Abilities he has heard a great Character. But as I have not any acquaintance or correspondence with M Wilmot, I shall be much obliged to you if you would recommend M Wharton to him as a Gentleman of Character, and acquaint him that any Civilities he may shew him will be deem'd an Obligation to yourself. If it is agreeable to you to write such a Letter, I shall be glad that you would do it without Delay, and send it to Mr Parker, Printer, at New York, enclosed under Cover to M Wharton. He has an intimate Acquaintance with, and a particular Esteem for your Brother John, so that if you have any Letter, or other Thing to send to him, Mr. Wharton will take Care of it with Pleasure or render you any other Service that may be in his Power. This would be a good Opportunity to remit the Agent his Salary, if not already done. He will sail next week.

I have a Letter from Lord H---' Part of the Contents of which I want to communicate to you, but do not chuse to do it by this Opportunity for fear of Accidents, but perhaps I shall have an Opportunity of doing it by M: Parker, on his return from Philad

Mrs. Franklin joins me in Complts. & the wishes of the season, to you & Mrs. Skinner,

I am with great Esteem Dear Sir

To Cortland Skinner Esq.

Your most obed serv't

WM FRANKLIN

Lord Hillsborough's dispatch, October 12, 1768, censuring Speaker Skinner.

Letter from Gov. Franklin to the Earl of Hillsborough, giving further reasons for issuing £100,000 in bills of credit, etc.

[From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 174 (192).]

BURLINGTON, New Jersey Jan 28, 1769

To the Right Honble the Earl of Hillsborough My Lord,

Your Lordship's Dispatches N. 14, 15, & 16, were duly receiv'd.

I shall be careful to observe His Majesty's Commands contain'd in that numbered 14, respecting the Communication of Letters from the Principal Secretaries of State.

I have intimated to M! Skinner what your Lordship mentions, in N. 15. concerning his Conduct, and am inclin'd to believe that it will be productive of very good Effects.

That your Lordship may the better judge of the Bill which I mention'd in my Letter N. 9. (& which is remark'd upon in yours N. 16.) for Emitting 100,000£ in Bills of Credit upon loan, I have transmitted a Draft of it herewith. The Necessity which appear'd to the Council and Assembly for this Sum is set forth in the Preamble. The Nature and Extent of the public Services to be provided for, as far as they have thought proper to mention them, are express'd in the last Paragraph, by which your Lordship will see that this Act contains in itself no particular Appropriation of the Revenue that is to accrue from it (except defraying the Expences of Printing, &) but has left it to "be 'applied to the Support of the Government of this

66

Colony, and to such other public Uses, and in such "Sort Manner and Form as by Acts of the General "Assembly of this Colony shall hereafter be directed." The fund and Security for the Redemption of the Bills are by Mortgages in at least double the Value in Lands, and in at least three Times the Value in Houses, as is particularly set forth and explain'd in Pages 8 & 9, and other Parts of the Bill.

As a Majority of the principal Inhabitants of the Colony are of Opinion, that there is a great Necessity for an Act of this Nature, and are very anxious to obtain it, I have no doubt but the Council and Assembly will at their next Meeting, pass such another, and press for my Assent. It would therefore be a Furtherance of Business, as well as a great Ease to me, if His Majesty's Pleasure, with regard to any Alterations or Amendments of this Bill, could be known by that Time, which I expect will be the latter End of May or Beginning of June at farthest.-The form of the Paper Bills, viz "This Bill by Law shall pass current, &c. I apprehend should be altered, as it seems to imply a legal Tender, and I believe the Assembly will readily agree to such an Alteration as it was not their Intention to make the Money, to be issued by this Act, a legal Tender; and they thought that they had Sufficiently provided against its being so, by leaving out the Clause for that Purpose which had been always inserted in the former Laws for Emitting Paper Money. The following Form, perhaps, would remove the Objection, viz [This Bill shall be taken in the Loan Offices in New Jersey for in any Payment for the Discharge of Mortgages taken in the said Offices by Virtue of an Act of Assembly made in the Ninth Year of the Reign of King George the III. Dated 1769.]-With regard to the Appropriation, if His Majesty should chuse to have the whole Sum appropriated to Purposes to be particularly mentioned in the Act, rather than to be left, as

at present to the Disposition of future Acts of the Legislature, and will be pleas'd to specify what those Purposes should be, and the particular sums which should be allotted for each, it is probable that the Assembly will acquiesce, in Consideration of the public Advantages which they expect from the Act. What I before said on this Head, in my Letter N° 9, need not be repeated here; your Lordship will of course pay that Attention to it which you may think it deserves. -As to the Fund and Security for the Redemption of the Bills, they are quite Sufficient, and I really believe that the Sum requested, in Addition to our present Currency, is not so large as to endanger the Value of it in the least;-on the contrary, much more seems wanted for a Medium of Commerce, and to promote the Improvement of lands, &c.

I cannot account for the Petition of the House of Representatives of this Colony, not being presented to His Majesty. I have heard that the Speaker transmitted it to the Agent for that Purpose, soon after the House were prorogued. The proper Channel for it to pass (as your Lordship justly observes) was through me, and why they did not desire me to transmit it, as they did their Address to His Majesty on the Repeal of the Stamp Act, I cannot say, unless it was owing to a Suspicion that I should object to the Contents, and therefore decline complying with their Request.Their Publishing it, however, before they knew it had been presented, is certainly very blameable; nor do I know what they could offer in their Vindication, if they were in Being;-but that Assembly, as I before inform'd your Lordship, have been since dissolv'd and a new one chosen.

I sincerely wish that the happy Unanimity which your Lordrhip mentions to have prevail'd in both Houses of Parliament, in their Addresses to the King, may be attended with those good Effects in the Colo

nies your Lordship hopes for, and so far as my Endeavors can in any ways contribute thereto they shall not be wanting.

Mr Skinner, the Speaker of the late House of Representatives of this Colony, has sent me the enclosed Copy of a Letter which he receiv'd since the Dissolution of the House from the Speaker of the Assembly in Virginia. As the new Assembly for this Province when they meet, will probably incline to have this Letter laid before them, and to answer it, notwithstanding any Thing I can urge to persuade them to the contrary; and as it is of the same Nature with the Circular Letter from the Speaker of the Assembly of the Massachuset's Bay, I shall be glad to know His Majesty's Pleasure Whether in case the Assembly determine upon Receiving and Answering it, I should prevent their Proceedings thereon by a Prorogation or Dissolution.

I have likewise receiv'd from M: Skinner the two first Volumes of the printed Laws of this Colony and all of those which have been since printed that he can. collect. They are too bulky to send by the Post to go by this Packet: I shall therefore take the first opportunity of transmitting them by a Vessel from Philadelphia.

The late Increase of the Royal Family' is an Event that could not but afford the greatest Satisfaction to me, and the rest of His Majesty's Subjects within this Province. I am extremely oblig'd to your Lordship for the Intelligence, and heartily congratulate you upon the joyful Occasion.

I have the Honor to be, with the greatest Respect, My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient

& most humble Servant

WM FRANKLIN

The birth of the Princess Augusta Sophia, November 8, 1768.