receive the same. The Governor answered that he would be ready for that purpose immediately. The House having accordingly waited on the Governor at His Lodgings, the Speaker delivered an Address to his Honour in the following Words, viz": An Address of the Assembly in Answer to the Governor's Speech. "May it please your Honour: "We, His Majesty's dutiful and Loyal Subjects, the Representatives of the Freemen of the Government of the Counties of NewCastle, Kent and Sussex, upon Delaware, do, with all imaginable Chearfulness, Return your Honour our most humble Thanks for your Kind & affectionate Speech to this House. "We beg leave to embrace this first opportunity to congratulate your Honour on your Appointment to, and safe arrival in this Government; and to assure your Honour that a Gentleman of your good Character, and one so nearly related to our worthy and honourable Proprietors, being chosen the Successor to our late Governor, Mr. Hamilton, whose mild and just administration had greatly endeared him to the good People we Represent, give us the greatest Pleasure. "The Assurances our Honourable Proprietors are pleased to give us of their approbation of the Conduct of the Representatives of the People of this Government heretofore, and of their Esteem for and desire to promote the Welfare and happiness of our Constituents, afford us a very singular Satisfaction, and must be very agreeable to them. We hope always to act in such a manner as to merit the continuance of their good Opinion. "We acknowledge ourselves under the greatest Obligations to your Honour for your promises of a careful and diligent administration for the publick good, which we think ourselves sufficiently secured of by your kind Engagements and good disposition; And confess with the greatest joy, that you have assured us of all we can wish, and Recommend to us all we ought to desire, and we doubt not your good Intentions will procure yourself & the people you preside over, the greatest Happiness during your Government. "Permit us, Sir, in Return, to declare our Steady & constant Resolutions to support equally the Royal Prerogative and the Rights and Liberties of the Subjects, to the utmost of our Power; to preserve that Harmony and good Understanding between the Legislative Branches here, which is so essentially necessary for the Dispatch of Business, and to make your Administration easy and agreeable. "Signed by order of the House, "March 27th, 1764." "JACOB KOLLOCK, Speaker. To which the Governor was pleased to Return the following Answer: "Gentlemen: "I am much obliged to you for this Kind and Affectionate Address. The Resolutions you have taken to support the Prerogative of the Crown, as well as the rights and Liberties of the Subject, will justly Recommend you to His Majesty's Favour, As you may be assured it will give me a particular Satisfaction, at all times, to cooperate with you in promoting the Welfare and prosperity of this Government." Eodem Die, A. M. The House presented to the Governor for his Concurrence a Bill entituled "An Act appointing new Trustees for the Sale of Lots in the Town of Dover." Thursday, 29th March. A Bill entituled "An Act for the more easy and speedy recovery of Legacies," was sent to the Governor for his perusal and concurrence. Friday, 30th March. The House sent to the Governor, for his Concurrence, three Bills, entituled as follows, viz": "An Act appointing new Trustees for the Several General Loan Offices of this Government." "A Supplement to an Act entituled An Act entituled 'An Act for Banking and Draining a quantity of Marsh in the County of New Castle, commonly called Cherry Island Marsh." "A private Act for the embanking of the Marshes and Cripples on Hangman's Creek, in Appoquinimink Hundred, in New Castle County, &ca." Saturday, 31st March. The Assembly sent up two Bills for the Governor's Concurrence; one entituled "A Supplement to the Act entituled 'An Act for the better regulating of the Supream Court within this Government, & for aiding the discontinuance of the process therein;" And the other "A Supplementary Act for the Amendment of an Act entituled 'An Act for the better regulation of the Roads in Newcastle County."" The Governor, by the Secretary, Returned to the House the Eight several Bills sent up for his Concurrence, which are entituled as follows, with his assent to the first four, and a few Amendments to the four latter, viz": 1. "An Act for Suppressing Idleness, Drunkenness, and other Debaucheries, within this Government." 2. "An Act appointing new Trustees for the sale of Lots in the Town of Dover." 3. "An Act for the more easy and Speedy recovery of Legacies." 4. "An Act appointing new Trustees for the Several General Loan Offices of this Government." 5. "A Supplement to an Act entituled 'An Act for banking and draining a Quantity of Marsh in the County of New Castle, commonly called Cherry Island Marsh."" 6. "A private Act for the embanking of the Marshes & Cripples on Hangman's Creek, in Appoquinimink Hundred, in New Castle County.' 