Pounds for the King's Ufe, or, in other Words, as their Contingent for this pretended national Service,The Money fo voted being more than their Revenue could furnish, they propofed to raife it by an Addition of the like Sum to their Paper Currency: In which Cafe the King would be ferved, the provincial Capi tal would be fo far enlarg'd, and the Intereft arifing from it would in a due Proportion of Time, difcharge the Principal.

And here began the firft Difpute between the Governor and the Affembly on this Topic: The Governor pleaded the Inftruction of 1740 as a Reafon, why he could not bring himself to fuch a Pitch of Boldnefs as he apprehended was neceffary to the Contravention of it; and therefore urged them, to find out fome Method lefs exceptionable for railing the faid Sum: And they, willing to comply as far as poffible with his Scruples, fo far receded from their Point to that Time as to iffue it out of the Money dormant in the LoanOffice for exchanging torn and illegible Bills, and to replace it by a new Emiffion of Bills to the fame Amount, to be funk out of the Product of the Excife in ten Years. Upon which the Governor waved the Inftruction, and paffed the Bill, five hundred Mea were raifed and fupported by it, for near 18 Months, employed chiefly in defending the Frontiers of NewYork, when the Expedition at length was dropt and the Troops difbanded.

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A formal Bill to reftrain the Northern Colonies in general, from iffuing Paper Bills of Credit, it must be obferved, had been brought into Parliament, but not perfected, and in the Year 1748 again: Upon which Occafion the next Governor of Penfylvania,. James Hamilton, Efq; in a Meffage to the Affembly in October 1749, made Ufe of the following remarkable Expreffions. I take it for granted we are all fenfible of the mischievous Tendency of the Bill that was brought into Parliament the laft Year, to regu late and reftrain Paper Bills of Credit in the Plan, Coca batov

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tations (in which there was a Claufe to enforce the Orders of the Crown in his Majefty's American Do• minions) and it is not improbable, that fomething of the fame Kind may be offer'd in the enfuing Seffion. I perfuade myfelf you will give your Agent full Inftructions upon this Subject, in case it 'fhould become neceffary for him to oppose it The honourable Proprietaries at that Time labour'd and with Success to avert the Mischiefs that threaten'd ⚫ this Province from the paffing of the faid Bill; and I have it in Command from them to affure you of their Affiance upon all future Occafions, 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 fuppos'd, that the Iffues from this Source would never be productive of any deep or lafting Strife.

But tho' 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 Purchafes, as before explained, was productive of great Advantages to the Proprietaries, began to be the Subject of public Complaint: And by thefe Suggestions of the Importance of the Proprietaries at Home, the People were to be taught the Danger of difobliging them.

But if this was their View, it did not anfwer: The Affembly had too much Difcernment to be diverted from the Object before them by the Interpofition of another, how dextrously foever the Trick was perform'd; and therefore proceeded, notwithstanding, to take this Affair into Confideration.

It is fcarce neceffary to intimate, That the Governor, and the Creatures of the Government, did all they could, not only to discourage them in it, but alfo to convince them, in Effect, that, according to the ufual Current of the World, all Advantages are the Pre

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rogative of those above, and all Burdens the Inheritance of thofe below,-This may indeed be agreeable to the ufual Current of the World: But then as fuch Doctrines are not over-palatable any where, fo, in a free Government like Penfylvania, it was not to be thought they would be fwallow'd at all.-They were neither to be convinced nor difcouraged it feems: On the contrary, they perfevered; they examined; they reported; they refolv'd; and at laft apply'd to the Proprietaries, to do what Equity requir'd, by taking a Share of the Charge upon themfelves."

The Proprietaries, on the other Hand, announced in their Reply, "That they did not conceive themselves to be under any fuch Obligation, even tho' the People had been taxed for the Charges of Government: That as not one Shilling had been levy'd on the People for that Service, it was fo much less reasonable in the People to ask any Thing of them: That they had, notwithstanding, charg'd themfelves with paying their Interpreter even much more than could re due to him on their Account, and were alfo 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 fundry other Charges on Indian Affairs: That they had been at confiderable Expence for the Service of the Province both in England and there: That they pay the Indians for the Land they purchase: And that they are no more obliged to contribute to the pubic Charges than any other Chief Governor of any other Colony."

