local views & interests, if they became the purchasers, would have greatly retarded the proceeding, & possibly have rendered the Congress abortive, which must have greatly incensed the Indians who were assembled from a great distance for that purpose, The Indians did for the most part desire that a Line should be settled, to which the prospect of a large present was no inconsiderable motive, but as I observed in a former letter the length of time from its being first proposed 'till the final orders for it's settlement, created so many doubts amongst them, and gave such opertunity to evil minded persons to misrepresent it, that the Indians were verry far from being so unanimous as at first, and the Variety of difficulties arose, on which occasion I did the best I could for the Interests of the Crown, and I persuade myself that on due consideration of these difficulties, & of the value & great extent of the Cession beyond what had been ever claimed by us in right of purchase, it will appear to be a verry reasonable consideration, and in order that the Crown might be reimbursed give me leave to suggest to your Lordship, that an Instruction to the Governours of the Royal Colonies, directing that all future grants within such Cession be liable to a fine, suppose ten pounds sterling for each thousand acres over & besides Fees & Quit rent (which sum is about the usual rate of the Indian purchases, & will on everry Million of acres produce ten thousand pounds sterling) That in such case, the Crown will verry soon be reimbursed without reckoning the income annually accruing from the Grants.-This is humbly offered in case His Majesty should not demand a reimbursement from each province of its particular quota. And the private grantees can have no reason to complain, as the terms I have suggested are full as moderate as Indian purchases have been for some years past.

I am glad that His Majesty is pleased to approve the continuing the Boundary Line so as to include the Province of New York, as I could not receive His Majesty's Commands in sufficient time, & as I found that the Indians more imediately affected by it, were for continuing it in a manner I looked upon to be verry disadvantagious, I thought it best to stop at the mouth of Canada Creek till I received the King's commands, which possibly may now be carried into execution, On which occasion I shall consult Sir Henry Moore.

Since the receipt of the plan prepared by the Lords of Trade, I did conceive from some letters I had the honour to receive, that either that plan, or something similar thereto would have been adopted, which I communicated to the Indians as Information wh must prove highly satisfactory to them, as they consider the interposition & management of their affairs by the imediate servants of the Crown as best calculated for their happiness & interests, from the verry high opinion they entertain of His Majesty, which I thought my duty always to promote. It was therefore natural for them to found their Expectations on such a plan as seemed best for their interests, this is all that was meant by the observation in my former letter, In order to shew as I thought it my duty to do, that y hopes & desires of the Indians were founded on an establishment under the imediate direction of His Majesty's servants, Not as any remark of mine on a reform which is the best calculated for releiving the kingdom of a heavy burthen. As the present plan seems calculated for the purposes & from the circumstances mentioned in your Lordship's letter it is my duty and inclination, and it shall be my particular study to recommend it in the most favourable light to the Indians & to promote the execution of it to the utmost of my power.

The reasonableness & necessity of the small additional expence I have proposed will I presume appear evident for the enabling me to execute the several duties which fall under my

superintendency, which I shall discharge to the utmost extent of my power & the fund allowed, as becomes a good subject, aud your Lordship's

In my last which was wrote a few days ago I had the honour to answer your Lordships letter (N° 6) and I have now that of November last (N° 7) with enclosures which I did not receive 'till a few Days since.

