form of all Obligations & I cannot but take it hard thou should be unwilling to venture so much for thy own Credit as well as that of the Governmt & for the Husband of thy only Child from those I am not concerned with I expect a more express answer than thou hast yet given & remain thy affect"ate Kinsman Indorsed. "Gov' to WM. MARKHAM, 27th of Jan' 99-00." W. P. COPY-LETTER WM. PENN TO JOHN PARMITER, 1699. Cosin Parmiter: I am glad the Rigour of the Season had no greater Influence on thy journey home. As for thy Acknowledgements of flavours rec'vd., did not my opinion of thy Sincerity, as a Relation and a ffriend, make me hope for better things, I might rather take them as reproaches for the defects of thy entertainmt, which I must confess that rather deserved than any other kinder Returns; But my engagemts at that time in ye public affairs and settling my family, will plead ye Excuse, wch I hope thy next Visit shall not need. I am obliged for thy quick Care about ye Wine; I doubt not but thine and Doct' Rodman's Skill, with Coll. Depeister's good Humour, will supply me with what is good; and if so, Another Hh would not be unwelcome. If he please to draw his Bills, shall meet all duly answered, if not, I shall remitt it p'first. This place is so very dry of Wine at p'sent that a small sloop load from thence would, I believe, meet with a very ready Market and encouraging Price. Indorsed.-Gov' to John Parmiter, 30, 11mo -99. COPY-WM. PENN TO ESQR. FRISBY, 1700. Esteemed ffrd: It was disappointm' I drew upon my self that I was so short in my Civility to thee. So soon as ye Council arose I did immediately intend thee a Visit, w Wm. Southby told me it was too late; but I hope it is not so to desire thy excuse & to assure thee there are not many people in these pts for whom I entertain a more particular regard, being obliged to it by thy former as well as modern kindness: I shall heartily embrace every opportunity by weh I may doe my self ye right to express it. I wish thee & thine all happiness, & am with affection & esteem thy very assured fra. Direction. To my Hon" ff Esq ffrisby, in Maryland. COPY-WM. PENN TO LUKE WATSON, 1700. Luke Watson, Loving fra: W. P. 15 2d mo. 1700. Thy Son's Wife has made Affidavit today before me of what she Saw & knowes of Geo. Thomson having East India Goods by him about ye time Kidd's Ship came to yo' Capes: Thy Son doubtless knowes much more of the business; I desire therefore thou would cause him to make Affidavit before thee of what he knows either of Georges Goods or any of ye rest, and thou wilt oblige thy. COPY-WM. PENN TO J. DONALDSON, &c. 1700. Jn Donaldson, Robt ffrench, Loving frds: Being informed that there are Several Pirates, or p'sons so suspected lately landed below, on this and t'other side of the River, & that some hover about New Castle, full of Gold. These are to desire you to use your utmost Endeavour and Diligence in discovering and app'hending all such p'sons as you may know or hear of that may be so suspected, according to my Proclamation, issued at my Arrival, & of such as you shall discover or app'hend give immediate Notice unto me, who am, Yo' Loving ffra COPY-WM. PENN TO N. FIELD, &c., 1700.** Nehemiah field & Loving fir Jonathan Baily, The Care you have express'd in following my Orders about the Pirates and their Goods I take very kindly, and desire it may be continued in Securing what yet (if any thing) remains. Pray lett all possible care be taken to distinguish between those Goods of the Leverpool Ship and the others of W. Orr's, that Strangers at Such a distance may not be wronged where they cannot help themselves. There is a flying report here that some Pirates are landed very lately near ye Capes in this or near hand in the neighbouring Provinces. I desire you to have a watchful eye over all Strangers coming among you, according to ye late Law ages Pirates and my Proclamation, issued at my Arrival, ye latter of which I here send you inclosed. I doubt but you will readily shew yo' care in this as you have in other things, wch is very acceptable to Yor real Loving ffr". COPY-WM. PENN TO J. NANFAN. Honoured ffriend: I received thine p' Henry Mallows with the two Receipts, and *See Colon. Records, Vol. I. p. 549. Warrant of Request for apprehending G. Shelley, immediately upon which, I caused this Town to be Searched, but with Some Privacy, and intend to take the most effectual Measures I further can to have him discovered if harboured within this Governmt. I am sorry Lieut Rigg's his Ordrs were so Strict as not to admit a little longer Stay, for in a day or two after his Departure another p'son (one James Brown) was brought to Town by Warrt, who not only lies under the Suspicion of Piracy, but if Innocent of that, had the unhappiness however of coming home in Company with Every's men. I now Send him to New York, and desire he may, with the rest in the Newport, be carried to Boston, where the whole Circumstances of his Voyage are best known, and where the Earl of Bellomont's Prudence (to whom I wholly leave him) will best understand what is fitt to be done with him if the Evidence he sayes he can produce there of his Innocency be not Sufficient to clear him, as he pretends it has once done already, before Lieut Govern StoughTime presses me extremely, & therefore can add no more but that I am wth esteem thy ton. Iudorsed.-23, 2mo. 1700, To J. Nanfan. Very assured ffrd. COPY OF LETTER OF W. PENN, TO SAM. LEONARD 1700. unknown Friend, in answer to thyn of 20th ye last month, please to take wt follows I need not transcribe ye ques. to ye first I say [I am humbly of opinion that if every quere is not answered he'l think they are puzling questions, pardon me s' if I offer my own & beg you to improve them & thro them into your own Mold. 1st The props being strangers to the Method of obtaining approbations GB. pretending to know it, They committed the management of that affair to him, who reported to those that he was approved as the Law directs & as an evidence of it produced the Dedimus Potestatem, weh he called his Commission of approbation but they afterwards discovered that he had overated his interests & hopes, & are therefore excusable if they told the prop" he was approved, believing he would not have been so positive to his own hurt and theirs. 