Capt Palmer & Hee does Judge Palmer @ Mr Graham wrong for Mr Ja Graham they are psons look't upon by the Council as fittest for those employments they are in, viz. Palmer Judge @ Graham attorney for the King, And if Mr Santen would speak truth he must needs say they both have been very serviceable for the King in the advancement of his Revenue, @ that they still continue with their utmost endeavors soe to bee And though their way of living is by the law, yet their management has been such by arbitration @such other mild courses that were there was ten actions formerly there is not one now. And the Council had soe good an opinion of Captn Palmer that hee was thought the fittest to bee the Judge of ye court for the Kings affairs As for sloops &c going from this to Newfoundland, if it was against the act of navigation hee did ill to admit soe many to clear @ enter to @ from thence without soe much as taking notice of it, till hee @ Major Brockhelles falling out, hee took occasion to seize his sloop, which the Council @ I looking upon to bee only malicious discharged taking security from him till his Maty further pleasure were known Mr Mayne coming here @ shewing mee his instruction, noe vessel has gone from hence thi ther since, And had I not relyed soe much upon Capt Santen none had gone, @ for his sake I'll not trust to another soe much again Mr Santen was in the right I was angry to find a cart-load of goods going off the bridge after shutting up the Custom House without entry @ demanding of the man how long they had been there, hee answered from seven in the morning, without any officers taking notice of them, Upon my speaking to Mr. Santen he fell excusing his officers @ gave mee ill words. What thereupon happened I refer to My Lord Neal @ Mr Mayne's testimonies that were then witnesses of it As for Woolsford's case I have already referred your Lop to the account given thereof to Sr Benjamin Bathurst. The negro-story I refer to the record herewith sent I never did anything since I came into the government without the advice @ consent of the Council The ship Charts was cleared upon trial Mr Santen had nothing to allege against her The sloop Lancaster is the same with that of Gov. Heathcot before mentioned The Boat of D'Morez was condemned for going to the Mill with Corn without the Governint @ seized by Capt Santen The Sloop Fortune was condemned @ my own share as well as the Kings forgiven, the poor man having done what he did innocently The Sloop Lewis came from Pettiquaves, @ brought here some of our people who had been taken by the Spaniards, in going to Jamaica with provisions @ had fled to Pettiquaves @ the sloop coming hither the master sent up word from Sandy Hook that hee would willingly come @ live here which I willingly granted him liberty to doe, @ in consideration of his service in bringing home our people I forgave the Kings @ my own part in the sloop after shee was condemned with the proviso that if his Maty did not approve of it hee should pay that share according to appraizement for which Bond was accordingly taken, as will appear to yr Lops by the attested copie herewith sent In short all that I'll say, hee's fitter for a retired life, than to bee the Kings Collector What estimateyou ean make touching the estates &c. What persua gion &c To the three & Twentieth The answer thereof is referred to the next In answer to the tenth & four @ Twentieth querie Every Town ought to have a Minister New York has sions in Reli- first a Chaplain belonging to the Fort of the Church of England; Secondly, a Dutch Calvinist, thirdly a French Calvinist, fourthly a Dutch Lutheran-Here bee not many of the Church of England; few Roman Catholicks; abundance of Quakers preachers men @ Women especially; Singing Quakers, Ranting Quakers; Sabbatarians; Antisabbatarians; Some Anabaptists some Independents; some Jews; in short of all sorts of opinions there are some, and the most part of none at all The Church The Great Church which serves both the English @ the Dutch is within the Fort which is found to bee very inconve nient therefore I desire that there may bee an order for their building an other ground already being layd out for that purpose @ they wanting not money in Store wherewithall to build it The most prevailing opinion is that of the Dutch Calvinists What course To the five and twentieth It is the endeavour of all Psons here to bring up their &c children @ servants in that opinion which themselves profess, but this I observe that they take no care of the conversion of their Slaves. Every Town @ County are obliged to maintain their