have been more agreeable to the province. But now it can be a question no longer.

The last period of the governor's message was the very quintessence of invective. In fine, gentlemen, said he, I must remind you, that in a former message you said you were a plain people that had no joy in disputation. But let your minutes be examined for fifteen years past, not to go higher, and in them will be found more artifice, more time. and money spent in frivolous controversies, more unparalleled abuses of your governors, and more undutifulness to the crown, than in all the rest of his majesty's colonics put together. And while you continue in such a temper of mind, I have very little hopes of good, either for his majesty's service, or for the defence and protection of this unfortunate country.2

And in the reply of the assembly his own artillery was turned upon him as follows: The minutes are printed, and in many hands, who may judge, on examining them, whether any abuses of governors and undutifulness to the crown are to be found in them. Controversies indeed there are too many; but as our assemblies are yearly changing, while our proprietaries, during that term, have remained the same, and have probably given their governors the same instructions, we must leave others to guess from what root it is most likely that those controversies should continually spring. As to frivolous controversies, we never had so many of them as since our present governor's administration, and all raised by himself; and we may venture to say, that during that one year, scarce yet expired, there have been more "unparalleled abuses" of this people, and their representatives in assembly, than in all the years put together, since the settlement of the province.

'We are now to take our leave of the governor; and indeed, since he hopes no good from us, nor we from him, 'tis time we should be parted. If our constituents disapprove our conduct, a few days will give them an opportunity of changing us by a new election; and could the governor be as soon and as easily changed, Pennsylvania would, we appre

hend, deserve much less the character he gives it, of an unfortunate country.'

That, however, they might still continue to act on the same maxims, and continue to deserve the same confidence, they proceeded to contribute all they could to the advancement of the service; not only without the concurrence of the governor, but in spite of his endeavors to render them odious by all the means of prevention his wit, his malice, or his power could help him to. In what manner, the following unanimous resolutions will specify.

'That when application is made to this house by the governor, for something to be done at the request of another government, the letters and papers that are to be the foundation of our proceedings on such application, ought to be, as they have been by all preceding governors, laid before the house for their consideration.

'That a sight afforded to the speaker, or a few of the members, of papers remaining in the governor's hands, cannot be so satisfactory to the rest of the house, nor even to the speaker, and such members, as if those papers were laid before the house where they might receive several distinct readings, and be subject to repeated inspection and discussion till they were thoroughly understood; and all danger of mistakes and misconceptions through defect of attention, or of memory, in one or a few persons, effectually prevented.

'That great inaccuracies and want of exactness have been frequently observed by the house in the governor's manner of stating matters, laid before them in his messages; and therefore they cannot think such messages, without the pa pers therein referred to, are a sufficient foundation for the house to proceed upon, in an affair of moment, or that it would be prudent or safe so to do, either for themselves or their constituents.

"That though the governor may possibly have obtained orders not to lay the secretary of state's letters, in some cases, before the house, they humbly conceive and hope that letters from the neighbouring governments, in such cases as the present, cannot be included in those orders.

'That when an immediate assistance to neighbouring colonies is required of us; to interrupt or prevent our deliberations, by refusing us a sight of the request, is a proceeding extremely improper and unseasonable.

'But a member of this house producing a letter to himself from the honorable Thomas Hutchinson, Esq. a person of great distinction and weight in the government of Massachusetts-bay, and a member of the council of that province, mentioning the application to this government for provisions, and the necessity of an immediate supply; and it appearing by the resolution of the council of war, held at the carrying place, on the twenty-fourth past (an abstract of which is communicated to the speaker, by the honorable Thomas Pownal, Esq. lieutenant-governor of the Jerseys) that the army will be in want of blankets and other clothing, suitable to the approaching season; and this house being willing to afford what assistance may be in their power, under their present unhappy circumstances of an exhausted treasury, and a total refusal by the governor of their bills for raising money, resolved,

'That a voluntary subscription of any sum or sums, not exceeding ten thousand pounds, which shall be paid by any persons into the hands of Isaac Norris, Evan Morgan, Joseph Fox, John Mifflin, Reese Meredith, and Samuel Smith of the city of Philadelphia, gentlemen, within two weeks after this date, towards the furnishing of provisions and blankets, or other warm clothing, to the troops now at or near Crown-point, on the frontiers of New York, will be of service to the crown, and acceptable to the public, and the subscribers ought to be thankfully reimbursed (with interest) by future assemblies, to whom it is accordingly by this house earnestly recommended.'

