it is some surprise to us to find the Indians should have reason to importune him, or that he should be at any loss to know what it is he has to impart to them on this occasion. 'Our conduct towards the Indians in our alliance has been always candid, and free from any subterfuge whatever, so that we do not understand what the governor would mean by telling us "that the matter cannot be now minced, neither with them nor the other nations." And we are likewise at a loss to conceive why they should expect great presents from us who are wholly ignorant of the intention of their coming.

'The governor has been pleased to refuse his assent to our bills which had provided for Indian and other expences, and as our treasury is exhausted by the very heavy charges for the king's service, these Indians are come among us at a very unfortunate time, when it is not in our power to supply them in the manner we are inclined to do; however we will do all that can be reasonably expected from us, and must leave the rest to be supplied by the proprietaries, whose interest is at least as much concerned as ours in engaging the affections of the Indians at this time.'

The governor's rejoinder.

'Gentlemen,

'If my message gave you room to think that the Owendaets came here on a particular invitation of mine, at this time, I have led you into a mistake. They set out from their country, as they have informed me, on the plan set forth in the minutes of council of the twentieth and twenty-fourth of December last, which were laid before you.

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'The other Indians, at their request, accompanied them hither as they were strangers; and Scaroyady says, he has particular business to transact with this government. I have, in the name of the province, given thanks to the Owendaets for this kind visit, and to those of the Six Nations that were with our army in the late action; assured them all of the affections of the English; recommended to them to continue firm in their attachment to us; and given them room to expect some presents as a token of our regard.

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As the treasury is exhausted, I can only say, that I will readily pass a bill for striking any sum, in paper-money, the present exigency may require, provided funds are established for sinking the same in five years.

'The secretary will communicate to you what was said to the Indians yesterday, and I shall lay before you what may further pass between us, and earnestly recommend it to you, to enable me to send these people away perfectly satisfied.'

In this interval also, the governor, in another written message, did his utmost to refute the arguments urged by the assembly, to justify their claim to tax the proprietary estate; but as the paper is long, and the assembly's answer to it much longer; as the dispute was again and again revived, and a thousand ways diversified; as the data already before us afford sufficient grounds for a fair decision; and as it would require the phlegm of a German to wade through all the minutenesses of it, all these pieces may be collected in an appendix, for the sake of those so fond of precision, that they cannot be satisfied unless they see the whole of a controversy together.

The assembly, however, on the very day that they received the governor's paper, prepared him to expect a full, and as they hoped, a satisfactory answer; and in order that the public business of the greatest importance might not any longer be delayed by such disputes, took leave to acquaint him, "That the bill they had sent up to him was a money-bill, granting fifty thousand pounds to the king's use, which they saw no reason to alter; that they, therefore, adhered to their bill, and desired the governor would be pleased to give his final answer, whether he would pass it or not, as it then stood?"

And upon the next, the governor signified in writing, to the assembly, "That having amended the bill for raising fifty thousand pounds, and not being yet satisfied that it was in his power or consistent with his trust, to pass it without these amendments, whatever he might be when he should hear what they proposed to say to him upon that head, he

thought it necessary, in answer to their message of the day before to inform them, that he did adhere to the amendments to the bill so by him made."

This message was also accompanied by another, in which the governor specifies, "That he had received a letter from colonel Dunbar in answer to the proposition he had made to him [at the instance of the assembly, should have been acknowleged] for posting part of his troops on the western frontier, signifying, that he was willing to employ them in the best manner he could, for the honor of his master and the service of the public, and inclosing the opinion of a council of war, by which he, the governor, was desired to give them a meeting at Shippensburg, where they would wait till he could join them; and that he should readily have gone thither for that purpose, had he not received another letter from governor Shirley, (in answer to one of his, requesting orders for employing the remainder of the two English regiments in protecting the frontiers of that and the neighbouring provinces) in which he said, he thought it for his majesty's service to employ those troops another way, as those provinces were populous enough to protect themselves; and therefore had sent orders to colonel Dunbar, under cover to him, to march his troops to that city; which he had [already] forwarded to him; and that as the march of these troops. would leave the western frontier exposed to the French and Indians, he thought it his duty to communicate those matters to them, that they might, as soon as possible, make provision for the security of the back inhabitants, and for the subsistence of the troops during their march through the province, which might prevent great mischiefs to the people inhabiting near the road from Shippensburg to Philadelphia." So that the march of our own troops is here discoursed of in such language as renders it doubtful for a moment, whether he is not speaking of the enemy. Governor Shirley's thoughts are immediately received as laws; governor Morris has not a thought to suggest to the contrary; it was for the king's service to leave a province, actually invaded, as the last of these governors had over and over again

