The Lt. Gor delivered his sd speech to the assembly, & appointed Edwd Shippen, Joseph Growdon, Wm. Clark, Richd Halliwell & David Lloyd, a Comittee to Join a Comittee of assemblie to Consider of ye sd speech, & to propose such a Bill to be past into a Law as they should think Convenient, and to make report to the Governor & Council.

Adjourned to the 19th instant.

[19th May, 1698.

At a Councill Held at philadelphia die Jovis, 19th May, 1698.

PRESENT:

WM. MARKHAM, esqr. Leivt. Governor, et ysdem ut antea.

Joseph Growdon, Chairman of the Comittee of Council & Assemblie, appointed to Consider of the Lt. Governor's speech, made report to the Leivt. Gor & Councill, that they had with all diligence perused & Considered ye same, & had drawn up a bill for the further Consideraon of the Leivt. Gor, Councill and Assembly, to be past Into a Law, for preventing frauds, &c, which was distinctlie read & debated, article by article.

Ordered yt Dad Lloyd & Wm. Rodney, Carry y sd bill to the house of repsentatives for yr approbaon; wch they did.

John Hill, returned by the Sheriff of Sussex County to serve in Council, & Luke Watson, Jr. to serve in Assembly, took y oathes appointed by act of parliamt to be taken instead of the oaths of allegiance & Supremacie, and subt the test.

[DAVID EVANS.

Upon reading the petition of David Evans, setting forth that hee was Close prisoner in the comon gaol of y Countie of philadelphia, upon Suspition of Having been a pirate belonging to Avery's Crew, & yt hee had his triall at y old Bayley in England, before the Lord Chief Justice Holt, & was cleared by proclamaon, but remanded to Newgate for his fees, & was relieved thence by Jno Lowrie, who had been by the petitioner subpoenaed as a witnes for him on his triall, & was psent at ye same, & at his discharge, which the petitioner was readie to make appear, by the testimony of y° sd Jno Lowrie, & other Lettrs from Credible psons, & yrfor requesting to be discharged from his confinement. John Lowrie appearing before y Lt. Gor & Council, did Swear on the Holy Evangells of Almighty God, that in July Last hee was at the trial of the said David Evans, at the old Bayley, before the Lord Chief Justice Holt, & heard him cleared by proclamaon; and afterwards saw him in Newgate, paid his fees for him, & tooke him into the said deponent's Lodging; Also a Lettr from one Capt. Humphrey pellew, Mr of a vessel, directed to the Lt. Governor, dated 14th May instant, was produced, wherein hee says: I am a perfect Testator, by report of David Evans acquittance, but Mr Lowrie who was at his trial at y' old Bayley, London, in July Last, Can more fullie satisfy yor Honor. The said David Evans also sent to the Lt. Gor & Council a Lettr from one

James Lewis to his children here, dated the 8th of 7br, 1697, wherein hee writts that his Cosen, David Evans, having mett with trouble about the psian ship, is now cleared & discharged by Law, for the king's evidence from first to Last, affirmed yt hee was prest & foret away by Capt. Avery; That there were about fifty gentl, as they call them, from Carmarden & pembrockshire att his triall, & tho' some did, yet there was no need for any of ym to appear in his behalf. Hee was at a great charge to bring several Ms of Shipps to vindicate the truth of things as to him, but the Judges saw there was no need for any of ym to appear in his behalf, nor to examine ym, & so released Him in open Court, To the great joy & Content of Judge Wogen, Esqr. Sommerford, & the rest of his Countrymen.

Samll Harrison, mariner, (a man of good Credit here,) also made oath on the Holy Evangells of Almighty God, yt in England hee saw the sd David Evans in Custodie, & saw him Carryed prisoner to London, & knows no more of him but what hee, this deponent, had from ye sd David Evans' own mouth.

Robert Snead being sent for before the Lt. Gor & Council, by whois means the said David Evans was by the Lt. Gor Comitted, was desired to exhibit Informaon agt him, the said David Evans, which hee did, and which remain on ye file in the Secries office.

