but it is my misfortune at present to be so much out of favour, so that my appearance at y Council board would rather do you hurt than good, I am sorry Mr Cosby should carry things to such a length, which when they come to be set in a true light I think cannot be supported, you are Extreemly wanting in not haveing a good agent all the other Colonie have & I wonder you have none such a person would effectually serve you, whereas without one you never will be served, I shall be truly glad if I can be at any time of use to you & would in this instance if I could be of service for I am without reserve Sr Your most Humble Servant MICAJAH PERRY. Dear Sir, From Daniel Horsmanden. New York March the 25th 1734. Yours dated f" Albany I reced the 11th Ins* But not time enough to prevent the request of Capt Long & myself of the Gov' concerning the 3000 recomended by M Mathews wch was made 2 days before, but with what Success it will End, I cannot yet possitively Determine: I wish I had reced y" time enough, I wod have punctually Observ'd y Directions, but The Capt & myself were resolv'd to make our utmost Efforts in the Request of So Smal a pittance & to try w Regard That Gent wo Show to his own repeated & voluntary promises, We determined to ask for y° 3000 as for Our Selves, for wh Reason we feignd as if The Country man had offered to discover The Land upon Our obtaining a Warrant of Survey & Lodging 20 Pistoles in a 3d sons hands to be pd him upon Our approbation of the Land: & in this manner I first opened the mre to his woPP: I told him that the Quantity was too large for me to ask for myself agreable to his Instructions & Therefore I chose to take Capt Long in a partner whom I understood he had made a promise of Land to as well as myself, he s there was nothing in that he wod have granted it to me But that he must have his 3d & he wod pay 7 Pistoles for his Share & 6 more for me & Capt Long the rest. This was with an air of Generosity to me but Capt Long was to pay more than a proportion: Now you must know we did not think it wod be any Crime considering whom we were dealing with to put it upon this footing, for we had not the least Imagination That he who was to do us a favour wod insist upon his 3d woh if we Submitted to was doing him a favour instead of his favouring us, but perhaps you will say we were out in our Polliticks & indeed I wish we had not taken that Method: For afterwds we found ourselves under a Necessity of telling y• Truth of the Case That now the Country man insisted on an Equal Share with the Capta & myself & I told him Since this was the Case I did not think 'twas worth while to meddle with it: But Capt Long attaigned him afterwd. & askt The Grant of the whole to us two as we were to give a Declaration of Trust to The Country man for 1000 acres woh he readily promised him wch as was imagained he could not with any sort of Grace refuse him, tho he certainly would to me: After this pass'd with the Capt I saw him again, & he seemed to be Somewhat netled, & askt me who this Country man was for he sd I might tell him as the Country man had broke his word with me but I answered him, as I shod have said I told him before that I had Engaged my word & honour not to discover him & I was Bsuaded that if I gave his Ex one Instance That I was capable of forfeiting so Solemn an Engagem tht I must Give him a very bad opinion of Me & that he might expect I might Do it however to himself Therefore beg'd to be Excused whereupon he went off in a huff & sd twas a Trick to cheate him of his 3d & has lookt cooly upon me Since, but I intend to desire his Explanation as The Declaration was general as to the son he Suspects of it, & to battle it out with him: The Capt has just been with me & as the Gov. sd to me that there was an End of it he intends to insist upon his word with him & I believe considering all Circumstances wth Respect to past favours or rather more for the Sake of wt they have farther to ask he'll not runn the Risque of forteiting his Friendship with the additional Reproach of breaking his word. I have since I wrote to you last mentioned The Aff of Kingston at Esopus abot ye 8000 but I am from his Conduct in that mre induced to think That he intends to lay his paw upon the whole for himself. For in the Case of his 3d as above he told me That the profitts of his Governm were so inconsiderable That he was Obliged to make the most of everything & yt 'twas customery for Gov to take their 3ds of all Grants: But 'tis never the less my humble Opinion That every son upon his petitioning the Gov' & Council has a Right to have that pat heard & I believe woa be thought at home to have a Right to have the Land discovered Granted to him: I'm Sure that is the Opinion of Gov & Council in other Colonys I know it is so in Virginia & I believe if such a practice as taking 3d was to be