asserted to the assembly, exposed to the ravages of the enemy; and though provision had been at first made for having four regiments to carry on the war in these provinces, these provinces were now all at once supposed to be in a condition to cover themselves, though some of them had not yet armed a man, or beat a drum.

Out of all which, such a jumble of ideas encounter each other, and such a variety of doubts and suspicions arises, that one cannot help wondering that the assembly did not call for these several letters, and from the evidence of their own eyes, and their own understandings, form such a remonstrance, as would have displayed the whole state of things in its proper colours.

In this one instance, therefore, it may be not irrationally supposed, that their usual sagacity failed them; and this failure was no sooner discovered, than the governor came upon them with another message importing, "That his secretary would lay before them the copies of sundry petitions which had been presented to him from several parts of the province, representing their naked and defenceless condition, and praying to be enabled to defend themselves, which they were sensible was not in his power to comply with; that he would also lay before them a letter from one John Harris, giving an account of a large party of Indians actually set out from the French fort with a design to fall upon and destroy the inhabitants of this and the neighbouring provinces; that they had this piece of intelligence as he had received it; that they would form their own judgments upon it; that for his part he thought it probable; and that therefore he recommended it to them to take immediate thought about it, as the consequence would be very terrible to the inhabitants, if the account should prove true, and it could do them no injury to be upon their guard if it should prove false."

This was dated the 15th.....the 16th he farther gave them to understand, "That he found, by an extract of a letter from governor Lawrence, of Nova Scotia, to lieutenant-governor Phipps, of New England, sent by governor De Lancy, of New York, to him, that the French at Louisburg, were

in such distress for want of provisions, that if a supply could be prevented, they might be reduced to a necessity of giving it up to us; and that, therefore, he recommended it to them to think of some proper law, that their being supplied from Pennsylvania might be more effectually prevented."

And on the 19th he again notified, "That he had received letters by express from governor Shirley, [which however he did not communicate] acquainting him, that he had wrote to colonel Dunbar, that it appeared clear to him (Shirley) as there would be four months of good weather before the winter set in, that with the number of forces the colonel then had, and the assistances he might have from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, he might yet have it in his power, to retrieve the loss sustained in the late defeat, by proceeding to fort Du Quesne, and had sent him orders for that purpose; and that in addition to this, he had said to him, that it would depend on those several provinces to assist colonel Dunbar with reinforcements, provisions, ammuni tion, artillery, ordnance stores, carriages, horses, and all other things to fit him out for his march, &c. and that he had wrote to the same effect to governor Dinwiddie and governor Sharpe, whose assistance, with that of Pennsylvania, he entirely relied upon at that extraordinary crisis; that he must therefore recommend it to them, to enable him to do the several things so expected of them, to take the matter into immediate consideration, and give him their answer thereto, that he might send it forward to colonel Dunbar, and the said governors of Maryland and Virginia, whose measures would, in a great measure, depend on what he should be enabled to do."

Now general Shirley himself, in the state of his own conduct, which he has lately laid before the public, says, 1st, that colonel Dunbar did not receive any orders whatever from him till about the middle of August, at which time he had advanced far in his march to Philadelphia; and 2dly, that the orders he then sent him, were to march his troops to Albany, there to be ready to assist either in the expedition against Niagara or Crown-point as his majesty's service