towards laying in a Magazine of Provision for me, as also for the Supply You are collecting of Forrage. "I shall signify to Mr. Swain by the Return of your Messenger my Approbation of the Deposits being made at McDowell's Mill instead of Shippensburg. I dispatched an Express to You Yesterday with Bills upon England for £4,000 Sterling sent me by Governor Glen, and upon Notice from You I will send the Draughts from the Deputy Paymaster upon Mr. Franklin for such further Sums as You may have Occasion for. "I have ordered a Party of an hundred Men as a Guard to the People working upon the new Road, which will set out this Day. "I am much obliged to yourself and your little Government for the Present of Oxen they have made me, and am, "Sir, your most humble and most obedient Servant, "E. BRADDOCK. "Camp, 5 Miles from Fort Cumberland, June 11, 1755." The Governor receiv'd the following Letter from Mr. Shippen : "LANCASTER, the 17th June, 1755. "Honoured Sir: "Capt. Ord arrived here on Sunday evening and set off again early next morning, and it was 3 o'Clock in the Afternoon before I could procure a good Waggon to carry the Soldiers, and I had more Difficulty in doing this than We had before in getting Twenty. I was obliged to ride about the Country, taking the Sheriff and a Constable along with me, and to threaten to impress the Waggons, & before I could get one-the People alledging that they had done enough already. "I understand Mr. Burd has cut the Road 5 Miles beyond Ray's Town, which is 90 Miles from Shippensburg. James Lowry (an Indian Trader) assures me that he left Wills' Creek last Thursday, and on his Way home he met a Captain & Lieutenant sent by Col. Johnson to acquaint General Braddock that there were five or Six Hundred French Men lying at the River Ohio not able to proceed, the Waters being so very shallow; and they had it in Charge from the Colonel to beg the General to advance with the utmost Dispatch to Fort Du Quesne. "I am your Honour's most obedient humble Servant, At a Council held at Philadelphia, Wednesday the 25th June, 1755. PRESENT: The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor. John Penn, Benjamin Shomaker, Esquires. The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approved. A Message sent to the House on the Twenty-First Instant in Answer to theirs about laying General Braddock's Letter before them was read in these words: "Gentlemen: "In answer to your Message of the Sixteenth Instant I think it necessary to observe to You that whoever is by the Proprietary Appointment and the Royal Approbation made Governor of this Province has a Right to call the Assembly together whenever he may think it necessary for the Public Service, and from Time to Time as he shall judge proper, either by Speech or Messages, are a sufficient Foundation for them to proceed upon. "As to the Letter from General Braddock, which by a verbal Message you desired might be laid before You, I informed You by your own Messengers that it contain'd several matters I thought it improper to publish to the World, and for that Reason could not trust it with the House unless they would give me some Assurance that it should not be printed. This Step I thought the more neces sary as You had but a little Time ago printed and published the Secretary of State's Letter to me signifying his Majesty's Designs and Commands with respect to the French, notwithstanding my Desire that You would not; and when You were informed that I had directed the Printers not to publish those Letters, you were pleased by the Plentitute of your own Power to order them immediately to proceed to the Publication of those Letters, which they accordingly did; and this You claim a Right of doing as to all Papers that are laid before You. After this, Gentlemen, You cannot be at a Loss for the Reason of my Caution upon the present Occa sion-being answerable for every Secret of State that shall be communicated to me by the King's Ministers, or those employed in his Majesty's Service, and am and from the nature of my Station must be the sole and only Judge what Letters or Paper that come to me on his Majesty's Service are proper to be made publick. "I did not imagine You could be at any Loss as to the Assurance I expect on this Head; but that You may remain no longer so a Promise of the House, signified by a Message either verbal or otherwise, is what I expect, and whenever You will give it the Let ter You desire shall be laid before You; but till that or something tantamount is done You must excuse me if I do not communicate it. "As you seem to think in the Close of your Message that this is a trivial matter, You may waive it consistent with such Opinion, I who think far otherwise cannot do it. "June 21, 1755." "ROBT H. MORRIS. Several Letters relating to the New Road were sent to the House on the Twentieth Instant, and ordered when return'd to be entered in the Council Book. "Sir: A Letter to Governor Morris from Mr. James Burd. "FROM THE ROADS LEADING TO THE OHIO, "We have the Honour of your Favours of the 4th Currant, it gives Us an infinite Pleasure that what we have done gives your Honour Satisfaction. We shall endeavour to do our Duty at all times in putting the Governor's Orders into Execution, and shall be proud to know your Mind from Time to Time as your honour's Convenience will permit. "We have at present of our Body laying at the Ford of Juniata, which is by measure 28 Miles from Anthony Thomson's, having a good deal of digging to do down to the Ford and can't employ all the Hands upon it for want of digging Tools; we expect to finish here to-morrow