ourselves in every Point that can with any Colour of Reason be desired of us, for obtaining the proposed End of giving Peace to His Majesty's distressed Subjects in those parts for the Interim, till either our Boundaries are effectually settled, or till we know His Majesty's Pleasure touching the same; and if we should yet unhappily fail of It, we mus tleave it, as we formerly said, to His Wisdom & Goodness to determine at whose Door the Oppression of his Subjects is to be laid. We are, "Sir, "Your Friends, & humble Servants, "In behalf of the Council, "For His Majesty's Service. "JAMES LOGAN, Presid "To the Honble Samuel Ogle, Esqr., Governor of Maryland.' At a Council held at Philadia., May 3d, 1737. PRESENT: The Honble JAMES LOGAN, Esqr., President. The Minute of the preceeding Council being read & approved, The President acquainted the Board that the assembly, pursuant to their adjournment, having met last night, had sent this morning two Members to acquaint him, & by his means the Council, that the House were met, & if the Board had any thing to lay before them, in which their Concurrence might be necessary, they were ready to receive it; and the President hereupon representing that as the House had been called together in December on the Subject of the late Violences of the Governor of Maryland, & they had then joyned with this Board in a Representation of the same to His Majesty, he conceived it would be proper at this meeting to say something further of those affairs, & having drawn up the following Message he now laid the same before the Board for their Opinion. Which being read, was unanimously approved, & as sent down to the House is in these Words: "From the President & Council to the House of Representatives. "Gentlemen: "The last time you mett was upon the Subject of the Abuses numbers of the Inhabitants of this Province had received from our unkind Neighbours, in the Administration of the Government of Maryland, on which you judged it proper to joyn with this board in an Address or humble Petition to His Majesty; of the Success whereof, or further than that the Ship it went in, after a long passage, got safely to London, we have not yet heard anything, there being no Vessell arrived here, as might have been expected, this Spring from Britain. We can, therefore, only observe to you that notwithstanding all the legal means in our Power, and these at a very considerable Expence, have been used to put a stop to the Violences of the Persons acting under that Government, on the west side of Sasquehannah, yet a great many of our Inhabitants. have, by a continued Series of those Abuses, been treated with the same Inhumanity & Cruelty as heretofore; and as these Affairs may deserve your Consideration, If you desire to be acquainted with any of the Particulars, you shall receive all the Satisfaction therein that this Board can give you. E. "JAMES LOGAN, Presid'." At a Council held at Philadia., May 4th, 1737. PRESENT: The Honble JAMES LOGAN, Esqr., President. Samuel Preston, Samuel Hasell, } Esqrs. The Minute of the preceeding Council being read and approved, The President acquainted the Board that he had called them together to receive the Answer which he understood the House had ordered to be sent up to the Message of yesterday; & Notice being given that two Members of the House were attending, they were called in, & having delivered the following Paper, said they were ordered to acquaint the President and Council that if they had nothing further to lay before the House, they proposed to adjourn till some time in August. The Members being desired to withdraw for a litle, the Paper delivered by them was read in these Words: "The Answer of the House of Representatives to the Message of the Honourable President and Council. "The unhappy Occasion of our last Meeting gave a very sensible Concern to all such as wish well to the Peace and Prosperity of Pennsylvania, and we are now no less affected to hear those Abuses are still continued so much to the Inturruption of that good Understanding which formerly subsisted between us and our Neighbours of Maryland. As the Measures which we conceived most proper for our Relief were then taken, we hope it will not be long before the King's Pleasure is known, and we partake of the good Effects of his Wisdom & Justice, not doubting but your care will in the meantime be continued to use legal Means to preserve the Peace & Quiet of the People of this Province; And we, on our part, shall always be ready to do what is necessary for supporting this Government, while the Measures taken to protect our Inhabitants in the quiet Enjoyment of their Liberties and Properties are consistent with the peaceable Principles of the People we represent. "3d Mo. 4, 1737." "Signed by Order of the House, Whereupon, and pursuant to the Opinion of the Board, the Members were again called in, and told by the President that since the Answer fully expressed the Resolution of the House on the Message sent them, the Subject matter of which was conceived proper for their Consideration, the Board had nothing further at present to Offer. At a Council held at Philadia., May 12th, 1737. PRESENT: The Honble JAMES LOGAN, Esqr., President, Samuel Preston, Thomas Laurence, Ralph Assheton, Samuel Hasell, The Minute of the preceeding Council being read and approved, The President acquainted the Board that not long after receiving, on the 20th of December last, the Letter from the Governor of Virginia, then communicated to