own poor, which makes them bee soe careful that noe Vagabonds, Beggars, nor Idle Persons are suffered to live here But as for the Kings natural-born-subjects that live on longIsland @ other parts of the Government I find it a hard task to make them pay their Ministers. MY LORDS THO. DONGAN. Since my writing of this, on Perusal of some Papers in the Secretary's office, I found some Memorandums of Sir Edmond Andros whereby I understand that in the year 167 hee sent home Capta Salisbury for England to let his Royal Highness now his Maty know how impossible it was, for this Government to subsist without the addition of Connecticut. And hee himself went with some soldiers to surprise them, intending when hee had done it to keep possession by a Fort hee designed to make at a place called Seabrook but was prevented by the opposition of two Company's of men then lodged there ready to goe out agst the Indians with whom they were in Warr Much less it can subsist now without it, being at more expense than in the time of Sir Edmond @ having lost Delaware @ soe consequently the Peltry Trade which is not much inferiour to that of the Beaver, besides much Quit-rents @ the Excise which would have been a very considerable Revenue And too, what helps, hee had these from East @ West Jersey. Weighing this with the reasons aforementioned, I hope his Maty` will bee graciously pleased to add that Colony to this which is the Centre of all His Dominions in America. And the people thereof have been more inclined to his Maty service and have expressed upon all occasions more Loyalty than any other of these Parts Likewise I am to give y' Lop an account that since I received my Instructions, I caused a Vessel which came to Amboy to come hither @enter-It being the opinion of the Counci', that it w: both agreeable to my Instructions and for ner practise especially in the time of Sir Edmd Andros Pensilvania I am now informed that the people of Pensilvania have had last year from the Indians, upwards of 200 packs of Beaver down to the Skonshill @ will have more this, as I have reason to believe, which if not prevented, his May must not expect this Governmt can maintain itself, besides that it will wholy depopulate both this Town @ Albany One Rogers the Weighmaster being found indebted to the King in £190-17- I demanded the mony from him to which hee returned for answer; that he was Mr. Santen's servant @ would live @die by him @ would not pay it without his order. On which an Extent was made out against him @ hee taken thereupon @ put into Prison; Where after many endeavors of Mr Saten to the contrary as will appear by the Minutes of Council hee at last paid £140 of it which I was willing to take rather than lose the whole I am afraid wee shall not have soe good an account of the rest of the debts Being informed that Mr Smith has never accounted with Mr Santen @ having the opinion of Capta Palmer @ Mr Graham that he is accountable to the King at least for soe much of the mony as hee has received to his own use on pretence of Salary without any authority for the same. I have caused him to be arrested in an action of account at his May suit, upon which hee lies a prisoner to answer it at the Court appointed for the management of his Ma Revenue Mr Santen since his commitmt hath been soe unruly @ abusive to mee and the Council that in our own defence, Wee are force't to send him home, threatning us with Chains at least for what wee have done. Councilors The names of ye Councilors Major Anthony Brockhells Stephen V Courtlandt Gervis Baxter The Council thought fit not to give Mr. Santen his oath as appears by the Minutes of Council John Young had his oath given him but hee lives 150 miles from this, @ has no estate of his own and very old, that it is a thing impossible for him to serve There being a clause in my Instructions wherein I am limited not to act without five, therefore Mr John Spragg @ Major Jervis Baxter going for England, and there not being a sufficient number to make a quorum, I have by Vertue of a clause in my letters Patents, impowring mee in case of absence out of the Goverment death or Suspension to add of the principal Freeholders) given the oath to Judge Palmer and Nicolas Bayard the present Mayor to serve in the Council until his May pleasure be known And whereas there is a clause in my Instructions to send over the names of six persons more fitt to supply the vacancy of the Council six of the fittest I find in this Government are as followeth Mathias Nichols Judge James Graham William Smith Gabriel Minvielle Francis Rumbouls Major Nicolas Demyre |
