Whilst I was at Burlington a Deputation of Indians came to answer the Message I sent to the Mounseys in July last. They consisted of 3 Mounseys 1 Cayugan on behalf of the 6 Nations and 2 Delawares. They professed to come from the Senecas the Cayugans & the Mounsies. The substance of what they said was to invite me to a Treaty which they & many other Nations were to hold with Pennsylvania at Easton next full Moon. I promised to attend, & the Assembly has provided for the expence of it. Gov' Denny with 3 of his Council came to Burlington on this occasion to engage us to join with them in this treaty, which We have agreed to do, but not as principals, nor to be subject to any charge but the expence of own attendance. I shall be able to send your Lordships copies of all the Indian proceedings by next week if the Packet waits so long About a fortnight ago I received advise of a French Capt" & 10 Indians being set out towards our frontiers. I advised our commanding officer of it & he has been in pursuit of them but could not come up with them. They are since retired without loss having killed two in Pennsylvania & two in New York & captivated 3 children in N York but done no mischief in our province. The Assembly have granted 150 men & a new fort for the frontier service. It is about half what I wanted; but I hope to supply the defect by detachments of militia to be put under new regulations. I have to lay before your Lordships a matter of great consequence, an address of the Assembly to beg that his Majesty would be pleased to enlarge my powers for raising money against the next Year, without which it will be impossible for the province to send any more men into the field. I cannot state this properly without an exact Account of the provincial debt, which I have ordered to be made out & as soon as I get it will give your Lordships the fullest information of this businesss that I can. I am obliged on account of my distance from the Packet boat & the uncertainty of the time of her sailing to make up my Dispatches by parcells. I shall accordingly send this away to morrow; and shall then set about another parcell, which most probably will come time enough to accompany this. I am, my Lords, with all due respect Yr most humble Servant FRA. BERNARD Letter from Governor Bernard inclosing Copy of a Message from the Assembly. [From P. R. O. B. T. New Jersey, Vol. 8, I. 71.] PERTH AMBOY Aug 31. 1758 To The Right Honble The Lords Commissioners for Trade & Plantations. My Lords I hereby lay before your Lordships a Petition of the Assembly of New Jersey as I received it & beg the favour of Your Lordships to represent the same to his Majesty in the most favourable manner, that may be. I have the honour to be, My Lords, Y' Lordships most obedient & most humble Servant FRA. BERNARD ORDERED that M Read M Spicer M: Wetherill M Leaming do wait on his Excellency and Acquaint him in Answer to his Message of this Morning that this House have taken the same into Consideration together with the copies of his Majestys Royal Instructions communicated therewith And find by the Journal of 28 Novb! 1748 That the 22d Instruction is in the same words with Instructions given by his present Majesty to his late Excellency Governor Belcher And this House do conceive it to have been an Instruction to Several of his Governors of his Colonies Abroad. That no Illconveniences have arisen from the passing any Act for striking of Bills of Credit in this Colony to any person whatever as the Bills struck by former Acts have been punctually sunck According to the Different periods in the Acts expressed whereby the Bills have not in the least deminished in their Credit Altho the Colony have thro their Zeal for his Majestys Service in keeping up a Standing regiment Acting with his Majestys forces and the pressing call of the Frontier Inhabitants issued large Sums great part of which lays at present as a Debt on the Colony. That this Colony have no practicable Methods to raise a Sum for immediate Service but by striking Bills of Credit to be sunck by a future tax the doing of which Not only the Governors of this but also of the Neighbouring Colonies have thought it Necessary and Expedient to Assent to, Notwithstanding the aforesaid Instructions and to prolong the time of Sinking the Same According to the Different curcumstances of the Colonies, Nor have the House the least reason to Believe but that their Conduct in that respect has been Approved of by his Majesty and his Ministers. That they Inform his Excellency that the House has taken his recommendation of the Frontiers and the Afflictions of the Inhabitants there, into their most Serious Consideration and formed a Bill which they hope with the Assistance of divine providence will Effectually protect them, but as they have not Money in the Treasury for that Service they have no other method of Supporting that Expence but by Issuing of Bills of Credit which must Militate against that Instruction. That this House Entertain hopes that his Excellency will from the Calamity of the time and the Conduct of other his Majesty Governors be induced to give his Assent to a Bill for striking Bills of Credit for the protection of this his Majestys Colony to be sunk at such periods as shall be in the Power of the Colony to Comply with. That they Earnestly request his Excellency to represent the Zeal and Loyalty of this Colony to his Majesty and that without an Indulgence in Striking Bills of Credit to be sunck at reasonable periods on a Solid and Secure fund This Colony will not be Able to give his Majesty that aid which would be most Agreeable to their Inclinations nor Contribute that protection to the Frontiers which they are in duty Bound to do. And as there are frequent calls for Expence of this kind, That he will be pleased to make the Application so that we may hope for his Majestys Licence on this head, Before any future Necessity shall Embarrass the Branches of the Legislature. By Order of the House THS HARTSHORNE Burlington Augt 8th 1758 Letter from Governor Bernard to the Lords of Trade, respecting the manner of the Assembly's passing Bills of Credit, during the time of War, with his Observations upon the necessity of a Special Instruction to empower him to pass such Bills. [From P. R. O. B. T., New Jersey, Vol. 8, I. 72.] PERTH AMBOY Augt 31 1758 To the Right Hon'ble the Lords Commissioners for Trade & Plantations My Lords I hereby transmit to your Lordships a Copy of a Message I received from the Assembly at their last Sitting. The Occasion of which was this: I had earn estly recommended to them to provide effectually for the Defence of their frontiers then greatly distressed by frequent irruptions of the Indians & very insufficiently guarded. They accordingly prepared a Bill for that purpose, in which there was a Clause for emitting paper money to be sunk at a distant day beyond five years. I being informed of this sent them a copy of my instructions: and that produced this message by four of their members, which had two purposes, one to provide for the present Exigency; the other to gain a power to provide for future necessity. As to the first I learnt that the Year 1760 had but a Little Charge on it and would easily admit of a further charge: I therefore recommended to them to provide for the present Service by a Sum to be charged on the year 1760, so as not to charge that year with more money than some other years have been charged. And then I hoped my complyance therewith considering the crying necessity of the Service & the short time in which the Money was to be sunk, would be considered by your Lordships as not contradictory to the spirit of my instructions, tho not strictly conformable to the letter of them. This being thus determined, the other point, to enable me to consent to the raising money for the use of his Majesty in the prosecution of this necessary War the next summer, I must now submit to your Lordships & pray your directions. And that And that your Lordships may better judge of this business I have sent two Schedules, the one being an Account of the provincial debt, the other of the several years appointed for the payment thereof. By which your Lordships will see what power this Province has for raising extraordinary money for the further prosecution of this War supposing the highest charge of any year is as great as the province can bear. The highest charge is on the years 1760, 1762 & 1763 which amounts to |