Page images
PDF
EPUB

no cost has been spared to ensure the accuracy of the text, and the beauty of the impression. With a commendable liberality, they have distributed numerous sets of this valuable collection, in America and Europe, in donations to public libraries, and learned societies, and amongst others, the American Philosophical Society, and the Library Company of Philadelphia, have shared in that bounty. The latter institution has received the whole collection; and the former only part of it, the remainder in England having been accidently consumed by fire, so that it is to be begun anew. Other nations are following that example aided by Antiquarian societies, which are established in almost every large city of Europe.

The general government of the United States have not been behind hand, in adopting this mode of preserving the ancient records of our Union. They have re-published the journals of Congress under the confederation, and many other important documents; and they have permitted individuals to have access to their records, and to take copies of such papers, as, being of interest, may afford a profit to the editor who devotes his time and his labor to their publication.

Some of the individual states, and the state of Maryland in particular, have lately taken similar measures for discovering and publishing important documents, in which process they have found that a great number are irrecoverably lost. To avoid a like misfortune, your committee think it their duty to recommend the publication of the Colonial records of Pennsylvania, which are in the custody of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Of the importance and necessity of multiplying the copies of those valuable and curious papers, we are impressively admonished by the late fire at Washington-documents of inestimable price, both in a pecuniary and historical point of view, were, no doubt, by that event, entirely destroyed. The absence of duplicates by means of the press, renders the loss altogether irreparable.

The memorialists have very properly pointed out the minutes of the proprietary councils as those that deserve to be first attended to. Your committee, therefore recommend, that they be immediately printed, under the direction of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The publication of other documents may be postponed until it shall be known of what they principally consist.

The memorialists have mentioned the Indian treaties as next in importance. What are called "Indian treaties," are conferences between Indian chiefs, 'deputed by their respective tribes, and the governors of the colony of Pennsylvania, in which their mutual interests are discussed and settled. Several of those are contained in the minutes of council, and need not be printed twice. Under the name of "Indian treaties" are also designated the deeds and conveyances of lands made by Indian chiefs or land owners, to the proprietors. Of these, the late Judge Smith has given a full abstract in the second volume of his edition of the laws of Pennsylvania. It will nevertheless be desirable that they should be published at large, as many titles to lands are derived from them, and they are moreover interesting in an historical point of view. But as the minutes of council are

[ocr errors][ocr errors]

most important among our ancient records, your committee wouldrecommend their publication in the first instance.

Your committee have not had time to inspect the public documents in the Secretary's office, with that care which they desired to bestow upon them, and which would have enabled them to give to the House a clear view of their contents.

It is their opinion that the Secretary should be directed to prepare a report on their contents, to be laid before the legislature at their: next session, by means of which they will be best able to determine which of them deserve to be published, and to act thereon as their wisdom shall direct.

In accordance with these views, the committee beg leave to report the accompanying bill.

No. III.

Extract from the Act of April 4th, 1837, authorizing the printing of the Minutes of the Provincial Council.

SECTION 2. That the Minutes of the Council of the Proprietary Government, from the year one thousand six hundred and eighty one, to one thousand seven hundred and seventeen, inclusive, which are deposited in the office of the Secretary of this Commonwealth, with a suitable index, and such introductory matter as may be deemed proper, be immediately printed, in the octavo form, under the direction of the said Secretary, to the number of one thousand copies: Provided, That the cost does not exceed three thousand dollars.

SECTION 3. That two hundred copies of the said Minutes, when printed shall be placed in the hands of the Governor, to be by him distributed among learned societies and public libraries, in other states of this Union, at his discretion; that twenty copies shall be presented to the director of the Philadelphia Athenæum, twenty copies to the Historical Society, to be by them deposited as they may think best for their preservation and safe keeping; one copy to each of the several Colleges within the Commonwealth, five copies to the Franklin Library in the city of Philadelphia, and one copy deposited in each of the several Record offices in this Commonwealth, and one copy placed in the hands of the members of the present Legislature, five copies in the State library, and one copy in each of the public libraries of the state-five copies to the Historical society. SECTION 4. That the Secretary of this Commonwealth shall prepare and report to the legislature at their next session a list of the Colonial documents deposited in his office, with his opinion as to those that are worthy of preservation by means of the press, and the probable expense of publishing the same.

