make a right use of his late afflicting Hand in a sincere and thorough Reformation of our Lives & Manners, to which the Ministers of all Religious Societies are desir'd earnestly to exhort their People. And it is recommended to all Persons to abstain from servile Labour on the said Day. "Given at Philadelphia, under the Great Seal of the said Province, the ninth Day of December in the Twenty-first Year of the Reign our Sovereign Lord, George the Second, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, & Annoqz Domini, 1747. "ANTHONY PALMER, President. "By Order of the President & Council. "RICHARD PETERS, Secry. "GOD SAVE THE KING." At a Council held at Philadelphia, 29th Decr., 1747. PRESENT: The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esq., President. The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approv'd. A Letter from Governor Shirley, Dated at Boston the 5th Instant, was read & order'd to be enter'd. "Sir: "BOSTON, Dec" 5th, 1747. "I am favour'd with Your Letter of the 10th of November, which I communicated to Mr. Knowles, who is now sail'd for his Command in the West Indies. And I am to inform You that since mine of the 29th Oct' to You, Mr. Knowles & I have received a Letter from Governor Clinton, wherein he acquaints us that he had paid the Levies of his own Government, Pennsylvania, Maryland, & Virginia, to the 24th June last, after the rate of Six pence Sterling Day over & above the Provisions which have been allowed 'em, & that he shou'd pay them off, at least the Levies of his own Government, the remainder still due to them at the same rate, which intirely fixes the Article of Pay with Regard to the Levies of those four Governments, and will make any Abatement or Stopage in the Pay of the Levies of the other Governments for Provisions or billetting Money allow'd them by the Colonies seem unequal & grevious, & raise the utmost Discontents among them, to the prejudice of His Majestie's Service in general upon any future Emer gencies of the like Nature; all which Mr. Knowles & I think it most adviseable to prevent, and therefore look upon ourselves in a great measure oblig'd to conform to Mr. Clinton's Rate of Payment with Respect to the New England Forces & those of 'New Jersey, which we have accordingly determin'd shall be paid 6d a-Day, without any Deduction for the Provisions or billetting Money allow'd them by the respective Governments where they were rais'd, which determination we the more readily come into, as We find it is agreeable not only to the expectation of the Soldiers but to the opinion likewise of all the Governments concern'd in the Expedition from whom we have yet heard; and this we thought it wou'd be proper, Sir, to communicate to You, that in case You are to pay the Pennsylvania Levies what remains due to them, You may know Mr. Knowles' & my opinion therein, viz., that they shou'd be paid Sixpence Sterling Day clear of any Stoppage for Provisions or billetting which they have actually receiv'd. "You have not mention'd any thing to Mr. Knowles & me concerning the Arms & Cloathing of the Pennsylvania Levies, so that I conclude Your Government has no demand upon the Crown for the Expence of them, and if it had I presume You wou'd have Transmitted us the Accounts & Vouchers, that we might have transmitted them to His Grace, with the other Accounts of the Expedition, pursuant to his Grace's Directions to us. "I am, with great Regard & Esteem, Sir, "Your most obed humble Servant, "Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esq"" "W. SHIRLEY. A Letter in Answer having been prepar'd, the same was read & approv❜d. "Sir: "PHILADA., 29th Dec, 1747. "Your Excellency's letter of the 5th Instant came to hand yesterday, and as the Assembly sits on Munday next, there will be an opportunity of laying it before them. It is suppos'd they will then come to their final Resolutions with respect to His Majestie's Demand, which will be transmitted to you when received without Delay. "Your Excellency will be pleas'd to be referr'd to Mr. Lawrence's Letter of the 20th October last, in answer to Admiral Knowles & Your joint Letter, wrote in my absence, wherein he informs You that Governor Thomas advanced the sums that were laid out in the Purchase of Arms, Clothes, &c, for the four Pennsylvania Companies, and sent authenticated acco" thereof with proper Vouchers to his Grace the Duke of New Castle, and as the Bills drawn for those Sums were paid, & none of the Accounts or the Vouchers are in the Power of the Council, they judg'd You wou'd agree with them that these Accounts wou'd not now be now meddled with, & that no more cou'd be expected than to give Your Excellency Information of what Governor Thomas had done. "The Forces rais'd here being under Governor Clinton's Command, he was requested to observe the same Method, & to make the same Demands with respect to them as he did with respect to the other Companies, & tho' I have not yet receiv'd his answer, I make no doubt but the Pennsylvania Forces met with the same Treatment as the others, and if it shou'd happen that Your Directions have not been punctually complied with, is undoubtedly owing to the particular Circumstances the Forces were in at the time of their Discharge. "I am, Sir, Your most obedient, humble Servant, "ANTHONY PALMER. "His Excell. WILLIAM SHIRLEY, Esq." "Much time was taken up in the serious Consideration of the State of the Province, and least the Cannon