and from that time hath constantly been engaged in the duties of his Station; But so far from any adequate reward for his Services from this Country, he has been under the necessity to expend his own private fortune to support an appearance in some degree suitable to his Station. That His Excellency the Governor of this Province hath repeatedly applied to the Assembly of the Colony in order to obtain a competent Salary for your Memorialist, but without any success hitherto; nor is it probable that the Assembly will make any encrease of his allowance till a Commission can be obtained for him more independent of the Crown. Your Memorialist therefore hopes that from this representation, together with what may be subjoined by Governor Franklin, your Lordship will be pleased to exert your influence in his behalf to obtain for him such reasonable support from the Crown for his Services as may enable him to continue in this Colony to discharge the duties of his Station. And your Memorialist shall ever pray &c &c FRE: SMYTH. Letter from the Earl of Hillsborough to Governor Franklin, correcting an error in a former letter in regard to the Christian name of Mr. Skinner. Sir, [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 175 (193).] WHITEHALL, January 18th 1770 Governor Franklin Inclosed I send you the King's gracious Speech to His Parliament at the opening of the Session on the 9th Instant together with the Addresses of both Houses and His Majesty's gracious Answers thereto.' Allow me Sir, to correct a Mistake I made in my Letter of the 9th ultimo in the Christian Name of M! Skinner recommended to supply the Vacancy in the Council of New-Jersey, it being M Stephen Skinner and not M Courtlandt Skinner on whom that Office has been conferred. The King having thought fit to take the Great Seal out of the Hands of Lord Camden, it was yesterday delivered to M Charles Yorke, and it is His Majesty's intention that he should be immediately called up to the House of Lords. I am &a Letter from Governor Franklin to Cortlandt Skinner, relative to the riotous proceedings in Monmouth County. [From the Skinner Papers among Manuscripts of W. A. Whitehead, Vol. 2, No. 2.] NEW YORK Jan'y 28, 1770 Dear Sir Yours of the 26th containing an Acc' of the late riotous Proceedings at Monmouth' came to hand yesterday 1 Said the King: "It is needless for me to recommend to the serious attention of my parliament the state of my government in America. I have endeavoured, on my part, by every means, to bring back my subjects there to their duty, and to a due sense of lawful authority. It gives me much concern to inform you, that the success of my endeavours has not answered my expectations; and that, in some of my colonies, many persons have embarked in measures highly unwarrantable, and calculated to destroy the commercial connection between them and the mother country." To which the Lords and Commons replied in terms of suitable dutifulness, the latter assuring his Majesty: "No endeavours shall be wanting on our part, to make effectual provisions against the unwarrantable measures carried on in some of Your Majesty's colonies, which are so irreconcilable to every principle of commercial subserviency to the interest of the mother country that ought to prevail in colonies, and which, by attempting to subject the highest legal author. ity to the controul of individuals, tend to subvert the foundation of all govern ment."-Dodsley's Annual Register for 1776, 244–7.—[W. N.} 2 The riotous proceedings here spoken of originated in the bitter feeling that had for several years existed against the members of the legal profession, who were charged with growing rich, while belligerent creditors and harassed debtors were Evening. They are of so alarming a Nature that I have thought it necessary to write to the Dep' Sec" to Summon a Meeting of the Council at Amboy on Wed! the 7th of next Month by which Time I suppose they may be got together. I have likewise directed him to require the attendance of the Sheriff & the Justices of the County who were present at the riot, and if you think that the attendance of any others might be of Service I desire you would acquaint Mr. Bowes Read with their Names, that he may send to them at the same Time. I doubt not but the Council will be of Opinion with me that this is so audacious an Insult on Government that let the Consequences be what they may, the Offenders should be punished in the most Exemplary Manner that the Law will admit of. 66 becoming poor. It was claimed that law suits were multiplied at the instigation of lawyers, whose fees not only swallowed up the moneys collected by them, but brought their clients, and frequently the sheriff, in debt to them. They were denounced in no measured terms. The Stamp Act, which the lawyers had so successfully fought against, was designated as the first Wounding and devouring ser pent," but lawyers were publicly declared to be "Serpents seven times more devouring than the first, who in their daily Practice are as Private Leaches, sucking out our very Hearts Blood."