great warmth, & has contributed not a little to create jealousies & uneasiness in the minds of the People; We soon saw the effects it had even on our Public Amusements, some of which were drop'd after having been continued here without interruption for near thirty years, & the Inhabitants of the Town, by withdrawing themselves from those opportunities of intercourse with the Military, which were calculate to promote society and a good understanding between them, have already began to behave towards them with a coldness & distance too visible not to be remark'd. I hope your Lordship will pardon my entering on so minute a detail of this matter, & at the same time that I shall not forfeit so much of your Lordships good opinion as to be thought capable of engaging in a Contest of this kind merely on account of a Precedence at Public Spectacles & Diversions; My views were not so confin'd, & it would at any time. have been inexcusable to have acted on such weak motives, but more particularly at my time of life; The various Duties of my Commission if properly attended to, leave but little time for amusements, and as I seldom make my appearance at any of them, I contribute to their support cheifly as an entertainment to others, but when I found that this claim of the General's was so extensive, & likely to be productive of such ill consequences, I could not avoid being alarm'd, especially at a time when our neighbours have set us such Examples, & was not only at that time, but am still apprehensive that it may lay a foundation for future disorders:- I have endeavour'd by every Act in my power to remove those unwarrantable suppositions, to which this dispute has given rise, and although the strongest arguments may lose their effect on weak & ignorant minds, determin'd not to be convinced, I flatter myself that among those who will suffer their reason to come to their aid, I have not been without success. It is asserted here that Gen1 Monckton & Sr Charles Hardy my Predecessors in this Government were so far from acknowledging the superiority of the Commission which the Commander in Cheif of His Majesty's Forces held during their residence here, that they always took the Precedence on every Public occasion, to which they thought themselves intitled as Civil Governors of the Province; These Gentlemen are now in England, & may be easily call'd upon to know if there is any truth in this assertion, for I do not mention this from my own knowledge, but from the information of others.—I have already in many of my former letters laid before His Majesty's Ministers the present weakness of our Government, & have shew'd how necessary it was to have the Governors hands strengthened, that he might be able to act up to his Commission, & comply with his Duty to the Crown; The levelling Principles which prevail so much in this Country require it, and our late misfortunes too evidently prove the truth of what I have here advanc'd; In this situation the address must be to the Throne, where his Majesty's service is so materially concern'd. It is to him we all look up, as to the Fountain of Honor, & shall with all Duty & submission acquiesce in whatever shall be settled by the Royal determination. I have the honor to be with the greatest Respect New York August 19,h 1768 Earl of Hillsborough Secretary of State. Your Lordship's most obedient (Circular.) Earl of Hillsborough to the Governors in America. [Plantations General (8. P. 0. ) CCLIV. ] Whitehall Sept 2d 1768. The King having observed that the Governors of his Colonies have upon several Occasions taken upon them to communicate to their Councils and Assemblies either the whole or Parts of letters which they have received from His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, I have it in Command from His Majesty to signify to you that it is His Majesty's Pleasure that you do not upon any pretence whatever, communicate either to the Council or Assembly any Copies or Extracts of such Letters as you shall receive from His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State unless you have His Majesty's particular directions for so doing Your letters to me, wrote after your return from the Mohawk Country, and numbered from 12 to 21, have been duly received and laid before the King. The inclosed extract of a letter I have wrote by this Mail to Sir Wm Johnson will fully inform you of the directions I have given in respect to the Boundary Line between New York and the Indians, the settlement of which cannot fail of being greatly facilitated by the happy conclusion of the disputes respecting the Kayaderosseras Patent. His Majesty approves the Attention you have shewn to His commands concerning the New Hampshire Townships, and as the Report you have transmitted seems to contain every Circumstance relative to the actual state of their present cultivation & improvement, I make no doubt that the Board of Trade, to whom His Majesty has thought fit to refer this Business, will be enabled to recommend such measures as may decide upon the claims of the Grantees under the New Hampshire Patents, and induce an Improvement of these valuable