stop to the evil, by instructing the several governors, not to give their assent to any farther laws of that nature, without an express proviso, that they should not take effect, till his majesty's approbation had been first obtained.

Such instructions were accordingly sent; and those to the governor of Pennsylvania were dated August 21, 1740. Notwithstanding all which, the lords of trade and plantations (having already in their hands a full and clear account of the currency, as established by the eighty thousand pounds act, as also of the rates of gold and silver, from the year 1700 to the year 1739; and having been moreover convinced, by the merchants trading to that province, that such a sum was not only reasonable but necessary for carrying on the commerce of the country) thought fit to recommend the said act, to the royal acceptance and ratification; and ten days afterwards the lords justices passed it into a law.

Here the affair slept for several years, except that the assembly, in conformity to an order, which accompanied the instructions just mentioned, caused a second state of their currency to be transmitted the following year to the lords of trade: and before it was again resumed in parliament, the several incidents, next to be recited, took place.

When the attempt upon Carthagena was under consideration, the northern colonies were called upon to furnish soldiers for that service, and Pennsylvania among the rest. The assembly was at that time composed, as it had hitherto generally been; consequently this demand could not but be productive of scruples and difficulties in point of conscience: that, however, they might discharge all obligations at once, they voted four thousand pounds for the king's use, and the governor took upon himself to raise the soldiers.

This was a duty of office; and, if he had discharged it properly, what would have given universal satisfaction. The labour of the plantations is performed chiefly by indented servants, brought from Great Britain, Ireland, and Germany; nor, because of the high price it bears, can it be performed any other way. These servants are purchased of the captains who bring them; the purchaser, by a positive

law, has a legal property in them during the term they are bound for; can sell or bequeath them; and, like other chattels, they are liable to be siezed for debts. Out of these, nevertheless, did the governor make his levies. A ferment ́ensued: the owners were tenacious of their rights: the governor stood upon prerogative as paramount to all: the dispute was brought into the courts; and such was the terror of power; that the aggrieved was forced to repair to New York for advocates.

The assembly, seeing no other remedy, thought themselves bound to defend the rights of their constituents; and did defend them accordingly, by refusing to part with their supply, unless these servants so unjustly taken from their masters were restored. The governor was obstinate, and so the money was, at last, applied, as it ought, to indemnify them for the injury they had sustained.

That, however, they might not be misrepresented or misunderstood at home, as deficient in zeal for the public, or backward to contribute to the service, they came the next year to the following vote, to wit: The house, taking into consideration the many taxes their fellow-subjects in Great Britain are obliged to pay towards supporting the dignity of the crown, and defraying the necessary and contingent charges of government, and willing to demonstrate the fidelity, loyalty, and affection of the inhabitants of this province to our gracious sovereign, by bearing a share of the burden of our fellow-subjects, proportionably to our circumstances, do, therefore, cheerfully and unanimously resolve, that three thousand pounds be paid for the use of the king, his heirs and successors, to be applied to such uses as he, in his royal wisdom, shall think fit to direct and appoint.' And the said three thousand pounds were afterwards paid into his majesty's exchequer by the agent of the province accordingly. A free gift, if ever there was one, from subject to sovereign; and, however small, a sufficient voucher for the good intentions of those who made it!

In the beginning of the year 1745, the project against Louisburgh, having been carried in the assembly of New

England by a single vote only, was imparted to the assembly of Pennsylvania by governor Shirley, with a desire, that they would contribute thereto. but though they could not be prevailed upon to take any part in an enterprize which to them appeared so desperate, they voted four thousand pounds in provisions, for the refreshment and support of the brave troops who had taken the place, as soon as it was known they were in possession of it, and that such supplies were wanting.

In the beginning of the year 1746, the ministers affected to entertain a project for the reduction of Canada. By letters from the secretary's office, dated April 6, the northern colonies were severally called upon to contribute their respective quotas towards it; which they cheerfully concurred in doing, seduced by their interests and their inclinations into a belief, that the whole line of our colonies would not be thus agitated, nor their Indian allies induced to take up the hatchet in conjunction with them, merely by way of feint to facilitate a peace.