-(See Pamphlet entitled “Liberty and Property without Oppression, 1769.") The excitement was intense. Petitions praying for relief against them were poured into the House of Assembly, where several of them were summoned to appear, and were subjected to long and tedious examinations. In only one instance was a conviction found, and that was in the case of Mr. Bernardus Legrange, and even in this case it was subsequently ascertained that the conviction was unjust, and an entry to that effect was ordered to be made on the Minutes of the House. Finding it impossible to obtain satisfaction before the House of Assembly, the enemies of the lawyers resorted, at length, to violence, and in July, 1769, they collected in crowds before the Court House in Freehold, Monmouth County, and tried to prevent the lawyers from entering, but through the efforts of Richard Stockton they were defeated in this, and the ring leaders were arrested and imprisoned. In January of the following year another assault was made upon the members of the bar of Monmouth County. On this occasion the rioters entered the Court House, armed with clubs and missiles, and drove the attorneys from the place, threatening them with personal violence. The business of the court was stopped completely, and it became necessary for Governor Franklin to call a special session of the Assembly, in order that an “Act be passed for reviving the process and proceeding." In Essex County similar disturbances took place, and on one occasion the stable and out-houses of David Ogden, a prominent lawyer, were burned. In this case, the rioters were arrested and punished. This outrage formed the subject of a message from the Governor to the House of Assembly, which will be found in this volume, under date of March, 1770, as well as his proclamation on the same subject under date of March 31, 1770. I hope to get my Business done so as to leave this D: Sr. Your most Obed' Serv Letter from Gov. Franklin to the Earl of Hillsborough, enclosing paper with observations on two acts of the New Jersey Assembly. [From P. R. O., America and West Indies, Vol. 175 (193).] BURLINGTON, Feb 12th 1770 The Right Honble the Earl of Hillsborough. My Lord, I take the first Opportunity to transmit to your Lordship Copies of the Acts passed at the last Sessions of the General Assembly held at this Place, and Copies of the Minutes of Council. The greatest Part of these Acts being of the same Nature with those usually pass'd at every Session to answer the local Purposes of the Inhabitants it is needless for me to trouble your Lordship with any Observations on them. There are two, however, of the Number which it is necessary I should more particularly point out to your Lordship's Notice, as one of them is pass'd with a Clause suspending its Execution till His Majesty's Pleasure shall be signified thereon, and the other is not to take place till the 20th of September next in order to give Time to any Persons, who may have objections to it, to apply for its Repeal if they think proper. The first is "An Act for striking One hundred Thousand Pounds in Bills of Credit," and for Emitting the same on Loan. I have before acquainted your Lordship with my Opinion that such an Emission of Paper Money would be advantageous both to the Mother Country and this Colony, and the Necessity there is for it is, I think, very justly set forth in the Preamble to this Act. The Objection made to the former Bill which passed the Council and Assembly for this Purpose, namely, the Money being made a legal Tender in all Payments, is obviated by this Act, which only obliges the Loan Offices to take it when tendered in Discharge of the Mortgages which were given for it. The Security which is required by the Act to be given for the Redemption of this Money is undoubtedly sufficient, being not only the Estates of the Borrowers mortgaged in Double the Value of the Sum borrowed, but the Estates of the whole County where the Borrower resides are liable to make good any Deficiency which may happen. The only Objection I have to the Act is the Appropriation of the Interest Money, which is left to the Disposition of future Acts of the Legislature. I think it would have been better to have appropriated the whole, or the greatest Part of it, to certain publick Purposes to be mentioned in the Act itself, such as, Providing Necessaries for the King's Troops, Making a more adequate Provision for the Support of the publick Officers of Government, Erecting suitable Houses for the Meetings of the Legislature and the Residence of the Governor at the two Seats of Government, Repairing and Straightening the Highways, Building Bridges, &c. Some Endeavors were used to persuade the Assembly to consent to such an Appropriation, but in vain. They chose rather to have the Interest Money lodg'd as a Fund in the Treasury ready to be appropriated to such Services as might from Time to Time be judg'd necessary: And, perhaps, it would be better even to admit of this |