The Lords of Trade to the Secretary of State, enclosing a draft of a letter for the signature of the Queen, conferring temporary authority in New· Jersey on Lewis Morris.

[From P. R. O. B. T. Proprieties, Vol. 28, p. 13.]

To the Rt Hon ble the Earle of Nottingham Principal Secretary of State.

My Lords.

Inclosed is a Form of a Letter in behalf of Coll: Morris, which may not be improper for her Majesty to sign, if her Majesty shall so think fit. We are & Rob Cecil WTM Blathwayt Ph. Meadows John Pollexfen Mat: Prior

Whitehall June 1st 1702.

ANNE by the Grace of God Queen of England, Scotand, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith & To all to whom these Presents shall come Greeting. WHEREAS Our Trusty and Wellbeloved Colonel Lewis Morris is returning to our Colony of New Jersey in America, after having given Us signal Testimonies of his Loyalty and good Affection to our Service; We do hereby Will and require all our Loving Subjects within the said Colony to have a due regard to the said Colonel Morris in his Endeavours to preserve the peace and Quiet of that our Colony upon the Surrender that has been made by the Proprietors of their Right or pretended Right unto us of Government, untill We shall by our Royal Commission under the Great Seal of our Kingdom of England give our farther Orders therein. For which this shall be in the meantime to all whom it may concern, a Sufficient Warrant and Direction. Given at our Court at St James's the [ ] day of [

1702, In the first Year of our Reign

By her Majesty's Command

Reply of several of the Proprietors of New Jersey, to the complaints against Andrew Hamilton, by William Dockwra & Peter Sonmans.

[From P. R. O. B. T. Proprieties, Vol. 6, I 44.]

TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS FOR FORREIGN TRADE AND PLANTATIONS

A Reply of the Proprietors of East and West New Jersey, to the Articles Exhibited by William Dockwra & Peter Sonmans against Collonel Andrew Hamilton.

To the first Article we answer

1° Coll: Hamilton was Governour of these two Provinces for the Space of nine or Ten years to the good Liking of Prop'rs and people, and all the neighbouring Colonies, without any Complaint against him, neither would he have been Superseded, but from a Belief of his Incapacity to Serve by the Late Act of the 7th & 8th of King William, and he is so farr from being an Incendiary, that his Mildness and Moderation was the only motive for W Pen to Intrust him with the Government, and those in the abovesaid Province who have (by the Influence of Jer: Basse & W Dockwra, appeared of Late against him, are now So well Satisfied of his moderation and good Conduct, that they have declared their readiness to Submitt to him, if he is Cloathed with a Commission from the Crown

To the Second Article

2° We know of no Arbitrary or Illegal proceedings Coll: Hamilton hath been Guilty of, unless they call them Such as were acted in Opposition to the Common Disturbers of the peace of the Government Stirred up by the Influence of M Dockwra and his party, for which he hath often hazarded his Life to preserve the publick peace and quiet of the Provinces.

To the Third Article

3o We are well Informed that in all the time of Coll: Hamiltons Government before he was Superseded by a Commission given to Jer: Basse, not one person in all those Northern Colonies was accused of Pyracy, and Since his Last going over, he hath been Eminent in Discovery & bringing Pyrates to Justice, particularly appeared at a County Court at Midleton in East Jersey upon the Tryall of one, who was by a factious Crew rescued from the Barr, as appeares by Certificates under the provinciall Seall, Lodged by Lewis Morris Esquire before your Lordships.

To the fourth Article

4° We have received many Letters from the Assemblies of Both Provinces with advice of what past there, but never any accusation of that kind and we Conceive the accusation is altogether groundless, Since an affair of that nature could not pass without our having notice of it, and the Gen'll Assembly (who being the givers of the mercy, [money?] are the proper Inspectors into its application) have been So far from taxing him with Such Crime, that at Severall Sessions they have given him Gratuitys for his Publick Service and prudent administration,

To the fifth Article

5° We have heard that one Randolph (a noted Enemy to Coll: Hamilton did Some time agoe Exhibit to the Right Honorable the House of Lords a Complaint and accusation against the Said Colonel and others about Illegal Trade, and we heard he was So farr from making good any Such accusation, that it was Thrown out as Groundless, which we believe to have come under the Notice of this Hono'ble Board, and his now accusers were So farr from accusing him whilst he was here, that they Joyned with us in Application to your Lordships, for his approbation

To the Sixth Article

6° We must Referre our Selves to this Honble Board,

that when he was presented by the Proprietors for his Late Majestie's Royall approbation, whether it was not your Lordships Opinion, that Since there was a dispute betwixt the Crown and the Proprietors about the Government, your Lordships could not advise his Majesty to give an approbation, Since it wold be a recognizing the Proprietors Title, but that Since Government must be administered, the Proprietors were Safe in giving him a Commission, and he in acting under it till the Dispute was Determined. And we are highly Surprised at the assurance of those two Gentlemen in accusing Coll: Hamilton on this head, Since in the first place they Signed his Commission, after they knew the Grant of an approbation had been declined, and rd [?] They Clandestinely Gave a Commission to one Andrew Bowne, to which W Dockwra (the Proprietors Secretary and one of the 2 Petitioners) affixt the publick Seall, without either the assent of, or Communication to the rest of the Proprietors which Commission they sent over, without So much as presenting him for his Majesties approbation, and Said Bowne hath endeavoured to act by virtue of Such Indirect Commission and by Orders from the two accusers, and we must further acquaint your Lordships that the Proprietors (who were Influenced by those two Gentlemen to sign that Commission) have been So Sensible of their Error, that they have retracted, and Signed a Petition for Collonel Hamilton.

To the Seventh Article

7° If Coll: Hamilton Should be partiall in the administration of Justice (we conceive the Contrary) he will lye obnoxious to the Censure of the Gen" Assembly there, and to Informations that may be Lodged here, but we know of no party that fear his impartiall administration of Justice except W Dockwra one of the two accusers who Stands Charged with Severall articles of high misdemeanours Exhibited against him, as

appears by the Duplicates under the Common Seall of the Province of East Jersey Lately laid before your Lordships, and we conceive it is for the reason only he doth So violently oppose Coll: Hammilton to be Gov

ernour

To the Eighth Article

8° We presume to acquaint your Lordships in Order to your full and clear understanding of this matter, that the two petitioners, Viz Wm Dockwra the Secretary and Peter Sonmans are not possest of above two or three 24th parts of the Province of East Jersey, whereas almost all the other Proprietors of East Jersey here, and the Proxys of those beyond Sea, have Joyned with the whole West Jersey Society to petition for Coll: Hamilton, being So entirely Satisfyed of his Integrity, ability and good Conduct.

To the 9th Article

9o The Petition for Coll: Hamilton was So far from being Clandestine that it was Signed by all the Proprietors at a full Generall Court of the West Jersey Society, and by Lewis Morris Esq' on the behalf of all the Proprietors residing in East Jersey, who delivered his authority for So doeing to her Majesty in Councill, and by the greater part of the East Jersey Proprietors Living in London, and on the other hand in opposition to this, is obtruded a Petition Signed only by Peter Sonmans and Wm Dockwra.

The worthy Character of Coll Hamilton: is not (as we presume) unknown to your Lordships, it hath been transmitted from Severall of his Late Majesties Governours in the Neighbouring Colonies, and the Proprietors have always found him faithfull in the Discharge of that Trust reposed in him, And Since it pleased her Majesty (upon the Surrender of the Government) to return this Gracious answer, that She would take it into her Consideration, to appoint Such a Governour as Should be most aggreeable to the Proprietors. We