crisis so important, so far as the preservation of their rights, and the duty they owed their constituents would permit. Not departing, however, from their former sentiments, nor admitting any one of the articles laid against them; but, on the contrary, maintaining, that the secretary of state's letter could be the only rule of their conduct; and tacitly upbraiding the governor for having suddenly altered the whole connection between Pennsylvania and Virginia, in consequence of such supposed misconduct of theirs: and concluding their replication in these words: as governor Dinwiddie had laid before his assembly the Earl of Holdernesse's letter, sent, as we presume, in the same terms to all the colonies on the continent, we judged it most prudent to wait till the assembly of that government had enabled him to act in obedience to the royal commands, especially as they had that letter under their consideration from the first of November last, as appears by the journal of their house of burgesses now before us; but we are now called upon as principals, and the governor is pleased to inform us, that he has undoubted assurance, that part of his majesty's dominions within this government is at this time invaded by the subjects of a foreign Prince, who have erected forts within the same; and calls upon us, pursuant to his majesty's orders in the present emergency, to grant such supplies as may enable him to resist those hostile attempts, and repel force by force: but, as it appears to us that the governor is enjoined by the royal orders, not to act as a principal beyond the undoubted limits of his government; and as, by the papers and evidences sent down and referred to by the governor, those limits have not been clearly ascertained to our satisfaction; we fear the altering our connections with his majesty's colony of Virginia, and the precipitate call upon us, as the province invaded, cannot answer any good purpose at this time, and therefore we are now inclined to make a short adjournment.'

The adjournment they proposed was to the sixth of May; and, before they broke up, the governor again addressed them with another message, in which he also affected to wave several things personal to himself, which, at another

time, he might have thought it incumbent on him to take notice of; and proceeded to tell them, that had they examined with their usual accuracy the gentlemen, who by his appointment attended their house, and compared their testimony with the written papers at several times communicated to them, he thought it would have appeared so clear to them, that the French had lately erected one or more forts far within the limits of the province, that nothing less than an actual mensuration could have made it more evident; that even taking it for granted, however, the forementioned incroachments were not within the said limits, yet he, having been informed by the governor of Virginia, that hostile attempts had been made on part of his majesty's dominions, and called upon him for the assistance of this province, it was equally their duty, to grant such supplies as the present exigency of affairs required; and, that he could not but be apprehensive, that so long an adjournment would frustrate his majesty's just expectations from them.

This message was dated March 9, and April 2 we find them sitting by his special summons again: the occasion of which was the next day explained in the usual way by message, as follows: 'I am now to acquaint you, gentlemen, that since your adjournment, I have received from governor Dinwiddie, the several papers herewith laid before you; by which it will appear, that he is taking all imaginable pains for the security of his majesty's dominions, so far as the provision made by his assembly will permit him to act; and he is very impatient to know the issue of your deliberations on this subject. I cannot therefore doubt but, that agreeable to the profession in your message of the twenty-seventh of February, "of being ready and willing to demonstrate your duty and loyalty, by giving such sums of money to the king's use, upon all suitable occasions, as may consist with your circumstances, or can reasonably be expected from this province;" I say I cannot doubt but you will, with the greatest alacrity, lay hold on the present opportunity of evincing the sincerity of those professions, by granting such an aid to is majesty, as may comport with the circumstances of the

province, and be suitable to the exigence of the service. And, in the doing of this, I hope you will be guided rather by the importance of the concern, than by the example of other colonies: it being found by experience to be a very ill-judged piece of economy to cramp an enterprize of this nature in the article of supplies; and that whatever is given on such occasions, short of being sufficient to accomplish the ends proposed, becomes, for the most part, a waste of so much treasure, without answering any of the purposes for which was intended.

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'I have at present only to add my request, that whatever you intend to do on this occasion, may receive all the dispatch the nature of the thing will admit of; the season of the year for action advancing so fast, that unless our measures be speedily taken, they will, I fear, be rendered altogether unserviceable.'

