An Act for Striking one hundred thousand pounds in Bills of Credit' Which Act together with a Representation from the Lords Commissioners for Trade and plantations thereupon having been referred to the Consideration of a Committee of the Lords of His Majestys most Honourable privy Council, The said Lords of the Committee did this Day Report to His Majesty as their opinion that the said Act ought to be disallowed His Majesty taking the same into Consideration was pleased with the Advice of His privy Council to declare his Disallowance of the said Act, and pursuant to His Majestys Royal pleasure thereupon Expressed the said Act is hereby disallowed declared Void and of none Effect-Whereof the Governor or Commander in Chief of His Majesty's said province of New Jersey for the time being and all others whom it may concern are to take notice and govern themselves accordingly Like Order with the aforegoing was issued for disallowing An Act passed in the province of New Jersey in the year 1769 Entituled A Supplementary Act to an Act Intituled an Act Appointing Commissioners for finally settling and determining the several Rights Titles and Claims of the Common Lands of the Township of Bergen, and for making partition thereof in just and Equitable proportions among those who shall be adjudged by the said Commissioners to be intituled to the same. 1 Joseph Galloway wrote, June 21, 1770, to his friend Benjamin Franklin: “I am greatly surprised at the conduct of the Administration, in relation to the New York and New Jersey paper money bills. The reasons assigned for their rejection are really ridiculous, and can be accounted for on no other ground, than that they are determined the Americans shall not have any paper medium at all. * A farmer pledges his land to the government, and takes paper. When he comes to redeem his pledge, ought he not to return the paper, and ought not the government to be obliged to receive it in discharge of the land ?”—Franklin's Works, VII. 182. This is a fair sample of the view taken of this measure in the Colonies generally. Letter from the Earl of Hillsborough to Gov. Franklin, Complimenting the Governor and Council of New Jersey. Sir, [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 193.] WHITEHALL, July 6, 1770. Governor Franklin. I have received your Dispatches of the 28th of April last, and having laid your Letter and such of the Papers as it refers to before the King, I have received His Majesty's Commands to communicate the Laws to the Board of Trade, together with an Extract of that part of your Letter, which contains an observation upon the Act for providing a Remedy against excessive Costs The Zeal & Activity of the Council and Civil Magistrates to suppress the dangerous Riots in the Counties of Monmouth and Essex are highly commendable; and it is to be hoped, from the account you give of their effect, that you will have no more trouble on that subject. The King sees with satisfaction the prudent Answer you gave to the Solicitation of the Assembly in respect to the Appointment of Coroners; for though it is very much to be wished that the Colonies should in all things conform as near as may be to the Usage and Practice in the Mother Country, yet you was certainly well advised in refusing to assent to such an Alteration in the Constitution of New Jersey without His Majesty's Directions for that purpose. I am &ca HILLSBOROUGH. Representation from the Lords of Trade to the King, relative to An Act regulating the practice of the law in New Jersey. [From P. R. O., B. T., New Jersey, Vol. 17, p. 230.] WHITEHALL, July 20th, 1770 To the King's most Excellent Majesty. May it please Your Majesty, We have had under our consideration an Act passed in Your Majesty's Province of New Jersey in June 1765, with a Clause suspending its execution until Your Majesty's pleasure is Known intituled "An Act for regulating the practice of the Law, "and other purposes therein mentioned."' We have also consulted M Jackson, one of Your Majesty's Counsel at Law, upon this Act, who has reported to us, that it contains sundry innovations in the Laws of the Province without sufficiently stating the inconvenience the remedy of which is intended, and in as much as above five Years have now passed without any application in its support notwithstanding the intimations given by the Governor that the Assembly would instruct the provincial Agent to solicit it who if such reasons had subsisted would probably have been enabled to supply them he therefore conceives this Act is not fit for Your Majesty's Approbation. For these Reasons we humbly beg leave to lay this Act before your Majesty for Your Majesty's Royal Disallowance. Which is most humbly submitted. GREVILLE, ROB SPENCER. In accordance with this recommendation the King in Council disallowed the above act, December 9, 1770,-N, J. Analytical Index, 417. Letter from Governor Franklin to the Earl of Hillsborough, relative to the displeasure of the Assembly at the disallowance of the Paper Money Act. [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 175 (193).] r PERTH AMBOY, Sept. 29 1770. Rt. Hon'ble the Earl of Hillsborough. My Lord, I am honoured with your Lordship's Dispatches of June 12th and July 6th-The Royal Disallowance of the Paper Money and Secaucus Acts I have communicated to the Council and Assembly who are now Sitting at this Place. The Members of the Assembly I find are greatly displeased at the former Act not being confirmed, as they thought they had obviated every Objection, and fully complied with His Majesty's Direc tions, contained in the Order of Council of the 26th of May 1769.-It was never imagined here that so extensive a Construction would be put upon the Act of Parliament for restraining paper Currencies in America, as that the Money should not even be a Tender to the Loan Offices that issued it. If this had been known here the Assembly would not have attempted to pass an Act for Striking Paper Money; for it would have been the Height of Absurdity to expect that any persons would mortgage their Estates to the Loan Office for Money which they could not afterwards oblige the Office to receive again in Discharge of their Mortgages. What, they say makes their Case the harder, is, that the two Proprietary Governments of Pensylvania and Maryland have had for some Years' past, and at this very Time, a considerable Sum of paper Money circulating, which, tho' not a legal Tender in common Payments between Man and Man, is nevertheless a Tender to the Treasuries from whence it issued; and that the Acts passed in those Provinces for this purpose, tho' transmitted regularly from time to time to His Majesty, have never been disallowed.--But what gives me particular Concern is, that I am not without Apprehensions that a Party among them will take Advan tage of the Ill humour, occasioned by their Disappointment in this respect, and prevail on the Assembly not to grant any Money for the Support of the King's Troops stationed in this Province; which would, in all Probability, have been the Case last Year, if Expectations had not been given them of a Paper Currency to enable them to do it in a Manner easy and agreeable to the People.--As it is now only the Beginning of the Session it is impossible to say what will be the Event, but His Majesty may rely upon my doing all in my Power to bring them to a better Temper and a proper Sense of their Duty.' I have the Honour to be, with the greatest Respect, My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient humble Servant W FRANKLIN P. S.--Enclosed is a Copy of my Speech, at the Opening of the Session. Letter from Gov. Franklin to the Earl of Hillsborough, announcing the Action of the Assembly relative to provision for the supply of the troops, the appointment of Barrack Masters, etc. My Lord, [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 175 (193).] BURLINGTON Nov! 5th 1770 I did myself the Honour to write to your Lordship on the 29th of September last, informing you that I Lord Hillsborough replied November 15, 1770, and stated that he had laid this letter before the King.-N. J. Analytical Index, 417. |