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Country People, who will not be restrain'd from taking vengeance for such unfounded & mischievous treatment."

A String.

Several conferences were held with the Chiefs of the Indians concerning the new Purchase of Lands, & at length the limits were unanimously agreed to & the Consideration Money paid, whereupon the Indians executed a Deed to the Proprietaries, which was order'd to be put upon Record.

At a Council held at Philadelphia, 11th September, 1749.

PRESENT:

The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esqr., Lieutenant Gov

ernor.

Abraham Taylor,
William Logan,

Robert Strettell,

Richard Peters,

Esqrs.

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

The Governor having order'd Doctor Grome & Doctor Thomas Bond to visit the Ship Francis & Elizabeth, arriv'd in the Cove below the City with Palatines on board from Rotterdam, & they having reported that she was an unhealthy Vessel, several of the Passengers labouring under an eruptive fever which they were of opinion was infectious, he had order'd the Trustees of the Province Island to attend the Council to be inform'd of the Condition of the Pest House & what conveniences there were or might soon be made for the reception & care of the Sick; & the Trustees accordingly attending, together with the Doctors, it appear'd on examination that the Place was in great Disorder, & that for want of room, Household Furniture, & suitable Apartments, the Sick cou'd be but indifferently taken care of, yet there being a necessity of immediately landing the infected the Trustees promis'd to put the Rooms into the best order they cou'd & to build some slight out Houses that might serve the present Occasion; whereupon the Captain of the Ship Francis & Elizabeth was serv'd with an order from the Governor to remove his Vessel to the Mouth of Schuylkill, as near to the Pest House as he cou'd conveniently lye, to send there all the Sick & to keep the well on board, and not to suffer any Persons to go near them except the Doctors, Necessary Nurses, & Servants.

MEMORANDUM.

8th October, 1749.

The Returns of the several Sheriffs & Coroners for the Province & Counties having been deliver'd to the Governor, a Council was

call'd to consider to whom Commissions shou'd be granted, but no Members appearing, the Governor Commissionated the following Persons, viz.:

Richard Sewell, Sheriff,
George Heap, Coroner,

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Philad County.

Bucks County.

John Hart, Sheriff, }

William Smith, Coroner,

Hance Hamilton, Sheriff,,York County.

Nicholas Ryland,

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At a Council held at Philadelphia, Monday the 16th October, 1749.

PRESENT:

The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor.

Joseph Turner,
Richard Peters,

William Logan,

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Esquires.

The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approv'd. The Governor informed the Board that he had received a Message from the House by Five Members, that a Quorum of the Representatives was met and had proceeded to chuse their Speaker, and desired to know when they might present him, and that he had appointed them to wait on him to-day at eleven o'Clock in the Council Chamber. The Time of appointment being elapsed, his Honour sent a verbal Message by the Secretary to inform the house that he was ready to receive them; whereupon the House came and presented John Kinsey, Esquire, as their Speaker, who was approved, and having prayed the usual Priviliges and received a favourable Answer, the House withdrew.

Then the Governor order'd the following Letter from the Duke of Bedford to be read and enter'd, and having prepared a Message to the Assembly on the Contents thereof, and on the late Indian

Treaty which was not finish'd during the Sitting of the last Assembly, the same was read and approv'd.

"To JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire, Deputy Governor of his Magistie's Province of Pennsylvania in America, and in his Absence to the Commander-in-Chief of the said Province for the time being.

"Sir:

"Upon the thirtieth of May last the House of Commons presented an humble Address to the King, desiring that His Majesty would be graciously pleased to give Directions that there be laid before that House, in the next Session of Parliament, an Account of the Tenor and Amount of all the Bills of Credit which have been created and issued in the several British Colonies and Plantations in America, as well those under Proprietors and Charters as under his Majesty's immediate Commission and Government, that shall be then outstanding, distinguishing the Amount of the same in each Colony or Plantations, and the respective Times when such Bills so outstanding were issued, with the Amount of the said Bills in Money of Great Britain, both at the Times when such Bills were issued and at the Time of preparing the said Account, and also the Times fixed for the calling in, sinking, and discharging such Bills, and the Funds appropriated for that Purpose. And I am now in Consequence thereof commanded by his Majesty to signify his Pleasure to you that You should order all such Accounts, so far as they relate to your Government, to be prepared and transmitted forthwith to me, that I may lay the same before his Majesty and receive his farther Pleasure thereupon with Regard to their being laid before the Parliament.

"I am, Sir, your most obedient humble Servant,

Whitehall, July 19th, 1749."

"BEDFORD.

