The Proportion of each Concern or Interest in said £5,000 is as follows:

"Per J. WHEELWRIGHT, Commissary General. "BOSTON, New England, September 12, 1749."

And sent a verbal Message by the Secretary, recommending it to the Assembly to order the Payment of whatever shall appear to be due to the Government of Massachusetts Bay on the Estimates made in the said Accounts; and on the twenty-fifth the Governor received by two Members of the House the following Message: "That the House remember'd no Instance wherein the late Governor enter'd into any publick Engagement without first communicating it to this House; that they remember'd no Proposition of that sort made to them; that before they came to any Result in the Matter they were inclinable to search their Minutes, and therefore postponed the further Consideration thereof to their next sitting. And that the House proposed now to adjourn to the first of the Eleventh Month next; To which the Governor made no Objection.

MEMORANDUM.

The first of January, 1749.

Two Members waited upon the Governor to acquaint him that the House was met according to their Adjournment, and ready to receive any Thing he might have to lay before them. The Governor

made Answer that he had nothing at present to lay before the House, but if any Thing proper for their Consideration should occur to to him during their Sitting he would communicate it by Message.

At a Council held at Philadelphia, Wednesday, the 17th January, 1749.

PRESENT:

The Honoble. JAMES HAMILTON, Esqr., Lieutenant Gov

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

The Governor laid before the Board several Letters that had passed between him and the Governor of Maryland and the President of Virginia, which were ordered to be entered.

A Letter from Governor Hamilton to Governor Ogle. "Sir:

"The people have increas'd so fast in that Part of the Country which lies near the End of the Temporary Line, as the same was lately run by the Commissioners in Obedience to his Majestie's Order in Council, And such numbers have presum'd to settle and are still daily settling in a rude and disorderly Manner further to the Westward, that I am of Opinion it is become absolutely necessary to extend that Line to its Western Limits.

"As I doubt not that you have received the same Information with respect to the Increase of Inhabitants in those Parts, and are fully sensible of the bad Consequences that may attend tumultuous and irregular Settlements on the Borders, and that while the Temporary Limits are not known it will become every Day more difficult to preserve the Peace in Places so remote, I beg leave, from a sincere Desire to avoid every Occasion of Contention, to propose to You the extension of the temporary Line between the two Provinces from the Place where it now ends to a Meridian drawn from the first Fountain of the River Patowmach, and desire you will be pleas'd to join with me in the Appointment of Commissioners to do this necessary Work. Was not the Year so far advanced I should further propose that Commissions might issue immediately, but I think it may be very well, as People always take the Spring time to remove their Families, that the Commissioners be ready to

take the first Opportunity of fair Weather after the Winter breaks up.

"I am with great Regard, Sir,

"Your most obedient and most humble Servant,

"JAMES HAMILTON,

"Philadelphia, 23d September, 1749."

"Sir:

Governor Ogle's Answer to Governor Hamilton.

"November 30th, 1749.

"I received the 16th Instant the favour of your Letter of the 23d of September, and shall be always ready to do every thing in my Power to preserve Peace and good Neighbourhood on our Borders, but apprehend that our Bounds towards Virginia can never be settled to any Purpose without the joint Concurrence of that Government, as they are in Reality more concerned in the Extension of your western Bounds than we are.

"As the latter Part of the temporary Line was run ex parte by your Commissioners without any Check or Restraint on our Part, we apprehended they had gone to the utmost Extent of what they thought your western Bounds, but as your Letter seems to imply the contrary I should be glad to have your Opinion more clearly how far your five Degrees of Longitude will extend, and from what Part of your Eastern Boundary you think by your Charter you are entitled to set off at, that I may communicate your Thoughts to Lord Baltimore and the President of Virginia.

"Although this is a matter of Consequence, yet as it has no Relation to the other Points in Dispute I hope it may be easily settled to the mutual satisfaction of the three Governments. I am with all imaginable Regard.

"Sir, Your most obedient and humble Servant,

"SAM. OGLE.”

A Letter from the President of Virginia to Governor Hamilton. "Sir:

"I had the Pleasure to congratulate You on your arrival to your Government by the Favour of my Friend Mr. Strettell; I had great Satisfaction when I heard of your being advanced to that Honorable Station, because I had a very great Esteem for You ever since I had the Honour to know You.

