At a Council held at Philadelphia, May 8th, 1739. PRESENT: The Honourable GEORGE THOMAS, Esqr., Lieutenant Goy ernour. Samuel Preston, Clement Plumsted, Ralph Assheton, Samuel Hasell, Esqrs. The Minutes of the Five preceeding Meetings being read, were approved of. The Governour laid before the Board two Verbal Messages he had received from the Assembly, with his verbal Answers to them, Viz' : The 1st instant, The Assembly by two of their Members acquainted the Governour that they were met according to Adjournment, and were ready to receive any thing his Honour might have to lay before them. To which the Governour reply'd, That as much had been said at the last Meeting of the Assembly and nothing done, he thought it not necessary to recommend any thing further to them now; but should any thing occur during the time of their sitting, he would acquaint the House of it by a Message. The 4th instant, The Assembly by six of their Members returned the Paper-Money Bill to the Governour without agreeing to the Amendment sent down to it at the last meeting, and said that they hoped the Governour had laid their Reasons against the Amendment relating to the Quitrents before the Proprietors, and that he would now pass the Bill without that Amendment. To which the Governour sent the following verbal Message by his Secretary, Viz": I am commanded by his Honour the Governour to tell the House That he has no no power from the Proprietors to recede from the Instruction relating to Paper-Money Bills, nor is his own Judgment altered by any Reasons given by your House against the Amendments sent to the Bill at your last Meeting, and that he thinks it lay upon the House, if you would not agree to those Amendments as they were drawn, to offer such expedients at least as may give the Proprietors just and ample Satisfaction in the matter of their Quitrents; And that he has therefore returned the Bill. Then the Governour laid before the Board his Correspondence with the Commissioners appointed to join those of Maryland to run the Line between the two Provinces, pursuant to his Majesties Order in Council of the 25th of May, 1738. As also the Petitions of two Criminals, Viz: Margaret Ingram and Martha Cash, condemned at the last Court of Oyer and Terminer held in this City, for Burglary, and expressed his Inclination, as one of them pleaded guilty and appeared very penitent, and the other is very aged, to reprieve them upon Condition that they would transport themselves out of the Province and not return to it again; which was approved of. At a Council held at Philadelphia, May 12th, 1739. The Minute of May the 8th was read and approved. The Message from the Assembly of the 10th instant was read, and is as follows, Viz": "A Message from the House of Representatives to the Governour. "May it Please the Governour; "The House having taken into Consideration the Governour's Message of the 5th instant, find themselves under a very great Difficulty by the Governour's Demand in favour of our Proprietors, and at the same time to preserve the Credit of our Paper-Money, upon which the Prosperity of the Province so much depends. "But as we have the peace and Happiness of the People whom we represent very much at Heart, and in Consideration that Silver Coin, the Specie in which our Quitrents are agreed to be paid, is scarce to be had, and the Bill for re-emitting our Paper-Money, &c., now again returned to us by the Governour, being a Bill of great Consequence, as well for the Support of the Government as the Trade of the Province, and will conduce very much to the Relief of the Inhabitants and preserving Peace among us, if the said Bill may be passed into a Law without the Amendment proposed by the Governour, the only Mean to preserve the Credit of Our PaperMoney, We have agreed to pay to our Proprietors the Sum of Twelve Hundred Pounds as a Compensation for the Loss they have sustained by being kept out of that part of the old Quitrents of One Shilling Sterling Hundred Acres yet remaining unpaid, they receiving the same in our Bills of Credit, as made current by the Laws of this Province, instead of Silver. And likewise, in Consideration that our Proprietors will receive the said Bills of Credit as current in Payment for the Quitrents contracted for before the Year 1732, during the time limited in the Bill now before the House for Re-emitting the Bills of Credit therein mentioned, we agree to pay to them the Sum of one Hundred and Thirty pounds Annually during that time; Which said several sums the House do humbly hope will be accepted of as ample Satisfaction to our Proprietors for any Disappointment they may apprehend they have received, or may receive, in not having the said Quitrents paid in Silver money, as reserved in their Grants to the People. Signed by Order of the House, "3 Mon. 10th, 1739." "ANDREW HAMILTON, Speaker. A Bill sent up from the Assembly, Entitled an Act for the more easy and speedy Recovery of small Debts, was read, and ordered to be read at the next meeting, Paragraph by Paragraph. A Petition of sundry Germans and other Foreigners (now inhab itants of this Province) praying that they may be granted the Benefit of Natural born Subjects of Great Britain by an Act of Naturalization, was read. At a Council held at Philadelphia, May 14th, 1739. PRESENT: The Honourable GEORGE THOMAS, Esqr., Lieutenant Gov The Governour communicated his Answer to the Assembly's Message relating to the Proprietary