laid open, or taking any Coma in lieu, it wod be thought Somewhat Criminal The Capt is now returned & informs me That the Gov Fathers the Contrivance upon me, & he knows the Land & 'tis very valuable, 'tis in westchester, & upon the River & 'tis for the Morrissania family: And that I don't use him well in not discovering the Author. And that there is an End of the Affair that he'll do nothing in it: So that you may judge how mres are like to go betwixt us: you are proved a true Prophet, & indeed my Apprehentions that you would be so, were very Strong before, but now I see no Room to doubt but that all attempts for favours will be vain & ineffectual notwithstanding the Pretentions of any Service. I am much obliged to you for your thoughts of me with respect to the Warrant for two thousand acres: I am just taking horse for W: Chester Therefore must Conclude myself Dear Sir Your most assured fd & Serv My hble Service to all the Good family & M Mathews & his Capt Long joins in Respects with me I want much to talk with you The Assembly was adjourned I think to the 3a Tuesday in April The 1 day of Our next Supreme Court w" It will then sit I know not but SR W comes to Towne this week, we have just reced from Albany an address f That Corporat" concern" Fortifications in Genl receomended & Intimat of their appehentions of a war desiring leave to put up Stockados wch they have prpared by subscription: Likewise a Lre by way of Address fm the Coun" of Indian Aff" wch was refer'd to a Coun" of Council for advice It Sets forth That they have Intelligence That the French Emissarys have been amongst the Senekeys this Winter & are likc to come there for the English Int. we have advised sending up an Interpter &c. I want time to be more full To Dr Colden. Dear Sir. From Daniel Horsmanden. NEW YORK August y 27th 1734. Yours of the 25th of June was delivered me by M Heath some time Since: I am almost ashamed to Say how long; but this I have to say for myself, that nothing material as I know of has happened here worth communicating, & as to the Subject matter of your Lre M Clarke has been laid up with y⚫ Gout (whether Political or not I cannot Say) So that I have not had an Opp' of being inform'd whether he had put it upon any footing with the proper person, But the Gov' going to the plains the other day, I took that course to write to him upon it, the fruits whereof I shall informe you of by & by: But I must informe you first of all That the Report Coll Morris told you of concerning my writing to Mr Perry that he was dead & applying for his place, upon that Suggestion; had given Capt Morris Such a Spleen ag me that nothing less than my Destruction could, I Suppose Satisfy his Resentm So that he procured (not without some Industry I have reason to think) a power, of Attorney from some Creditor of mine to Sue me here, & this was reported in Town imidiately upon his arrival wth the addition of all the opprobrious Language that Billingsgate could furnish, tho' upon Enquiry this fact is denyed, & 'tis said only That he had it offered but Refused the Office; I presume if he had it the Morrisanias family, have advised him better than to own it; But for an Instance to Share that Providence brings good out of Evil, The Gov' has upon this occasion Shown the handsomest kind of Resentm* upon his Returne from the plains by assuring me that my Enimys Shall not have their Ends: That he will do every thing in his power to make me easie & has promised me that as soon as his pattents are passed for the German's Lands, I shall have 2000 of them convey'd to me without any expence & any other Lands I could get Intelligence of that wod answer my purpose I should have granted me & then told me M Clarke had mentioned This 6000 & ordered me forthwith to prepare the Pet" for the Indian purchase & he wo have a Council in a day or two & it Shoa be done promised me the Recordership when Harrison Lays down woh I told you he had thoughts of doing Some time agoe; In Short his Behaviour upon this occasion has been exceeding kind, & handsom, & the Lycence I have got accordingly woh I enclose yo, If you can do me any Service upon the Warrant you have already, or in recommending any other cell of Land wh may be of Service to yourself as well as me, now is the time to Strike whilst the Iron is hot, pray let me know by the first opportunity whether you Shall be from home any time next month for I shall be tempted (I believe) to take a 2a Race over your high Lands in order to Confer with you upon these weighty matters. Im in a very great Consternation that I have not yet heard from my Fd Mr Watts or Mr Perry upon the Subject of my Lres in Janry sent by way of Boston, I very much fear that they have miscarry'd by this Long Silence But I have wrote Several times this Sum & given Such hints as may be Suff for them to write back upon. |