Circular letter from the Earl of Hillsborough to the Governors in America, relative to letters received by them from his Majesty's Secretaries of State. [From P. R. O. America and West Indies. Vol. 254 (272).] WHITEHALL Septber 2nd 1768 Circular to all the Governors in America The King having observed that the Governors of His Colonies have upon several Occasions taken upon them to communicate to their Councils and Assemblies either the whole or parts of Letters which they have received from His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, I have it in command from His Majesty to signify to you that it is His Majesty's Pleasure that you do not, in testimony of their sense of his, and his Peoples justice in causing the murtherers of some Indians to be put to death within his Government did now confer upon him the name of Sagorighweyoghsta, or the Great Arbiter or Doer of Justice, wishing that he and the people of his Government might continue to act with the same Justice they had hitherto done. Whereupon Gov Franklin returned them thanks for the favor and assured them both himself and the people of his Government would upon all occasions manifest their esteem for the Indians and their inclination to do them justice." On November 4th, Sir William Johnson, in addressing the Indians, said: "The Gov' of New Jersey being called hence by some urgent business has desired me to inform you that he can not think of taking leave of His Brethren the Six Nations without once more expressing the Happiness he has received from finding that they entertain such right sentiments of his justice, & that of the good people under his Government He has himself the highest sense of the value & importance of the name conferred on him & doubts not but that future Governors & the chief men & inhabitants of New Jersey will be ever carefull to deserve so Distinguished a Title among the Indian Nations as that of Sagorrihwhioughstha, Doer of Justice. The Governor has likewise requested me to remind you that at a Treaty held at Easton in the year 1758 the Delaware and other Indians who had any pretensions to Land in New Jersey, did for a valuable consideration give a general release for all the Lands in that Province except such parts as were reserved by Law for the use of those Indians who chose to live under the protection of that Governm'. This was done in public Council in the presence of many of the Six Nations and the Governor would therefore be glad, that at this Congress (where are present so many cheifs of the different Nations belonging to the Confederacy & when a general Boundary Line between the subjects of His Brittannic Majesty in America & their Bretheren the Indians is to be settled) you would do the Province of New Jersey the justice to confirm the said Release by acknowledging in public that that Province is entirely free from all Indian Claims, except as before upon any pretence whatever, Communicate either to the Council or Assembly any Copies or Extracts of such Letters as you shall receive from His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, unless you have His Majesty's particular directions for so doing. I am &ca HILLSBOROUGH Letter from Secretary Hillsborough relative to the letter from the Assembly of Massachusetts Bay. Sir, [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 173 (191).] WHITEHALL, October 12th 1768. Governor Franklin. On the 1st Instant I received Your Letters N° 6. 7. and 8, and have laid them with their Enclosures before The King. Those numbered 6. and 8. the one containing your Observations upon the Laws of the last Session of Assembly the other recommending M Stockton to sup ply the Vacancy in the Council by the Death of M Woodruff, are ordered by His Majesty to be communicated to the Board of Trade. menta. His Reason for this request is that this matter may be held in remembrance by all the nations present & by that means be more surely handed down to their Posterity." The next day (Saturday, Nov. 5), the Indians in reply said: “We are glad to see that Governor Francklin is so well pleased with our having bestowed one of our own names upon him & are well pleased [to] hear you promise that he will always be ready to do us justice. We hope that all future Governors will act the same part. We acknowledge that several of our Nations now present were witnesses to the transaction at Easton & therefore acquit that Province of any demand & we have only to desire of him to follow your example in his future conduct towards us, which will sufficiently recommend him and his people to our esteem." -N. Y. Col. Docs., VIII., 115, 117, 131-2-1. The proceedings at the Treaty of Easton, referred to, are related fully in Smith's New Jersey, 450; in Penn. Col. Record, VIII., 174-223, and the results are briefly summarized in N, J. Archives, IX., 139-12.