esstates real, held by former Wills, render Purchases under future Devises precarious, and so endanger Executors and Administrators that no man can hereafter safely undertake these Trusts; That supposing the Governor and Assembly should think convenient to carry the principal Designs of the Bill into a Law, yet if his Apprehensions are well-founded the Bill will need so many Alterations and additional Clauses to avoid the Inconveniences and not incur others, that he inclines to think it a Subject proper for a time of more leisure, when the House can give it all the Attention an Affair of such Importance requires;" Which was approved and the Bill ordered to be returned accordingly."

At a Council held at Philadelphia, Thursday the 16th August, 1750.

PRESENT:

The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esqr., Lieutenant Gov

ernor.

Joseph Turner,

Richard Peters, Esquires.

The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approved. The Governor having received from his Grace the Duke of Bedford, one of his Majestie's Principal Secretaries of State, a printed Act of Parliament lately made and Entitled "An Act to encourage the Importation of Pig and Bar Iron from his Majesty's Colonies in America, and to prevent the Erection of any Mill or other Engine for Slitting or Rolling of Iron, or any Plating Forge to work with a Tilt Hammer, or any Furnace for making Steel in any of the said Colonies," The same was read, and likewise a Proclamation proposed to be published in relation thereto, which was approved. "By the Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esqr., Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Province of Pennsylvania and Counties of New Castle, Kent, and Sussex, on Dela

ware:

"A PROCLAMATION.

"Whereas, By an Act of Parliament passed in the Twenty-Third Year of his Majestie's Reign, entituled An Act to encourage the Importation of Pig and Bar Iron from his Majestie's Colonies in America, and to prevent the Erection of any Mill or other Engine for slitting or rolling of Iron, or any plating Forge to work with a Tilt Hammer, or any Furnace for making Steel in any of the said Colonies,' it is enacted 'That from and after the Twenty-Fourth