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1664 tho by your Charter your claims might have been extended much farther westward That the said Boundary remain'd uncontested till about the Year 1683 when the Duke of York had the Chief Administration of Affairs & set up a Despotick & Arbitrary form of Government in his Dominions in America at which time you were threatned with the Destruction of your Charter & of all your Privileges That under these threats & others more particularly used with your Commiss" in 1683 while they were at New York they agreed to a New Boundary several miles more to the Eastward within the lands which your People had fairly purchased & had actually cultivated & improv'd That your Commiss" gave up two entire Tounships & agreed likewise to give an Equivalent of 61 440 Acres of Land for the same Quantity comprehended within some other of your Tounships which fell within the claim of the Duke of York. That the People of your Colony believing that these Concessions had been obtain'd of their Commiss" by Compulsion & that all the lands so deliver'd up were truely part of the lands granted to you by the Royal Charter You did for many years refuse to confirm the Acts of your Commiss" which occasion'd Disputes between the two Governmt & an Appeal to the Kings Authority. You having however no ambitious views of possessing large Territories but being desirous to show your Submission to the Crown by relinquishing some part of what you thought your Right That your People might be quieted in their just Possessions & that great Tracts of Land which by reason of these Disputes remain❜d uncultivated in both Colonies & entirely useless might be improv'd & become profitable to the King & his People You did come to a New Agreemt in 1725 & confirm'd the same in the Year 1730 by an Authentick Act of your Corporation as soon as you had receiv'd full assurance from his Majesties Governour of New York (who had sufficient Authority for that purpose) that your People who inhabited the lands to be deliver'd up should not be hurt in their private Properties but have them confirm'd to them they yielding the same rents & obedience to his Majesty which the Inhabitants of New York

do for indeed you may have thought it base & want of compassion in you to have given up your People without such assurance That the Governour of New York did so far mentain his Majesties honour in who's name & by who's authority these [torn] were transacted that he did every thing that was promised to be done on the part of New York. But before these things were fully compleated some Persons in England (as no doubt you have been told) did obtain a grant under the Great Seal of Great Brittain by Virtue of which they lay claim to the lands so deliver'd up by your Colony which Grant they obtained privately & without informing his Majesty of these things in which his Majesties Honour & the Rights of his Subjects are so much concern'd & in order to induce his Majesty to such grant to them & their associats they did suggest that they (the Petitioners in England) would thereby greatly promote the Brittish trade by makeing of Turpentine Tar & Pitch & by carrying on the Fur Trade with the Indian Nations None of which things by reason of the soil of these lands & of the Scituation can be done That therefore these false Suggestions must have been used with design to deceive his Majesty & that these Petitioners under the Colour of his Majesties Grant might rob your poor people of the Benefite of that Industry & hard labour in which they have spent the greatest part of their lives with hopes thereby to support themselves & their Children For as these lands have no other advantage of other lands in America which are in his Majesties power to grant & are otherwise of no greater Value there can be no other motive but this cruel Avarice for desiring these lands preferable to the others especially since these are the least proper of any to yield the Advantages which the Petitioners in England propose As the dispossessing of these poor People would be accompanied with the greatest Cruelty & Injustice in ruining poor laborious People merely because they have been Industrious & laborious & would likewise be a Breach of all the Promises made by his Majesties officers empower'd by his Majesty to make such Promises These things consider'd I say You can not but hope from his Majesties Honour in performing

all just Promises made by his Authority from his Justice & Love to his People from his Compassion & Pity of the Distressed & from his abhorrance of all Acts of Cruelty that his Majesty will give such Orders & Directions as will effectually secure these poor laborious People his faithful & loyal subjects in their Rights & Possessions who without his Majesties Assistance may be utterly ruined & undone & that his Majesty will deterr even the most powerfull from all attemps to oppress & ruin the meanest of his Subjects

Perhaps some Expressions may be thought too strong but as you act in a publick Capacity as the Fathers of your Country without private Views or Interest or Peek but only with a generous View to Assist your own People in their Distress these cannot be taken a miss in you & it may be thought your Duty to set these things in the strongest light you can. I have allready presum'd so much upon your Patience that I must break off with begging you to offer my most humble Service to Mr Laws & to Major Eells & Mr Lewis who no doubt will contribute all they can to bring the Work to the desired Perfection which has cost so much time & Expence to Accomplish I am with much affection

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Dr Sir

From James Alexander.

I had yours of the 5th instant with Major Wolcots inclosed which this day is forwarded inclosed to James Brown to Deliver. Mr. Brown Sent down his Negro here to acquaint us that Mr. Harrison has been upon the Equivalent Lands near New fairfield & is about to Setle a number of Runaways & thieves there who have promised to him, & that next week he and they are to return & begin a Setlement Mr Smith and I have advised at the Expense of the Compy to Send Some people & to keep them off of our Lands & if they will intrude by force to repell that force by force

This news of Mr Harrisons Setleing upon the very Land that the Company he had got was going to view has discouraged them from going, we have sent him the best arguments we could think on to Encourage them & begged his Endeavour not only to get that place Setled but if possible to get Some to Setle at Convenient Distances on the Equivalent in order that we may prevent being Surprized by Mr Harrisons Setleing

We have no foreign news as yet & Litle home news Coll Gilbert & Mr. Horsmanden were Sworn Attorneys of the Supream Court Last week who to Distinguish themselves at their first Entrance Did on Fryday Last move for & had a Mandamus to the Corporation to restore M Kelly to practice in the Mayors Court returnable the first day of next term, which with Mr Horsmanden's barr gown induced a very numerous audience to the motion & makes up a good part of the Discourse of the toun

Capt Rigs was married Saturday Last to Molly Wats Inoculation of the Small pox has had Success beyond Expectation both on Long Island & round about Amboy & the people get to inoculating themselves, it begins to prevail among the Dutch in Kings County, where it has been Extremely mortal in the natural way above one third haveing Died of them that had it there, Van brunt inoculated 17 of his family on Fryday Last, I think of

nothing further necessary to add but my wifes & my humble Service to Mr Colden & all your family

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I have got Phillip Livingston to Engage to buy 120 inch & half pitch pine boards & to cause them to be Landed at Newburgh for the Store houses, tho I remember of no Engagement I Entered into concerning that matter, & indeed I am Loath at this time particularly to Launch out money that way I have So many other uses for it. However what in reason is incumbent on one to do, I will never be backward in Doing

you are not Deceived in your opinion of the industry of the one man, compared with ours as you'll find by a memorandum with James Brown this week whereof a Coppy is inclosed, & by which you'll also find that James Brown is almost the only one of our Side who takes Effectual pains: he haveing on purpose come to this place to concert what's there & resolves as far as in his power to push the matter and to keep off & putt off those whom Harrison has decoyed, & to take the opportunity of running our Division Lines for the doing it

I have obtained the warrant to Survey mentioned in the memorandum & am to Send it to him by the post tomorrow, & he is to Send a man to you with it to indorse it to Jacobus Bruyn on the former agreement with him, & in the mean time youll Speak to Bruyn to get ready to go as Soon as he Sends

We have Since heard from Ridgefield that one if not more concerned under our patent there has Signed to Harrison, & that the young men who have Signed there

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