CHAPTER X.

The Governor calls upon the House to provide for the Security of the back Inhabitants. A Remark thereon. He embarrasses them with Petitions from certain Persons requiring to be armed. A Proposal from certain Gentlemen of Philadelphia to subscribe Five Hundred Pounds in Lieu of the Proprietary Proportion of the Tax. The Assembly send up their Bill to the Governor again, together with the said Proposal. Their Message to the Governor. Some seasonable Remarks. The Governor's verbal Answer to the Assembly's Message. He contends for a Militia. The Assembly order One Thousand Pounds to arm the back Inhabitants. They signify their Purpose to Adjourn. Their Proceedings at the next Meeting.

THE assembly, however, on the very day that they received the governor's paper, prepared him to expect a full, and as they hoped, a satisfactory answer; and in order that the public business of the greatest importance might not any longer be delayed by such disputes, took leave to acquaint him, "That the bill they had sent up to him was a money bill, granting fifty thousand pounds to the King's use, which they saw no reason to alter; that they, therefore, adhered to their bill, and desired the governor would be pleased to give his final answer, whether he would pass it or not, as it then stood."

2. "The Assembly's Answer to the foregoing Message, August 19th. 3. "The Governor's Reply, September 24th.

4. The Assembly's Rejoinder, September 29th.

5. "Extracts from the Votes of the Assembly, September 29th." Any person, wishing to examine the subject, may of course find these documents in the original edition of the HISTORICAL REVIEW. They are also contained in Mr. Duane's edition, printed in Philadelphia, 1808. And again in his second edition of Franklin's Works, Vol. II. p. 138. See likewise "Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives of Pennsylvania," under the respective dates as given above; and the Pennsylvania Gazette for August and September, 1755. — Editor.

And upon the next, the governor signified in writing, to the assembly, "That, having amended the bill for raising fifty thousand pounds, and not being yet satisfied that it was in his power, or consistent with his trust, to pass it without these amendments, whatever he might be when he should hear what they proposed to say to him upon that head, he thought it necessary, in answer to their message of the day before, to inform them, that he did adhere to the amendments to the bill so by him made."

This message was also accompanied by another, in which the governor specifies, "That he had received a letter from Colonel Dunbar in answer to the proposition he had made to him [at the instance of the assembly, should have been acknowledged,] for posting part of his troops on the western frontier, signifying, that he was willing to employ them in the best manner he could, for the honor of his master and the service of the public, and enclosing the opinion of a council of war, by which he, the governor, was desired to give them a meeting at Shippensburg, where they would wait till he could join them; and that he should readily have gone thither for that purpose, had he not received another letter from Governor Shirley, (in an swer to one of his, requesting orders for employing the remainder of the two English regiments in protecting the frontiers of that and the neighbouring provinces,) in which he said, he thought it for his Majesty's service to employ those troops another way, as those provinces were populous enough to protect themselves; and therefore had sent orders to Colonel Dunbar, under cover to him, to march his troops to that city; which he had [already] forwarded to him; and that, as the march of these troops would leave the western frontier exposed to the French and Indians,

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he thought it his duty to communicate those matters to them, that they might, as soon as possible, make provision for the security of the back inhabitants, and for the subsistence of the troops during their march through the province, which might prevent great mischiefs to the people inhabiting near the road from Shippensburg to Philadelphia."

So that the march of our own troops is here discoursed of in such language as renders it doubtful for a moment, whether he is not speaking of the enemy. Governor Shirley's thoughts are immediately received as laws; Governor Morris has not a thought to suggest to the contrary; it was for the King's service to leave a province, actually invaded, as the last of these governors had over and over again asserted to the assembly, exposed to the ravages of the enemy; and though provision had been at first made for having four regiments to carry on the war in these provinces, these provinces were now all at once supposed to be in a condition to cover themselves, though some of them had not yet armed a man, or beat a drum.

Out of all which, such a jumble of ideas encounter each other, and such a variety of doubts and suspicions arises, that one cannot help wondering that the assembly did not call for these several letters, and from the evidence of their own eyes, and their own understandings, form such a remonstrance as would have displayed the whole state of things in its proper colors.

In this one instance, therefore, it may not be irrationally supposed, that their usual sagacity failed them; and this failure was no sooner discovered, than the governor came upon them with another message importing, "That his secretary would lay before them the copies of sundry petitions, which had been presented to him from several parts of the province,

representing their naked and defenceless condition, and praying to be enabled to defend themselves, which they were sensible was not in his power to comply with; that he would also lay before them a letter from one John Harris, giving an account of a large party of Indians actually set out from the French fort with a design to fall upon and destroy the inhabitants of this and the neighbouring provinces; that they had this piece of intelligence as he had received it; that they would form their own judgments upon it; that for his part he thought it probable; and that therefore he recommended it to them to take immediate thought about it, as the consequence would be very terrible to the inhabitants, if the account should prove true, and it could do them no injury to be upon their guard, if it should prove false."

This was dated the 15th. The 16th he farther gave them to understand, "That he found, by an extract of a letter from Governor Lawrence, of Nova Scotia, to Lieutenant-Governor Phips, of New England, sent by Governor Delancey, of New York, to him, that the French at Louisburg, were in such distress for want of provisions, that, if a supply could be prevented, they might be reduced to a necessity of giving it up to us; and that, therefore, he recommended it to them to think of some proper law, that their being supplied from Pennsylvania might be more effectually prevented."

And on the 19th he again notified, "That he had received letters by express from Governor Shirley, [which however he did not communicate,] acquainting him, that he had wrote to Colonel Dunbar, that it appeared clear to him (Shirley), as there would be four months of good weather before the winter set in, that with the number of forces the Colonel then had,

and the assistances he might have from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, he might yet have it in his power to retrieve the loss sustained in the late defeat, by proceeding to fort Duquesne, and had sent him orders for that purpose; and that, in addition to this, he had said to him, that it would depend on those several provinces to assist Colonel Dunbar with reinforcements, provisions, ammunition, artillery, ordnance stores, carriages, horses, and all other things to fit him out for his march, &c., and that he had wrote to the same effect to Governor Dinwiddie and Governor Sharpe, whose assistance, with that of Pennsylvania, he entirely relied upon at that extraordinary crisis; that he must therefore recommend it to them, to enable him to do the several things so expected of them, to take the matter into immediate consideration, and give him their answer thereto, that he might send it forward to Colonel Dunbar, and the said governors of Maryland and Virginia, whose measures would, in a great measure, depend on what he should be enabled to do."

Now General Shirley himself, in the state of his own conduct, which he has lately laid before the public, says, first, that Colonel Dunbar did not receive any orders whatever from him till about the middle of August, at which time he had advanced far in his march to Philadelphia; and secondly, that the orders he then sent him, were to march his troops to Albany, there to be ready to assist either in the expedition against Niagara or Crown Point as his Majesty's service should require, or at least cover the country in case Major-General Johnson should be defeated by the French, &c.; nor does he mention one word of the assistances he expected, or had required, of the said provinces.

The General, nevertheless, might possibly have sent such orders subsequent.