Letter from Gov. Franklin to the Earl of Dartmouth, relative to the sentiments of the people and the proceedings of the Assembly; the Earl of Stirling suspended from the Council; general belief that Congress will have the assistance of France.

[From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 178 (196).]

[Secret and Confidential]

PERTH AMBOY Jan" 5. 1776

Right Honble the Earl of Dartmouth

My Lord,

I did myself the Honour to write to your Lordship on the 3 of last Month from Burlington, and to enclose Copies of my Speech, and the Council and Assembly's Addresses, at the Opening of the Session of General Assembly, together with sundry other Papers. The Minutes of the Assembly not being yet printed, I enclose the written Copy of them which I received daily from the Clerk during the Session.

Several petitions were presented to the Assembly praying them to discourage any attempt to promote an Independency on Great Britain, and that they would grant the Support for His Majesty's Government in this Colony as usual. Their Resolves, respecting the first your Lordship will see in their Minutes of Nov 28,' which are nearly similar to those before passed in the Assembly of Pennsylvania on the like Occasion. It seems, indeed, to be the general Opinion of those with whom I converse, that the Majority of people in both Provinces are greatly averse to an Independency; and, if they could be once con

1 See Minutes of the Provincial Congress, etc., 1775-6, 300.

vinced that their present Leaders have such Intentions, would immediately unite to oppose them in every such Attempt. But the Danger seems to be that the Design will be carried on by such Degrees, and under such pretences, as not to be perceived by the People in general till too late for Resistance. That some have such Designs is too evident from the Publications in the Newspapers, which are more immediately under the Influence of the Congress and their Adherents, if not by the System of Measures which have been uniformly pursued by them. Some of those Papers I enclose for your Lordship's Perusal.

The Assembly granted the usual Support of Government; but they evaded complying at present with His Majesty's Requisition to them on that Subject, communicated in my Message of the 21st of November. The Reasons they thought proper to give for their Non-compliance are contained in their Message of the 6th of December, which being the Day they were to be prorouged, agreeably to their and the Councils Request, I did not think it expedient to delay the Session longer merely on that account, or I should have pointed out the absurdity and Insufficiency of those Reasons. However, I shall not fail doing it at the next Session, when perhaps, it may be of some Service, which there is no Probability of its being at last.

By the Minutes (Dec! 5) your Lordship will perceive that the Assembly had it in their Intentions to petition His Majesty again on the Subject of the present unhappy Disputes. But after the Draft of an Address was prepared, which would probably have passed the House, a Committee of the general Congress at Philadelphia came in great Haste to Burlington desired Admittance into the Assembly, which being granted, they harrangued the House for about an Hour on the Subject, and persuaded them to drop their Design.

That your Lordship may have some Idea of the Arguments they used on this Occasion, I have obtained a Copy of the Notes taken by a Gentleman present, which contain the Substance of the Speech of M! Dickinson of Philadelphia. The other Members of the Committee were M Jay of New York and M! Wyth of Virginia. I have not seen the Draft of the Address, but I am told it contained some Plan or Proposals for an Accommodation, and that it was this Part which alarmed the Congress, and occasioned them to take so extraordinary a Step to prevent its being sent; they being of Opinion that no Colony ought to presume to make Separate Proposals, or to take Separate Measures on the present Occasion, but to leave the whole to their Management.

A Day or two before the End of the Session I received a very unexpected Attack from the Council. The Pretence was an Expression in my Reply to their Address, but as the Expression alluded to was very far from warranting any such Interpretation, I cannot but imagine it was pretended merely ad Populum. However, if that was their Aim, they have been greatly disappointed; for the Purport and Language of their Message is much disapproved by all Ranks of People. Even one of the Members of Assembly, who is far from being a Friend of mine, speaking of it in the House, called it "an unwarrantable, ungenerous and ungentlemanly attack on the Governor." The Truth is, as I have Reason to believe, that three of the leading Members of the Council are strongly inclined to favour the Measures of the Congress, and that the rest who were present have a Leaning the same way, except two, or three at most; and even those think it necessary to their Safety to observe a kind of trimming Conduct, a seeming Difference therefore with the Governor, who publickly and privately avowed his Disapprobation of those Measures,

would be likely to answer their Purpose at such a Time as the present. My Situation is, indeed, somewhat particular, and not a little difficult, having no more than one or two among the Principal Officers of Government to whom I can now speak confidentially on public Affairs.

Notwithstanding the Declarations of the Council and Assembly in their Addresses, with regard to the perfect Safety of the Officers of the Crown in this Province,' yet, in less than a Fortnight after the Session was over, two Judges and one Justice of the Peace who live in three different Counties, have been seised by Order of Committees, and one of them is a Member of the Assembly. What is to be their Fate I know not, but I cannot learn that they are even charged with having taken any active part against the Measures of the Congress, though they have refused signing Associations, and spoke against some of their Proceedings.

I have suspended William Alexander, Esq (claiming to be, and commonly called Earl of Stirling) from the Council, until His Majesty's Pleasure shall be known. The Reasons will appear in the Minutes of Privy-Council now copying, and which will be transmitted by the next Packet. If His Majesty shall think proper to remove him, I shall then recommend such person as I may think most suitable to serve the Crown in that Capacity.

Since Correspondence by Letter is become so precarious, and indeed dangerous, I obtain very little more Intelligence of publick Matters than what is to be found in the Newspapers. But I find it generally believed that the Congress have well-grounded Assurances of Assistance from France, if not from Spain; and that they are determined to apply for foreign Aid,

1 Minutes of Provincial Congress, etc., 1775-6, 309–10.

if they find Government likely to employ foreign Troops against them. It is certain that they meet with little or no Difficulty in getting Powder, &c. from the French Islands, and I have Reason to think it is with the Connivance of the French Governors there. It is also suggested that the French Ambassador in England has immediate and full intelligence of what passes in the Privy or Cabinet Council, and conveys the same to some Persons in London connected with America. It has likewise been intimated that a French Fleet is expected in the River S Lawrence as early as the Season will admit; and we have certain Intelligence of a considerable Body of French Troops being arrived in the West-Indies.

Enclosed is a Copy of a Paper said to be wrote in New England, and sent to all the Sea Coasts in North America, to persuade the People to suffer their Towns to be destroyed rather than supply the King's Ships with Provisions.

In Sussex County in this Province there are, I am told, a considerable Body of People who are called Tories; and it is said they have been lately furnishing themselves with Arms & Ammunition, and that the Committee of Safety are to meet next Tuesday at Princeton, to consult on Measures for disarming them, &c.

The Provincial Congress here have given Leave to some Persons to export Country Produce, on Condition of importing the Value in Powder, and other military Stores. A Copy of one of their Resolves for that Purpose is enclosed.-I have no Doubt but a great Quantity will be smuggled into some of the Harbours on the New-Jersey Shore from Sandy-Hook to Cape May, particularly into Barnegat, Little and Great Egg-Harbour, unless prevented by the King's Ships.

Two of the New-Jersey Delegates to the Continental Congress (Mess's Kinsey and De Hart) have resigned their seats on pretence of Inconveniency, but it