Copy of a Letter from Mr. Hatton, Collector of Salem, Etc., to the Commissioners of the Customs, dated Perth Amboy, Dec. 25, 1770, complaining of the ill treatment he had received. [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 257 (275).] Gentlemen PERTH AMBOY, 25th Decem' 1770 On my way to the Governor with the inclosed Remonstrance I received Yours of the 10th Inst. on the Receipt of which I went to Mr Skinner, Attorney General whose opinion I have now sent likewise the inclosed Remonstrance will give Your Honors a just Information of the further Ill treatment I have receiv'd M' Read Collector of Burlington hath bailed out Hughes. M' Read's actions are, as formerly; which is to distress me and the Service of the Revenue all He can. He is one of the 3 chief Judges of this Province & hath a Salary for it & is likewise one of the Governor's Council. I am credibly informed that a Set of Merchants at Philadelphia have remitted a Quantity of money to this Province in Order to gain any Point they want & likewise make this Cape their Stanch Store, as they say they cannot do without It for their contraband Trade-for since the 8th of last November there have been 5 other Vessels unloaded with Illicit Goods. I have wrote three pressing letters to the Captain of His Maj Vessel in this River but no One hath yet appeared to give me any Relief. I hired a Sloop on purpose to go to them to get them to keep their Vessel or Tender in Our Bay which would be the proper place, whereby they would perceive, with my assistance on Land, all the proceedings of the smuglers there; but they declined my Request saying they could not assist me on Shore, and Winter coming on they must lay up their Vessels, therefore I am obliged to keep concealed by day, & when I travel it is all by night, & expect no other than some Day to fall a Sacrifice to their Wicked Malice & Inventions. I left my Wife at the point of death thro' Fright for me & her Son. My Son being still Ill & at the Tavern He was taken to first, & will lose either his Arm or the use of it, which cannot yet be determined & hath undergone a Severe Illness myself going hundred of Miles to endeavor to procure Justice & have almost expended my last Farthing and am in the greatest distress for more, who am Gentlemen &ca JOHN HATTON I am to call on the Governor on my way back for an answer to my Remonstrance of the 7th Inst. He having sent to the Attorney General for his advice & the Result thereof I will inform You Mr Skinner advises me to arrest the 3 Magistrates if I can get them before the Governor for their actions & false Imprisonment but I want Money, having now expended in this Affair upwards of 30£ Be pleased to excuse the Badness of this Letter as my Wounds in my Head & right Arm are still so bad that I can hardly think or hold my Pen. Letter from Attorney-General Skinner to Mr. Hatton, giving his opinion on the proceedings of the Mag istrates at Cape May. [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 257 (£75).] Mr Hatton Dec. 25, 1770. I have considered the Papers you have laid before me, and those sent by Mr Petit and am of opinion that as the transaction was on the high Seas the Admiralty only hath Jurisdiction, & it is [to] those you ought to apply. Upon the Same principle the Magistrates at Cape May had no authority to issue their Warrant, or bind you over to Court the place where the Seizure & Rescue was made being without their Jurisdiction or that of any Court but the Admiralty. to John Hatton Esq CORT SKINNER. Letter from Mr. Skinner, Attorney-General of East Jersey, to Charles Petit, Esq., Secretary to Governor Franklin, giving his opinion on the Conduct of the Magistrates at Cape May. Sir, [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 257 (275).] Dec. 25, 1770 I received Yours by Mr Hatton with the Papers inclosed & have considered them as well as the Shortness of the time would permit, together with other Information given me by M' Hatton. I am of opinion that the place where the Seizure & Rescue were made is clearly out of the County of Cape May. That the Admiralty only has Jurisdiction and that the Justices of Cape May were forward in taking upon them any Enquiry; then issuing their Warrant & taking M: Hatton & his Slave after his Excellency's Proclamation is an insolent Contempt of his Proclamation and will, with other parts of their Behaviour, justify His Excellency in ordering their Attendance before him in Council, or upon very clear Affidavits of their Behaviour removing them from Office. It was their Duty to Support M' Hatton the Collec tor & not suffer a Man Mills so principally concerned in the Matter to Sit with them when they illegally demanded Security of the Collector, then countenancing the outrage of the Pilots as well as the running of Goods are Sufficient to remove them.-Be pleased to make my Compts to the Governor & am &c: CORTLAND SKINNER. To Cha Petit Esq' Gov's Secretary. Letter from Mr. Hatton, Collector of Salem and Cohensey, to the Commissioners of the Customs, Boston, relative to his ill-treatment by the Magistrates at Cape May. [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 257 (275)]. Gentlemen I wrote to your Honours from Perth Amboy on the 25th instant, and inclosed you the Attorney Generals opinion of the Actions of the Magistrates and likewise my last Remonstrance to Gov! Franklin and also the Copies of two Warrants which has been served on me and my Negro. Two Days after I arrived at Burlington & waited on the Governor & delivered a letter from Mr Skinner a Copy of which is inclosed, after much persuasion His Excellency granted according to Mr Skinner's Opinion an Non Ultimo Prosequi for me but as my Negro happened not to be mentioned in it, the Governor refused me one for him, therefore both he and me as one of his bonds men must appear at their next Court in February, what the issue may be I cannot pretend to say but no good. His Excellency has likewise wrote to the three Magistrates to appear before him and his Council sometime in the Spring the particular time not yet fixed, but if we may judge from former instances the result will be,-I write this from opposite Philadelphia, the Tavern where my son is whose wounds are partly healed but has lost entirely the use of his Arm. I beg your Honours will consider the distress I am in for want of Money as I have now spent nearly forty pounds in travelling so many hundred miles & in fees for advice & other expences caused by this affair and I have still other Expences to pay by reason my man must attend their Court, therefore do most humbly beg your Honours will either grant me my Incidents now due or advance some of my salary or any other means you may think proper, which must be speedily & can be done by an Order on Mr Swift. I have taken out a supreme Writt for Mills the Pilot by the Attorney Generals advice as there is no Court of Admiralty in this Province.— I should be glad your Honours would interpose so as to get the Magistrates punished according to their deserts. I am &ca (signed) JOHN HATTON COOPERS FERRY opposite Philadelphia 30th Dec 1770 N B. The Letter referred to is not yet come to hand. Letter from the Earl of Hillsborough to Governor Franklin, relative to providing for the King's Troops. [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 176 (194).] WHITEHALL, January 2nd 1771. Sir, Governor Franklin. I have received your letter of the 5th of Nov! No 24. and have laid it before the King. Nothing would have been more unbecoming than |