-[W. N.] The pains which appear by your Letter, N° 7 to have been taken by the Assembly to conceal from you their proceedings upon the Letter from the Assembly of Massachusetts Bay, shews but too plainly the sense they had of the measures they were about to pursue, & it is very proper that M! Skinner should know that his Conduct upon this Occasion has not escaped His Majesty's Notice. I am &ca HILLSBOROUGH Order in Council appointing Richard Stockton, Esq., to be of the Council of New Jersey, in the room of Samuel Woodruff, Esq., deceased. L. S. [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 107.] AT THE COURT AT ST JAMES'S THE 2ND PRESENT The Kings most Excellent Majesty in Council. Whereas there was this Day read at the Board, a Representation from the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, dated the 1st of this Instant Setting forth, That Samuel Woodruff Esquire, one of His Majestys Council for the province of New Jersey, is Dead, and that Richard Stockton Esquire hath been recommended to the said Lords Commissioners, as a person every way Qualified to serve his Majesty in that Station, they therefore humbly propose, that he may be appointed of His Majestys Council in that province in the room of the said M' Woodruff deceased His Majesty in Council approving thereof, is pleased to Order, as it is hereby Ordered, that the said Richard Stockton Esquire be constituted and appointed a Member of His Majestys said Council for the province of New Jersey, in the room of the said Samuel Woodruffe Esquire deceased and that the Right Honorable the Earl of Hillsborough, one of His Majestys principal Secretaries of State do cause the Usual Warrant to be prepared for His Majestys Royal Signature accordingly' W. BLAIR. Letter from Secretary Hillsborough to Gov. Franklin, relative to the New Jersey bill for issuing £100,000 and the unwarrantable proceedings of the Assembly in connection therewith. Sir, [From P. R. O. America and West Indies. Vol. 173 (191).] WHITEHALL Nov! 15th 1768 Governor of New Jersey I have received and laid before the King your Dispatches to me numbered 9. 10. 11. 12. Of these Dispatches the only one upon which I have any commands from His Majesty is that numbered 9, in which you desire to be instructed, whether you may give your assent to an Act for emitting £100,000 in Bills of Credit upon Loan, without a Clause suspending its execution, until His Majesty's pleasure can be known, provided the Bills are not made a legal Tender, and the Interest is appropriated to publick purposes. If the whole merit of this measure depended upon these circumstances, and it did require no other restriction and limitation, His Majesty's consent would seem to follow of course; but the King apprehends that this For a sketch of Richard Stockton, see post, under date of February 28, 1774. is by no means the case, and thinks that the necessity there is for so large a Sum as this is, the nature and extent of the public Services to be provided for, and the Fund and Security for the redemption of the Bills, are some, amongst many other material circumstances, necessary to be fully set forth and explained, before His Majesty can decide upon the propriety of the measure; and therefore His Majesty does not think fit, that any Law of this kind should be assented to by you, unless a Draft of the Bill has been first transmitted, for His Majesty's approbation, or that there is a Clause suspending its execution, until His Majesty's pleasure can be known. The petition to His Majesty of the House of Representatives of New Jersey on the subject of some late Acts of Parliament, which Petition is mentioned by you, in your Letter No 5. to have been agreed upon by the Assembly has not yet been received from you (which is undoubtedly the proper Channel through which it should pass to the Throne) nor has it been presented by any other person, although printed and published under the direction of the Assembly, a Proceeding which His Majesty cannot but consider as most unwarrantable & disrespectful. Inclosed I send you His Majesty's speech to His Parliament at the opening of the Session on the 8th instant, together with the Addresses to the King from both Houses, one of which Addresses passed nemine contradicente, and the other without a division. This happy unanimity and the resolution to preserve entire & inviolate the supreme authority of the Legislature of Great Britain over every part of the British Empire, so strongly expressed in these Addresses, will, I trust, have the happy effect to defeat and disappoint the wicked Views of those, who seek to create disunion and disaffection between Great Britain & her Colonies, and that all His Majesty's Subjects in America, who |
