Ordered, that the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, do take into their immediate Consideration, the Powers and Authorities for granting Lands contained in the Commissions and Instructions to His Majesty's Governors in the Plantations, and that the said Lords Commissioners, do Represent to His Maj. esty at this Board, such Alterations as they shall think fit and necessary, to be made therein-And His Majesty is hereby further pleased to Order, that in the mean time, and until His Majesty's further pleasure be signified, all and every His Majesty's Governors, Lieutenant Governors, or other Persons in Command in His Majesty's Colonies in North America, who are Entrusted with the Disposal of His Majesty's Lands in the said Colonies, do forbear upon Pain of His Majesty's highest Displeasure, and of being immediately removed from their Offices, to issue any Warrant of Survey, or to pass any Patents for Lands in the said Colonies or to grant any Licence for the purchase, by private persons of any Lands from the Indians, without especial Direction from His Majesty for that purpose, under His Majesty's Signet or Sign Manual, or by Order of His Majesty in His Privy Council, excepting only in the Case of such Commission, and NonCommissioned Officers and Soldiers, who are Intitled to Grants of Land in Virtue of His Majesty's Royal Proclamation of the 7th October 1763, to whom such Grants are to be made and passed, in the proportion, and under the Conditions prescribed in His Majesty's said Proclamation. STEPH: COTTRELL Letter from the Earl of Dartmouth to Gov. Franklin, relative to the application made by the Presbyterian ministers. Sir, [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 177 (195).] Gov. Franklin, WHITEHALL 10th April 1773. I have rec and laid before the King your Letter of the 27th of Febry N° 5, and will not fail, in consequence thereof, to give the fullest Consideration to the Application made by the Presbyterian Ministers, stated in your Letter to Lord Hillsborough N° 40. At present I can only say in the general View of it, & of the benevolent purpose for which it is designed, that it does not appear to me to be unreasonable; and therefore it will be a Satisfaction to me to find, upon a further Consideration, it is in all respects of such a nature that I can recommend it to the King for his Majesty's Approbation. I am &ca DARTMOUTH. Letter from the Earl of Dartmouth to Chief-Justice Smyth. [From P. R. O. America & West Indies, Entry No. 440.] WHITEHALL 10th April 1773 Sir, M: Chief Justice Smyth. I am very much obliged to you for the favor of your Letter of the 8th of Febry last, and for the very sensible Remarks it contains, which may, at some future time, be of great Use to Sir &ca DARTMOUTH Letter from Gov. Franklin to the Earl of Dartmouth, relative to the more adequate establishment of the Servants of the Crown in New Jersey. [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 195.] BURLINGTON May 31st 1773. The Right Honble the Earl of Dartmouth, &c. &c. My Lord I am honoured with your Lordship's Letter of the 3d of March N. 4. Your Lordship's favourable Sentiments of my Conduct, and your kind Promise to give Weight to my Application for a more adequate Establishment for the Servants of the Crown in this Colony, do me so much Honour, that I shall ever reflect on them with Pleasure, and hold myself greatly obliged to your Lordship, whatever may be the Event of your Endeavours on the Occasion. The Reason why I did not particularly mention the Case of the other Officers of the Crown, as well as that of the Governor and Attorney General, was because there was none of them in Such immediate Necessity of an Augmentation of their Salaries. The Chief Justice had but just before had a handsome Allowance Settled on him by His Majesty; and the Assembly had, at their last Session, encreased the Salaries of the two Puisne Judges (or Assistant Justices of the Supream Court as they are called) to double the Sum which had been formerly allowed to those Officers: with which they (who are Men of Fortune in the Country) seemed well satisfied, at least they have never given me the least Intimation to the contrary. I think, however, that the Allowance is still far from being adequate to the Dignity and Importance of the Station, and that were it augmented it would be attended with good Consequences to the Publick, particularly by inducing Gentlemen of Character, and Knowledge in the Laws, to accept of the Office. The present Secretary has the valuable Offices of Register of the Prerogative Office and Clerk of the Supream Court, included in his Patent, which was never the Case before his Time, though those two Offices were generally by the Indulgence of the Governors for the Time being executed by that Officer, owing, I suppose, to their not being of much Value separately in the Infancy of the Colony, and to the publick Allowance for a Secretary & Clerk of the Council having always been, as it still is, greatly disproportionate to the Services. Should it therefore be thought more advisable hereafter to separate those Offices, and to appoint distinct Officers for the Execution of them (as I think would be best on many Accounts, particularly as it would give Government an Opportunity of obliging more People of Consequence in the Colony) it would then be necessary to encrease the Allowance to the Secretary and Clerk of the Council. At present he is in a more eligible Situation than any other officer of the Colony. I have the Honour to be, with the greatest Respect and Regard, My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient Letter from the Earl of Dartmouth, relative to the petition of the Presbyterian Ministers. Sir, [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 177 (195).] WHITEHALL 2 June 1773. Governor Franklin Since my Letter to you of the 10th of April last the Petition of the Presbyterian Ministers for a Charter has been fully considered; and I have the Satisfaction to acquaint you that His Majesty is graciously pleased to permit you to affix the Colony Seal to a Charter for the purposes expressed in the said Petition, provided it be made conformable to the last Report of the Attorney General and to the Sentiments of the Council contained in their Minutes transmitted in your Dispatch to the Earl of Hillsborough N° 40. I am &ca DARTMOUTH Letter from Governor Franklin to the Earl of Dartmouth, relative to the Boundary Line between New York and New Jersey. [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 195.] BURLINGTON July 5th 1773. Right Honble the Earl of Dartmouth My Lord, Having been just informed, that the Act passed in this Province at the last Session, for establishing the Boundary or Partition Line between the Colonies of |