SECTION 5. That the said Secretary of the Commonwealth shall cause the original charter of Pennsylvania, now in his office, to be framed, covered with glass, and placed in said office for the inspec

tion of visitors, and that the expense thereof be paid out of any funds in the Treasury, not otherwise appropriated.

LEWIS DEWART,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

J. R. BURDEN,

Speaker of the Senate.

APPROVED-The fourth day of April, A. D., eighteen hundred

and thirty-seven.

JOS. RITNER.

No. IV.

Extract from the Act of April 14th, 1838, relative to the printing and distribution of the Colonial Records.

SECTION 7. That the Secretary of the Commonwealth be, and he is hereby authorized and required, to continue the printing of the Minutes of the Council of the Proprietary Government, down to the period of the Revolution, on the plan by him proposed in his report to the Legislature of the thirtieth of January last, and to include the other public records and documents therein mentioned, to be added as appendixes to each volume, to the number of fifteen hundred copies.

SECTION 8. That the Secretary be, and he is hereby authorized to purchase of the printer, for the use of the state, the five hundred copies of the first volume which he has printed over and above the one thousand copies directed by the act entitled "A supplement to the act entitled, an act to authorize the printing and distribution of the pamplet laws in the German language, and for other purposes," passed Anno Domini, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven."

[ocr errors]

SECTION 9. That one thousand out of the fifteen hundred copies of the work directed to be printed and purchased, be disposed of by a subscription, to be opened at the several County Treasuries of the Commonwealth, at the price of one dollar and sixty cents per volume, the proceeds whereof shall be applied to the continuation of the work, and to the binding of the volumes.

SECTION 10. That one thousand one hundred and forty-six dollars and twenty-five cents, be, and the same is hereby appropriated for purchasing the additional five hundred-copies and carrying on the work, in addition to the appropriation of last year, until the proceeds of the subscription shall come into the Treasury.

SECTION 11. That the Secretary be, and he is hereby authorized to employ a clerk to aid him in the prosecution of the work, at a salary of eight hundred dollars per annum, to be charged on the Treasury, and to be paid to him from the time that he has begun to be so employed.

SECTION 12. That two hundred copies of said Minutes, when printed and bound, shall be placed in the hands of the Governor, to be by him distributed among learned societies and public libraries,

in other states of this Union, at his discretion; that five copies shall be presented to the American Philosophical Society, five to the Historical Society, five to the Philadelphia Library, two to the Philadelphia Atheneum, one copy to each of the several Colleges and public Libraries in the State, one to each of the members and clerks of the present and last legislature, and that five copies shall be deposited in the State Library, and one copy in each of the Record offices of the Commonwealth.

SECTION 13. That the third section of the supplement to the act entitled, "An act to authorize the printing and distribution of the pamphlet laws in the German language, passed January twentythird, A. D., one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven, and for other purposes," be and the same is hereby repealed.

No. V.