several Members of this Board, on the Subject of negotiating a Peace between the Indians of the Six Nations & the Southern Indians, the Cherikees & Catawbas, & desiring for that End a Message might be sent from hence to invite some of the Chiefs of the Six Nations to Williamsburgh, where the Deputies of those Southern Indians would attend, he, the President, had an Opportunity of seeing Conrad Weyser in this place, & judging him; from the Experience this Government has had of his Honesty & Fidelity, to be the most proper Person to carry to the Six Nations the Message proposed in that Letter, he, the President, engaged Weyser to undertake the Business, & gave him proper Instructions to that End; that being returned, he, in his own Words & Hand writing, had given a very distinct & Satisfactory Account of the Errand he was sent on, in a Paper, which being laid before the Board and read, The Answer of the six Nations is in Substance, that they were ready & willing to treat of & conclude a Peace with their Enemies the Southern Indians, but declining going to Williamsburgh, they, the Six Nations, proposed Albany for the place of meeting, where they desired their Brother Onas or (Penn) might be present, and that they had agreed to a Cessation of Arms for one year. The President proceeded to acquaint the Board that the same day he received Governor Gooch's Letter he had answered it, & likewise wrote on the Subject to the Lieutenant Governor of New York, a Copy of whose Answer he had sent in a second Letter to Mr. Gooch, but having since heard nothing from him, it was to be suspected the Letter had miscarried; that upon this Occasion of transmitting to him Weyser's Paper he had wrote another Letter, & would be glad to have the Sentiments of the Board on it; and the same being read, the Board declaring their Approbation of the several Steps taken by the President in this matter, are unanimously of Opinion that the Establishment of a Peace between the Six Nations & Southern Indians, both of whom are in Alliance & Friendship with His Majesty's Colonies on this Continent, would not only be an effectual Means to strengthen these People against a common Enemy, but likewise might in many Respects prove highly serviceable to the British Interest, and that therefore a Design of this Nature ought to receive from the Government all possible Encouragement & Furthance. The President then representing to the Board that it haveing been lately under their Consideration to send from hence two Gentlemen duly authorised by this Government, to Annapolis, to press Governor Ogle to an explicite & positive Declaration on the several Proposals made by this Board for restoring Peace on the western side of Sasquehannah, that Mr. Preston having been prevailed on to undertake the Journing, and Mr. Kinsey, who had been thought of as a proper Companion for him, being now at Liberty to attend the Business, the President moved that the Board would consider of proper Instructions to be given these Gentleman, with a Letter of Credence, for that their setting out ought not longer to be delayed, no answer being received by the Return of the Maryland Post to the last Letter from hence, & Governor Ogle's whole Conduct in this Negotiation furnishing but too good Reasons to suspect that, notwithstanding his high Professions, he intends little else than delay & Amusement; and the board concurring in Sentiments with the President, he laid before them an unfinished Draught of Instructions, which being read, is continued under Consideration till tomorrow morning at eleven a clock, to which time the Council adjourned. At a Council held at Philadia., May 13th, 1737. PRESENT: The Honble JAMES LOGAN, Esqr., President. Samuel Preston, Thomas Laurence, Ralph Assheton, Samuel Hasell, Thomas Griffitts. Esqrs. The Minute of yesterday's Council being read and approved, The Consideration of the Matters touching the Treaty with Maryland was resumed, and a compleated Draught of the Instructions, with a Draught of a Letter of Credence, were read, & being debated, were continued under consideration till to-Morrow. At a Council held at Philadia., May 14th, 1737. PRESENT: The Honble JAMES LOGAN, Esqr., President. The Minute of the preceeding Council being read and approved, The Board resumed the Consideration of the Instructions & Letter of Credence, & upon mature & deliberate Advisement, the same were fully agreed & concluded upon; but as Mr. Kinsey, who is to bear a part in the Negotiation, is not yet come to town from Jersey, if any thing shall be found further necessary by his advice to be added to the instructions, the Board agree that it may be done by the President, or if the Matter be of Importance the Council may be called to consider of it. The Letter is as follows: "Sir: Philadelphia, May 14th, 1737. Having in our late Letters given you ample Proof of our sincere Inclinations to bring the Treaty that has for some time past been on Foot between us to a Conclusion, in departing for the present from our undoubted Right, and condescending further than with Reason & Justice could be expected of us, & being fully determined to persevere in the same Zeal for putting a Stop to those Disorders on the western side of Sasquehannah that, to the great Reproach of Government, have been carried on amongst His Majesty's Subjects, whose Peace & Security we are equally on both sides obliged to study & maintain, We have now thought fitt to appoint two Gentlemen of Character & Worth, Samuel Preston and |