"John Fisher in Right of Thomas Cooper, "To land, 268 acres in Pextang township, Lancaster County, granted by warrant of 9th January, 1743, to said Cooper, "Interest from 1st March, 1737, to 9th January, 1743, is 5 years, 10 months, 8 days, Dr. 41 10 9 14 11 9 56 26 "Interest from 9th January, 1743, to 20th February, 1747, is 4 years, 1 month, 11 days, "Quit-rent to next month is 10 years, £5 11s. 8d. 11 19 10 10 6 7 70 18 11 70 18 11 212 3 7 10 0 Transfer, &c. 212 13 7 "Philadelphia, 23d February, 1747. "Received of John Fisher two hundred and twelve pounds, three shillings, and seven pence, in full for 423 acres in Pextang township, granted by warrant of 19th March, 1742, to Jacob Job, and for 268 acres in same township, by warrant of 9th January, 1743, to Thomas Cooper, both in the County of Lancaster. £212 37 10 0 fees 212 13 7 N. B. The quit-rent in full to 1st March, 1747. "For the Honorable Proprietaries, "LYNFORD LARDNER, Receiver-General.” The purchaser, not being skilled in accounts, but amazed at the sum, applied to a friend to examine this account, who stated it over again as follows, viz. 1742. "John Fisher in the Right of Jacob Job, 19th March. 1743. "To 423 acres, 50 perches of land, in Pex- Dr. £65 12 1 "By cash paid that day 15 00 "To interest on £50 12s. 1d. from the "To five years' quit-rent for said land, at one half-penny sterling per acre per an- 50 12 1 14 18 9 8 59 "20th February, 1747. Sum due on Job's right £73 16 7 "John Fisher in the Right of Thomas Cooper, 9th January. Dr. £41 10 9 7 10 0 "9th January, 1743, balance due £34 09 "To interest on £34 0s. 9d. from 9th "20th February, 1747. Sum due on Cooper's right £46 15 7 "In February, 1747, John Fisher obtained a proprietary patent for the lands above mentioned. But by the accounts then exhibited to him, and which he paid, he was charged on Job's right one hundred and forty-one pounds, four shillings, and eight pence, which is sixty-seven pounds, eight shillings, and a penny more than the above account; and also was charged on Cooper's right, seventy pounds, eighteen shillings, and eleven pence, which is twenty-four pounds, three shillings, and three pence three farthings more than the above account of Cooper's. So that, by the two accounts, it is supposed he has paid ninety-one pounds, eleven shillings, and four pence three farthings more than could legally be received from him. "The reasons of such great difference in the accounts are as follow, viz. "1st. That interest has been charged on the consideration money for Job's land, for ten years and eighteen days, before the land was surveyed. "2d. That quit-rent has also been charged for that time at 85 per cent. "3d. That the principal and interest to the time of warrant and survey were added together, and that interest was charged for that total to the time the patent was granted. "4th. That interest has been charged on the consideration money for Cooper's land, for five years ten months and eight days before the land was surveyed. "5th. That quit-rent has also been charged for that time at 85 per cent. "6th. That the principal and interest to the time of warrant and survey were added, and interest charged for that total to the time the patent was granted, which is compound interest." To these remarks of the accountant we shall only add, that the price of exchange between Philadelphia and London is not fixed, but rises and falls according to the demand for bills; that eightyfive per cent, charged for the exchange in this account, is the highest exchange that perhaps was ever given in Pennsylvania, occasioned by some particular scarcity of bills at a particular time; that the proprietor himself in his estimate reckons the exchange but at sixty-five, which is indeed near the medium, and this charge is twenty per cent above it. That the valuing the currency of the country according to the casual rate of exchange with London is in itself a false valuation, the currency not being really depreciated in proportion to an occasional rise of exchange, since every necessary of life is to be purchased in the country, and every article of expense defrayed by that currency (English goods only excepted), at as low rates after as before such rise of exchange; that, therefore, the proprietor's obliging those who purchase of him to pay their rents according to the rate of exchange is unjust, the rate of exchange including withal the risk and freight on remitting money to England; and is, besides, a dangerous practice, as the great sums to be yearly remitted to him put it in the power of his own agents to play tricks with the exchange at pleasure, raise it at the time of year when they are to receive the rents, by buying a few bills at a high price, and afterwards lower it by refraining to buy till they are sold more reasonably. By this account of the receiver-general's, it appears we have omitted two other articles in the estimation of the proprietary estate, viz. For the quit-rents of lands many years before they are granted! For the interest of the purchase money many years be fore the purchases are made! On what pretence these articles of charge are founded, how far they may be extended, and what they may amount to, is beyond our knowledge; we are, therefore, obliged to leave them blank till we can obtain more particular information. No. III. REFUTATION OF ANONYMOUS ABUSES PUBLISHED AGAINST THE INHABITANTS OF PENNSYLVANIA. ALTHOUGH We have not in this work taken particular notice of the numerous falsehoods and calumnies which were continually thrown out against the assembly and people of Pennsylvania, to keep alive the prejudices raised by the arts of the proprietary and his agents; yet, as we think it will not be deemed improper to give the reader some specimen of them, we shall on that account, and as it affords additional light concerning the conduct and state of that province, subjoin a paper printed and published here in September, 1757, by a gentleman, who had the best opportunities of being Any other proof, acquainted with the truth of the facts he relates. indeed, of their authenticity can scarce be thought requisite, when it is known, that since that time no one has ever offered to publish the least thing in contradiction; although before, scarce a week elapsed without the newspapers furnishing us with some anonymous abuse of that colony. "To the PRINTER of The Citizen, or General Advertiser. "SIR, "In your paper of the ninth instant, I observe the following paragraph, namely; The last letters from Philadelphia bring accounts of the scalping the inhabitants of the back provinces by the Indians; at the same time the disputes between the governor and the assembly are carried on to as great a height as ever, and the messages sent from the assembly to the governor, and from the governor to the assembly, are expressed in terms which give very little hopes of a reconciliation. The bill to raise money is clogged, so as to prevent the governor from giving his consent to it; and the obstinacy of the Quakers in the assembly is such, that they will in no shape alter it; so that, while the enemy is in the heart of the country, cavils prevent any thing being done for its relief. Mr. Denny is the third governor with whom the assembly has had these disputes within a few years.' "As this paragraph, like many others heretofore published in the papers, is not founded in truth, but calculated to prejudice the public against the Quakers and people of Pennsylvania, you are desired to do that injured province some justice in publishing the following remarks; which would have been sent you sooner had the paper come sooner to my hands. "1. That the scalping of the frontier inhabitants by the Indians is not peculiar to Pennsylvania, but common to all the colonies in proportion as their frontiers are more or less extended and exposed to the enemy. That the colony of Virginia, in which there are very few, if any, Quakers, and none in the assembly, has lost more inhabitants and territory by the war than Pennsylvania. That even the colony of New York, with all its own forces, and a great body of New England troops, encamped on its frontier, and the regular army under Lord Loudoun posted in different places, has not been able to secure its inhabitants from scalping by the Indians; who, coming secretly in very small parties, skulking in the woods, must sometimes have it in their power to surprise and destroy travellers, VOL. III. VV |