And this may be called the finishing measure of this every way public-spirited assembly; the governor did not choose to be in the way to receive their reply; and so the session and the controversy for this time ended together.

Into the hands of what number of readers, or readers of what capacities, dispositions, or principles, this treatise shall

fall, is out of calculation the first, and decision the last; but whatever the number may be, or however they may happen to be principled, disposed, or endowed, the majority will by this time, probably, exclaim, enough of this governor! or, enough of this author!

But which ever should happen to be the case, pardon is asked for the necessity of proceeding a few stages farther; and patience ought to be required, to induce the reader to hold out to the end of so disagreeable a journey.

Though foiled, disgraced, and silenced this anti-Penn, this undertaker to subvert the building Penn had raised, was far from quitting the lists.

On the contrary, he lay in wait with impatience for a verification of his own predictions concerning the danger of the frontier, and the miseries the inhabitants were to sustain when the enemy should break in upon them.

When such should actually become the case, when the fugitives should on all sides, be driven either by the enemy or their own fears, or both, towards the capital; when every week should furnish some new tragedy; and rumour so practise upon credulity, that every single fact should by the help of echoes and re-echoes be multiplied into twenty; when the panic should become general, and the very distractions of the herd, and their incapacity to operate for themselves, should render them obnoxious to any imposition whatsoever then, he thought, and not altogether unjustly, their passions might be of service to him, though their reason could not; and the event will shew, that, provided he might attain his ends, he could be very indifferent about the means.

Factions he had found means to form, both in the city and the several counties; and tools and implements of all kinds, from the officious magistrate down to the prostitute writer, the whispering incendiary, and avowed desperado, he was surrounded with. The press he had made an outrageous use of; a cry he had raised; and in miniature the whole game of faction was here played by him with as little reserve, though not with as much success, as it is in greater affairs elsewhere.

The current of elections, however, still continued to set against him those who had the most interest at stake remained firm to the interest of their country; and now nothing remained but by the dint of artifice and clamor, to compel those to be subservient to his indirect purposes, if possible, whom he could not deprive of their country's confidence and favor.

This was the true state of Pennsylvania, when the new assembly, composed chiefly of the old members, took their

seats.

On the 14th of October the house met of course, according to their constitution; but did not proceed to material, or at least, extraordinary business. The governor was not as yet sure of his crisis; and therefore, chose to feel their pulse first in manner following. His secretary being in conversation with the speaker of the assembly (the same who had served in that office for many years past) took occasion to communicate two letters to him concerning Indian affairs; and the speaker, asking, whether they were not to be laid before the house, the secretary replied, he had no such orders. The letters were of course returned; and the speaker made the house acquainted with this incident; adding, 'that he thought the said letters contained matters of great importance to the welfare of the province; but as he could not presume to charge his memory with the particulars, so as to lay them before the house for the foundation of their conduct, he could only mention the fact, and recommend it to the consideration of the house.' The house hereupon deputed two members to inform the governor, that having gone through the usual business done at the first sitting of an assembly, they were inclined to adjourn, unless he had any thing to lay before them, particularly in regard to Indian affairs, that might require their longer stay.' And the same members were farther directed to acquaint him with the time of their adjournment, in case the governor should in reply say, he had nothing to communicate. This concert upon one side, produced concert on the other. The governor replied as had been foreseen, 'that if he had had any busi