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miles round about and afterwards he made another grant unto him of all the land to the Southward of New Castle.

Now, may it please your Majesty, all that been reserved out of the Territorys and dominion aforesaid is only Long Island and some other small Islands adjacent, New York, Zopus, Albany and the limitts thereof; for the preserving of which the Crowne hath been at great charge, and for the support of your Majties governm' there is now in Generall Assembly a revenue established upon the trade thereof which is managed in manner following.

New Yorke is the Metropolis, is scituate upon a barren island bounded by Hudson's River and the East River that runs into the Sound, and hath nothing to support it but trade, which chiefly flows from flower and bread they make of the Corne the West end of Long Island and Zopus produceth; which is sent to the West Indies, and there is brought in returne from thence amongst other things a liquor called Rumm, the duty whereof considerably encreaseth your Majesties revenue.

Zopus is a place upon Hudson's River, 80 miles distant from New Yorke; consists of five small towns whose inhabitants manage husbandry and have not above 3000 acres of manureable land ; all the rest being hills and mountains, not possible to be cultivated.

Albany lyes upon the same River distant from New Yorke 144 miles, only settled for Indian trade; its commerce extends itself as far as the Lakes of Canada and the Sinnekes Country in which is the Susquehannah River; their chiefe dependance is upon their traffick with the 5 Nations called Sinnekes Cayeugoes Oneydes Onondages and Maquase; which Indians in the time of the Dutch did surrender themselves and their lands to the obedience & protecôn of Albany, and upon that place's reduccôn to your Majesties Crowne of England they continued confirming the same successively to all the Governours of this Province, and hath now ratifyed and confirmed the same unto your Majesty; so that all that tract of land from the Westermost extent of the Sinnekes Country unto Albany hath been appropriated and did absolutely belong unto the Inhabitants of Albany, upwards of fourty yeares; The Indian inhabitants have always reckoned themselves subjects

to your Majesties Crowne, and are not willing to submitt or have any trade or Commerce with any of your Majesty's subjects but those att Albany, your Majesty's forts of New Yorke and Albany had always an absolute dominion over all the Indian Nations adjacent to this Province but especially of all those to the Westward; and they were accustomed annually to bring tribute to your Majesty's forts, acknowledging the same, but of late years the neighbouring Collonys have obstructed them which we conceive highly injurious to your Majesty's interest and that this royalty is not conveyed by any of the afore recited grants.

Long Island is pleasantly scituated and well planted but brings little gain unto your Majesty, the East end being chiefly settled by New England people who have erected five towns. Their improvements are most in pasturage and whaleing. What is produced from their industry is frequently carried to Boston and notwithstanding of the many strict rules and laws made to confine them to this place they interlope that the revenue there is not able to defray the expence of looking after it. The middle of the Island [is] altogether barren; the West end chiefly employed in tillage, which in a great measure supplys the traffiq of New Yorke

All the rest of the Province, West Chester, Staten Island and Martin's Vineyard excepted, consist of barren mountains hills not improveable by humane industry.

Now May it please Your Majty:

The revenue that is established in this Province is in such a nature that if the encroachmts and pretences of our neighbours be removed, it will not only be sufficient to defray the charge of your Majties Governmt but also bring in profitt into your Majties Coffers.

East Jersey is scituate on Hudsons River over against Long Island Staten Island and New York, and they pretend by the aforementioned grant to be a free place and to have free ports to trade as they please, which if admitted must certainly destroy yo' Majties interest and revenue here; for what merchant will come to New York and trade and pay to yo' Majty 2 and 10 p cent with the excise and yor Majties duties settled here, if they can at

2 or 3 miles distance over against the same place go and be free from any duty or imposition whatever.

Conneticutt lyes to the eastward of us & pretends to the like freedome as East Jersey, and doth in the same degree threaten yr Majestys interest with the like inconveniency and prejudice. Therefore may it please our Majty if Connecticutt East and West Jersey be not annexed to your Majesty's Government of this Province it will be alltogether impossible to raise such a revenue to yo Majesty here as will be sufficient to defray the charge of the government, and the annexing thereof cannot be injurious to the proprietors, but on the contrary advantageous to them, for it will ease them of the charge of governmt which hath allways exceeded the quitt Rents accrueing to them; wheras if they were annexed the profits would be freed from that charge, retain their propertys and putt the Quitt Rents clear in their pocquets.