Forces were every where raised by the several governors, and the assembly of Pennsylvaina voted five thousand pounds for the king's use, or, in other words, as their contingent for this pretended national service. The money so voted being more than their revenue could furnish, they proposed to raise it by an addition of the like sum to their paper currency; in which case the king would be served, the provincial capital would be so far enlarged, and the interest arising from it would in a due proportion of time, discharge the principal.

And here began the first dispute between the governor and the assembly on this topic: the governor pleaded the instruction of 1740 as a reason, why he could not bring himself to such a pitch of boldness as he apprehended was necessary to the contravention of it; and therefore urged them, to find out some method less exceptionable for raising the said sum: and they, willing to comply as far as possible with his scruples, so far receded from their point to that time as to issue it out of the money dormant in the loan-office for

exchanging torn and illegible bills, and to replace it by a new emission of bills to the same amount, to be sunk out of the product of the excise in ten years. Upon which the governor waved the instruction, and passed the bill; five hundred men were raised and supported by it, for near eighten months, employed chiefly in defending the frontiers of New York, when the expedition at length was dropped and the troops disbanded.

A formal bill to restrain the northern colonies in general, from issuing paper bills of credit, it must be observed, had been brought into parliament, but not perfected; and in the year 1748 again: upon which occasion the next governor of Pennsylvania, James Hamilton, Esq; in a message to the assembly in October 1749, made use of the following remarkable expressions. 'I take it for granted, we are all sensible of the mischievous tendency of the bill that was brought into parliament the last year to regulate and restrain paper bills of credit in the plantations (in which there was a clause to enforce the orders of the crown in his majesty's American dominions) and it is not improbable, that something of the same kind may be offered in the ensuing session. I persuade myself you will give your agent full instructions upon this subject, in case it should become necessary for him to oppose it: the honourable proprietaries at that time laboured and with success to avert the mischiefs that threatened this province from the passing of the said bill; and I have it in command from them to assure you of their assistance upon all future occasions, wherein the welfare and happiness of the people of this province may be concerned.'

This had a favourable appearance towards the province, and from hence it might well be supposed, that the issues from this source would never be productive of any deep or lasting strife.

But though the springs had not as yet broke out with any violence, they were working their way under ground. The growing charge of Indian affairs, which lay wholly on the province, and which, on the head of purchases, as before explained, was productive of great advantages to the pro

prietaries, began to be the subject of public complaint: and by these suggestions of the importance of the proprietaries at home, the people were to be taught the danger of disobliging them.

But if this was their view, it did not answer: the assembly had too much discernment to be diverted from the object before them by the interposition of another, how dextrously soever the trick was performed and therefore proceeded, notwithstanding to take this affair into consideration.

It is scarce necessary to intimate, that the governor, and the creatures of the government, did all they could, not only to discourage them in it, but also to convince them, in effect, that, according to the usual current of the world, all advantages are the prerogative of those above, and all burdens the inheritance of those below.-This may indeed be agreeable to the usual current of the world: but then as such doctrines are not over palatable anywhere, so in a free government like Pennsylvania, it was not to be thought they would be swallowed at all. They were neither to be convinced nor discouraged it seems: on the contrary, they persevered; they examined; they reported; they resolved; and at last applied to the proprietaries, to do what equity required, by taking a share of the charge upon themselves.

The proprietaries, on the other hand, announced in their reply, "that they did not conceive themselves to be under any such obligation, even though the people had been taxed for the charges of government: that as not one shilling had been levied on the people for that service, it was so much less reasonable in the people to ask any thing of them: that they had, notwithstanding, charged themselves with paying their interpreter even much more than could be due to him on their account, and were also then at the expence of maintaining his son with a tutor in the Indian country, to learn their language and customs for the service of the country; as well as of sundry other charges on Indian affairs, that they had been at considerable expence for the service of the province both in England and there: that they pay the Incians for the land they purchase: and that they are no more obliged

M