2d The want of an approbation doth not unquallyfy a man to be a Gov' but only lays him under a penalty if (neglecting to pursue the means of obtaining it,) he act without it, for otherwise the act of parlt gives the King a Negative, there needing no more to break the prop" commission or any other of the like nature, than for the King to refuse to approve, let the person be never so well qualified wch the Act could never intend. Besides if an approbation were indispenablie necessary, there lyes a Quo Warranto against the prop" Charter, & the Kings not useing it, is an argument it is not indispensa blie necessary, the tryall he offers them being upon another Topic viz. whether governm1 is assignable, for it would not be on the foot of the approbation all means having been used to obtain it and the D. of trade granting an allowance to A. H. to act till the tryall was issued & it cannot be charged as a crime on them or him wt ye Ld' refused to grant. 3d This depends upon the forms for if the prop" Commission be good without an approbation Gr B. superseded A. H. 4th And this also answers the 9th. 5th It is certainly the Kings busines not the peoples to dispute the powers of the props Commission or inquire into the qualifications of a Gov. They know the props did not set up a governmt at their own hands but were authorized by King Charles & the Inhabitants Commanded to yield their obedience to them as absolute gov", and the King only is judge when its proper to recall that order, Nor have they any colour to appoint a Gov either by any grant from the Crown, or by the neglect of the prop" of appointing none. 6th We are not to be wiser in matters of State then our Superiors. The Kings Counsel learned in the Law have resolved it some years agoe in the negative, that the Natives of Scotland are not disabled, & all the succeeding parlto have acquiesced in that opinion. Besides the people might easily imagine that if A. H. were disabled on that head, a Quo Warranto lyes and that is the prop business to mind S pardon this freedom. We have an Assembly to sit in East Jersey, next week & I set out hence on Munday some time of the day, if your Letter to Mr. Leo., is sent me betwixt now and then it will come in best season & I'll take care of the delivery. Our Assembly breaks up to day. I kiss your Ladys hands & am. Your most obedient servant, Burlington, 25 May, 1700. AND. HAMILTON.] But Govr H. could have put yt out of doubt by showing ye opinion of ye present councill. I am sorry for ye love I have to ye poor American colonys, & ye service I have freely Done ym to see so many of y" ready to be felo de se & set fire to their own comforts, so much their interest to preserve with all caution & zeal. The Props will always be too hard for you at home, and 'tis a vanity in any to think they can vacate their Quit-rents by offering yt wch is none of theirs to give, viz; ye Governmt. I was ever for taking wht I could get, knowing yt a loaf is better than no bread, & if they would be perswaded by me, yt am also a Proprietor, it should be to concurr wth ye Proprietors in their Gov", & by an easy and engaging way to draw from y" what privileges or benefits they wanted & the Govt could grannt without any notable damage to their interest. Last of all the Gentleman they have named is no stranger, sharper nor morose person, but one of very good qualities & in good esteem both here & at home. I have said in service to Jersey, justice to him & civility to thyself, improve it to those ends for I mean what I say, & am that Colonys and Indorsed. "Gov to SAML. Leonard, Thy assured Friend, W. P.* "of East New Jersey 26th 3d mo. 1700." COPY. WM. PENN, TO WESSEL ALRICKS, 1700. W. ALDRICK, The Court I am informed, yt Jon. Taylor complains agst was had at his own instance and desire, wch if true shews him very unfair. I have in defence of my own authority been obliged to declare ye judgemt of that Court void not in any particular favour to him for I would have justice done but because they could not hold a special court without a special Authority wch they then had not for that, and, therefore, it has been ordered in Council that he should be enlarged but not till such time as ye Widow Robinson can bring another action against him, that she may not be defrauded of her just dues; I therefore, hereby strictly command & require thee as thou wilt answer ye contrary at thy peril by no means to suffer him to be at large till Justice ffrench shall give thee notice on the 2d day and the other writt be ready for which I will stand by thee agst all his Complaints and Noise, according to thy own Desire I have Commissioned Joseph Wood to succeed thee in thy Office, Jd. Indorsed. "Gov to W. ALDRICKS, June, 1700, "about J. TAYLOR & laying down his place." M. BIRCH, COPY. WM. PENN M. BIRCH, 1700. Philada. 2d 4th moth 1700. I recvd thy short hand Letter of the 28th past, and am sorry that after so much care taken to make masters of Vessels remember their duty to ye Port and Solemn Promises given by them before they are discharged here, any should be so rude or negligent as to pass you by unregarded. There is a short Bill now before ye Assembly to make the Omission penal. Yet hadst thou a boat as Collectors in other places have, and which thou canst not think I am obliged to *This appears to have been an opinion in the first instance furnished to W. P. by Andrew Hamilton in his own hand, which W. P. now sends to his "unknown friend," W. P's. letter commences above the opinion & seems to be an introductory sentence. The first sentence and the concluding portion after the opinion are in Penn's writing, as also occasional alterations; the part in [] is in Hamilton's. Considerable difficulty existed in regard to proprietary appointments in N. Jersey.-See Mulford, 270, 274. † See Colon. Rec., Vol. 1. p. 558. |