N° 411 To Courtland Skinner Esq' or order Council for this Province for the Quarter ended the 21st Ins.......... N° 413 To John Smith or order for a Quarters this Province for the Quarter ended N° 414 To Anthony Elton or order for a the Council of this Province for the N° 415 To Abram Clerk' Jun' (Clerk of the 5,, 0, 0 2,, 10,, 0 Minutes & Recording the same....... 10,, 12,, N° 416 To James Parker for printing the his Account agreed to by John 8 61,, 7,, 0 At a Council held at Elizabeth Town on Tuesday the Sixteenth Day of March 1756 His Excellency Nominated the following Gentlemen to be Judges of the Pleas in the County of Monmouth Vizt Also the Following Gentlemen to be appointed Justices of the Peace in said County All the Gentlemen of the Council, Secretary, Attorney General 1 Thomas Woodward 7 William Hendrickson 9 Guisbert Longstreet 11 Timothy Ridgway 13 Joseph Throck Morton 2 Robert Montgomery 4 Amos White 6 Joseph Stilwell 12 John Henderson His Excellency Nominated John Ladd & Edward Doughty to be Justices of Gloucester to all which Nominations the Council Assented. His Excellency was pleased with the Consent of Council to Sign the following Warrant N° 417 To Edward Antill Esq' or order for 16 days Attendance to this day..... £4,, 16,, 0 George Vreelandt Esq' came into Council & Presented to his Excellency & Council three Belts of Wampum from Harcop John Keyon and Six Indians in the County of Bergen as A token of their Fidelity to his Majesty & Affection to their Brethren the English & their desire to be included in the Treaty lately held with the Indians at Crosswicks His Excellency & the Council taking the same into Consideration Ordered that the Secretary Write to the said Indians in the Name of His Excellency & Council as follows Brethren I am Commanded by His Excellency & His Majestys Council to acquaint you that they have Received by our good Friend, George Vreelandt Esq' the Three Belts you sent us as a Token of your Fidelity to the King our Common Father and of your Affection to your Brethren the English, and you Desiring to be included in the Agreement lately concluded in this Colony with the Indians Inhabiting within the Same and His Excellency and the Council do hereby impower George Vreelandt Esq to Inform you that they Chearfully Accept of the Tender you make of Fidelity to the King & Affection to your Brethren & do Willingly include you in the Treaty Lately Concluded with the Indians in this Colony, & Shall give you the Protection of this Government within the Bounds Agreed on at the said Treaty.1 His Excellency by advice of Council Issued the following Proclamation Whereas by an Act of General Assembly of this Colony passed this day it is ordered that Two hundred & Fifty able Bodied Freemen be raised in this Colony for the Protection of the Frontiers and other Services in Lieu of the Militia now Stationed there, to be Divided into three Companies I hereby in His Majestys Name invite all Able Bodied Freemen Within this Colony Chearfully to Inlist in the said Service, & hereby Promise to give Commissions in Conformity to the said Act to such Persons as shall be Well & Sufficiently Recommended to me as fit for said Service and who shall without Delay Raise their Respective Compliments of Men who are to have the Same Pay, as the Militia at Present on the Frontiers have, & the Corps of Militia now on the Frontiers are hereby Strictly Commanded to Remain there 1 See Neville's Laws, II., 125. on Duty until they be Relieved Either by the Troops to be Raised by Virtue of the aforesaid Act or by other Militia Given under my hand & Seal at Arms at the Borough of Elizabeth in the Province of New Jersey the 16th day of March 1756 Compared & Examined by CHA READ Proceedings of His Majestys Council for the Province of New Jersey at a Session of the General Assembly of said Province begun and Holden by Adjournment at Elizabeth Town on Tuesday March the 9, 1756 The House Met Present Edward Antill The Honble Andrew Johnston Esq" His Excellency came into Council & having by the Deputy Clerk of The Council required the attendance of the house of Assembly the Speaker with the House Attended when his Excellency made the following Speech to both Houses Gentlemen of the Council & of the General Assembly I know of no time since my Arrival with the Honour of His Majestys Commission for the Government of this Province, that has so much Demanded our United Deliberations for the Defence, protection and Safety of this and the Neighbouring Provinces as this Critical Conjuncture doth, for the Year Seems to be opening with the Expectation of Great and Extraordinary Events which may Probably Shew us, Whether his Majesty is to Maintain his Just Rights and Dominions in North America, and His Subjects their Religion, Liberties and Properties; or Whether the Perfidious french with their Savage Allies, are to go on in their Cruel Murders and Depredations, and finally Drive the Kings good People into the Sea In Faithfulness to His Majestys Honour and Service and in a tender care of His good Subjects Committed to my Charge, I have given these things my Greatest Attention & Consideration, and would now lay before you several things which being put into Execution, may by the Blessing of God Prove Preventive of the Evils we have too much Reason to Feare And first of all I Must Mention with Gratitude to Almighty God And to the King His Majestys Great Goodness, in Laying before the Parliament the State of the Colonies and also a grateful Sence of His parliament in the Kind Assurances they have given him to do everything on their part for the Protection and Defence of these Colonies and for Putting a Stop to the further Encroachment of the Enemy. In the Next place I now lay before you the Minutes of a Council of War Lately held at New York by his Excellency General Shirley and which I commit to you Depending on your Honour that they shall not be Divulged (it is an Ancient and Wise Proverb that Secrecy is the Soul of Business) and by these You will see the plan of Operation and the Quotas of Men intended to be Raised by the Several Colonies for His Majestys Service in the Insuing Campaign; and When you Consider the Strength of the Enemy at the Several Places to be Attackt, I believe you will think it Reasonable & Necessary that this province should Furnish, their Additional proportion of Men, in Conjunction with the other Colonies which Matters being Duly Weighed I hope you will with much Alacrity, make up the Regiment of this Province to Seven Hundred and Fifty Men; and which you may Depend will Set you in a Very favorable Light With His Majesty I now also Communicate to you Extract of a Letter of the 2 of January last which I have received from the Honourable M' Dinwiddie' Governor of Virginia by which you will 1 See Virginia Historical Collections, İV., 312. |