the said Natives have sold & Disposed their Lands as to them seemed meet, they the said Proprietors have disposed of the same to others or else forced them who had the Property in it, to Purchase it of them, upon their own terms, which the said Natives have highly Resented and often complained of and (may justly be feared) waite only for an opportunity to Revenge it upon the Inhabitants of this your Mat Province.

And further to manifest the Illegall and Arbitrary proceedings of the said Proprietors in Contempt of y! Mats Laws and against their own knowledge signified in a Letter by them (to the Councill here in East New Jersey) wherein they say as followeth: We have been oblidged against our Inclinations to Dismiss Coll: Hamilton from the Government, because of a late Act of Parliament disabling all Scotch Men to serve in places of Publick Trust or Profitt, And obliging all Proprietors of Collonies to present their respective Governours to the King for his Approbation, So Wee have Appointed our ffriend Jeremiah Basse to Succeed Coll: Hamilton in Government, whom Wee have also presented to the King and he is by him owned and approved off.

Notwithstanding which Letter they have Superceeded the said Jeremiah Basse, (whom they wrote was approved by your Ma') and have Commissionated the said Coll: Hamilton again without your My Royall Approbation, altho' Removed before by them as a Person disabled by Law, Who now by Vertue of their the said Proprietors Commission only, would Impose himself upon Us as Governour. And when in Government before Superceeded by the aforesaid Basse, was by them continued about a Year after the twenty ffifth of March (1697) without taking the Oath Injoyned by Law. And doth now presume to Exercise Government not having Legally taken the said Oath or having your Mays Royal Approbation, The said Proprietors of East

New Jersey have also, in Contempt of your Ma's known Laws Commissionated a Native of Scotland to be Secretary and Attorney General of this your Mat Province (being both Places of the greatest Trust next the Governour) and one of the Same Nation to be Clerke of the Supream Court of this your Mats Province, Which may be of Ill Consequence in Relation to the Act of Trade and Navigation, and to the great Hindrance of Your Ma Loyall Subjects (the Power of Government being Cheifly in the Hands of Natives of Scotland) from Informing against any Illegall or Fraudulent Trading by Scotchmen or others in this Province.

Wee your Ma* Loyall Subjects Labouring under these and many other Greivances and oppressions by the Proprietors of this your Mat Province of East New Jersey, Do in most humble manner Lay Ourselves before Your Mat (the Fountain of Justice) Humbly Imploreing your May will be Graciously Pleased according to your Princely Wisdome to take into Consideration Our Evill Circumstances Under the Present Proprietors, (if the Right of Government is Invested in them) and that your May will be Graciously Pleased to give your Royall Orders to the said Proprietors, That with your Mas Royall approbation they Commissionate for Governour A fitt Person Quallified according to Law; Who as an Indifferent Judge may decide the Controverseys Arising between the Proprietors and the Inhabitants of this your Mat Province; And settle all the Differences which at present they Labour under.

And your Maty Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray &ca

John Royse
Sam'll. Walker
Vincent Rugnion
Arie Bennit
William Winter

Andrew Cragge
John Willis
Dennis Morris
John Lambert
William Brown

Cornelius Hetfield
Roger Lambert
George Pack
Stephen Crane

Jeremiah Osborn

Samuell Whitehead JunrRoelof Helmighsen

Benjamin Price Junr.
John Ogden
Joseph Meeker
The mark of Capt.
gerebrant Claese (
Gerrd Gerrd sen de Jonge
The mark of
John Lubertse (

From Messrs Andrew Bowne and Richard Hartshorne, relating to the disorders in New Jersey.

Yours of the 6th Aprill Last come to our hands itt heing the first we received from you for wch we thanke you but could have wished you had sent us a more certaine acco' of the Settlement of the Government which never so much as now wants to be settled. Since the

departure of Mr Slater Col Hamilton hath put Mr Morris' into Commission of his Councill & Justice beleiving him to be the onely man that can make the province Submit to him as Governor without the King's aprobation & in Order to Effect itt they turned out an Englishman who was Sherif & put in a Scotchman who they thought would Obey them without Reserve & itt is saide Morris hath given out that he will carrie his point in makeing the people submit to Coll Hamiltons Goverment or he will Embrue the province in Blood in order to which they seised oppon severall persons intending to force them to Give security for their good behavior which one of them Refused and so Continued in the Sherifs Custody this the people tooke Greaviously itt being Harvest time & they had given outt warrants to seise Richard Salter & Others & the Sherif had like to have taken him wch some of his neighbors onderstanding went & met the Sherif banged him broake his head and sent him packing uppon which as we are informed the people Resolved to meete on Friday the 19th July in order to goe & featch home him that was in the Sherifs hands uppon the which Morris & Leonard dispatched an Express for Coll Hamilton who imediately came to them & they pressed about men & came on the 19th July in Armes to Middle Towne & came to the Ordinary And theare Inquired for the said Salter & one Bray. And then marched of the people of Middletown ware Assembled to the number of aboutt an hundred but without armes onely Stickes yet had itt not been for the persuations of some much in the peoples favor theare would have been broaken heads if not further mischeife the saide Justices had perswaded the person in the Sherifs hand to give security for the good behavior the day before this meeteing In this posture things stand in this

1 Lewis Morris.