The Representations in my letter N° 3 to which your Lordships last is in answer, & which regarded the intrigues & practices of the French and Spaniards with its effects upon the Indians I have always thought a matter of the most serious consequence And have studyed to detect, as well as to frustrate to the utmost of my power, and I shall endeavour as far as in me lyes to obtain such evidence of Facts and other information as may be necessary, but your Lordship is doubtless sensible that such an enquiry must be involved in many Difficulties, as the information of Indians may not be admitted as sufficient proof, & those who intrigue with them are at such a distance, & act with so much caution that few (if any) white men have had ocular demonstration of it, notwithstanding the variety of corresponding accounts and other circumstances leave little reason to doubt ye Fact. It may be that these proceedings are not by Authority of the French or Spanish Courts, it is likewise probable that they may be in some circumstances exaggerated, but the effect is unluckily the same, as the Indians beleive that they are all by authority of these Crowns, and the large presents they have from time to time made to them farther confirm them in the opinion that they don't come from private Adventurers. There are a number of Renegado French & Canadians who reside about the Mississipi & the Western Lake &c, many of whom dare not make their appearance in any of the Colonies. These men are ready to undertake any thing & find an advantage in everry rupture, And as it is agreable both to their interest & inclination to disturb the tranquility of the Brittish Government, they would be guilty of so doing without any authority, how much more if connived at, or perhaps countenanced by France or Spain, which my Lord is far from being improbable, if either of these Courts have a war in view, in that case the Incursions of the Indians would prove of infinite use to them, as it would not only prove the ruin of our frontiers & trade and give a check to privateering from hence, but involve us in a heavy expence and draw part of our attention to the back country, even should we suppose that the Canadians would all remain faithfull to their allegiance or that the enemy could not land troops on any part of the Continent. —As to any assurances given by French or Spannish Governours in America, experience & their conduct previous to the two last wars make me verry doubtfull of them, as they gave the same Vol. VIII.

20

assurances at those periods, whilst they acted the like part, and tho their disavowall of such seductive practices prevented the good effect of the intelligence given of them, yet, the event justified the information: Everry war is of some advantage to those who would rival us in trade, & stops the sale of the Brittish Manufactures, but in case of a rupture with the Crowns I have mentioned, as a revolt of the Indians would then be of the greatest importance to them it is their interest to render the Indians during a peace dissatisfied with our Government, & to continue to seduce them till they have occasion for their services, to counteract them in time is our business, but this cannot be done without some expence and employing several persons of integrity, influence and capacity in the Indian Country or at the out posts.

I humbly offer my most dutifull regards for the King's Speech and the Addresses which I had the honour to receive, The firmness of the former, & the unanimity expressed in the latter afforded me the highest satisfaction and gave me reason to hope that the unhappy disputes excited by some turbulent zealots in this country, will be speedily terminated in a manner consistent with the honour of Crown, and the true happiness of the people.-It gave me infinite pleasure to hear from your Lordship that Her Majesty was happily brought to bed of a Princess, I beg leave most sincerely to congratulate your Lordship upon an event which must add to His Majesty's Domestick happiness, & that of all His faithfull subjects.

Your duplicates N° 31. & 32. were received on the ll,h of February, and having been laid before the King, I have his Majesty's Commands to communicate that which relates to the very extraordinary proceedings and resolutions of the Assembly, to such of His Mojty'* servants, upon whom his Maju relies for their advice in matters of the greatest importance; and I expect that in a few days their sentiments in respect to these proceedings, will be reported to His Maj

As to the propositions for building a Town at Crown Point, which is the subject of your letter N° 31. it seems, in the general view of it, to be a measure which, if well executed, cannot fail of being productive of much public advantage; & if upon further examination of it by the Board of Trade, to whom His Maj" has directed it shd be referred, it shall appear to them in the same light; I shall hope soon to be able to send you His Maju'* further orders thereupon,

March 1, 1769.

I am ettc.

HILLSBOROUGH.

Sir

Lords of Trade to Governor Moore.

[New-York Entries, Q., 443. ]

To Sir Henry Moore Baronet Governor of New York.

Inclosed we send you a copy of a petition presented to His Majesty by Sir James Jay1 and others, stating their claims to certain lands in New York under an Indian title, and praying to have that title confirmed.

As it will be necessary in order to enable us to report our opinion upon this petition, that we should have every information which the records of New York can afford, touching the several matters alleged therein, the situation & extent of the lands, the manner in which the property of them was originally acquired, whether they are or are not claimed by any other persons, & whether there have been any or what publick transactions relative thereto : we must desire you will take the necessary steps for obtaining this information and transmit to us a full report thereof by the first opportunity that offers;—We are, Sir

Since my letter to you of the 1st inst: N° 25. I have received and laid before the King your dispatches, Numbered 33, 34, 35, & 36.

