them; that the heads of those nations had been convened by the timely care of General Shirley, and were then met in council to treat on those and other matters; that he was informed, they were so much displeased with the conduct of the Delawares and Shawanese, that they seemed inclinable to take up the hatchet against them; and that he hoped the warmth with which General Shirley had recommended this matter to them, would induce them to act vigorously on this occasion."

Connexion is not to be expected in this gentleman's proceedings; his congress we have already seen converted into a council of war; instead of a general treaty with the Indians, he brings back a plan of military operations; and while the levies were actually making of the sixty thousand pounds, just given, for the defence of the province, he calls upon them for a supply towards an offensive war.

By the plan settled among the governors at their late council, which is now in print, the colonies were to raise ten thousand two hundred and fifty men, to be employed in two bodies against the French settlements on the Lake Ontario and Crown Point; and of these, fifteen hundred were to be suppled by Pennsylvania.

The governor, however, did not think it expedient to push this demand in the cavalier manner he had hitherto practised; probably convinced, that it was what the province neither would or could comply with; and that consequently he should only draw down so much the more odium on himself.

Besides, the assembly was scarce met before a circumstance occurred, which, though of an almost private nature, served to evince the truth of what has been just insinuated.

The several recruiting parties, distributed through

the province by the order of General Shirley, had renewed the old practice of enlisting purchased servants; the persons thus deprived of their property brought their complaints before the assembly. The assembly, not only received the petitioners favorably, but also espoused their cause, in the strongest terms, to the governor; and, as their address on this occasion contains such a state, both of the province and its conduct, as will serve to make the reader equally acquainted with both, the most material paragraphs are here adjoined.

"We presume, that no one colony on the continent has afforded more free recruits to the King's forces than Pennsylvania; men have been raised here in great numbers for Shirley's and Pepperell's regiments, for Halket's and Dunbar's, for the New York and Carolina independent companies, for Nova Scotia, and even for the West India Islands. By this, and the necessity we are under of keeping up a large body of men to defend our own extensive frontiers, we are drained of our hired laborers; and, as this province has but few slaves, we are now obliged to depend principally upon our servants to assist us in tilling our lands. If these are taken from us, we are at a loss to conceive how the provisions, that may be expected out of this province another year for the support of the King's armies, are to be raised.

"We conceive that this province could not possibly have furnished the great numbers of men and quantity of provisions, it has done for the King's service, had it not been for our constant practice of importing and purchasing servants to assist us in our labor. Many of these, when they become free, settle among us, raise families, add to the number of our people, and cultivate more land; and many others, who do not so settle, are ready and fit to take arms when the crown calls for

soldiers. But if the possession of a bought servant, after purchase made, is thus rendered precarious, and he may at any time be taken away from his master, at the pleasure of a recruiting officer, perhaps when most wanted, in the midst of harvest or of seed time, or in any other hurry of business, when another cannot be provided to supply his place, the purchase and, of course, the importation of servants will be discouraged, and the people driven to the necessity of providing themselves with negro slaves, as the property in them and their service seems at present more secure. Thus the growth of the country by increase of white inhabitants will be prevented, the province weakened rather than strengthened (as every slave may be reckoned a domestic enemy), one great and constant source of recruits be in a great measure cut off, and Pennsylvania soon be unable to afford more men for the King's service, than the slave colonies now do."

They also accompanied this address with an extract of a letter from General Shirley to Colonel Dunbar, in which he declares himself convinced, that the enlisting of apprentices and indented servants would greatly disserve his Majesty's interest, as well as be in most cases grievous to the subject, and in the strongest manner recommends it to him to avoid doing it.

Even the governor himself, in his answer, acknowledged the fact, admitted it to be a great hardship, and an unequal burden upon the inhabitants of the province; but, instead of issuing his proclamation, strictly charging and commanding all officers, civil and military, to be aiding and assisting to the inhabitants, in securing or recovering their servants, when any attempt should be made to force them away, as required by the assembly, told them the courts were open, and that the injured might there sue out his remedy by due course of law.

He also signified, that General Shirley had now altered his opinion, and issued orders different from those he had before given to Colonel Dunbar. And, in effect, a letter from the said general, in answer to one of the governor's, was soon after communicated to the assembly, in which he pleads the necessities of the service for a continuance of the practice; and, in justification of it, cites the authority of his own government, "where it was common," he said, "to impress both indented servants and others for garrisoning the frontier towns, where they often remained several years."

And his thus renouncing his former conviction is so much the more remarkable, because the province had recently made his troops a voluntary present of warm waistcoats, stockings, and mittens; and, in his letter of acknowledgment (dated but five days before that to the governor) to the assembly, addressed to one of the members, he expresses himself as follows;

"I am now, Sir, to acquaint you, that I have ordered a distribution of clothing, and to desire the favor of you to make my acknowledgments to the assembly for this second instance of their public spirit and zeal for his Majesty's service and the general good of these colonies, given by them in the expedition against Crown Point.

"I cannot but hope that so laudable an example will inspire the other colonies with the like spirit, so necessary at this critical conjuncture for putting a stop to the invasions and devastations of the French and their Indians within our borders, and placing the British northern colonies in a state of security against the attempts, which, from the armament sent the last year from France, and their known designs, we have the utmost reason to expect they will push this year; and that it will continue to animate the government of

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Pennsylvania in the common cause, as it hath hitherto done, so highly to their advantage.

"Be pleased, likewise, to assure them, Sir, that I shall not be wanting in making a just representation to his Majesty of these marks of their zeal for the service of their King and country, and doing every thing in my power for the service of the province."

It is indeed remarkable of Pennsylvania, that, though represented and treated by its enemies, as if it was the barren fig-tree, applications were continually made to it on all sides, as if it was capable of furnishing all demands and incapable of refusing any.

His Majesty having graciously ordered a considerable present to be sent to New York for the Six Nations, and Sir Charles Hardy, governor of that province, being soon to hold a meeting with them, in order to the distribution, Pennsylvania was called upon to follow the example of New York in making some addition to it; and Governor Morris was prevailed upon by Governor Hardy to make the demand accordingly.

Nor was the assembly averse to it; the province had agents at that very time with Sir William Johnson, to sound the disposition of those nations towards them; and, as Sir Charles Hardy's meeting was not to take place till towards the end of March, and the governor's message was dated February 16th, they apprehended that no inconveniences could ensue from their not giving a determinate answer till the return of those agents, which was very soon expected.

And in the mean time as the governor could not mention Indian affairs to them without putting them in mind of the bill, which had been so long in his hands, for regulating the Indian trade, they again called upon him to take it into consideration.

They had now sat a full month, and had received