Lands to the Public Benefit, and to the advantage of the Revenue. The Division of the County of Albany seems a very proper & necessary measure, and there can be no objection to your assenting to a Law for that Purpose, provided it is silent as to the Representation in the Assembly, which tho' it is certainly a privilege that ought not to be denied to the new County, yet His Majesty considers that they ought to derive it from His Royal Grace & favour, & therefore consents that you should (in case the Legislature think fit to create the new County) issue writs for the election of two Members into the General Assembly; but His Majesty does not approve of its being made a part of the Law. Your Letters concerning the Vacancies at the Council Board by the Resignation of Mr Alexander and by the Death of Mr Watts1 are ordered by His Majesty to be communicated to the Board of Trade, which will shortly assemble after the usual Recess at this Season of the Year, and I doubt not their Lordships will lose no time in making such Representations to His Majesty thereupon as they think fit. The orders given by the Commiss" of the Customs at Boston to Mr Eliot, appear to me to be ill judged, but as this is a matter which more particularly appertains to the Department of the Treasury, I have receiv'd His Majesty's commands to communicate to that Board what you say in your letter N° 20. upon that subject. Your letter N° 21. upon the subject of the Disputes between yourself and General Gage, concerning Rank and Precedence is under Consideration, and I trust such Orders will be given thereupon as may be equally satisfactory to both; in the mean time I am commanded by His Majesty to desire you will continue to Act with the same spirit of Prudence and Moderation by which your conduct upon this occasion appears to have been hitherto governed, & which His Majesty does very much approve. Sir Henry Moore Bar' I am &ca HILLSBOROUGH No 6. Earl of Hillsborough to Sir William Johnson. [Plantations General (S. P. 0.) CCLIV., No. 8. ] Whitehall October the 12th 1768 Sir, The experience the King has had of your ability and zeal for his service in the Department of Indian Affairs will always induce His Majesty to give attention to whatever you may think fit to submit upon that subject. His Majesty has therefore fully considered the remarks you make in your letter to me N° 2 upon the present State of the service under your direction and it gives his Majesty great satisfaction to find that the arrangements pointed out in my letter of the 15 of April, are in your opinion judiciously calculated to answer the object they have in view. It is not however upon the propriety of the propositions themselves that the advantage of them altogether depends, it is upon the execution of them, & upon the regulations which the Colonies shall think fit to adopt for the Management of the commercial part, that we are to rely for those benefitts which are intended to be the result of them. The relieving this Kingdom from every expence that can with safety be avoided is, in its present state, a consideration of the greatest importance it is one great object of this plan and I have it in command from the King in an especial manner to recommend to you the strictest Economy in those services, the expence of which is to be defrayed by this Kingdom, and it is his Majesty's pleasure that after consulting with General Gage, you should make out some certain Estimate of what you think the State of the Service in your Department may require 1 Sic. The name is William Walton in New-York Council Minutes, XXVI., 145. See pott p. 109. The Honble Mr. Watta ■arrived tha American Revolution and died in Wales. Dt Peysttr Genealogy, 69. — ED. to be laid before his Majesty for his consideration in order to the determining whether any greater Sum than that recommended by the Board of Trade should be finally allowed for this service. In the mean time, and until you receive the Kings further commands, it is his Majestys pleasure that the annual expence of the service should on no account exceed that Sum. His Majesty observes by General Gage's letters received at the same time with yours, that you have estimated the expence of runing the Boundary Line at no less a Sum than £10,000 Sts which, without knowing the Ground on which this calculation is made, appears to imply demands on the parts of the Savages which cannot but be thought very unreasonable, when it is considered that the Settlement of this business has been so long earnestly solicited by them, and that the line proposed does in many places preclude from the Settlement lands that were before supposed not to be contested by them, and does in others add less to his Majesty's Dominions than what themselves proposed in the negotiation with you in 1765. If however notwithstanding all the Attention his Majesty is persuaded you will give to Economy, in resisting every exorbitant demand, such expence is to be incurred, and the gratifications to the Indians on this occasion, are so far to exceed what might reasonably have been hoped for, it becomes highly expedient that the Colonies Interested in