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Commission to Andrew Hamilton to be the Agent of the West Jersey Society.

[From E. J. Records in the Secretary of State's Office, at Trenton.]

Col! And: Hamilton's Commission of Agency for the

Society.

St John Moore S Thomas Lane Knights Aldermen of the City of London and the rest of the Committee for ye West New Jersey Company.

To Colonel Andrew Hamilton, Greeting.

Seal

We being well satisfied of ye Prudence and Ability and reposing a Special Trust and Confidence in the fidelity of W. J. Company you the sd Coll! A'drew Hamilton have noninated constituted & appointed and

of the

by these presents do Nominate Constitute and appoint you to be our Agent & ffactor General in West New Jersey afores to sell and buy all such Goods & Merchandize as we shall consigne to you or from time to time direct you to buy for us Also for us & our Name to call to accot Nathaniel Westland Jeremiah Basse & all others that have any Effects Belonging to our Society in their hands And to demand recover and receive ye sd Effects from them, either or any of them, Likewise to Gett Sett or Sell our Lands or any part thereof to such Person or Persons and for such su❜me or su'mes of money as you shall deem most for our advantage And to that End to make and Execute or cause to be made and executed all necessary deeds & Writings such as the Case & Custom of ye Country shall require And to demand recover and receive the Rents Issues & Profitts of such Lands of ours as you shall Sett And the considerac'on money that

shall be due & payable upon any Sale, and to Compromise Compound Conclude & agree with in all or any our Concerns in West New Jersey afores as Occasion shall require and you shall think fitt, Upon Recovereis & Reciepts Compositions & agreems to make & give due & Sufficient Acquittances & discharges And to act observe & do to ye best of you' Power for ye greatest advantage of our Society All such other matters & things as are or shall be committed to yo! Care & Management or that do concern yo! Employm as afores applying you' best Endeavours thereunto And we do hereby command & require all our Servants in West New Jersey afores to Submitt & yield due Obedience to you the sd Coll! Andrew Hamilton our Agent & ffactor General accordingly And you are to observe & follow all such Orders & directions as you have already had or hereafter from time to time shall receive from us, or any five or more of us And we do hereby revoake make void & of no Effect the Commission or Power formerly granted to ye Nathaniel Westland Jeremiah Basse & Thomas Revell or any of them declaring the same to be henceforth of no value but that this present Commission shall in all things take place and be of full force In Wittness whereof We have hereunto caused our common Seal to be affixed this 19th day of August Anno Dni 1699

THO. LANE E. RICHIER, JOHN BRIDGES, MICHAEL WATTS, JOHN MOORE, JOHN WILCOCKS, ROBERT MICHEL, OBADIAH BURNETT.

Commission of Andrew Hamilton to be Governor of West Jersey.

[From E. J. Records in Secretary of States office Trenton.]

To our Trusty & Wellbeloved ffriend Coll: Andrew Hamilton.

Greeting:

According to ye Power & Authority residing in us of Constituting the Gov'no' & Commander in Chiefe of the Province of West New Jersey in America, having great Confidence in the Ability Prudence & Integrity of you the said Andrew Hamilton Have Nominated Constituted & appointed & doe hereby. Nominate Constitute & appoint you Gov'no' & Commander in Chiefe of the said Province Giving you full power & authority to Govern ye same. Together with all Isles, Islands, Rivers & Seas within the same or thereunto belonging according to the Lawes & Constitutions of the said Province not repugnant to the Lawes of England, and to doe all & every thing & things which to the Charge & office of a Gov'no' & Comand' in Chiefe doth appertain: Com'anding all Inferio' officers both Civil & military to obey you ye said Andrew Hamilton as Gov'no' & Com'and' in Chiefe of ye said Province according to this our Com'ission & the powers hereby given unto you for the Space or Terme of one whole yeare from the date of these p'sents & so long after untill some other Person be Nominated & Constituted Gov'no' in yo' roome by another Com'ission sent from London & arrived in the said Province & there published on which this p'sent Com'ission is to be voyd. And further we doe hereby give power unto you the said Andrew Hamilton to Nominate Constitute & appoint by Com'ission under your hand & Seale of ye Province

a Deputy Gov'no' under you to serve in the said Prov. ince during yo' necessary absence & no longer. Given in London under our hands and the Publick Seale of the Province of West New Jersey this Nineteenth day of August Anno Dom: 1699 And in the Eleaventh yeare of the Reign of our Sov'eigne Lord William the Third by ye Grace of God King of England Scotland ffrance & Ireland defend' of the ffaith &c.

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Lords of Trade to the Earl of Bellomont on New Jersey Matters.

[From New York Col. Docts., Vol. IV, p. 546.]

To the Right Honourable the Earl of Bellomont Captain Generall & Governor in Cheif &c. Or to the Commander in Cheif of Majesty's Province of New Yorke, for the time being.

My Lord

[Extract.]

* * * * We told you in our letter of the 5th of January last the reason of our suspending awhile any report about the Propietors of East New Jersey's pretended right to a port at Perth Amboy; and shall now explain to you a little more fully how that matter stands. The Proprietors of that Province thinking it seems they might have some advantage by complain

ing of your Lordship's seizure of the Ship Hester, petitioned his Majesty upon that subject, which petition of theirs being read in Council of the 9th of March last was by his Majesty referred unto our consideration; and we therefore send you here enclosed a copy of it with the Order of Council thereupon. Whilst we had that matter under consideration, those Proprietors laid before us also other memorials in which they offered some conditions, in order to compromise the dispute; but such as we did no ways think it for his Majesty's service to accept of. And therefore upon the 18th of April last we laid before his Majesty another Representation upon that subject. By that you will perceive the use we made of their proposal of a tryal about the Port of Perth Amboy, by bringing their right of gov ernment in to the same question: a matter in which they are very tender, as being sensible of the weakness of their title. And we therefore thought it best to joyn both together. Thereupon after long delays and after haveing in vain indeavoured in the name of the Proprietors of West New Jersey (who are for the most part the same persons) to draw us into a snare by desiring our opinions for the approbation of M! Hamilton to be Governor of West New Jersey, that so allowance of the one, might have been an argument for the other because their title to both is one and the same; they have in the end laid before us certain proposalls for the surrender of East New Jersey upon certain conditions. But we have not yet thorowly considered the same. However there appearing to us several obvious exceptions against what they propose, and great difficulties in settling the matter to their satisfaction and without prejudice to his Majesty's right and to the interest of the Province of New Yorke; we are apt to think that business may hang yet some time longer in suspence. And therefore we send you here inclosed the copy of their said proposalls and desire your observations there

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