A Message from the Governor to the Assembly, viz. : "Gentlemen:

"By the Letter herewith delivered you, which I have lately had the Honour to receive from His Grace the Duke of Bedford, One of his Majestie's Principal Secretaries of State, you will perceive that the Paper Money of the several Plantations in America is again like to come under the Consideration of the Parliament at their next Sessions, which will probably be in the Month of December or January; And as I esteem it a Principal Part of my Duty to have a watchful Care for the true Interest of the People under my Government, I have made Use of the earliest Opportunity to communicate to you, their Representatives, His Majesty's Orders to me upon that Head, thereby putting it in your Power to obviate any Prejudice, or mistaken Notions that may have been conceived with

Regard to the Currency of this Province before they can be carried into Execution.

it.

"I take it for granted we are all sensible of the mischievous Tendency of the Bill that was brought into Parliament the last Year to regulate and restrain Paper Bills of Credit in the Plantations; and as it is not improbable that something of the same Kind may be again offered in the ensuing Session, I perswade myself you will think it convenient to give your Agent full Instructions upon this Subject in case it should become necessary for him to oppose The honourable Proprietaries at that time labour'd indefatigably and with Success to avert the Mischiefs that threatened this Province from the Passing of the said Bill; and I have it in Command from them to assure you of their Assistance upon all future Occasions wherein the Welfare and Happiness of the People of this Province may be concerned.

"Altho' this be not the usual time of your Sitting to do Business, yet I hope in Consideration of the Importance of this Matter you will, before your Adjournment, furnish me with a clear and exact State of our Paper Currency, to be transmitted forthwith, pursuant to the Directions contained in the Letter before mentioned.

"The last Assembly having adjourned before I finish'd with the Indians, I could only acquaint them with a Part of their Business; what passed afterwards between me and them you will see in the Minutes of Council, which the Secretary has my Orders to lay before you.

"The Committee of Assembly appointed to take Care of the Indians conceiving that they had no authority to make any further Provision for them than during their stay in the City, the Interpreter, at my request, defrayed the Expenses in their Return, which you will please to order to be repaid to him.

"JAMES HAMILTON.

"October 16th, 1749."

At a Council held at Philadelphia, Thursday the 19th October, 1749.

PRESENT:

The Honourable JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor.

Thomas Lawrence,
Robert Strettell,

Richard Peters.

Samuel Hassell,
Joseph Turner, Esquires.

The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approved. The Record of the Conviction and Condemnation of James Johnson and Thomas Fielding for a Robbery committed on the

Highway in the Northern Liberties, on Thomas Green of this City, Carpenter, was read, and in regard that the Judges have said nothing in their favour nor any of the Members of Council, and that this is the first Crime of this Nature perpetrated within the Province, it is unanimously agreed that the Sentence be put in Execution on Saturday at the usual Time; whereupon a Writ was prepared and signed by the Governor.

The Assembly's Answer to the Governor's Message, together with the State of the Paper Currency were read:

A Message to the Governor from the Assembly.

"May it please the Governor:

"We gratefully acknowledge the watchful Care the Governor hath been pleased to take for the true Interest of the People under his Government whom we represent, in having made use of this early Opportunity to put it in our Power to obviate any Prejudices or mistaken Notions that may have been conceived with Regard to the Currency of this Province before they are carried into Execution.'

"Sensible of the mischievous Tendency of the Bill that was brought into Parliament the last Year to 'regulate and restrain Paper Bills of Credit in the Plantations,' And apprehensive that something of the same kind may again be offered in the ensuing Session,' we are fully of opinion with the Governor 'to give our Agent full Instructions on the Subject,' that in case it should become necessary he may oppose it.'

"We also gratefully acknowledge the Obligations we are under to our Proprietaries both for the Assistance they have already been pleased to afford Us in Relation to our Bills of Credit, as also for such as they promise Us in future.

"Tho' it be not the usual Time of our sitting to do business, yet the Importance of the Matter recommended to Us is such that pursuant to the Governor's Recommendation we have thought it necessary to furnish the Governor with a clear and exact State of our Paper Currency, to be transmitted forthwith,' pursuant to the Directions He hath received. To this End a Committee were appointed, whose Report, which hath been approved of by the House, we send herewith, from whence we think it will evidently appear that due Care hath been taken to support its Credit, and that the Sum total in Preportion to our Commerce is very small, And yet small as it is were We depriv'd of it would have a Tendency to disable Us from paying the Ballance of Trade against Us to our Mother Country, and consequently put us under the Necessity of engaging in divers Manufactures here, which at present We are supplied with at cheaper Rates from thence.

"We shall take the necessary Care to discharge the Remainder

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