Gambar halaman
PDF
ePub

King's Service, & equally prejudicial to the People whom they represent.

The Express sent to Virginia return'd this Day & brought the following Letter:

"Sir:

"JUNE 4th, 1748.

"This morning about ten o'Clock I received Your Letter with the inclosed Affidavits; but before I set down to answer it I sent an Express to Captain Norbury, who Commands His Majesty's Ship the Loo, and is at present upon this Station, with a Letter giving him an account of the purport of yours, but I fear he is gone to Sea, for he inform'd me yesterday he would sail to-Day, if not I am perswaded by what I have wrote he will take a Cruize your way, for he is a very alert & diligent Officer. He brought in three Days ago two Privateers, one from the Havanna, with 12 Guns, 16 Swivels, & 140 Men, the other from St Augustine, with 4 Guns, some Swivels, & 40 Men; during his Cruize we were alarm'd with a Spanish Privateer being got into our Bay, nor are our fears over, tho' he promises to make a clear Stage; he has taken the largest Prize to Sea with him.

"Our Fleet is not yet arrived, nor. had we any Certainty of their Sailing till yours came to hand; however, I sent the inclosed for Captain Masterson, with that for the Purser of the Loo to Hampton, seeing the former may be every Day expected.

"I am become a very bad scribe, therefore I hope you'll excuse all blunders, & beleive that I am with great respect,

66

Sir, Your most obedient humble Servant,
"WILL. GOOCH.

"The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr."

A Petition was read of William Clark, praying he may be appointed to succeed Mr. Morgan as Measure Sealer.

Order'd to lye upon the Table.

At a Council held at Philadelphia, Thursday 16th, June, 1748.

PRESENT:

The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr., Presid'

Abraham Taylor,

Joseph Turner,

William Logan,

Robert Strettell,
Thomas Hopkinson,

Esqrs.

The Minutes of the preceding Council were read & approv'd. The Board resum'd the Consideration of Alexander Ure's Petition, & being inclinable to reprieve him till the Governor's arrival,

the Secretary was order'd to consult the Attorney General on the words of the Royal Charter relating to Persons found guilty of Murder.

Mr. Burch appear'd before the Council & Petition'd that the Board wou'd release him from his Contract to carry 35 french Prisoners to Leoganne for £32, alledging he was apprehensive the French wou'd take reprisals for some of their Flaggs of Truce that had lately been seized in America; & likewise that the number being too great they might rise & force him to carry them directly to Hispaniola, which would be detrimental to him, since he was oblig'd to touch at Burmudas and leave some goods there. After a long debate it was insisted on by the Board that he shou'd carry 18 Prisoners for £18, & the following Letter was wrote to the French Governor at Hispaniola :

"Sir:

"PHILADA., June, 16th 1748.

"A number of Prisoners brought in here by our Privateers were likely to continue a long time for want of vessels to carry them off had I not, in compassion for them, laid my Commands on Mr. Burch, one of the Owners of two Sloops bound to Jamaica (but under a Contract to touch at the Island of Bermudas in order to deliver there a few Goods) & oblig'd him to carry the Prisoners to Leoganne & deliver them to your order. Mr. Burch has made abundance of objections, & is really possess'd of fear least the honour due to the Flagg shou'd not be paid to him, as he has a Jamaica Cargo on board; but I have assured him that from the Character Your Excellency bears he will run no risque of this kind, especially since I do hereby Certify that he is press'd by me into the Service. Capt Brownlow, in one of the said Sloops call'd the Royal Ranger, waits on Your Excellency with this Letter, & I most heartily recommend him as well as Mr. Burch to your favor, not doubting that every thing will be made agreeable to them,

"I am, &c.,

"ANTHONY PALMER. "His Excellency Mons" DE CHASTENOY, Gov" at Petit Goave."

The following Pass was Sign'd by the President: "PHILADA., Ss.

"By the Honourable ANTHONY PALMER, Esq., President of the Province of Pennsylvania, & the Government of the Lower Counties of New Castle, Kent, & Susex on Delaware: To all to whom these Presents shall come Greeting:

"Whereas, I have authorized & appointed as I do by these Presents authorise & appoint Brownlow, Commander of the Sloop Royal Ranger, to wear & go under a Flag of Truce from this

Port of Philadelphia to Leaganne, or to any other Port in the Island of Hispaniolia, in order to carry Nine Prisoners of War, Subjects of His Most Christain Majesty.

"These are, therefore, requiring all & singular whom it may concern, to suffer the said Captain Brownlow with his said Sloop, Crew, & Passengers to pass freely and quickly without any Let, hinderance, or Molestation to the aforesaid Island of Hispaniolia, & from thence to the Island of Jamaica. Given under my Hand & Seal-at-Arms at Philadelphia aforesaid, this 22d day of May, in the Twenty-first Year of the Reign of His Majesty King George the Second, Annoqz Domini, 1748.

“ANTHONY PALMER."

A Letter & Pass of the same Tenor with the above was prepaid for Captain Coatam, to Cape Francois.

Captain Coatam was sent for & told that the Council understood he only intended to carry 18 French Prisoners, but it was their Express Order that he shou'd carry 30. The Captain said he would acquaint the Owners with their Honour's Commands.

