was desired, or necessary to be done; that if great part of that supply, so lately granted, was already expended, and the rest would soon be so, they knew of no remedy; but that, as the assessment for sinking the bills of credit, issued in pursuance of the said act, had not as yet been laid or levied, as a great part of the money was still in hand, and as they were soon to meet again upon the adjournment, then so necessary to their private affairs, having waited long for the governor's answer to their bills, they could not think it would be of use at that time to lay an additional load of taxes on the inhabitants. They concluded with an earnest recommendation of the bill, for regulating the Indian trade, as a bill of great importance for conciliating the minds of the Indians yet unfixed in their resolutions, and confirming those already in alliance with them, by supplying them with such goods and other things they might have occasion for, on the easiest terms, at the charge and under the inspection of the government." And, in a separate message sent at the same time, they farther gave him to understand, “that, having seriously deliberated on his message for putting a stop to the exportation of provisions, ever since they had received it, and made a full inquiry into the circumstances of the country, they had reason to hope that, under the common course of God's good Providence, no considerable danger or inconvenience could arise from continuing to leave their ports still open till their next meeting; as also that they proposed to adjourn till the 24th of the month next ensuing."

The return to this was, that the governor "had no objection to the proposed time of adjournment; that he thought, with the House, there was no immediate necessity for laying an embargo on provisions; that he should lay before the commissioners the affair of the

Indians, now in town, and endeavour to send them away well satisfied; that he expected the House would have made some preparations for executing the plan of operations for the ensuing campaign, but, as they had not, it must lie upon them; that, as to the Indian-trade and excise bills, he should consider them against the next meeting; and lastly, that he thought it proper to mention to the House by their messengers, that, although he had had more burdens laid upon him than any of his predecessors in the same time, yet he had received less from the House than any of them."

Lastly, the House, taking into consideration what the governor had said relating to their not having made preparations for executing the plan of operations for the ensuing campaign, resolved, in these words, "That, as this province has received no assistance from our mother country, and as we have already expended large sums of money for the raising and supporting a considerable body of men for the defence of our extensive frontiers, against the continued depredations and encroachments of a savage and merciless enemy, besides what has been expended in maintaining the friendly Indians, French neutrals, and in other purposes for the King's service, which expenses are likely to be continued for some time; the House are of opinion, that the present circumstances of the province will not now admit of their going into any preparations for executing the aforesaid plan of operations; and that it would be not only impracticable, but very imprudent, at a time the country is so greatly distressed by the unjustifiable taking of indented servants, and so many of our freemen are enlisted and gone away, to send so great a proportion of men, as is demanded of us, to so great a distance, and thereby deprive ourselves of their assistance, which we have too much reason to think we shall soon have occasion for."

These were the transactions of April 16th; and, as the reader will observe no notice was taken of the governor's remonstrance concerning himself, he will from thence, perhaps, be led to account for his re-convening them so soon afterwards as the 10th of May; he being then absent at a place called Harris's Ferry, and having nothing more pressing to lay before them, than what is contained in the following abstract of his message to them upon that occasion; to wit,

"That, the people of the frontier counties westward having lost great numbers of their fighting men, and the remainder being either driven from their habitations or worn out with fatigue, there was the greatest reason to apprehend the next attack would produce the entire evacuation of the two next counties, York and Cumberland; that the consideration of this deplorable and dangerous situation of those counties, which the most considerable of their inhabitants had, in the most affecting manner, laid before him, had induced him to call them together, that the best and speediest means might be taken to prevent, if possible, farther desolation; that the law for establishing a voluntary militia had contributed very little, if any thing, to the defence of the frontier; that he had observed it was defective when he passed it, and that it required so much time to carry it into execution, that nothing good was to be expected from it; that, though many companies had been formed under it, yet, for want of sufficient power lodged in him to order them to the frontiers, they were, as to that most material service, entirely useless; that he must therefore recommend it to them to form such a militia as might be just, equal, and carried into immediate execution, so as that he might be able to draw the strength of the province to such parts as stood most in need of it, and the whole burden of defending

the province might not fall too heavily on the few inhabitants, whose circumstances obliged them to remain in the back counties; that, as by the latest accounts from Europe, a considerable armament from France was to be expected in America, now to become the seat of war, and, as the enemy would in such case depend upon being supplied with provisions from the King's colonies by the intervention of the Dutch, he conceived a general embargo would be necessary; and that it should be rendered effectual by some such special law as should be thought necessary by himself and the governors of the neighbouring provinces, which he recommended to them to prepare ; and that, the affairs of the province, and, in particular, the building a fort at a place called Shamokin, which was of so great importance to the province, requiring his personal care and attendance, it gave him concern that he could not be then at Philadelphia; but that they might be assured he would give all the despatch imaginable to any bills they might propose, which the secretary was to send to him from time to time by express."

To give the more weight to the militia clause, a petition was presented to the House from the officers of the association companies in the city of Philadelphia, complaining of the insufficiency of the present law, and praying that a new one might be framed, in which the defects of the former should be remedied.

The assembly gave the petition a civil but cool reception; and, in their reply to the governor's message, furnished the public with a brief of their sentiments and proceedings on the present occasion; to wit,

"That, being met in pursuance of the governor's call, they were concerned for his absence, as the public business could not be transacted as it ought, where the several parties were so far asunder; that, as, by the

joint care of himself and the commissioners for disposing of the sixty thousand pounds, the frontier was now in a better state of defence, than that of any other colony on the continent; the forts being numerous, all strongly garrisoned, and both officers and soldiers now reduced to due obedience and discipline by means of the act of Parliament, which, at their last sitting, they had extended to that province, they could not but hope, that the distressed inhabitants of the two counties mentioned might, by the blessing of God, become more secure in their settlements, and consequently more easy in their minds; and that more especially, as they understood there were, in the interior counties, many formed companies as yet unemployed, who were ready to enter into the service, and march to the frontier, whenever the governor should think fit to call them; and a considerable sum was still in the hands of the commissioners, wherewith the expense might be defrayed; that, as they conceived, the marching the militia to the frontier on every alarm, would be less effectual for its defence, and much more expensive and burdensome to the people, than their proportion of a tax for the maintenance of standing guards; that, indeed, they had little experience of a militia in this province, consequently, in framing so new a thing as a law to regulate it, their first essay might have its defects; that, however, as the governor did not point them out, when he passed the act, and they had not since occurred to them, all they could then say was, that, when he should think fit to send down any supplementary amendments, they would take them into their serious consideration; which he, the governor, might possibly be ready to do by the time to which they stood adjourned, then not far distant; that they had therewith sent him a bill for prohibiting the exportation of