erected, the merlons being framed of logs, and filled with earth.* We bought some old cannon from Boston; but, these not being sufficient, we wrote to London for more; soliciting at the same time our Proprietaries for some assistance; though without much expectation of obtaining it.

Meanwhile Colonel Lawrence, Mr. Allen, Abraham Taylor, and myself were sent to New York by the associators, commissioned to borrow some cannon of Governor Clinton. He at first refused us peremptorily; but at a dinner with his council, where there was great drinking of Madeira wine, as the custom of that place then was, he softened by degrees, and said he would lend us six. After a few more bumpers he advanced to ten; and at length he very good na

and dressed in different clothes, intimating the unanimity of the different sorts of people in the Association. Motto; Vis Unita Fortior.

12. A musket and sword crossing each other. Motto; Pro Rege et Grege.

"13. Representation of a glory, in the middle of which is wrote, JEHOVAH-NISSI; in English, The Lord our Banner.

"14. A castle, at the gate of which a soldier stands sentinel. Motto; Cavendo Tutus.

"15. David, as he advanced against Goliath, and slung the stone. Motto; In Nomine Domini.

"16. A lion rampant, one paw holding up a scimitar, another a sheaf of wheat. Motto; Domine, Protege Alimentum.

"17. A sleeping lion. Motto; Rouse me, if you dare.

"18. Hope, represented by a woman standing clothed in blue, holding one hand on an anchor. Motto; Spero per Deum Vincere.

"19. Duke of Cumberland, as a general. Motto; Pro Deo et Georgio Rege.

"20. A soldier on horseback. Motto; Pro Libertate Patria.

"Most of the above colors, together with the officers' half-pikes and spontoons, and even the halberds and drums, have been given by the good ladies of this city, who raised money by subscription among themselves for that purpose." - Pennsylvania Gazette, January 12th, and April

14th, 1748.- EDITOR.

* For a more particular account of these proceedings, see Vol. III. p. 1-3; also Vol. VII. pp. 28-32.

It appears, that the Proprietaries were not pleased with the scheme

turedly conceded eighteen. They were fine cannon, eighteen-pounders, with their carriages, which were soon transported and mounted on our batteries; where the associators kept a nightly guard, while the war lasted; and among the rest I regularly took my turn of duty there, as a common soldier.

My activity in these operations was agreeable to the Governor and Council; they took me into confidence, and I was consulted by them in every measure where their concurrence was thought useful to the Association. Calling in the aid of religion, I proposed to them the proclaiming a fast, to promote reformation, and implore the blessing of Heaven on our undertaking. They embraced the motion; but, as it was the first fast ever thought of in the province, the secretary had no prece

of associating for the defence of the province. They deemed it an illegal act, and an exercise of too much power, to unite in this manner without the previous sanction of the government; and they feared it would prove a dangerous precedent, by encouraging the people to form combinations for making new claims to civil privileges, and new encroachments on the prerogatives of the Proprietaries. In answer to their letters on this subject, Mr. Secretary Peters wrote as follows. After mentioning the cannon obtained from New York, he proceeds to say; "And now the people are hastening to erect a battery, and, when it is done, their fears will subside for the city, though the trade will be absolutely destroyed. There are now eighty associated companies, who behave very orderly; signals and words of command are settled all over the country, and the alarms are, as far as I can judge, well contrived. I shall send you the general disposition, with lists of the officers and number of men in each company, by the London ship. I begin to see this affair in a different light from what I did at first, and think it may be exceedingly for the Proprietaries' interest, for the ease of government, and the preservation of the place, under Divine Providence; and that you may, by instructions to the new Governor, obviate every inconvenience. "The Quaker principle of non-resistance would, I fear, endanger the Constitution of the province, if the war continues and any invasion happens to this province, the centre of America and its granary; but so general an association and batteries on the river may the better reconcile the province to his Majesty and his ministers, and save them the trouble, and the Quakers the shame, of an Act of Parliament to incapacitate them from sitting in the Assembly. The President and Council

dent from which to draw the proclamation. My education in New England, where a fast is proclaimed every year, was here of some advantage; I drew it in the accustomed style; it was translated into German, printed in both languages, and circulated through the province. This gave the clergy of the different sects an opportunity of influencing their congregations to join the Association, and it would probably have been general among all but the Quakers, if the peace had not soon intervened.

