useless to the Community; It has contributed greatly to the Value of Lands, and the Increase of the Kings Dominions in those Parts, and is generally acknowledged to have been greatly beneficial to this Young Colony in several other Respects, having been ever emitted on a Fund incapable of depreciating or deceiving; As such they humbly presume to offer a Bill for the Kings Royal Approbation, Entituled "An Act for "making current Sixty Thousand Pounds in Bills of "Credit to be emitted on Loan within the Colony of "New Jersey, The Interest Whereof to sink the fur"ther Sum of Twenty Nine Thousand Pounds to be "also made Current for the immediate Service of the "Crown, if the same should be needed, other"wise for the Relief of the said Colony" Signed by Rob Lawrance Speaker, dated 17th of March 1757 Which Bill the said Assembly hath sent over to the Petitioner (and is ready to be produced) being formed on the same Plan, and intended in the same Manner in every respect as the former Acts, but this Variation, That the Interest Money has heretofore been applied to the Support of this Government of New Jersey, but is now designed to be a fund for Sinking the Sum of Twenty Nine Thousand Pounds to be immediately prepared, and to be ready to be applied for Your Majestys Service for carrying on the present War in such Manner as the Legislature of this Colony shall find necessary.

This Method for providing against next Summers or future Campaigns is the more expedient as the real Distress in which the War has already involved this Colony, both in defending itself against the Indians, in Furnishing at least the said Colonys Proportion of Men for Services Abroad, and in diverse other Respects, are such as require an Exertion of every Prudent Measure to prevent their being disabled from assisting the Common Cause hereafter, and thereby

run the Risque of declining in the Affections of their Gracious Sovereign, a Calamity they would by all Means willingly to avoid

And therefore it is most humbly Prayed that the King would be graciously pleased to signify His Royal Pleasure to the Governor or Commander in Chief of the said Colony for the time being for giving his Assent to the said Bill

Which is humbly Submitted

London Nov! 8. 1757.

RICH PARTRIDGE

Letter from Lieutenant William Skinner to his father, Rev. William Skinner, of Perth Amboy-giving an account of his promotion from the Provincial to the Royal troops.

[From a copy among manuscripts of W. A. Whitehead, from the original in the possession of Lord Gage, Lieutenant Skinner's grandson.]

Dear Sir

GOSPORT Nov! 25th 1757

I have the pleasure to acquaint you that I am a Lieut' in the first Battallion of General Cornwallis's Regiment & have Nine or Ten under me. The difficultys I mett with in Arriving to that rank are more than you can Imagine. When I gott to London which was some time in June last, I made up my Provincial Regimentals, drew up a memorial and presented it to my Lord Barrington the Secretary at Warr, The answer I gott from him was quite contrary to what I expected, for his Lordship told me that he pitied my Case but could do nothing for me, because I was a Provincial Officer, and of Consequence not under his Department, this answer chagreened me much, and what other step to take I cou'd not tell, but being deter

mined to try every method, and lucky for me at that time, getting acquainted with Mr Fitzroy, Brother to the Duke of Grafton, who was a courting Miss Warren, I was resolved to petition the King, which I did at a time when the Court was in Mourning for the Queen of Prussia, and as every Officer that has a petition to deliver goes in his Regimentals, I did the same, when I entered into the first room, whom shou'd I meet, but the Yeoman of the Guards who came up to me in a rough manner, and told me the Court was in Mourning, and that my Dress was not suitable to the times, and cou'd not be admitted, the answer I gave him was very short, which was, that I had a Petition to deliver the King, and was determined to see him, and passed him Immediately, and gott into a Room where there was a large Levy of most of the Nobility in England. I looked about me for my good Friend Fitz-Roy, who I at last Discovered, and spoke to him, he went directly to my Lord Harford, the Duke of New Castle, Lord Lennox, and many others, and told them I was a Relation of Lady Warrens, and a friend of his, and Introduced me to them which made every body else in the Levy room Inquisitive to know who I was, and my Business, which my good friend told them, The next thing was to know where I should place myself and in what manner I shou'd present my Petition to the King; which my Lord Harford was so kind as to Instruct me in, and took the trouble to place me himself which was by the door that the King passed through to his bed chamber, and ordered me when the King returned that way, to kneel upon my right knee and present it to him, which I did with great Resolution, and a genteel posture, considering where I was born, when I presented it, the King stopped and looked at me, took it out of my hand went into his Bed Chamber and did me the honour of reading it himself, upon which my Lord Harford came to me and told me, that

