LETTER OF HON. JAMES WILSON TO

GEN. HORATIO GATES, 1776.

[The following is an unsigned draft of an interesting letter of Hon. James Wilson, of Philadelphia, to Gen. Horatio Gates, probably dated in June of 1776. The handwriting is undoubtedly that of Mr. Wilson, and is preserved in the Dreer Collection, Manuscript Division of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.]

MY DEAR GENERAL

I have been favoured with many Letters from you since you left New York. I place an Emphasis upon the Word "favoured" to shew that I mean it not as an Expression of Course. You know I have many Reasons, arising from public Considerations, to wish to hear frequently from you: I can assure you that those Reasons receive much additional Strength from the Part, which, I feel, I take in every Thing relating to yourself. When Letters come from Canada, I derive peculiar Satisfaction if I have one from you: If I have none, I feel somehow disappointed. It is easy to conceive how much your attention must be constantly employed in the Duties of your office; especially when it is considered in what Confusion and Distraction the Affairs of Canada have been for a considerable Time before your Arrival in that Department. I know you can appropriate only a few Moments to writing Letters: Let me claim a Share of those few.

you.

But I have much Occasion to make an Apology for myself: A long Time has elapsed since I have written to But, to say Truth, this Place is not so fruitful of Subjects as that where you are. The material Proceedings of Congress relating to the Operations of the War are communicated officially by the President. Intelligence from Europe and from the different Parts of the united Colonies you receive sooner from New York than you could from Philadelphia. I have had it in View, for some Time past to write you very fully and particularly

concerning the State of this Province, its Parties, and its Politics; but even here Difficulties have occurred. Our Affairs have been in such a fluctuating and disordered Situation, that it has been almost impossible to form any Accurate Judgment concerning the Transactions as they were passing, and still more nearly impossible to make any probable Conjectures concerning the Turn that Things would take. Matters are, however, now, in all Likelyhood approaching to a Crisis; and some Opinion be given of the Manner, in which they will be conducted, and the Issue, in which they will terminate. I shall therefore embrace this Opportunity of giving you an Account of what has been done, and of what, in all Probability, will be done. I shall occasionally intrude upon you my own Sentiments concerning the different Measures, of which I shall have Occasion to take Notice.

On the 15th of May last a Resolution passed in Congress mentioning, in the Preamble, that it was necessary that every Kind of Authority under the Crown should be totally suppressed, and all the Powers of Government exerted under the Authority of the People and recommending it to the respective Assemblies and Conventions of the united Colonies, where no Government sufficient to the Exigencies of their Affairs had been hitherto established, to adopt such Government as shall, in the Opinion of the Representatives of the People best conduce to the Safety and Happiness of their Constituents in particular; and America in General.

Concerning this Resolution many different Opinions were entertained: Some thought the Government of Pennsylvania sufficient for the Exigencies of its Affairs: Others were of contrary Sentiments upon this Point: Those others divided in their Opinion concerning the Mode of adopting a new Government. Some said that the Assembly were adequate to the Purpose of adopting a new Government, others, that they were adequate to the Determination of the Question, whether a new Gov

ernment was necessary or not, but could not constitutionally adopt one without new Powers from the People; others, that they were adequate to neither. A Number of the Inhabitants of Philadelphia met at the StateHouse upon the Occasion. You have perhaps, seen their Resolutions in some of the News-papers. One of them was, "That the "Committee of the City and Liberties of Philadelphia be directed to send the Resolution of Congress to the several Committees through-out the Province, and call together a Number from the Committee of each County, to hold a provincial Conference, in order to determine upon the Number of which the Convention for framing a new Government should be composed, and the Manner in which they should be elected." This Measure has accordingly been taken. A Conference of Committees consisting of above one hundred Members, met here on the 18th of this Month, and are now sitting. They have fixed the Number of Representatives, in the Convention which is to be called, to eight for each County, and the same Number for the City and Liberties of Philadelphia, who are likewise to vote in the Election for Members of the County at large. The 8th of next Month is appointed for the Election; and the 15th for the Meeting of the Convention in this City.

To return to the Assembly-They admitted the new Members, chosen on the first Day of May last, to their Seats in the House, without taking the Oath of Allegiance; and dispensed with that Oath upon all other Occasions. After they had sat a considerable Time, their Number became so small that a Quorum of the House could not be made up; so that they adjourned without doing any Thing concerning the Resolution of Congress beforementioned.

A COLONIAL HEALTH REPORT

OF PHILADELPHIA, 1754.

[With the increasing trade and large arrivals of emigrants from Europe at the port of Philadelphia, the dangers of contagious malignant diseases being introduced and spreading in the city, were increased, and stringent regulations were adopted by the Provincial authorities. At earlier dates, the inhabitants of the city had suffered the vicissitudes due to imported malignant diseases. The emigrant vessels were small, generally overcrowded, ill provided with good food and water, the ventilation was the worst imaginable, and from sixty to ninety days and more were spent by the emigrants on shipboard between the ports of embarkation and debarkation.

Under the appointment of the Governor, two distinguished physicians of the city, Doctor Thomas Graeme and Thomas Bond, were assigned to investigate a large number of cases of fever which had broken out among some Palatine emigrants in November of 1754, and their report, which follows, is preserved in the Manuscript Division of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. It is endorsed "Report of Doctors, Nov 16, 1754, with Relation to the Health of the City."]

TO HIS HONOUR THE GOVERNOR.

We have with the greatest Care, executed the Orders you were pleas'd to give us, to examine the Houses in and about the City, where the Palatines now are, or have been entertained, and found as follows.

At Christian Rinhault's, 2nd Street,... 5.......all well At another House near it,

16.

.all well

At David Sickle's House, in Race St.,. 20.........3 Sick

At Lodowick Cale's, in 5th Street,. . . . .24....many sick They were Mr. Benezett's

At Philip Burcost's, near the reformed dutch church, are a considerable Number and many Sick: they are confined in so close and small a Room, and the Air and every thing else about them in so ill a condition, that we think

there is the greatest Danger of malignant and infectious Diseases, being generated amongst them. Two of his Children are already ill of Fevers. The House of Frederick Birk, is circumstanced in the same manner: the People in the former belong to Daniel Benezett; and in the latter to Henry Kepler.

We are of the Opinion the Security of the City requires the immediate removal of both the Sick and Well, from these two Houses, to some Distance from the built Part of the Town, and that the Sick should everywhere be kept separate from the Healthy, and we think no House should be permitted to take in above 8, or 10 of these People Sick or Well.

We did not find that any, except the two mentioned, who had entertained, or nursed the Sick, or any Persons living in the neighborhood had been infected by them: We were told that several Persons thereabouts had been ill after working on board the Ships, amongst whom was Michael Cone: this man had been employed on board Capt: Jackson from Hamburg. The Circumstances attending this Ship; at, and after her Arrival, are remarkable and together with the Observations of Persons experienced in that Trade, shew that the People on board most Passenger Ships, do sooner, or later, undergo a Disease from foul air: We were told she had not lost above two Freights in the Passage, and finding the rest of the Company uncommonly healthy, we had no Reason to question the Truth of that Information: soon after her coming into Port, the Captain, Mate, Merchant, with the rest of the Mariners, and most of the Palatines were taken ill of Fevers. The Merchant and Mariners were brought on Shore, put into proper Lodgings, and tho' long ill, did not communicate the Disease to any Person about them; at the same Time several others besides Michael Cone contracted the same Disease on board of her. This is the kind of Fever we commonly meet with on board these Ships, and which not compli