Pennsylva. curr. Brought over £322,812 17 11 inoney, and collecting and paying the sev- 5,000 0 0 38 13 0 LETTER FROM MR. LOGAN ON THE PROPRIETARY RIGHT TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE THREE DELAWARE COUNTIES. As the reader may possibly be curious to know, whether any similar disputes arose between the proprietaries and the several assemblies of the Territory, or Three separated Counties, it may be proper to inform him, that the forbearances of these gentlemen in that district were altogether as remarkable as their assumptions in the province; and to refer him to the following extract of a genu. ine letter of Mr. Secretary Logan's to one Henry Goldney, an intimate friend of the first proprietary, William Penn, for a solution of all doubts concerning the difference. “HENRY GOLDNEY, “Esteemed Friend, " "Philadelphia, 3d Month the 12th, 1709. "I was favored last fall with thine and other Friends' answer to mine of 3d month last; the contents of which were extremely sat. sfactory, and, on my part, I shall not be wanting to discharge my duty to the utmost of my power; but, in my opinion, since the proprietor has several times mentioned that he had proposals made to him for the purchase of a large tract of land on Susquehanna, for which he had an offer of £5,000 sterling, it would be most advisable for him to accept of any such terms, that so he may speedily have the management of his country to himself, by paying the debt there which he has contracted upon it; to which I wish thee and his other good friends would earnestly press him, for in himself I know he is in such cases somewhat too doubtful and backward. "I now design, through the greatest confidence in thy friendship both to him and me, to be very free with thee in an affair that nearly concerns him and this country in general, in which I shall request thee to exercise thy best thoughts, and, according to the result of these, heartily to employ the necessary endeavours. The case is briefly as follows; "This government has consisted of two parts; the Province of Pennsylvania, and the Three Lower Counties on Delaware. To the first the proprietor has a most clear and undoubted right, both for soil and government, by the King's letters patent or royal charter; for the latter he has much less to show; for the soil he has deeds of feofment from the Duke of York, but for the government not so much as is necessary. After his first arrival, however, in these parts, he prevailed with the people both of the province and those counties to join in one government under him, according to the powers of the King's charter, which nevertheless extended to the province only, and so they continued, not without many fractions, till after the time of his last departure, when some disaffected persons took advantage of a clause, which he had unhappily inserted in a charter he gave the people, and broke off entirely from those lower counties; since which time we have had two assemblies, that of the province, acting by a safe and undisputed power, but that of the other counties without sufficient (I doubt) to justify them. Last fall the assembly of those counties took occasion to inquire into their own powers, upon a design to set new measures on foot, and have sent home an address by one of their members, Thomas Coutts's brother, who is to negotiate the matter with the Lords of Trade and the ministry, to obtain powers to some person or other, who the Queen may think fit (though Coutts designs it for himself), to discharge all the necessary duties of government over them. This, I doubt, will give the proprietary great trouble; for when the Council of Trade is fully apprized, as by this means they will be, that those counties are entirely disjoined from the province, it is probable they may more strictly inquire into the proprietor's right of government and legislation with the people there; and it is much to be feared, that they may advise the Queen to dispose of the government of those parts some other way, which would be exceedingly destructive to the interest of the province in general. 66 Upon the whole, what I have to propose is this, whether it would not be most advisable for the proprietor to consider in time what measures are most fit for him to take for his own and the country's interest, before the blow falls so heavy that it may prove difficult, if at all practicable, for him to ward it off; whether, therefore, it may not be most prudent to part with the government of both province and lower counties together, upon the best terms that can be obtained, before it proves too late for him to procure any. If he should hold the government of the province, nay even of the whole, during his life, he will never gain any thing by it; and, after his decease, it will be lost, or at least be put out of the hands of Friends, and perhaps without any previous terms at all, when now he may be capable himself to negotiate a surrender, both to his own. particular interest, and greatly to the advantage of the profession; but, whenever this is done, he should remember our present lieutenantgovernor, who will be a sufferer (I fear, at best) by undertaking the charge; and, if any thing fall of course in the way, I wish he would not quite forget an old trusty servant of his, who has been drudging for him these ten years; (but that is not the business.) This I thought necessary to advise thee of, considering thee as one of his best and heartiest friends, and desire thee to communicate the matter to such others as may be most serviceable, but by no means expose this letter, for I would have that kept very private. "I have wrote to the same purpose to the proprietary himself very fully; but finding, by long experience, how little it avails to write to himself alone of matters relating to his own interest, I now choose this method, and give this early notice before the addresses from hence shall come to hand, which, with the address already gone from the lower counties, will certainly do our business, whether the proprietor will agree to it or not, and therefore best take time while it offers. I shall commit this to thy prudence and discretion, and conclude, "Thy real loving friend. "JAMES LOGAN.' No. VI. LIST OF THE GOVERNORS, DEPUTY-GOVERNORS, AND PRESIDENTS OF PENNSYLVANIA. WILLIAM PENN, Proprietor, acted as Governor from October, 1682, to August, 1684. Thomas Lloyd, President, from August, 1684, to December, 1688 John Blackwell, Deputy-Governor, from December, 1688, to February, 1689-90. President and Council, from February, 1689-90, to April 26th, 1693. Benjamin Fletcher, Governor, from April 26th, to June 3d, 1693. William Markham, Deputy-Governor, from June 3d, 1693, to December, 1699. William Penn acted again as Governor, from December 3d, 1699, to November 1st, 1701. Andrew Hamilton, Deputy-Governor, from November 1st, 1701, to February, 1702 – 3. President and Council, from February, 1702-3, to February, 1703-4. John Evans, Deputy-Governor, from February, 1703-4, to February, 1708-9. Charles Gookin, Deputy-Governor, from March, 1708-9, to 1717. Sir William Keith, Deputy-Governor, from March, 1717, to June, 1726. Patrick Gordon, Deputy-Governor, from June, 1726, to June, 1736, William Denny, the present Deputy-Governor, from August 19th, 1756. THE Royal Charter for Pennsylvania was granted March 4th, 1681. The King's Declaration or Proclamation of the said Grant. April 2d, 1681. The Agreement between William Penn and certain Adventurers. and Purchasers, entitled, "Certain Conditions or Concessions," &c., was signed in England, July 11th, 1681. The first Frame of Government for the Province was made in England, April 25th, 1682. The first Laws for the Province were agreed upon in England. May 5th, 1682. The Duke of York's Deed for Pennsylvania was signed August 21st, 1682. The Duke of York's Deed of Feofment of Newcastle, and twelve miles Circle, to William Penn, August 24th, 1682. The Duke of York's Deed of Feofment of a tract of land twelve miles south from Newcastle to the Whorekills, to William Penn, August 24th, 1682. The first Assembly held in the Province was at Chester, December 4th, 1632. The Act of Union, annexing the Delaware Counties to the Province, and the Act of Settlement, containing a new Frame of Government, were passed December 6th, 1682. Another Frame of Government was passed April 2d, 1683. And another Frame of Government, November 7th, 1696. The Charter of the City of Philadelphia passed October 25th, 1701. The Charter of Privileges for the Province, being the present Frame of Government, passed October 28th, 1701. |