Resolved, that if the sd David Evans cannot bring good & sufficient securitie to the Lt. Gor & Council, to be bound body for body for him, that he shall not depart the province untill hee produce from England authentick Certificates of his trial & discharge, yt then hee shall remain as hee is, close prisoner, untill he be discharged by due Course of Law.

The Lt. Gor ordered y Secry to issue a Sumons for y' sd Rt Snead to appear befor ye Gor and Council post m.

POST MERID.

Att a Council Held att philadelphia die Jovis, 19th May, 1698,
Post merid.

WM. MARKHAM, esqr., Lt. Gor, et ysdem ut antea, except Rd.
Halliwell.

The sd Robt Snead appearing, the Lt. Gor acquainted him yt hee had avice from England that ye sd Robt Snead had wrote to England, particularlie to Sir I Hoblon and Coll. Robt Quarry, Informing ym, That tho' y Governor knew of and had y Proclamaon to seize pirats, yett that hee refused to seize severall of y° pirats of Avery's Crew, and bailed ym after Seizure, and denied and refused guards to watch them, the goal being insufficient. All wch hee, y sd Robt. Snead, positively denied, and said that hee sent to ye proprietor a Copie of what he wrote. He owned that hee had writt They wer bailed, but not by y Gor, and that hee complained home of abuses he had received here. The Lt. Gor told him that it had been his duty, first to have complained here for redress of the sd abuses, and when yt was denied him here, It was then time en

ough to have Complained home. Then the Lt. Gor and Council demanded a sight of the Copies of ye sd Lres, that they might make ansr yrto, if hee had charged ym with any thing. He replied they wer at New yorke, but expected ym by y° post, and yn he would pduce ym.

THen the Lt. Governor said, that there were other Informaons sent home, viz: that many 100d hhds of Tobacco are Constantlie Shipt from pennsilvania directly for Scotland, & particular men named, & no security taken but beggars, for which bribes taken. That there is an illegall trade from Curasso. That pennsilvania is become y greatest refuge & Shelter for pirats & Rogues in America, The Gor giving ym Comissions. That a ship Came hither directlie from Denmark with Copper, tin, & other European goods, wch were all unloaden, & the Shipp unrigged befor shee was seized. That a briganteen from Newyork took in almost all her Loading of tobacco wtout giving bond or securitie; & that the bussines making a great noise, The Gor ordered the Collector to seize her, which was done, & preparaon made for a trial, but yt before it Came on, The Gor ordered her to be discharged, & that some of the owners say It cost ym 10011 to clear their briganteen. All which hee, the said Robt. Snead, denied, & said Hee knew nothing of it.

John Moor, a practitioner in Law at the Courts of this province, being sent by the Lt. Gor, appeared. The Gor told him yt he understood yt Esqr Randolph had named Him to act as attornie Generall in behalf of his maty, & told him that hee sent for Him to qualifie him to act accordingly in that station, & to put in Suit some plantaon bonds & other actions yt Esqr Randolph intended to prosecute. The said Jno Moor refused, becaus Esqr Randolph had required him to prosecute persons to Judgmt & execuon in Cases where hee, the said Jno Moor, Conceived yt hee, ye sd Esqr Randolph, himself was not Impowered to discharge, or words to that effect.

Adjourned to 20th instant.

20th May, 1698.

Att a Councill Held att philadelphia die Veneris, 20th May, 1698.

PRESENT:

WM. MARKHAM, esqr Lt. Gor, et ysdem ut antea, & Jno. Hill, Rich Halliwell, absent.

The Lt. Gor appointed Edwd Shippen, Wm. Biles, Dad Lloyd & Jno Hill, a Comittee of Councill to join a Comittee of Assembly to examin, adjust & bring in an accot of the debts of the governmt, & to report.

Adjourned to 23d instant.

23d May, 1698.

At a Councill Held att philadelphia Die Lunæ, 23d May, 1098.

PRESENT:

WM. MARKHAM, esqr. Lt. Gor, et ysdem except Joseph Growdon.

