those daring Disturbers of the Publick Peace; these People have Grown strong and numerous, by Passing so long with Impunity; for besides those two great Riotts at Newark, which happened in the Late Governor's Life time, & which were Recommended to you by him, there have been since, so many bold & Daring Attempts made, to Throw off his Majesty's Authority, & their Dependance on the British Throne, that They Call Loudly for the Severe Resentment of the Legislature.

These bold People have, in a Publick Manner, denyed his Majesty's Title to New Jersey; they have Refused to Pay Obedience to his Laws, & have Publickly Contemn'd his authority; They have broke open his Goals, Beat & abused his Officers and Ministers of Justice, Turned People out of the Quiet Possessions of their Lands, and Putt others into their Places; They have Associated themselves together in Defyance of the Government, have frequently met in great Numbers, and Marched from one Part of the Province to another, Insolently giving out, that They are so strong & numerous, as not to be afraid of any Force the Government are able to bring against them; All the Steps that it was prudent, & in the Power of the Government, have been taken to bring the Criminals to Justice, & Putt a Stop to so dangerous & growing an Evil; but these Measures have all Prov'd ineffectual, and have only Occasion'd fresh Riotts & Contempts of His Majesty's Authority; in Consequence of which, the Course of Common Justice has been for some Time at a Stand; These Matters are all so Publickly known, that Particular Proofs are needless; however I have Ordered the Several Letters and Papers, relating to those Disturbances, to be laid before you for your Peruseal.

I must Observe to you, that it is impossible to suppose Great Brittain will Part with, so Valuable a

Colony as New Jersey; or that his Majesty will Suffer his Authority & Laws, to be Trampled under Foot, in any Part of his Dominions, tho' ever so Remote from his Royal Person; & the attempt to do it, is certainly as vain, as it is weak & wicked. If the People of New Jersey will not be Govern'd by the mildest of Laws, They, Themselves will thereby Render it necessary to Govern them by Force; for, we Cannot Suppose that a British Parliament will Suffer these Things long to Pass with Impunity.

My Duty to his Majesty, & my Regard for the Safety of the Province, Oblidges me to Recommend this Matter to your most serious Consideration; And as any the Least Delay, in a Matter of this Importance, will be of dangerous Consequence, I hope you will Proceed with the Utmost Dispatch, in such Measures as may be most Conducive, to Restore the Peace of the Province; and by severe Laws, prevent the like Disturbances for the Time to come. * * * * *

JOHN HAMILTON.

At a Council held at Perth Amboy in the Province of New Jersey, May 9th, 1747

* * *

His Honour the President Laid before the Board a Message from the House of Assembly which he had Receiv'd by two of their Members, and which is in the following Words

May it Please your Honour

When your Honour in June Last Recommended the forwarding the Expedition agt Canada it is well known to your Honour We readily went into such Measures in Complyance with his Majesty's Pleasure Signifyed to Us by the Duke of Newcastle's Letter then Laid before Us that We not only Provided Provisions for five hundred Men rais'd in this Colony which was all his Majesty Required from the Province, but over & above gave a Bounty of Six Pounds a Man to each

Man so to be Inlisted to Incourage their Inlistment And at the same Time We Pass'd a Bill for the making Current ten thousand Pounds to Enable your Honour to Cloath & Arm the sd Forces, All of the s £10,000 We Cannot Learn is yet Expended.

This We beg Leave to Observe to your Honour as such a Mark of our Zeal for his Majesty's Interest as We are not informed that any of Our Neighbouring Provinces have Gone into.

At that Time there was nothing mentioned in the the Duke of New Castle's Letter nor by your Honour Recommended to Us of Paying those Forces and this House having already Exerted themselves to the Utmost Ability of the Colony they are in no Condition of doing it at present.

We are very sorry to hear there is such an Uneasiness amongst the Forces, but as We are daily in Expectation of hearing from home at which Time We make no Doubt but they will Receive their Pay & Cloathing from his Majesty agreeable to the Duke of New Castle's Letter above mentioned. And as That was the Condition on which they Inlisted into this Expedition And as we have now granted them a third Supply of all necessary Provisions We hope that They will behave themselves like reasonable Men & Return heartily to their Duty in his Majesty's Service

As to the Matter of those Riots lately Committed in this Province, and Recommended to Our Consideration, it is with great Concern and Abhorrence We Look upon those Proceedings, Esteeming them to be of very ill Consequence; & shall willingly do Our Duty in Joyning with the other Branches of the Legislature, for the making proper Laws for Suppressing such Proceedings, & discourageing the like for the future; But as the Doing Thereof will Require great Consideration, & more time than we have at present, being now only Call'd as we understand, to make some further Provision for the Forces, which we have Chearfully done.

We hope those Riotous Proceedings may not be Continued; but if They should, at Our next Meeting We may have more Time to Consider and Transact these, & the other affairs of this Province: & doubt not, but that in the mean Time, Your Honour will take all prudent Measures, to Stop the Growth of those Proceedings, & do what shall be most proper and needful, until the same can be remedied, by some Act or Acts of the Province.

And with Respect to the Support of the Government by your Honour's Message Recommended to Our Consideration, We beg Leave to Say We have done what is in the Power of this House, that at Our Last Sitting here on the 23d of October past A Bill for the Support of this Government was Carryed up to the Council & Delivered to the Speaker in Council for the Council's Concurrence, since which this House has not had any Account or Information concerning the sd Bill & therefore they Conceive that they have done their Duty in this Respect.

And as a Bill has now Pass'd this House by the Council to make Curr! £1000 in Bills of Credit for the further Victualling & Provideing for the Forces &c. The House Desires your Honour's Assent to the Same And there being no other Business at present before the House They Pray your Honour to Dismiss them. By Order of the House

THOS BARTOW Cl:

Upon which his Honour Desired to be informed what Bills or other Business was before the Council as a Branch of the Legislature And the Board Informed him that takeing into their Consideration the many great Riotts & other Breaches of the Publick Peace They Thought it their Duty to Perfect some Law to Prevent things of that kind for the Time to Come & to that End had Ordered a Bill to Prevent Tumults & Riotous Assemblys to be brought into their House

which was accordingly done & the same had been twice Read & stood Committed, that they should have gone through & Pass'd the sd Bill but they found so great an Unwillingness in the house of Assembly to Proceed to any Business at this Time but that of makeing Provision for the Troops that they Judg'd it vain to Attempt any other.

And his Honour then Desired the Opinion of this Board & their Advice what was proper for him to do on this Occasion.

Whereupon the Board Declared that they Look'd upon it to be the Duty of every Branch of the Legislature to Exert themselves with the utmost Vigour to Enable the Government to bring to Justice the Persons Concern'd in the Late Disturbances & that they were willing & ready both as a Council of Advice & as a Branch of the Legislature to do every thing that should be thought most Conducive to that End, That they were sorry that the House of Assembly would not Joyn in any Measures at this time to Give a Check to so Dangerous & Growing an Evill, but since they were Determined not to do any thing at this time It was to no Purpose to keep them together and therefore Advised His Honour to Give them Leave to Adjourn themselves till monday 25th day of this Inst.

Letter from Governor Clinton of New York to Col. Schuyler, of the New Jersey Forces.

Sir,

[From N. Y. Col. Docts., Vol. VI, p, 363.]

New York 6th May 1747

I cannot forbear to let you know that I think you have been very imprudent in taking the steps you have lately done, in offering full pay to the men under your command without my knowledge or consulting with