CHARTER

OF THE

PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CHARLES THE SECOND, BY THE GRACE OF GOD King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c., To all to whome these presents shall come GREETING. Whereas our Trustie and well beloved Subject, William Penn, Esquire, sonn and heire of Sir William Penn, deceased, out of a commendable desire to enlarge our English Empire, and promote such usefull comodities as may bee of benefitt to us and our Dominions, as alsoe to reduce the Savage Natives by gentle and iust manners to the love of civill Societie and Christian Religion hath humbley besought leave of vs to transport an ample colonie vnto a certaine Countrey hereinafter described in the partes of America not yet cultevated and planted. And hath likewise humbley besought our Royall majestie to give, grant, and confirme all the said countrey with certaine priviledges and Jurisdiccons requisite for the good Government and saftie of the said Countrey and Colonie, to him and his heires forever. KNOW YEE, therefore, that wee, favouring the petition and good purpose of the said William Penn, and haveing regard to the memorie and meritts of his late father, in divers services, and perticulerly to his conduct, courage and discretion vnder our dearest brother, James, Duke of Yorke, in that signall battell and victorie, fought and obteyned against the Dutch fleete, comanded by the Heer Van Opdam, in the yeare One thousand six hundred sixtie-five, in consideration thereof of our special grace, certaine knowledge and meere motion, Have given and granted, and by this our present Charter, for vs, our heires and successors, Doe give and grant unto the said William Penn, his heires and assignes all that tract or parte of land in America, with

all the Islands therein conteyned, as the same is bounded on the East by Delaware River, from twelve miles distance, Northwarde of New Castle Towne unto the three and fortieth degree of Northern latitude if the said River doth extend soe farre Northwards; But if the said River shall not extend soe farre Northward, then by the said River soe farr as it doth extend, and from the head of the said River the Easterne bounds are to bee determined by a meridian line, to bee drawn from the head of the said River vnto the said three and fortieth degree, the said lands to extend Westwards, five degrees in longitude, to bee computed from the said Easterne Bounds, and the said lands to bee bounded on the North, by the beginning of the three and fortieth degree of Northern latitude, and on the south, by a circle drawn at twelve miles, distance from New Castle Northwards, and Westwards vnto the begining of the fortieth degree of Northerne Latitude; and then by a streight line Westwards, to the limitt of Longitude above menconed. WEE DOE also give and grant vnto the said William Penn, his heires and assignes, the free and vndisturbed vse, and continuance in and passage into and out of all and singular Ports, harbours, Bayes, waters, rivers, Isles and Inletts, belonging vnto or leading to and from the Countrey, or Islands aforesaid; and all the soyle, lands, fields, woods, vaderwooods, mountaines, bills, fenns, Isles, Lakes, Rivers, waters, rivuletts, Bays and Inletts, scituate or being within or belonging vnto the Limitts and Bounds aforesaid, togeather with the fishing of all sortes of fish, whales, sturgeons, and all Royall and other fishes in the sea, bayes, Inletts, waters or Rivers, within the premises, and the fish therein taken, and alsoe all veines, mines and quarries, as well discovered as not discovered, of Gold, Silver, Gemms and pretious Stones, and all other whatsoever, stones, metalls, or of any other thing or matter whatsoever, found or to bee found within the Countrey, Isles, or Limitts aforesaid; and him the said William Penn, his heires and assignes, WEE DOE, by this our Royall Charter, for vs, our heires and successors, make, create and constitute the true and absolute proprietaries of the Countrey aforesaid, and of all other, the premises, saving alwayes to vs, our heires and successors, the faith and allegiance of the said William Penn, his heires and assignes, and of all other, the proprietaries, tenants and Inhabitants that are, or shall be within the Territories and precincts aforesaid; and saving also vnto vs, our heires and Successors, the Sovreignity of the aforesaid Countrey, TO HAVE, hold and possesse and enjoy the said tract of Land, Countrey, Isles, Inletts and other the premises, vnto the said William Penn, his heires and assignes, to the only proper vse and behoofe of the said William Penn, his heires and assignes forever. To bee holden of vs, our heires and Successors, Kings of England, as of our Castle of Windsor, in our County of Berks, in free and comon socage by fealty only for all services, and not in Capite or by Knights service, Yeelding and paying therfore to vs, our heires and Successors, two Beaver Skins to bee delivered att our said Castle of Windsor, on the first day of January, in every yeare; and also the fifth parte of all Gold and silver Oare, which shall from time to time happen to be found within the Limitts

« PreviousContinue »