Edwd Shippen, Chairman of ye Comittee of Councill & Assembly, appointed to examin, adjust & bring in the debts of the governmt, made Report to the Lt. Governor & Councill, that they found the province to stand indebted to sundry persons in y° sum of

Anthony Morris & Cornelius Wiltbank, brought from the Assembly to the Lt. Gor & Councill, a Bill for Confirming the Laws of this government, which was read & debated.

Adjourned to 24th instant.

[24th May.

Att a Councill Held att philad. die Martis, 24th May, 1698.

PRESENT:

WM. MARKHAM, esqr. Lieut. Governor, et ysdem ut antea, with Joseph Growdon, Richd Halliwell, absent.

Samll Richardson & Henry Molleston brought from the house of Repsentatives to the Lt. Gor, a bill for Continuing of an act entitled, The Law for the speedy Collecting the arrears of the assessmt Laid anno 1696, which was read & debated.

Anthony Morris & Tho. Oldman brought from the house of Repsentatives to the Lt. Gor, a Bill Supplemental to ye Law agt Robbing & stealing; as also, y° bill for regulating frauds; Both wch wer read

& debated.

Adjourned to 26th instant.

[26th May, 1698.

Att a Councill Held att philad. die Jovis, 26th May, 1698.

PRESENT:

WM. MARKHAM, esqr. Lt. Gor, et ysdem ut antea, & Rd Halliwell.

Jno Donaldson, returned by ye sheriff of ye Counties of Newcastle as repsentative in Councill, took the usual oaths & test, &c. Caleb pussey & Jno Grubb, from the house of repsentatives, brought to y Lt. Gor and Council a bill to encourage bringing in of money to promote trade and ease paymts; as also, a bill for regulating the streetts and water Courses in the Cities and towns of this governmt; both which wer read debated.

Adjourned to 27th instant.

[27th May, 1698.

Att a Council Held att philada. Die Veneris, 27th May, 1698.

John Bewley, Esqr., Collector.

The Lt. Gor delivered to ye Secry certain Letters patent, under the great Seal of England, wch y sd secrie read, and by reason that a Quorum of ye Comrs yrin named Could not be gott together at yt time to swear ye Lt. Gor by virtue of ye sd Lres pat., dated ye 30th of April, in y 9th year of ye reign of Wm. the 3d, &c. Wm Markham, Lt. Gor of ye sd province, (by virtue of a Late Comission granted to him by ye Right Honble Wm. Penn, absolute proprietor and Governor of ye sd province of pennsylvania and the territories yrto belonging,) made oath upon the holy Evangells of Almighty God, to do his utmost that all the matters and things contained in the rexive acts of trade and navigaon in y° sd lres patt and oath annexed Contained, shall be punctually and bona fide observed as yrin is directed. In a full Council held ye sd day, Jno Bewley, Collector, psent, whereof an Indorsement is made on the sd Lres pat, and signed by sd Jno Bewley, Collector, Richd Halliwell, Jno Hill, Wm. Rodney and Jno Donaldson, all four of the Councill.

The Assembly having repsented to the Lt. Gor and Councill as a grievance, That the Ordinarie had required exers of Testator's cstates to give securitie att ye office; And after a full and free debate yrof in Council, It was ye unanimous opinion and Resolve of ye Lt. Govr and Councill, that exers give securitie to the office for the due administration of the Testator's estate, as admrs do for Intestate's

estates.

Adjourned to 28th instant.

[28 May, 1698.

Att a Council Held att philad. die Sabbati, 28th May 1698.

PRESENT:

WM. MARKHAM, esqr. Lt. Gor, et ysdem ut supra.

The Lt. Gor Resolved ye whole Council Into Comittee, to Join a Comittee of y whole Assembly, to prepare an address from ym as y° people's repsentatives to his matie, and to make report, &c. Adjourned to 30th instant.

[30 May, 1698.

Att a Council Held att philad. 30th May, 1698, die Lunæ.

PRESENT:

WM. MARKHAM, esqr., Leivt. Governor, et ysdem ut antea, except Jno Donaldson and Rd. Halliwell.