this measure, and whose limits of Settlement are extended by it, should be early apprized of what will be required in order that they may make timely provision in proportion to the benefit they are respectively to receive from it; for it cannot upon any grounds of reason or justice be expected, that this Kingdom should take it upon itself the whole, or indeed any part, of the expence of a measure calculated for the local interests of particular Colonies. His Majesty entirely approves the continuing the Boundary Line Northward from Owegy so as to include the Province of New York and thereby render the line perfect and complete; And I am to recommend to you that no time be lost in bringing this negotiation to a conclusion, in the conduct of which it will be necessary that Sir Henry Moore should be consulted, so that there may be a perfect agreement of all parties, by which alone those difficulties may be overcome which occured upon this Subject in the negotiation of 1765, & which have hitherto made it impossible to give any precise directions from hence. Having signified to you his Majestys commands upon all those parts of your letter upon which you desire instruction, I cannot avoid taking some Notice upon the plan for Indian Affairs prepared by the Lords of Trade in 1764, when I had the honor of a Seat at that Board, But before I make any remarks upon the plan itself, as applied to the present State and Circumstances of America, you will give me leave to observe to you, that the Lords of Trade did not consider it as a measure ripe for Execution, and therefore did not report it to the King, but in order to enable themselves to form a more complete Judgement of it, they transmitted it as minutes of their Board to yourself, and the Governors of the Colonies for your Consideration, and to receive your opinion upon the several propositions it contained: What you say therefore of its having met with his Majesty's approbation; Of its having been carried into execution; And of the Assurances given that it should be finally established, are Circumstances of which I am entirely ignorant. The propriety and practicability of carrying that plan into Execution depended upon the possession of the interior Country by Posts and Establishments; Upon the Concurrence of the Colonies in an opinion of the Commercial Advantages of it, and upon the creating a fund in those Colonies to defray the expence; But since it has been thought advisable to withdraw the troops from and to abandon the Posts; since the Colonies themselves do not think that a General regulation for Commerce consists with their interests, and have each for itself desired to make its own regulations, and it is become more difficult in the present State of the Colonies to create a general fund to defray the expence, I must confess that I do entirely concur in the measures which have been proposed by the Board of Trade, and are the foundation of those Instructions which I have it in Charge from His Majesty's to recommend to your attention, not doubting but through your assistance, and with your advice, the Colonies will be induced to adopt such regulations for the Commercial parts as will improve the Trade, and fix the Affection of the Savages, and in the end produce all those advantages which you seem to think would have been derived from the Execution of the plan suggested by the Board of Trade in 1764. I am &ca HILLSBOROUGH (N° 26.) My Lord, Governor Moore to the Earl of Hillsborough. [New-York, CLX., A. 46. ] Fort George October 19th 1768 His Majesty's Order in Council confirming the Boundary Line between the Provinces of New York & Quebeck1 which I had the honor of receiving from your Lordship by this Pacquet shall be laid before the House of Assembly as soon as possible after their Meeting, which is fixed for the 27th day of this Instant, that they may be enabled to take the necessary steps in conjunction with the Province of Quebec for opening & continuing the Line as directed in the Order, and I shall not fail on my own part to give a due attention to those Limitations & Restrictions directed to be observed in carrying it into execution. I have the honor to be with the greatest Respect Since my writing the foregoing Letter, I have had an opportunity of laying the Order before His Majesty's Council, who are under some difficulties in regard to the construction of the first proviso therein mentioned viz. "Provided that nothing herein contained shall extend to affect "the Properties of His Majesty's new subjects having possessions under proper titles on those "parts of the Lands, on the south side of this Line the Dominion of which was not disputed on "the part of the Crown of Great Britain." No Line of jurisdiction having ever been settled between this Province & Quebec 'till that which was fixed by General Carleton & myself & approved of by His Majesty, each of the Provinces have endeavoured to extend their claim as far as they possibly could, The English to the River St. Lawrence, & the French to the Southward of Lake George; The consequence of which has been that the Lands on both sides 1 Supra, p. 88. -ED. 1 |