Captain Ballet inform'd the Council that he cou'd not Sail for want of Men, & shou'd therefore be put under the disagreeable necessity of pressing if no other Method cou'd be found to furnish him with his Compliment.

It is the opinion of the Board that the best way to avoid the Inconveniences of pressing Men, wou'd be to give a Bounty to as many Seamen as wou'd voluntarily enter on board, but as the Assembly has made no Provision for the Payment of such Bounty, the Board have it not in their power to assist the Captain as they are desir'd; the Secretary may, however, apprise Mr. Kinsey of this matter, & if he thinks this method reasonable & will advance the Money, the Board will give an Order for it upon him as Trustee, as they are inform'd there is no Money in the Treasury, in which may be likewise included the Sum expended for Supernumerary workmen employ'd in Carcening ye Otter.

At a Council held at Philadelphia, Friday, 17th June, 1748.

Samuel Hasell,

Abraham Taylor,
Joseph Turner,

PRESENT:

William Till,
Robert Strettell,
Thomas Hopkinson,

}

Esqrs.

The Minutes of the preceding Council were read & approv'd.

Captain Thomas Jenkins arriving this Afternoon, after having been taken by a Spanish Privateer at the Capes, the Secretary took

his Examination, which he depos'd before Mr. Turner in these words:

"Thomas Jenkins, Captain of the Sloop Industry, being sworn on the Evangelists of Almighty God, deposeth & saith, that he sail'd from Boston in the said Sloop Industry bound to Philadelphia, & on Wednesday the 15th Instant about Eleven a'clock in the morning, being about five Miles from Cape May, he was taken by a Spanish Privateer from the Havannah commanded by Don Joseph Hannoteau, mounted with six Carriage Guns & about ten swivels, having on board about forty Men to the best of this Deponent's Judgment. And this Deponent further saith, that there were then in Sight two Ships, three Brigantines, & one Sloop, which he verily believes to be Enemies Vessels, as the said Sloop by which he was taken came from amongst the said Vessels & return'd to them; and that one of the said Ships is a large Ship of upwards of Thirty Guns & has Top Lights & Poop Lanthorns; That he was plunder'd of every thing that was valuable, & then they gave him his Vessel and set him at Liberty. This Deponent further saith, that he saw one of the Brigantines fire upon a Pilot Boat that was about three Miles to the Eastward of this Sloop, & believes she was likewise taken as he saw nothing of her afterwards.

"THOMAS JENKINS.

"Sworn this 17th June, 1748, before me,

"JO. TURNER."

On considering this Deposition the Members present concluded to send an Express to Gov" Gooch, with the following Letter:

"Sir:

"PHILADELPHIA, 17th June, 1748.

"I have the honour to acknowledge the Receipt of Yours in answer to the Council's Letter, by the Express. It was exceeding kind in Your Excellency to dispatch a Messenger so soon to Captain Norbury, & we hope your Letter reach'd him before he went to Sea.

"This afternoon arrived here one Captain Jenkins, who was taken off our Capes, & having made Oath to what pass'd, the Council think the Contents of his Deposition to be of so much Consequence that they have immediately dispatched a Messenger to apprize Your Excellency thereof, that You may give notice to the Vessels which are ready to Sail, & likewise may make Captain Masterson acquainted with the arrival of this fresh Set of Enemies' Privateers. By the Accounts of several Persons who have seen Don Pedro's Ship at the Havanna, the great Ship mention'd in Jenkins' Depositiou must be the same, & the others his Consorts.

"The Council desire me as Eldest Member, in the absence of the

President, to assure Your Excellency of their Respects, in which I most heartily join with them, being very truly,

"Your Excellency's most obedient humb. Servant,

"Gov. GOOCH."

"THOMAS LAWRENCE.

Another of the same Tenor was sent by Express to Governor Clinton, requesting him to impart the advice to Governor Shirley by the Post, who wou'd be just setting out for Boston on the arrival of the Express at New York.

At a Council held at Philada., Saturday 18th June, 1748.

PRESENT:

The Honoble. ANTHONY PALMER, Esqr., President.

[blocks in formation]

The Minutes of the preceding Council were read & approv'd. Captain Clymer, in a Sloop bound here from Carolina, having been Chased by a Brigantine in Company with a large Ship, which he believ'd to be Don Pedro, & left his Vessel at Anchor about 18 Miles to the Northward of Cape May, his Examination was order'd to be taken by the Secretary. On this further Intelligence Captain Ballett came into Council, & desir'd the Board wou'd give their advice whether, as the Enemy's force was so strong at the Capes, it wou'd be prudent in him to venture down with the Convoy till he shou'd receive some tidings from the Loo or the Hector, & every one present thought it not safe either for the Convoy or the City that the Captain shou'd go down without some more perfect advices, which were hourly expected by the Intelligence Boats in the Employ of the Province.

Coll Taylor, under whose Command the Batteries were put for the present, produced a Set of Instructions to Mr. John Sibbald, commissionated to be Captain of the Fort, which were read & approv'd.

The following Paper was presented by Mr. Weiser in Council.

"MEMORANDUM taken the 13th June, 1748.

"Last Night arrived at my House Ganataraykon, Sogogockiather, Achnoara, Kattake, & Sanagaranet, sent by Shikalamy to inform me that a Message from the Six Nations (in the Cajucka to the following purport.

« SebelumnyaLanjutkan »