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try, the danger to which the lives and properties of all those you have undertaken to represent, stand exposed at this critical and melancholy conjuncture; and to desire that you would not, by an ill-timed parsimony, by reviving any matters that have been in dispute, or from any other motive, suffer the people to remain any longer undefended, or the blood of the innocent to be shed by the cruel hands of savages. There are men enough in this province to protect it against any force the French can bring, and numbers of them are willing and desirous to defend their country upon the present occasion, but they have neither arms, ammunition, nor diseipline, without which it will be impossible to repel an active enemy, whose trade is war. I therefore hope, that you will, without delay, grant such supplies as may enable me not only to secure the people of this province, but by reinforcing and assisting the king's troops, enable them to remove the French from their present encroachments.

If something very effectual be not done at this time for the safety and security of the province, the enemy, who know how to make the best use of a victory, will strengthen themselves in such a manner, that it will be next to impossible for us to remove them.'

In effect, the assembly chose, for this once, to be blind to the artificial part of his speech, and to discharge their own duty in such a manner, as should leave him, even on his own premises, inexcusable for any failure on his side.

On the very next day they granted an aid to the crown of fifty thousand pounds; and though it is plain by this that they did not want a goad, on the next following, when they had the ways and means of raising this sum under consideration, the governor, by message, apprized them that colonel Dunbar, with the remainder of the king's forces, had reached fort Cumberland; and that, as soon as his circumstances would admit, he intended to continue his march to Philadelphia; and that he had laid these matters before them, that they might fall upon measures, as soon as possible, for the protection of the western frontier.

But this had not the desired effect; for the assembly in their reply most rationally suggested, that colonel Dunbar's forces might be employed on this service; and requested the governor to make use of his instances accordingly. This he could not refuse; but the sequel may shew how little desirous he was of having the province defended by those forces.

The next day, while the house was debating on the ways and means, among which one was known to be taxing the proprietary estate in proportion with others, a pompous message was sent down, containing an offer on the part of the proprietaries, of one thousand acres of land, west of the Allegheny mountains, without purchase-money, and for fifteen years clear of quit-rents, to every colonel who should serve on an expedition from that or the neighbouring provinces against the French on the Ohio; seven hundred and fifty to each lieutenant-colonel and major; five hundred to cach captain, four hundred to each lieutenant and ensign, and two hundred to every common soldier; and requiring the house to afford some assistance to such as should accept the

same.

To make up weight, a letter of intelligence from an Indian trader lately returned from Canada, whither he had fled to avoid being apprehended for killing a man, was sent along with this message; and, upon the heels of both, a remonstrance (not a petition) was conjured up, from sundry inhabitants of the city and county of Philadelphia (emigrants from the famous borough of Totness it must be presumed) and presented to the assembly, containing a submissive conceit, that one hundred thousand pounds, was as small a sum as would answer the present exigency; and signifying the willingness of the presenters to contribute their proportion of the same, or of a larger sum if necessary; not to insist on sundry petitions from many of the inhabitants of three townships; and two more from sundry inhabitants of the county of Chester, who made it their prayer to be furnished with arms and ammunition for defence of their houses and families.

The assembly, in the mean time, with a degree of composure and steadiness, which, in a higher orbit, would be called dignity and magnanimity, delivered their sentiments and purposes in one address to the governor, in the following concise but weighty terms; viz. "We have deliberately and seriously considered the governor's speech of the twenty-fourth instant, together with the letters and papers he has been pleased to lay before us, by which we find, that the defeat of the forces, under the immediate command of general Braddock, and the retreat of colonel Dunbar, to fort Cumberland, are attended with very shocking circumstances; nevertheless, it gives us real satisfaction, under this unfortunate. * and unexpected change in our affairs, that this province has seasonably and cheerfully complied with the demands of the king's forces, and that no part of this unhappy defeat can be laid to our charge.

"We think it our duty on this occasion to be neither parsimonious nor tenacious of such matters as have been in dispute, and are now under the consideration of our superiors; but, reserving to ourselves all our just rights, we have resolved to grant fifty thousand pounds for the king's use, by a tax on all the real and personal estates within this province, in which we shall proceed with all possible dispatch; hoping to meet in the governor the same good dispositions he so earnestly recommends to us.

"The governor's call of our house at this time is agreeable to us, as it impowers us to exert ourselves yet farther in the service of our country; and the like opportunity given to the lower counties, under the governor's administration, we doubt not will be acceptable to them, and add their contribution to the common cause, before the time to which they stand adjourned."

And now a plain, unrefining reader would think, that, the danger of the province being so great as the governor had described it, and the disposition of the assembly so sincere to provide for its security, the issue of the session could not but be as happy as the prospect was promising.

The very reverse of this, however, happened to be the case. The assembly found the proprietaries in possession of an immense estate, in lands and quit-rents; this estate was as much endangered as any other estate, and was to be defended in common with the rest; they did not think the immensity of it gave it any title to any exemption of any kind, and they found no such exemption specified in any of their char

ters.

Proceeding, therefore, by the rules of reason and equity, as well as policy, they taxed the whole land alike; and subjected the proprietaries, as land-holders, to a proportional share of all the claims and impositions, which their deputy would have exempted them from as governors in chief, and was so strenuous for imposing on the people alone; and this one bitter ingredient was mors in olla, death in the pot. The burdens laid by the proprietaries, or by proprietary power on the province, could not be too heavy; but they themselves would not charge a finger with the least part of the weight of them.

On the same day that the bill was sent up, it was returned with such amendments, as entirely exonerated the whole proprietary estate; and the following message was immediately prepared by the assembly, and dispatched to the governor, to wit:

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'The taxing of the proprietary estate with the estates of the people of the province, for their common security in this time of imminent danger, seems to us so perfectly equitable and just, that we are surprized the governor should propose it as an amendment to our bill,' that the proprietary estate be in this instance exempted.

'As the occasion urges, we are extremely desirous to come as soon as possible to a conclusion in the business of

The bill laid the tax on all estates real and personal throughout the province, the proprietary estate 'not excepted. The amendment proposed was in these words, 'Dele the word [not] and insert the word [only]'A small, but very significant alteration!

this sitting; and do therefore entreat the governor would be pleased to acquaint us explicitly, whether he is restricted by the proprietaries from passing the bill as it stands in that particular, though it were otherwise consistent with his judgment, since it will only waste time to endeavor to convince him of its reasonableness, if after all it will not obtain his

assent.

'Or, if it be possible that such exemption of the proprietary estate from its share in the common expence of securing the whole, should appear to the governor a thing right in itself, we would then request him to favor us with the reasons of his opinion, that we may take them immediately into consideration; for till this matter is explained, and understood, we think it needless to consider any other proposed alterations.'

To this the governor the next day replied.

'Gentlemen,

'In answer to your message of yesterday, you will give me leave to observe, that in the proprietary commission appointing me to this government, there is a proviso that nothing therein contained shall extend, or be construed to extend, to give me any power to do or consent to any act whereby the estate or property of the proprietaries may be hurt or encumbered; and this proviso being contained in the body of the commission from which I derive the power of acting as governor, it is not only the highest prohibition to me, but any law that I may pass contrary to that proviso, I imagine, would be void in itself for want of power in me to give it a being.

'But had I not been thus prohibited, I should still have thought it my duty, to have excepted the proprietary estate from the levies proposed to be made, for the following rea

sons.

1. For that all governors, whether hereditary or otherwise, are, from the nature of their office, exempt from the payment of taxes; on the contrary, revenues are generally given to them to support the honour and dignity of govern ment, and to enable them to do the duties of their station.

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