or early next Day, our J. B's has measured up to Juniata, we suppose that the other half of our Body that's gone cutting ahead may be about 4 Miles off not being as yet measured; our numbers have not increased since J. B's last to Mr. Peters. We hope to be at Ray's Town against the middle of next week or towards the end of the week. "We have appointed Samuel Smith, Esq, to purchase Provisions for us, as we have been very much disappointed hitherto; it not being the Business of any particular man We did not know how to apply. Mr. Smith has promised Us to devote his Time to this Service, and to employ such Hands to assist him as will answer the End effectually of having Us regularly supplied; we have been several Times that we did not know of Dinner for the People, which is a horrid Situation, as the Consequence wou'd have been (had not We got an immediate Supply,) We must have march'd home. "We shall make the proper Inquiry and give that Assistance to the General We can, in all Respects, agreeable to the Second Para VOL. VI.-28. graph of your Honour's Letter, and shall advise You from Time to Time. "The General and all the Army are march'd from Wills' creek. "We are with Esteem your Honour's most obedient humble Servant, "JAMES BURD." A Letter to Mr. Richard Peters from Messrs. William Allison & Wm. Maxwell. "Sir: "CONEGOCHEGE, 12th June, 1755. "We were at the Camp and return'd by the new Road the 6th Instant; We left them within two Miles and a half of Juniata Creek, the Road from there to Anthony Thomson's is better than could possibly be expected considering the mountainous Country it is taken through. Sideling Hill is cut very Artificially, nay more so than We ever saw any; the first waggon that carried a Load up it took fifteen Hundred without ever stopping. We think it would be no Hardship for any reasonable Team and Waggon to carry over it twenty hundred, so exceeding well contrived is the Road over this bad Mountain; for four Days the Labourers had not one Glass of Liquor, which caused a very great murmuring amongst them; We can assure You that Mr. Burd had his own Difficulties to keep them. John Smith, Esqr., was to furnish them with Waggons, Liquor, and Provisions; he sent one Waggon with some small Quantity of Flower, but none since. In my stay at the Camp there came an Express to my House from the Road, intimating their Necessity for Want of Liquor and Provisions; my Son next Day put out for the Road with my Waggon, a little Way from home the Horses broke away with the Waggon and all except the Boys, and in their Race they struck against a Tree and overset the Waggon, wherewith one of my Horse's Legs was broke and another Horse sorely Hurt; the Waggon was pretty much damnified. We are at a Loss to know how to do upon the Account of John Smith's Proposals. We can't get Waggons nor Liquor at his Prices, so the People assures Mr. Burd that when they fall scarce by neglect of their Providers, as they did before, that they will leave off working. Meat has got very scarce in this County; the Waggons with the last of the Bacon left John McDowell's the 9th Instant, the 10th Instant We got one Waggon Load which is all We know of; if the Labourers want Provisions You have no Ground to blame Us, for We neither were empowered to buy nor get Moneys, but have done so for to serve the Public. The Waggoners generally refuse to go back on the Terms, and there is now a fresh call for a Number of more Waggons to go to the Camp upon the former Terms of the Camp, which the People rather chuses to do, therefore Measures must directly be fallen into to procure Waggons and Beef Cattle for the Labourers. Salt meat is entirely done in this Country; there are a considerable Quantity of Provisions daily expended now at the Road, so beg that You may concert Measures to provide for them and the two Companies of Men which are to be sent to cover the Labourers directly, which of Consequence will destroy a considerable Quantity more. We rest, "Sir, Your Honour's humble Servant, "WM. ALLISON, "WILLM. MAXWELL." A Letter to Mr. Richard Peters from Mr. William Buchannan. "CARLISLE, 15th June, 1755. "Sir: "Last night I received a Letter from Samuel Smith, Esq informing me that at the Request of the other Commissioners he has purchased a considerable Number of Beef Cattle and a great Quantity of Whiskey for the Use of the People at the Roads, for which he promised ready Money, and requested I'd send him up the Cash. I sent him ninety Pounds this morning Mr. Potter, which is all that remained in my Hands of the Money that was sent up for that Purpose, which will not be sufficient to discharge onehalf of what he has already purchased, therefore I think there ought to be more Cash sent up first Opportunity, at least what will be sufficient for purchasing necessary Provisions, otherwise the Business will be retarded and they bought at a much greater Expence. "By Mr. Swaine, who came from Shippensburg this morning, We have Account that the Road Cutters have got to Ray's Town. "I am, Sir, Your humble Servant, "W BUCANNAN." "Sir: A Letter to Mr. Richard Peters from Mr. James Burd. "ALLOGUEEPY's Town, 17th June, 1755. } "I have your agreeable Favours of the 5th Currant, acknowledg ing the Receit of mine of the 31st Ult. I observe the Assembly does not chuse to be concerned in furnishing Us with Arms, &c, for which there's no Help. I received a Letter two Days ago from Mr. George Croghan from the little Meadows by order of Sir John St. Clair, desiring me to send an Express letting him know when I shou'd want an Escort, and Yesterday I received Advice by a Mes |