New County have laid out a Highway through Minisink aforesaid; which now by the abovementioned Conduct of the people of New Jersey is almost if not entirely reduced to a Subjection to the Government of New Jersey.

That the Publick officers of New Jersey assess and Raise Taxes upon the People dwelling to the Northward of the said bounds, by which means many have been prevented from Paying their Proportion of the Taxes of Orange County for more than a year past, some of them have been obliged to desert their possessions & retire into the more Northwardly parts of Orange County; while a few, more Resolute than the rest are Reduced to the Necessity of Converting their Dwellings into places of Defence, and go armed for fear of some sudden attack. That tho' the Committee could produce many Instances of this Kind they Chose to Confine themselves to one, which has happened very lately. Thomas Deckey Colonel of the Militia & a Justice of the Peace of Orange County, whose plantations are Claimed by New Jersey to be within the aforesaid New Jersey Northward of the said Bounds, tho he and those under whom he Claims have held them, and been settled upon them under New York nigh fifty years, finding himself Extremely vexed, disturbed, and disgusted, by the People of New Jersey went to James Alexander Esq one of his Maj's Council for this province, and also for New Jersey Province and who is one of the proprietors of the Eastern Devision of New Jersey of great Interest there and Esteemed one of the most active persons among them to endeavor to come to some agreement with him in order that he might remain in quiet untill the line between New York and New Jersey should be finally settled. But the said Alexander absolutely Refused to consent to any thing of that kind unless the said Deckey would agree to hold his Lands under New Jersey, become a Jersey man and fight (as he Expressed it) for New

Jersey against New York People: and told him at the same time if he would do so he should neither want money nor Commissions; and that if he would not do so he should soon be dispossed of his Plantations. This Col' Deckey refusing to Comply with, some short time after a number of armed men from New Jersey came to the House of the said Col. Decky, who observing them approach in such a manner, shut himself up in his house, on which they drew up before his Door and some of them Cock'd their Guns and presented them towards the windows where Coll Dekey Stood swearing they would shoot him thro' the Heart, that they would starve him out, or Burn the House over his head; and if Man, Woman or Child attempted to Escape they would shoot them down that they had strength enough to take all Goshen and would do it in time. However they then withdrew without further violence; and upon their departure, one of them said to Col. Dekey take Care of yourself for we will have you yet.

A true Copy taken from the Journal of the House and Examined by me

ABR LOTT JUN. Clk.

Letter from Governor Belcher to Sir Thomas Robinson, Secretary of State-unsatisfactory Proceedings of the Assembly, without manifesting a more dutiful disposition than the provinces owe.

From P. R. O. America & West Indies, Vol. 67.]

ELIZABETH TOWN (N J) Nov! 5th, 1754.

SIR THOMAS ROBINSON

The 26: of the last Month, I reca the Honour, of your Letter of 5 of July last, wherein you are pleas'd, to tell me you had laid my Letter, of 10: of Nov! last, before the King: since which, I have in duty to His

Majesty, kept up, an exact Correspondence, with all such, of His Majesty's Colonies, from whence, I have had any Informations, of the Hostilities of the French, upon the River Ohio; & have accordingly (once & again,) call'd together, the Assembly of this Province, & laid before them, the urgent Necessity, of their Aid, & Assistance.-& I some Months agoe, dissolv'd an Assembly, because they would not come, into proper Measures, for answering, His Majesty's just, & reasonable Expectations, upon the Present Emergency, & extraordinary Circumstances, of the King's Colonies, on this Continent; and as soon as the Time wou'd allow, I order'd the Election, of a New Assembly, which I met the 3 of the last Month, & then press'd upon them, the Danger, of His Majesty's Colonies, by the violent Incroachments, Depredations, & Murders, committed on them, by the French, with their Indians; and their Answer to me, with the whole Proceedings, of the Assembly, I have directed, the Secry: of this Province, to prepare, in the most Authentic Manner, & to bring me, without Delay, when I shall, by the very first Opportunity, in obedience to His Majesty's Royal Order, of the 16: of April 1752, transmit them, to the Right Honourable, the Lords Commissionars, for Trade & Plantations, in Order to be laid before the King. When I think it will appear, that this Province, has done nothing, in present Relief, of the Extraor dinary Situation. & Circumstances of the Neighbouring Colonies:-And yet the Present Assembly, of this Province, seems to have shewn, a more dutifull disposition to His Majesty's Royal Orders, than the last.And I shall be hoping, to recieve the King's determinate answer, to a Petition, this Assembly have sent, to his Majesty, in which they have propos'd, the aiding, & assisting, the Neighbouring Colonies, on the Present Emergency:-upon which, when I have the Honour to

recieve, the King's further Orders, I shall carry them, into Execution, with all Duty, & obedience, to the utmost of my Power, & am with great Respect.

Honourable Sir,

Your most obedient & Most humble Serv!,

J. BELCHER.

Letter from Governor Belcher to the Lords of Traderelating to the action of the New Jersey Legislature upon various subjects--the boundary difficulties with New York, etc.

[From P, R. O. B. T., New Jersey, Vol. 7, H. 54.]

ELIZA: TOWN (N J) Nov! 6: 1754

To the Lords of Trade

My Lords

The 26: of the last Month, I rec! (by the Way of Virginia,) the Honour, of Your Lordship's Letter, of the 5: of July last, & for which, I humbly thank your Lordships, as it confirms in me, my own Opinion, of the present state, & Situation, of the Affairs of this Province, & of the male Conduct, of the late Assembly, in such a critical Juncture, & your Lordship's Letter, will also serve, for the better Guidance of my Administration.-& Your Lordship's will see, in the Course, of all my Letters, to this Time, how much & how often, I have urg'd, upon the Assembly, to give a helping hand, in Defence, of the Neighbouring Colonies, which are so barbarously treated, by the perfidious Incroachments, Depredations, & Murders, committed by the French, & their Indians, upon His Majesty Lands, & upon His good Subjects; but after waiting, too unreasonably, on the late Assembly's Deliberations, they did but turn, a deaf Ear, & obliged

me, to dissolve them; & I immediately issued, the King's Writt, for the Choice, of a new Assembly, which I met, the 3 of the last Month, & by their Present Complexion, they seem to be better disposs'd to His Majesty's Honour, & Interest, & to the Common, & their own particular Safety, than the last.the Secry: is preparing Authentic Copies, of all things, that past, in the last Session, of this new Assembly, & I hope, to have them ready, to transmit to Your Lordships, by a Ship, that will be going, from N York, in about three Weeks, from this Time, & when they get to Your Lordships Hands, you will make Your own Judgment, how much, what the Assembly has propos'd, may tend, to His Majesty's Honour, & Interest, & to the common Defence, & Safety, of His Colonies, on this Continent, but on this head, I shall be more particular, when I send away, the Publick Papers.

Your Lordships will be pleas'd, to allow me to say, that I have no Expectation, even from this new Assembly of their falling in, with the King's Instruction, relative to the Revisal, of their Laws.

His Majesty's Council, are to meet me, the 21: of this month, when I shall lay before them, what of Your Lordship's Letter, respects the Prosecution, of all such Rioters, as have been apprehended, & are now lying, under Bonds, & again take their Advice, in giving proper Directions, to the Kings Attorney General, for the Prosecution of them -& I am still, fully of Opinion, that these things, must go through, the whole Course of the Law, here, before there can be, a dernier resort, to His Majesty, upon them; I shall therefore urge this Point, upon His Majesty's Council, (some of whom are large Proprietors,) in the strongest manner, I can

My Lords

As to the Dispute, that has been, so long depending, between the Government of N: York, & that of this