"Upon Sr. William Gooch's leaving this Colony the Government here has devolved upon me as eldest Councellor, and I hope

the good Agreement that will subsist between Us will be of service to both Goverments.

"I am sorry that so soon I am obliged to complain to You of the insiduous behaviour, as I am informed, of some traders from your Province, tending to disturb the Peace of this Colony and to alienate the Affections of the Indians from Us.

"His Majesty has been graciously pleased to grant to some Gentlemen and Merchants of London and some of both sorts Inhabitants of this Colony, a large Quantity of Land West of the Mountains, the design of this Grant and one condition of it is to Erect and Garrison a Fort to protect our trade (from the French) and that of any of the neighbouring Colonies, and by fair open Trade to engage the Indians in Affection to his Majestie's Subjects to supply them with what they want so that they will be under no necessity to apply to the French, and to make a very strong Settlement on the Frontiers of this Colony, all which his Majesty has approved and directed the Governor here to assist the said Company in carrying their laudable Design into Execution; but your Traders have prevailed with the Indians on the Ohio to believe that the Fort is to be a bridle for them, and that the roads which the Company are to make is to let in the Catawbas upon them to destroy them, and the Indians naturally jealous are so possessed with the truth of these Insinuations that they threaten our Agents if they survey or make those Roads that they had given leave to make, and by this the carrying the King's Grant into execution is at present imprac ticable, Yet these are the Lands purchased of the Six Nations by the Treaty of Lancaster.

"I need not say any more to prevail with you to take the necessary means to put a stop to these mischievous Practices of those Traders. We are informed that there is Measures designed by the Court of France that will be mischievous to these Colonys which will in Prudence oblige Us to unite and not divide the Interest of the King's Subjects on the Continent. I am with Esteem and Respect,

"Sir, Your obedient humble Servant

"STRATFORD November 22d, 1749."

"THOMAS LEE.

Another Letter from the President of Virginia to Governor Hamilton:

"Sir:

"STRATFORD, December 20th, 1749.

"Since the Letter I had the Pleasure to write You I have found it necessary to write to the Lords of the Treasury, desiring their

Lordships to obtain the King's Order for running the dividing Line betwixt this Colony and Yours, else many difficultys will arise upon seating the Large Grants to the Westward of the Mountains.

"In the case of the Earl of Granville and the Lord Fairfax this method was taken, and Commissioners appointed by his Majesty

and those noble Lords.

"I thought it proper to acquaint you with this Step, that there may be no Surprize, and that a matter of such Consequence may meet with as little Delay as the Nature of it will admit of.

"I am, with all possible Esteem, Sir,

"Your most obedient and humble Servant,
"THOMAS LEE."

A Letter from Governor Hamilton to the President of Virginia.

"Sir:

"I am honour'd with your Letter of 22d of November, acquainting me with your succeeding, upon the Departure of Sr. William Gooch, to the Command of his Majestie's Colony of Virginia, upon. which I very heartily congratulate both You and the Colony, wishing you much Happinness in your Administration, as I doubt not the People will receive much Ease and Prosperity under it; I am at the same time to pay you my Acknowledgements for the favourable Opinion you are pleas'd to conceive of me.

"It gives me great Concern that you should have Cause of Complaint against any of the Inhabitants of this Province; you may depend that nothing in my Power shall be wanting to detect the Authors of the dangerous Insinuations you are pleas'd to mention, and make them sensible they are not to act such a Part with Impunity. At present there happens to be none of the Traders in this City to whom I can apply for information, but as soon as they return from the Indian Countries I shall take care that they be strictly examin'd, and endeavour by all possible methods to put an end to so vile a Practice.

"As you have mentioned the large Grant his Majesty has lately been pleased to make to some Gentlemen in Virginia of Lands on the Branches of the Ohio, I am induced to desire your opinion whether it may not be of use that the Western Bounds of this Province be run by Commissioners to be appointed by both Governments, in order to assure Ourselves that none of the Lands contained in that Grant are within the Limits of this Province. If you should join with me in Sentiment that the work is necessary to be done, I shall at all times be ready to appoint Commissioners and Surveyors