wrote for to England for the Supply of the Batteries, the principal thing relied on for the Defence of the City, shou'd not arrive in time, it was unanimously agreed to take the opportunity of the Post to apply to Governor Clinton & Governor Shirley for a Loan of Cannon till ours shou'd come, and the Letters being immediately prepared, were read & signed by the Members. That to the Governor of New York in these words: "Sir: "PHILADA., 29th Decr., 1749. "By the frequent Informations we have had & are daily receiving of the Designs of our Enemies from English Prisoners who have been among them, there is great Reason to fear this City will be attempted in the Spring; and as our Assembly consist for the most part of Quakers principled against Defence, the Inhabitants despair of their doing any thing for their Protection, they having been very frequently applied to for that End without Success. These Considerations have induced great numbers, as well in the Country as in Town, to enter into an Association for the Defence of this City & Province, and several Companies are already form'd. As a further Security, the Associators have contriv'd to raise a Sum of Money to be laid out in Building a battery or two on the River, and have wrote to England to purchase Cannon fit for the purpose; but as the Designs of our Enemies will probably be put in Execution in the Spring, the Cannon they have wrote for may possibly arrive too late; we therefore, at the Request of great numbers of the Associators, and from our own Sense of the great Danger to which this Colony lies exposed, earnestly entreat Your Excell that You wou'd furnish this Government with as many battering Can 4 non as can conveniently be spared, which we assure Your Excellency shall be return'd on Demand. Your Compliance with our Request will contribute much to His Majestie's Service, as it may be the means of preserving this valuable part of His Dominions, or at least prevent the plundering of the City, and will conferr the highest obligations on Us & the rest of the Inhabitants of this Province. "We are, with perfect Esteem & Regard, "Your Excellency's most obedient Servants, "ANTHONY PALMER, "His Excell" GEORGE CLINTON, Esqr." The same Members sign'd the Letter to Mr. Shirley which fol lows: "Sir: "PHILADA., 29th Decr., 1747. "By the frequent informations we have had & are daily receiving of the Designs of our Enemies from English Prisoners who have been among them, there is great Reason to fear this City will be attempted in the Spring; and as our Assembly consist for the most part of Quakers principled against Defence, the Inhabitants despair of their doing anything for their Protection, they having been very frequently applied to for that End without Success. These Considerations have induced great numbers, as well in the Country as in Town, to enter into an Association for the Defence of this City & Province, and several Companies are already form'd. As a further Security, the Associators have contrived to raise a Sum of Money to be laid out in building a Battery or two or the River, and have wrote to England to purchase Cannon fit for the purpose; but as the Designs of our Enemies will probably be put in Execution in the Spring, the Cannon they have wrote for may possibly arrive too late; We therefore, at the Request of great numbers of the Associators, and from our own Sense of the great Danger to which this Colony lies expos'd, earnestly entreat Your Excellency that You' would furnish this Government with as many battering Cannon as can conveniently be spared, which we assure Your Excellency shall be return'd on Demand. Your Complyance with our Request will contribute much to His Majestie's Service, as it may be the means of preserving this valuable Part of his Dominions, or at least prevent the plundering of the City, and will conferr the highest Obligations On Us & the rest of the Inhabitants of this Province. "We further beg your Excellency wou'd use your Interest with the Commanders of such of His Majestie's Ships as may be station'd within Your Government or at Cape breton, that they may extend their Cruises to our Capes, without which our Trade, we imagine, will be quite block'd up & destroy'd next Summer. "We hope the Liberty we have taken will meet with a favourable Interpretation, & that the same Zeal which Your Excellency has shewn upon a former occasion to augment his Majestic's Dominions may, without prejudice to your own Government, be exerted to the preservation of this Province. "We are, with perfect Esteem & Regard, & "His Excellen WILL SHIRLEY, Esqr." The Secretary laid before the Board a number of Blank Military Commissions, which were Signed by the President & the four Eldest Members of Council present, in order to be ready against New Year's Day, the Day appointed by the Associators to Elect & present their Officers. At a Council held at Philadelphia the 1st January, 1747. PRESENT: The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr., President. Thomas Hopkinson, The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approv'd. The Associators having form'd themselves into several Companies, appear'd this Day under Arms & proceeded to chuse their Officers, & the following Gentlemen being Elected & return'd for the Appro bation of the Council, the Secretary was order'd to fill up the Blanks in the Commissions Sign'd last Council Day, with their names, & to Countersign the Commissions. |