From Governor Basse to Secretary Popple, announcing his arrival in New Jersey. S: [From P. R. O. B. T. Proprieties, Vol. 2, B 13.] L're from Mr. Basse, Gov! of the Jerseys, to the Secry Perth Amboy yee. I cannot Omit giving you an Acco that after a long and tedious voyage I at length arrived at New Yorke in Company of the Earle of Bellamont' and forthwith went over to the Jersies, and by the advice both of the Councill there & his Excellencye Published my Com'ission from ye Proprietors & ye Kings Com'ission for the takeing the Plantac'on Oath, which I accordingly did haveing as preparatory thereunto before his Excellency, taken the Oaths Appointed in y Roome of the Oaths of Allegiance & Supremacie & Signed ye test & Association': how I was Received by the People you will perceive by the inclosed letter to the Proprietors by the Councell of the Province, since my arrival nothing of moment hath happened but that on ye 9th of Aprill, a Pyrate, came into Sandy Hooke landed Some men & killed Sev'all Hoggs; some of the men being met with by the Count" inhabitants informed them that they belonged to Road Island, & that foure or five of the Red-Sea Pyrates, were, or wold bee soon on this Coast-I imediately sent advice of it to the Earle of Bellamont but the Sloop hearing 1On April 2d. See following letter.-ED. 2 See Proceedings of Governor of Council, April 7th, 1698.-ED. of the alteration of the Government: both at New Yorke, and in this Province, putt away to Sea, I co most hartily wish that Some methods might bee fallen upon to Suppress these Sea Woalves, and Secure our East India trade, Another thing prejuditiall to his Mate that I have observed is the illegal tradeing to Corasee, & Madagascor weh his Excell! I p'ceive takes all due Methods to Discourage: I am of the Opinion that a Small Fortification placed at Sandy Hooke, with tenn or twelve men, one of wch ought as a Weighter to bee put on board every vessell bound up ye Bay, & Sent down p' the next: wold doe better Service for this end, & the preventing Smugling then the more chargable maintenance of a Man of Warr: I have comunicated this to Esq! Randolph the Surveyor Gen" who Seems much to approve of it, I must also begg leave to remind you y' in Order to end the various Controversies between ye Provinces about the imposeing of Rates & duties on goods exported & imported: it might not be amiss to bring all to an equall Levell by an Act of Parliam & I have just cause to believe no other means can prove effectual, the Severall Assemblies being very hardly brought to such a Complyance, & it being the only Method to reduce the trade of the severall Provinces to a greater degree of Eqallity S1 I cannot but hope yt you will excuse what is amiss & if in anything I may bee capable of Serving his Mate that you will be pleas'd not to be unmindfull of S! Yo! most Hum Serv J BASSE. Earl of Bellomont to the Lords of Trade. [From New York Col. Docts., Vol IV., p. 305.] To the Right Honourable the Lords of the Council of Trade. MY LORDS * * * * In my letter of the eighth of January last I gave your Lordships an account of my arrival at Barbadoes. On the ninth of March I left that Island and on the second of April I landed at the City of New York, and entered on the Goverm I presume your Lords will likewise thinke it worth your serious consideration that the Govern of the Jerseys have obtained leave to make two Ports for trade in their Govern, which will be a destruction to the Trade of the City and province of New York, who have established laws, for Customs by which a considerable revenue is raised to support the Govern but if the said ports of the Jersies are permitted to lade and unlade ships free from such impositions, all Merchants will resort thither, being but twenty miles distance, which will be the ruine of this the King's Govern' which is the Bulwark, defence, and support of His Majus neighboring provinces, and the laws of this province that exacts customes & imports of goods do expire this next year, and I fear it will be difficult if not impossible to get them revived, or that the people will be willing to lay that Clog on their trade which the Jersies will be freed from, so that a revenue which well managed may advance six thousand pounds or £7000 p' annum will fall and nothing be left to support the Government. I would not permit proclamations to be printed in this City establishing Perth Amboy and Burlington to be free ports: until I made your Lordships acquainted with this matter, and received His Majtys further pleasure about it: I am assured that the Assembly of this province at their meeting will fully represent this matter to your Lordships, to be laid before his Maj with all the fatal inconveniences that attend it' Commitment of Lewis Morris' for Contempt of Court. [From the Original among the manuscripts of the New Jersey Historical Society | Att the Court of Com'on Right held at Perth Amboy ye 11th day of May 1698. The Court orders That Lewis Morriss Esq' for denying ye Authoritie of this Court, And other his contempts, shall be fined fifty pounds, and be committed to prison till paid.' By order of ye Court EDWARD SLATER Clerke. To ye Sheriff of ye County of Middx. A. True Coppy. JOSEPH ROLPH, Shrife 1 A similar paragraph in Letter to the Lords of the Treasury under date of May 25th 1698. N. Y. Col. Docts., Vol. IV. p 318.-Ed. LEWIS MORRIS, whose name for so long a time is found connected more or less intimately with every important event affecting the government of the Province of New Jersey, was born in 1671 at Morrisania in New York. His first entrance into public life was in 1692, when only twenty-one years of age, being appointed one of Governor Hamilton's Council and a Judge of the Court of Common Right. He soon exercised great influence in public affairs, his legal attainments and great sagacity particularly qualifying him to become a wise counsellor to those in authority, until he became, himself, the Governor. Jeremiah Basse arriving to assume the government of the province in 1698 with the concurrence of only ten Proprietaries, instead of sixteen, Mr. Morris ranged himself with the opposition, and in consequence he was arrested and imprisoned by virtue of the instrument given in the text. Future references to him in these volumes will throw light upon his career, and see "Papers of Lewis Morris, Governor of the Province of New Jersey from 1738 to 1746," forming Vol. 4 of the Collections of the New Jersey Historical Society.-ED. 3 Several documents, referring to this and other instances of difficulties between Lewis Morris and the Courts and Governor, will be found in connection with a memorial from William Dockwra to the Lords of Trade, under date of October 31st, 1709.-ED. Proclamation of the Earl of Bellomont, against the establishment of Ports in New Jersey. [From P. R. O. B. T. New York, Vol. 4, C. 17.1 Proclamation by the Earle of Bellomont for maintaining y Port of New York in its privileges against the Jarzies: BY HIS EXCELLENCY Richard Earl of Bellomont, Captain General and Governour in Chief of His Majesties Province of New York, and Territories depending thereon in America, and Vice Admiral of the same, &c. A PROCLAMATION. Whereas the Proprietors of East-New-Jersey have been very pressing with the Right Honourable, the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, to have the Priviledge of a Port at Perth-Amboy within the said Collony of New-Jarsey, assertaining that they have a Right thereunto by virtue of a Grant they obtained from the late King James, dated the 14th of March 1682, though in reality he was then only Duke of York, and derived his Title thereunto from a preceeding Grant from his Royal Brother King Charles the Second; and have thereupon complained, that their Rights and Properties have been invaded by the Government of New York, in compelling their Ships to go up to New-York and denying of them the benefit of a Port at Perth-Amboy. Which Complaint having been taken into the Consideration of the said Right Honourable, the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, who, with the Advice of his Majesties Attorney and Sollicitor General, gave unto His Majesty their humble Opinion, That by an Act of |