I have nothing in command from His Majesty to signify to you upon the subject of your letter N° 32, for it is unnecessary to inform you that the King saw with great concern, the violent and unwarrantable resolutions entered upon the Journal of the Assembly on the 31 December last. When I compare the sentiments of duty and respect for the Constitution and Govern' expressed in their address to you of the 23rd of Novr, with the very contrary spirit of those Resolutions, I am at a loss to conjecture what could be the cause of so extraordinary an alteration in the course of six weeks, when no new event whatever had happened; for although the time, that passed from one to the other seems to favour such a suspicion, I can hardly allow my mind to conceive, that there is wickedness enough on this side of the water to write over misrepresentations of the State of Govern' here, and arguments of artifice and false policy to excite and induce the Assembly of New York to a departure from that moderation which

1 See VII., 498, note 1. — ED.

they had manifestly adopted; nor on the other hand, that there would be weakness enough on your side to allow them to give attention to any such.

It is however worth the while to make enquiries, and to find out, if possible, whether any methods have been made use of and by whom from this side, to stir up such a spirit as shews itself in those resolutions, and if you can make any such discovery you will be pleased to communicate them to me, to the end that his Majestys Servants may be upon their Guard with respect to Men of so mischievous and treacherous a disposition.

Mr Charles having put into my hands the Petition to the King of the New Assembly of New York on the subject of the Revenue Laws, I lost no time in presenting it to His Maj"; and altho' the King considers the Assembly sending a Petition to His Majv through any other Channel, than that of his Gov' as irregular and disrespectful, yet His Majesty was graciously pleased to receive it; and His Maj' having well weighed and considered the purport thereof, has commanded me to signify to you that he does disapprove of it, as containing declarations and asserting claims inconsistent with the Constitution and tending to deny and draw into question the supreme authority of Parliament to bind the Colonies by Laws in all cases whatever. Before I received your Letter N° 33. His Maj" had upon the recommendation of the Board of Trade, appointed Mr White to be of the Council, it appearing that there were many precedents of Councils in several of the Colonies, consisting of 12 Members exclusive of the Lieut1 Govr; but as the continuing that number in New York is not Judged necessary, Mr White must be considered as coming in the place of Mr De Lancey, and consequently what you urge in favour of Mr Livingston, must remain for the consideration of the Board of Trade, when another vacancy happens.

His Maj' considers in the most gracious manner, the attention shewn by the Assembly to what was recommended to them respecting an alteration in their impost-Law, and hopes, that when they find it necessary to receive1 the Militia Law, it will be framed according to Instructions you have received upon that subject.

There can be no doubt but that if the Assembly think fit to erect three Counties in the district set off from the County of Albany, instead of one as was at first proposed, the issuing writs to all three to send Representatives would be a very proper step, considering it merely in the light of equal justice to them; but the making so considerable an addition to the number of the Assembly, is a measure, the general expediency of which ought to be well weighed, and the influence and effect of it well considered, before any resolution is taken, and therefore it is His Maju'* pleasure that such addition should not be made until you shall have transmitted a further Report, and have received His Maj**'* Commands in consequence thereof. As the Lords of Trade have now under their consideration, as well the propriety of Sir Will Johnson's proceedings touching the boundary line, as the arrangements it may be proper to make in case the cession of Lands by the Indians is confirmed, I must wait for their Report upon this business before I can give any answer to your letter N° 36. which entirely relates to that subject, and makes a part of the papers upon which their LordPPs are to report their opinion. The inclosed Memorial of Mr Cummingh having been laid before the King, I am to signify to you His Majy'' commands, that in case any Bill of the nature of that pointed out by Mr Cumming shall be proposed in the Assembly, you should give it all proper countenance and facility.