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Lewis Morris to the Lords of Trade, referring to the difficulties in New Jersey.

[From P. R. O. B. T. New Jersey, Vol. 1, A 10.]

LETTER from Coll: Morris complaining of ye great Irregularities in New Jersey.

My Lords

New Jersie is still without Government, and the receptacle of abundance of rogues, that Cannot be safe anywhere Elce; who dayly repair to this Province as to any Asyle; and so many of the Soldiers from New Yorke, are here Protected, y' in a little time who shall be able to Suply that Garrison. I cannot say we suffer all ye miseries of Confusion, but realy a great part of them we do; Our Province being without Law and gospell having neither Judge or Priest.

I lay'd (when In England) before your Lordships Some Records of Severall ryots, or rather Rebellions Committed against that Government there was here, and begg'd there might be some notice taken of them; I must renew the Same Intreaties, because it is for ye Publique Service, and must assure your L'pps if those Persons are Suffer'd to Passe wth Impunity, her Majesties Govern, not only here, but in all the Neighbouring plantations, will find ye Ill Effects of so Pernicious an Example, the common People never concidering, the true natures and circumstances of things, but blindly coppy, and generally after (and Outdo) the worst Originalls. I dare not determine that the pressent Ill circumstances of New Yorke, Jersies, Pennisilvania, y Carolina's and Lucay Islands, are deriv'd from New England; but ye transcripts were so Exact,

in most; or all the Circumstances, yt I feare they were too much Influenc'd by that worst of Examples.

It is urg'd in defence of the ryoters in our Province y the Props had no right to Government, and their Govern without ye Kings approbation, had no more Authority than A Private person. All the power then in being, was Lodg'd in the Proprietors governour, whether rightly or no, I wont determine; nor do I thinke the mob were to be Judges, were it so or not, and Since his Late Majestie did not thinke fit to Supersede the Proprietors Governour, by any person more Imediatly commission'd from himselfe; it was the peoples duty to sit still and obey, there being no other End in Asserting an Authority than ye publique good. And however Lame the Proprietors Authority was (though by his Late Majesties direction your Lordships making termes wth them, his Late Majestie and Councill, comanding Mr Attorney Gen" to draw a forme of Surrender, of the powers of government, for the Proprietors to Signe, her Present Majesties Acceptance of the Same Surrender, and your Lords'ps memoriall to ye Queen, to appoint a governour, now ye Proprietors had Surrender'd; be more than tacit Acknowledgements that the powers of Government were Lodg'd in them, and that her Majestie had no right to appoint, till yt Surrender was compleated) I say however Lame the Proprietors Authority, twas derived from A Grant under the great Seale from the crowne, and dependant on it, y conservation of the peace, Putting in Execution the Laws, and Administering Justice was both a benefit to the People and a service to the King on the Contrary the beating and wounding Sherrifs, Affronting the Courts, driving the Justices of the bench Laying Violent hands on ye Governour and Part of his Councill, and Imprisoning them, And all this (excepting three or foure) done by the Verry dreggs and rascallity of the people; was an allmost Ireparable Losse

to ye Province, an Affront to ye Crowne, and w'Ought not to Passe (I speake wth Submission) wthout A check at least. the making of them sencible of their Errors by force, was a method of conviction forbore not of necessity but choice, not doubting propper notice wou'd be taken of them, by both their Superiors and Ours. I trouble too Long, and am sorry for the Occasion, but to see men of the best figure and Estates in ye Province, daily Insulted by crowds of the most necessitous Scoundrells, the scum and dreggs of mankind, is no small temptation to resentment and hope will Inclyne your, L'ps to Excuse.

My Lords; Your Lordships most

Humble Servant

Jersie y 29th September 1702:

LEWIS MORRIS.

Instructions from Queen Anne to Lord Cornbury as Governor of New Jersey.

[Printed from Smith's New Jersey, p. 230, as approved by Queen Anne August 24th 1702. P. R. O. B. T., New Jersey Vol. 1, A 8., Vol. 11, p. 22.]

INSTRUCTIONS for our right trusty and well beloved Edward lord Cornbury, our captain general and governor in chief, in and over our province of Nova Cæsaria, or New Jersey, in America. Given at our Court at St. Jame's, the sixteenth day of November, 1702, in the first year of our reign.1

1. WITH these our instructions you will receive our commission under our great seal of England, consti

Not received by Lord Cornbury until July 29th, 1703, N. Y. Col. Docts. p. 1069.-Ed.

tuting you our captain general and governor in chief of our province of New Jersey.

2. You are with all convenient speed to repair to our said province, and being there arrived, you are to take upon you the execution of the place and trust we have reposed in you, and forthwith to call together the following persons, whom we do by these presents appoint and constitute members of our council in and for that province, viz. Edward Hunloke, Lewis Morris, Andrew Bowne, Samuel Jenings, Thomas Revell, Francis Davenport, William Pinhorne, Samuel Leonard, George Deacon, Samuel Walker, Daniel Leeds, William Sandford, and Robert Quarry, esquires.

3. And you are with all due solemnity, to cause our said commission under our great seal of England, constituting you our captain general and governor in chief as aforesaid, to be read and published at the said meet ing of our council, and to cause proclamation to be made in the several most public places of our said province, of your being constituted by us our captain general and governor in chief as aforesaid.

4. Which being done, you shall yourself take, and also administer to each of the members of our said council so appointed by us, the oaths appointed by act of parliament to be taken instead of the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, and the oath mentioned in an act, entitled, An act to declare the alteration in the oath appointed to be taken by the act, entitled, An act for the further security of his majesty's person, and the succession of the crown in the protestant line, and for extinguishing the hopes of the pretended prince of Wales, and all other pretenders, and their open and secret abettors, and for declaring the association to be determined; as also the test mentioned in an act of parliament made in the twenty fifth year of the reign of king Charles the second, entitled, An act for preventing dangers which may happen from popish recusants;

together with an oath for the due execution of your and their places and trusts, as well with regard to the equal and impartial administration of Justice in all causes that shall come before you, as otherwise, and likewise the oath required to be taken by governors of plantations, to do their utmost, that the laws relating to the plantations be observed.

5. You are forthwith to communicate unto our said council, such and so many of these our instructions, wherein their advice and consent are mentioned to be requisite, as likewise all such others from time to time, as you shall find convenient for our service to be imparted to them.

6. And whereas the inhabitants of our said province have of late years been unhappily divided, and by their enmity to each other, our service and their own welfare has been very much obstructed; you are therefore in the execution of our commission, to avoid the engaging yourself in the parties which have been form'd amongst them, and to use such impartiality and moderation to all, as may best conduce to our service, and the good of the colony.

7. You are to permit the members of our said council, to have and enjoy freedom of debate and vote, in all affairs of publick concern, that may be debated in council.

8. And altho' by our commission aforesaid, we have thought fit to direct that any three of our coucellors make a quorum, it is nevertheless our will and pleas ure, that you do not act with a quorum of less than five members, except in case of necessity.

9. And that we may be always informed of the names and characters of persons fit to supply the vacancies which shall happen in our said council, you are to transmit unto us, by one of our principal secretary's of state, and to our commissioners for trade and plantations, with all convenient speed, the names and

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