he did not doubt but that it would succeed, for says he the King has read your Petition which I never knew him to do before, for Lord in waiting always reads it to the King. This Reception gave me great Encouragement, and went home well satisfied. Three Days after that I attended My Lord Barringtons Levy, and asked him whether the King had spoken to him about me, his Lordship told me that he had, and repeated the Words as the King spoke them, which were, that one Capt Skinner an American, belonging to a Provincial Regiment had Delivd a Petition, I like the the Mans looks, he is fitt to serve me, provide for him. Immediately, upon which I asked his Lordship whether I should gett what I petitioned for, he told me he did not know, but that I shou'd be provided for Immediately I waited three Months and Recd a letter from his Lordship, telling me that he had the pleasure to acquaint me that I was appointed a Lieut in Gen' Cornwallis Regiment, and made the Eldest in ye Augmentation. I waited on him and told him I would not accept of it, for I thought, my serving required something better, but at last took it, with the promise that I should be soon promoted. The next thing was to gett my Brother' provided for, and how to do that I did not know, for he had gott the same answer from my Lord Barrington that I had first, and was advised by Mr Fitz Roy to petition my Lord Anson for a Lieut in the Marines, which so far succeeded, that he gott the promise of the first Vacancy, and as there was a search expedition going on, I

1 John Skinner entered the Provincial service at the same time with his brother, became a Lieutenant in his company and was taken prisoner with him at Oswego. The regiment to which he became attached, as in the text, was sent to America, and on June 10th, 1768, he was promoted to a Captaincy, became a major in the 70th Regiment, returned with it to England, and remained there during the Revolution. He subsequently returned to America, took up his residence at Amboy, and married a daughter of Philip Kearny, and died there in December, 1797.-See Contributions to the Early History of Perth Amboy, p. 119.-ED.

advised him to go a Volunteer in my Lord Loudon's Regiment which he did and did duty in the Grenadier Comp', his Behaviour there was so agreeable to the officers, that when they Returned they Petitioned my Lord Barrington that he should be appointed to that Regiment, where he is now an Ensign.

To relate the trouble I have mett with in getting Subsistance for the Provincial Troops, as they landed from Old and New France would be too Tedious to mention, but can't help telling you that Mr Partridge the Agent for our Province, is a Dammed Scoundrell, all that he would do, was this, if Mr Pitt y° Secretary of State (to whom I had wrote several letters about subsisting the Provincials and sending them to America) would advance money to the Provincial Officers for their Subsistence, he would give his note for y sum, to be p out of the next Cash he had in his hands belonging to the Province, but wou'd not advance it himself, tho he is worth at least £30000 Sterling-he is much such another as old John Watson.' Therefore not fitt for the Post he is Intrusted with.

* * *

In the last letter I wrote you I begged it as a particular favor that you wou'd send me a Negro boy of about 12 or 13 years old, whom I have promised to M Fitz Roy (if he is younger so much the better) Pray Indulge me with one, for a present of that kind will be of more Service to my Bro' and me, than you can Imagine, lett him be sent by a Man of Warr, to Lady Warrens Cavendish Square London

Be so good as he write Mr Fitz Roy and thank him for his goodness to me and my Bro' for [I] do assure [you] there is no body here that I am so much obliged to as I am to him.

There are more Regs to be sent to America in the

1 John Watson, the artist, an old resident of Perth Amboy, whose penurious habits gained for him among his neighbors the titles of miser and usurer.-Contributions to the Early History of Perth Amboy, p. 126.-ED.