Upon the fifth, after many debates, it was resolved, by a small majority, that a sum of money should be given for the king's use; and what the sum should be, occasioned many debates more. Twenty thousand pounds being proposed on the ninth, it passed in the negative by a majority of twentyfive to eight; reduced to fifteen thousand pounds, it passed in the negative twenty-three to ten; reduced to ten thousand pounds, it passed in the negative twenty-two to eleven; and again reduced to five thousand pounds the next day, it again passed in the negative twenty-two to ten. Those who had hitherto led the house, voting affirmatively; and, on the contrary, those who had hitherto voted affirmatively, going over to the remainder of the negatives. And this apparent perplexity was, in their reply to the governor's message, thus accounted for: 'And we now beg leave to inform the governor, that we have had that message under our serious consideration ever since it came down to the house; but after all our debates thereupon, we find that nearly one half of the members are, for various reasons, against granting any money to the king's use at this time; and those who are for granting, differ so widely in their sentiments concerning the sum, that there seems at present no possibility of their agree

ing, except in such a sum, as, in the judgment of many of them, is quite disproportionate to the occasion: therefore, and that the members may have an opportunity of consulting their constituents on this important affair, we are now inclined. to adjourn to the thirteenth of the next month.'

According to their adjournment, the house met again, May 6, and were informed by the governor of the arrival of a body of French forces, consisting of upwards of one thousand men, before the fort building by the Virginians on the Ohio, and the surrender thereof. He also laid before them the dispatches he had severally received from governor Dinwiddie of Virginia, concerning the state of that province, and the succours he wanted and expected; and from governor Delancy of New York, concerning the interest of his majesty's colonies in general, as well as of Pennsylvania in particular; and said, 'he hoped they would have their due weight with them in their deliberations and advice.' The proposals made by the governors of Boston and New York for an union of the several colonies in Indian affairs, he then recommended to them earnestly, as agreeable to his own sentiments, and likely to be productive of more real benefit, at much less expence than the method hitherto in use of making frequent and distinct presents to the Indians, &c. And he desired to be enabled to instruct the commissioners to be sent from their province, to concur with those of the other colonies, in case a reasonable plan should be offered.

A joint bill for granting an aid to the king, and replacing torn and ragged bills of credit, was the result of their first. day's debate; and after several divisions, the several sums were settled at ten thousand pounds for the king and twenty thousand for the other purpose.

The commons of Great Britain will not suffer a moneybill to be amended: the lords may reject, his majesty may refuse his assent, but what they give, they give upon their

own terms.

In Pennsylvania a money-bill exacted from the province, by all the considerations which could affect generous minds, or intimidate weak ones, the dread of an enemy at the gates,

and of incurring both the royal displeasure and the public odium, for not making a seasonable provision against his approaches, could not be accepted without amendments.

Even this bill, at such a crisis offered, and for such a service, was returned by the governor, with amendments, prefaced with a written message, of which the two following were the most material paragraphs: viz.

'Considering the royal instruction laid before the assembly last year, it must be apparent that I have, merely from a desire to oblige you, consented to raise the money intended. for his majesty's use in the manner by you proposed. And have prolonged the currency of the bills of credit, to be issued in virtue of the bill now under consideration, as far as I can think consistent with my own safety.

"And, as the fund to be established upon the foot of my proposed amendment will be more than sufficient to repay the sum granted by the bill, I can see no reason for extending the act of excise longer than four years beyond the date of its present limitation, or for burthening the people unnecessarily with a tax that possibly may not be wanted.'

And these proposed amendments restored unanimity to the house; for, whereas they had been divided many ways in the course of the bill, they now acted with one will and one voice, in rejecting that concerning the excise, which manifestly took its rise from proprietary considerations only; and for the sake of which, either the service of the public was to be neglected, or the province to give up its understanding. The latter exceeded the power of persuasion; and the former they left those to answer for, to whom it belonged.

Their reply to the governor on this occasion was as follows: the house are not inclined to enter into any dispute with the governor on the subject of his proposed amendments to the money-bill; as the representatives of the people have an undoubted right to judge, and determine, not only of the sum to be raised for the use of the crown, but of the manner of raising it.

'The governor, in his message of the nineteenth of Fe