In Anfwer to this, the Affembly, May 1751, refpectfully reprefented, "That the preferving a good Understanding with the Indians was more for the Intereft of the proprietary Estate than that of any other Eftate in the Province, as it gave the Proprietaries an Opportunity of purchafing Lands on the Frontiers at a low Price, and felling them at a high one, which would otherwife be impracticable: That, therefore, the Obligations of Juftice and Equity being stronger than those of Law, they were certainly bound by

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them to contribute to the Expence of thofe Indian Treaties and Presents by which the good Understanding fo beneficial to them was maintain'd: That tho' Taxes in Form, for the immediate Support of the Proprietaries Substitute, and for defraying the Charges of these Indian Treaties, had not of late Years been impos'd on the Province, the Charge of all (by the Intereft of the Paper-Money, which was a virtual Tax, the Excife, which was a real one, producing about 3000 1. per Annum, and the Tax arifing from Licences of various Kinds, amounting yearly to a Sum not inconfiderable, and appropriated wholly to the Governor's Support,) was paid by the Province: That the Affembly had always paid the Indian Interpreter for his public Services to his full Satisfaction: That they believ'd future Affemblies would not fail to do whatever could be reasonably expected from them in regard to his Son, when he fhould be qualify'd to fucceed him; as alfo to discharge all juft Debts for Expences properly chargeable to the Province, whether incurr'd there or in England, whenever the Accounts should be exhibited: That by the Act forbidding all but the Proprietaries to purchase Lands of the Indians, they had obtained a Monopoly of the Soil, confequently ought to bear the whole Charge of every Treaty for fuch Purchases, as the Profit was to be wholly theirs: That their paying for Land (bought as was conceived much cheaper on Account of the provincial Prefents accompanying thofe Treaties) was not a fatisfactory Reafon, why they fhould not bear a Part of the Charge of fuch other Treaties as tended to the common Welfare and Peace of the Province: And that, upon the whole, as the Interefts of the Proprietaries were fo conftantly intermixed more or less, with those of the Province, in all Indian Treaties, and, as it appeared the Proprietaries thought they paid more than their Share, while the People thought they paid abundantly too much, They apprehended the fureft Way to prevent Diffatisfaction on all Sides, would be to fix a certain Proportion of the Charge

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of all future Provincial Treaties with the Indians, to be paid by the Proprietaries and Province refpectively: Which, not only as à Proposal equitable in itself, but conducive alfo to preferve that Union and Harmony between the Proprietaries and People fo evidently advantageous to both, they hoped, would, on further Confideration, be agreed to."

How this was receiv'd we fhall fee in its Place.

The Affembly proceeded foon after, to take into Confideration the Growth of the Province, and the State of their Commerce; and finding both to be fuch as required an Extenfion of their Paper Currency, on the fame Grounds and for the fame Ends as at first gave rife to it, unanimoufly refolved to ftrike an additional Sum of 20,000 l. in order to replace defective Bills, and increase the provincial Capital, in Proportion to the Increase of Inhabitants; as alfo to re-emit and continue the Sums already in Circulation.

A Bill was accordingly prepared in January, 1753, and fent up to the Governor (Hamilton) for his Concurrence. But tho' that Gentleman was a Native of the Province, with rather better Qualifications for his Poft, and, as may be fuppofed, more Affection for the People than is common with Governors, he had his Reafons for not feeing this Provincial Point in the fame Light that the Province did, and therefore returned the Bill in a Day or two, with his Negative upon it: Qualify'd indeed with Expreffions of Concern for his fo differing in Opinion with them, but founded in the Diflike rais'd in Britain by the late too general and undiftinguishing Complaints against the Plantation Bills of Credit, which render'd the Time very unfeafonable for any Application to the Crown concerning the Extenfion or Re-emission of theirs; and fortify'd by a Caveat, which founded fo much the more plaufibly as it feem'd to be drawn from their own Premifes, namely, that the many Advantages they derived from the Ufe of Paper-Money ought to make them extremely careful, how they took any Step which might poffibly endanger it.

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