Quitrents, which was read as follows, Viz": "His Honour the Governour to the Gentlemen of the Assembly. "Gentlemen: "The Bill for re-emitting your Paper-Money, returned to you a few Days ago, is indeed a Bill of great Consequence to the Province, and had there been a Provision made in it for such as have and may suffer by it, my sincere Regard for your Welfare would not have allowed me to have so long deni'd my Assent to it; but as Justice ought to be the Foundation of all Laws, and no Country can prosper without a strict Regard to it, I am perswaded that you will hold me excused for thinking my self obliged to contend for it. I shall upon all Occasions join with you in the properest Measures for preserving the Peace of the Province, and shall chearfully undertake whatever I think may be instrumental towards adjusting the present Dispute. I am glad to find in your last Message the same Disposition, and can not doubt, had you known the true State of the Proprietor's Quitrents, but the Compensation offer'd would have been as ample as it was well intended; but as it falls very short of what is already due, and will become due in the Term limited, I can not promise myself that they will accept of it. I therefore earnestly recommend it to you to reconsider this Matter, and bring the work you have already begun to an equitable and happy Conclusion. "GEORGE THOMAS." The Bill Intitled An Act for the more easy and speedy Recovery of small Debts, was read a second time, Paragraph by Paragraph, & agreed to, with a small Amendment. The Petition of the Germans was considered, and the following Message sent to the Assembly: "His Honour the Governour in Council to the Gentlemen of the Assembly. "Gentlemen: "Upon Application made to me on behalf of several Germans, Inhabitants of this Province, that they may enjoy the Rights and Privileges of English Subjects, and for that end praying to be naturalized, I have made enquiry, and find that those whose Names are mentioned in a Petition now laid before your House, have regularly taken up Lands from the Proprietors; that they have taken the Oaths or Affirmations enjoyned by Law, and have peaceably demeaned themselves since their coming into this Government. From these Considerations, I am willing to join with your House in passing a Bill for their Naturalization. "GEORGE THOMAS." At a Council held at Philadelphia, May 18th, 1839. PRESENT: The Honourable GEORGE THOMAS, Esqr., Lieutenant Gov ernour. Samuel Preston, Clement Plumsted Samuel Hasell, Esqrs. The Assembly having returned the Paper Money Bill, and inserted several of the Amendments proposed by this Board, it was agreed to be passed. The Message of the Assembly of the 15th instant, with the Governour's Answer thereto were read, and ordered to be entered as follows, Viz: "Message to the Governor from the House of Representatives. "May it please the Governour: "The Sense the Governour is pleased to express of the great Consequence of the Bill now before the House, and of his sincere Regard for the Peace and Welfare of the Province, is very agreeable to us; and as this Bill is, in our Understanding, calculated to do equal Justice to all who shall be obliged to receive the Bills of Credit thereby to be emitted, we hope the Governour will believe that we entertain the same Sentiments of Justice with himself, and that we think it to be the best support of all Government. "It is now, as it always has been, the Intent of the Ligislature, since Bills of Credit were first emitted in this Province, to keep them up as near as possible to the Value for which they were struck; and if at any time they have fallen below that, we presume it did not proceed from any Want of sufficiency in the Security upon which they were emitted, but rather from the great Importation of british Manufactures, which called for more Remittances than could readily be made to pay for them, which in our Opinion could have an Effect even upon Gold and Silver, tho' not in the same degree. "We are sensible it may be an Inconvenience to our Proprietors to receive our Bills of Credit instead of Silver, and for that Reason it was we agreed to make them the Amends proposed in our Message to the Governour of the 10th Instant, for any Disappointments they might meet with in the Receipts of their Quitrents. And in this we did not proceed upon the Foot of Calculations, but as a Mark of that Regard and Esteem the People of this Province have always expressed for that Honourable Family, and to make them easie in passing the Bill before the House. "Upon these Considerations the House have proceeded, from which they find no Reason to recede; And as we are well assured every thing contributing to the Prosperity and Peace of the Province will be always acceptable to our Proprietors, We do assure the Governour there is nothing in the Power of the Legislature to do at this time that will more engage the Duty and Affections of the People to the Proprietary Family, nor add to their sense of the Governour's Regard to their Welfare, than his assent to this Bill. Signed by Order of the House, "3 Mon., 15, 1739." "ANDREW HAMILTON, Sp aker. "His Honour, the Governour, to the Gentlemen of the Assembly. "Gentlemen: "It will be needless now to repeat the Arguments which have been made use of by me to induce you to agree to the Amendments relating to the Proprietary Quitrents, since the Gentleman who now resides with you out of a pure Regard to your Happiness, and from |