7. "A Supplement to the Act entituled 'An Act for the better regulation of the Supream Court within this Government, and for aiding the discontinuance of the Process therein;'" And 8. "A Supplementary Act for the Amendment of an Act intituled an Act for the better regulation of the Roads in New Castle County."' Eodem Die, P. M. Three Members waited on the Governor and acquainted him that the House had acceded to his Amendments to the Four Bills. The Governor in the Evening required the attendance of the Speaker & the House, in Order to pass the said several Bills. They accordingly attended, & the Speaker presented the Eight Bills before mentioned, which the Governor enacted into Laws, and signed a Warrant for affixing the Great Seal thereto. The Speaker then acquainted the Governor that he was directed by the House to return their Thanks to His Honour for the great dispatch he had given to their Business; and at the same time delivered him, as a present, Orders on the Trustees of the General Loan Offices, for £200. At a Council held at Philadelphia, on Wednesday, the 11th April, 1764. PRESENT: The Honourable JOHN PENN, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor, &ca. Richard Peters, Thomas Cadwalader, William Logan, Esq" } The Governor informed the Board that the Commissioners had made Application to him by the Secretary to take immediate Measures for the removal of the Indians now in the Barracks here, and send them to Sir William Johnson, or elsewhere, for that the maintenance of them here was found to be a very beavy expence to the Province, and that if they are not permitted to go into their own Country, in order to plant Corn and make provision for their future Subsistence before the Season is too far advanced, it would be incumbent on us to support them till next Spring at the public Expence. His Honour therefore proposed this matter to the Consideration of the Council, and laid before them several Letters which he had received in answer to what he had wrote to Sir William Johnson on this Subject, viz: Sir William Johnson's Letter dated 27 February, 1761; Gov Coldens of the 25 March last, inclosing Minutes of the Council Board at New York of the same day, and a Letter from General Gage, dated the 9 of March, which last was ordered to be entered on these Minutes, and follows in these Words, viz "Sir: A Letter from General Gage to the Governor. "NEW YORK, March 9th, 1764. "I take the Liberty to give you my Sentiments about the disposal of the Indians at Philadelphia, whom you had thoughts of sending up the country to their own homes; such a measure in Our present circumstances might prove greatly Prejudicial to our Affairs. The resentment of those Savages must be Strong against us for the miserable Fate of the poor Wretches who were murdered at Lancaster, and for the attempt made on their own Lives; tho' they have been so kindly treated by the Government of Pennsylvania, it's to be feared that Revenge for the injurys received from the people will out weigh the Gratitude they owe the Legislature, for the care and protection afforded them, and they might set this affair in such a light before the Six Nations, as would make a change in the present good disposition of those Indians towards us, which at present is as friendly as we can wish or expect. Those Savages are now in our power; they are a sort of Hostages for the behaviour of their Nations, and effectually prevented from doing Mischief themselves. If the retaining them at Philadelphia should make you apprehend further Insurrections amongst the Inhabitants, I make no doubt that Governor Franklin would Receive them in the Jerseys, & by placing them in the Barracks at Burlington, they would be removed out of the way of the People of Pennsylvania, and proper care be taken of them. "I have the pleasure to acquaint you that a party of our Friendly Indians, meeting with a body of Delawares, on the main branch of Susquehanna, on their way against some of our Settlements, they surprized the Delawares in their Camp, and made the whole Prisoners, to the number of Forty-one, After which they bound them, & sent them, under an Escort, towards the Mohock River. "When your Assembly shall have settled the Supply Bills, I shall be glad to hear from you the first opportunity. "I am, with great Regard, Sir, "Your most Obedient humble Servant, "Hon'ble Lieut Gov" PENN." The Governor, thereupon, desiring the Opinion of the Council, they advised him to call a Meeting of the Commissioners to-Morrow Morning, and after laying before them the Said Letters, ask them (as it appears by that from Gen' Gage to be his Sentiments, that the Indians should be still kept here under the Protection of this Government), whether they are willing to defray the Expence of their further maintainance, if he should think it necessary to continue them here a longer time, and afterwards, that his Honour would take his Measures accordingly. MEMORANDUM. 24th April, 1764. The Governor was acquainted that the Courts of Quarter Sessions and Common Pleas were to be held at Lancaster, the 1st Tuesday in May next; and at Reading, for the County of Berks, on the Tuesday following, and that in the latter there was a necessity of increasing the number of Justices, there being but eight in the whole County, of which only one lived in the Town of Reading; His Honour, therefore, this day issued two separate General Commissions of the Peace under the Great Seal, the one appointing the following Persons Justices of the Peace & of the Common Pleas of and for the County of Lancaster, viz": |