It was thought by some of my friends, that, by my activity in these affairs, I should offend that sect, and thereby lose my interest in the Assembly of the province, where they formed a great majority. A young man, who had likewise some friends in the Assembly,

have applied for a man-of-war, and the loan of cannon, to the governors of New England and Cape Breton; and there is some reason to think, that, from one place or the other, there will be one or more vessels of force cruising on our coasts this summer."-MS. Letter, Philadelphia, March 25th, 1748.

"I am truly concerned at what you say about the Association; but, as your notions of it are taken from the perusal of the Association paper only, I am in hopes it will be seen in another light when it comes to be known, that they have never acted but by orders from the board; that leaving them to choose their own officers was looked upon by the Council only in the nature of a recommendation, the tenure of their commissions being to receive their orders from the Governor for the time being, according to the rules of war; and they have it in their power at any time to revoke their commissions. The rules agreed to by the associators, though they are oddly expressed, and in too general terms, yet they were only intended for the more easy learning of the military art, and the more commodious management of their musters. They tell me that they plainly respect discipline, not action; and, as they never thought of acting independently of the government, they are exceedingly surprised, that their intentions are so much misconstrued; however, if they should have missed it in the form, since in fact they have ever had recourse to the Council, since they have ever taken their measures from them, and have behaved with remarkable dutifulness, order, sobriety, and quietness, these they think such substantial evidences of their submission to the King and his representative here, that they will more than obviate the objections taken against their manner

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and wished to succeed me as their clerk, acquainted me, that it was decided to displace me at the next election; and he through good will advised me to resign, as more consistent with my honor than being turned out. My answer to him was, that I had read or heard of some public man, who made it a rule, never to ask for an office, and never to refuse one when offered to him. "I approve," said I, "of this rule, and shall practise it with a small addition; I shall never ask, never refuse, nor ever RESIGN an office. If they will have my office of clerk to dispose of it to another, they shall take it from me. I will not, by giving it up, lose my right of some time or other mak

of wording their Association, and may draw upon them his Majesty's favor, not resentment.

r

"I am no associator, and had no hand in the thing or in any one paper that was drawn; and, at the time it was proposed, no one could entertain more doubtful apprehensions than I did; but those who were at the head of it desired Mr. Allen to inform me, that they were all hearty friends of the Proprietaries, and had it much at heart to recommend themselves to their favor. They hoped that what was done from the glorious motive of defending the city would receive the Proprietaries' countenance, and that they would become generous contributors. And in fact the batteries, with the numbers of men associated, their being furnished with arms and doing their military exercises to admiration, have rendered the minds of the citizens easy, have prevented a civil war within the province, and have, as I am well informed, frustrated some schemes concerted against the city by the people of Havana. These are considerations, which will, I hope, reconcile them to your favor; and, as I was an eyewitness of all their proceedings, justice extorts from me what I have said, and indeed would induce me to say every thing I could for them."-MS. Letter, June 13th, 1748.

As cannon were afterwards sent from England, it is probable that the Proprietaries became better reconciled to the Association, when they were more fully informed of its objects.

"The new large cannon, that lately arrived from England, purchased by the managers of the Lottery, being mounted on the great battery, on Monday last, the associators of this city met under arms and marched thither; where they were saluted with one and twenty guns, and named the battery THE ASSOCIATION."- Pennsylvania Gazette, September 1st, 1748. EDITOR.

ing reprisal on my adversaries." I heard, however, no more of this; I was chosen again unanimously as clerk at the next election. Possibly, as they disliked my late intimacy with the members of Council, who had joined the governors in all the disputes about military preparations, with which the House had long been harassed, they might have been pleased if I would voluntarily have left them; but they did not care to displace me on account merely of my zeal for the Association, and they could not well give another reason.

Indeed, I had some cause to believe, that the defence of the country was not disagreeable to any of them, provided they were not required to assist in it. And I found that a much greater number of them, than I could have imagined, though against offensive war, were clearly for the defensive. Many pamphlets pro and con were published on the subject, and some by good Quakers, in favor of defence; which I believe convinced most of their young people.

A transaction in our fire company gave me some insight into their prevailing sentiments. It had been proposed, that we should encourage the scheme for building a battery by laying out the present stock, then about sixty pounds, in tickets of the lottery. By our rules no money could be disposed of till the next meeting after the proposal. The company consisted of thirty members, of whom twenty-two were Quakers, and eight only of other persuasions. We eight punctually attended the meeting; but, though we thought that some of the Quakers would join us, we were by no means sure of a majority. Only one Quaker, Mr. James Morris, appeared to oppose the measure. expressed much sorrow, that it had ever been proposed, as he said Friends were all against it, and it would create such discord as might break up the com

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