These inconveniences of Connecticutt East and West Jersey are not only prejudiciall to yor Maj ys intrest, but also the pretences of William Penn Esq to the 3 lower Countys on Delaware River and to the Susquehanna River are equally if not more injurious to your Majty and particularly in this respect Susquehanna River is scituate in the middle of the Sinnekes Country which they gave unto your Majesty's Crowne and hath belonged as an appendix to this your Majties Governmt many years before Mr Penn had his pattent. Notwithstanding thereof Mr Penn endevors to disturb your Majesty in the peaceable and quiett possession of the premises; endeavoring to tempt the Indians to sell it again to him, by that means not only to dispossess your Majesty of your antient rights, but also to pervert and draw away the trade of the Indians to his Province; which will be an irreparable loss to your Majesty, all the Nations with whom Albany hath their trade liveing at the head of Susquehanna River. So the revenue of 10 pr Cent, the impost upon powder, lead, alumn and furrs, quite lost, and if Mr Penn should attain his pretences to the Susquehanna River, it will not only destroy the best branch of your Majties revenue, but it will likewise depopulate your Province, the inhabitants of Albany haveing only seated themselves there and addicted their minds to the Indian language and the misteries of the said trade with purpose to

manage it, that if it should be diverted from that channell they must follow it, haveing no other way or art to gett a livelyhood.

The 3 Lower Countys were planted at the charge and expence of this your Majtys citty of New Yorke and cheifly to encrease and preserve the navigacôn of this port, being recommended to imploy their industry in planting of tobacco, which being a bulky comodity gave great encouragement to shipping as well as it brings great profitt to yo Majty Since we have mett with obstruccóns from that place by the pretences of Mr Penn, we have not been able to load so many ships as formerly; all that yor Majesties province produceth suitable for Europe being only furrs, which are of great value and in small bulk, gives little encouragement to navigation. We were also accustomed to have considerable parcells of peltry from said Countys, which go now another way without paying yo Majesty any thing, and that which is a heavier presture upon us, they constrain us a penny p pound for the tobacco brought here, and send it to Pensilvania, a distinct Province, without paying any thing; by that means diverting the trade of this port to Pensilvania: by all which your Majesty may perceive that the pretences of M Penn to the Susquehanna River are very injurious to your Maj ies right and revenue; so that some care must be taken if your Majy sees cause he shall remain a distinct governm that his line doth encroach upon your Majesties right noe further upon the Susquehanna River then the fall thereof; otherwise its scituation being so near the Sinnekes Indians, if planted by him, must of necessity divert the whole trade of Albany.

May it please Your Most Excel Majty.

This is the state of your Majesties Province with relation to our neighbours your Majesty's subjects. There is likewise the French formerly under the pretence of propagating the Christian faith amongst the Indians, did thereby very much incroach upon yo Majesties right on this side of the lake, and particularly did draw away many of our Indians into Canada, under the notion of supplying them with priests to instruct them in the Christian religion; by which means they lessened our hunting much, and has so weakened the Maquase nation that they are not capable to do

yo Majesty the service as formerly. Besides they are so affected to the French Yor Majties enemys that while they are in being we cann have no safety. Since the war the French priests have retired from their castles, and the Dutch Minister at Albany hath been very successfull in converting many of them to the true religion, in which they are very devout and desirous to have a ministry settled amongst them for their pious comfort and instruccôn. This would be of great advantage to your Majesty not only in the increase of your revenue but also to endear the Indian's to us, that they would continue to be the preservacon of this and the rest of your Majesty's adjacent Colonys; these Nations being the strongest and most terrible among the Indians are the only bulwarke and wall of defence both against other Indians and the French pretences, which we are daily threatened with, being informed that they intend with a considerable force of themselves and the Ottawawes Indians to descend upon Albany and take it, which is not at present able (if attaqued) to resist, neither is the whole Province as now narrowed, capable to secure that post, which hath occasioned an applicacôn to our neighbours for assistance, but possitively denyed: the particulars whereof are more plainly expressed in letters to the Secretary of State and Plantacôns: by all which yor Majty may judge of the present state of this Province, and of the inconveniencys that dayly attend it. Now may it please your most Excellt Majty.

The premises considered we humbly presume and represent unto y most sacred Majesty that there cann be nothing in America more conducive to yo Majties subjects upon this continent then that Connecticut, East and West Jersey, Pensilvania and 3 Lower Countys be reannexed to this yr Majties Province which then will be a governmt of sufficient extent; our late annexing to Boston haveing been evidently ruinous and destructive to these parts and may be other waies prejudicial to yor Majties interest for these reasons. Yo Majty hath already by the unanimous consent of the people, a revenue established of greater value then is any where else in yor Majtys Plantacôns and whoever are joyned to this Province submit to the Establishmt; wheras it will be difficult to settle the like among our neighbours, and if settled, remain

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