A Brief State of the Province of Pennsylvania

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BRIEF STATE

PROVINCE

PENNSYLVANIA WILLIAM SMITH,

c

D. D.

NEW YORK:

REPRINTED FOR JOSEPH SABTN 1865.

200 copies printed on small paper. 50

coj/ies

on larye paper.

-A

No.

RrVKRSIDE, cambridoe: PRINTED BY H.

0.

HOCOHTON AND COMPANY.

S^

\

A

BR EF

STATE Of

the

I

Province

of

PEMMSTLVAN'IA.

[

Price

One

Shilling.

]

STATE BRIEF

A

THE

F

PROVINCE OF

PEJVJV'STLFANIJ, 1

The

N

wHIcH

Condu(5l of their

Years paft

Assemblies

impartially examined, and the

is

true Caufe of the continual

the

for feveral

French difplayed, more

Defign of their

late

Encroachments of

efpecially the fecret

unwarrantable Invafion

and Settlement upon the River Ohio. To

An

eafy

Plan

which

is

annexed,

for reftoring

Quiet

in the public

Mea-

fures of that Province, and defeating the ambitious

Views of

the French in time to come.

LETTER

from a Gentleman who has refided many Years in Pennjyhania

In a

to his

Friend

in

London.

The Second Edition. L Printed for R.

ND ON:

Griffiths at Nojhr-Row.

the Dunciad^ in Pater-

1755.

[9]

A

BRIEF

STATE Of

the

Province

of

PEJfJ^SYL VAKIA. Dear

Sir,

your INAccount

laft,

you was pleafed

to defire

fome

of the State of Penn/ylvania,

gether with the Reafons

teemed one of the

why

richeft

to-

who

are ef-

Colonies in

North

we,

America, are the moft backward in contributing the Defence of the BritiJJi Dominions in

to

thefe

Parts, againft

the prefent unwarrantable

Invafions of the French ?

many Years tial

a Spedlator,

and

As I

I

have been

think an impar-

one, of the public Meafures purfued in this

Province, Defire.

I fhall

very readily

We are now

in

fatisfy

your whole

an alarming Situation,

but we have brought the Evil upon ourfelves,

and Things are now come

to that Crifis, that if I

[ I

lo]

was under no Obligation

to fatisfy

deem my

pectations, yet I fhould

pardonable Negledl of the Duty Country. —

You were

your Ex-

Silence an unI

owe

my

to

when you were North

rightly informed

told that, of all the BritiJIi Colonies in

America, Pennfylvania Its

Staple

is

chiefly Provifions, of

duces enough to maintain

thoufand

Men

adelphia, at annually.

about

whom,

Two it is

the moft flourifhing.

is

befides.

400

leafl:

The

itfelf,

From Sail

which

it

pro-

and a Hundred

the Port of Phil-

of Veffels clear out

Inhabitants are

computed

at

hundred and twenty thoufand, of thought near one half are Germans.

Of the Refidue not quite two Fifths are Above that Number are Pre/by terians remaining Fifth are of the

Quakers, \

and the

efiablijlid

Church,

with fome few Anabaptijls.

The

compofed of a Governor and AfTembly but the Council makes no Part of it. The AfTembly are chofen annually, and claim a Right, by Charter, to fit on their own Adjournment, without being prorogued or dif^ folved by their Governors, although the Attorney-General of England, and many other eminent Lawyers, have given their Opinion to the contrary. The Powers they enjoy are extraorLegiflature

is

;

dinary,

[

"

]

dinary, and fome of them fo * repugnant, that

they are the Source of the greateft Confufion in the Government, out,

we muft

make this confiderable num-

In order clearly to

look backward a

ber of Years.

As

Colony was

the

chiefly

fettled

firft

by

Quakers, the Powers of Government refted for

them

the moft Part in

;

which they conducted

with great Mildnefs and Prudence, not having as yet conceived

any Thoughts of turning Relig-

ion into a political

A

great

Scheme of Power.

many Circumftances concurred

them

in the

Firft

of

good Opinion of

this

ftri6l

fober, thoughtful People.

was then

found.

No

The recommend

World.

Profeftion ftrove to

themfelves by their

tion

the

to fix

Honefty, and were a

The

in its Infancy,

and

civil Conftituits

Principles

was required in the Adand no bad EfFeds were felt

great Art

miniftration of

it,

from the Extraordinary Privileges granted to the People, for the

more expeditious Settlement

of the Colony.

Thofe who have made

know

Politics their Study,

very well, that Infant-Settlements flourifh fafteft

* In fome Inftances they have both a

Power.

leg'tjlati've

and execut't'ue

12 ]

[

under a Government leaning to the

fafteft

re-

publican or popular Forms, becaufe fuch a Gov-

ernment immediately in the

common

interefts

every Individual

Profperity, and fettles itfelf at

once on a broad and firm

Bafis. Moreover, the People being but few, and but fmall Profit in

Government may alfo be adand Anarchy incident to popular Forms. But in Proportion as a Country grows rich and populous, more Checks are wanted to the Power of the People and the Government, by nice Gradations, fhould verge more and more from the popular to the mixt Forms. Thus it may happen that a Conpublic Offices, the

minifler'd without the Fadtion

;

ftitution

which

fhall preferve

Liberty and excite

hidvjlry in any Country, during fhall

be prejudicial to both,

Infancy,

its

when Circumflances

are altered.

For

thefe Reafons, a civil Conflitution can nei-

ther be preferved nor completed, unlefs, in the

Diflribution or is

paid to

all

Lodgment of Power,

nice

Regard

the Fluctuations in Trade, Property,

and other Cafualties

;

and fhould either

Wifdom

or Opportunities be wanting to adjufl the ftitution to thefe Circumflances,

urally into Convulfions

;

it

mufl

and, unlefs

it is

Con-

fall

nat-

able to

purge it

itfelf thro' the Strength of its Stamina, muft linger into certain DifTolution. Upon

thefe

>3]

[

thefe Principles,

to

Flux and Revolutions

the

may be accounted

of Empires

Now

all

for.

apply thefe maxims to Pennfylvania.

The Quakers^

as

was hinted, could not

fail

to

get Credit by their Adminiftration, under the

above-mentioned Circumftances. fors,

who were

from the Founders of themfelves

Their Succef-

quite a different Sort of

eftablifhed,

this

Men

Province, finding

quickly enlarged

their

Views, and have continued the Power in their

own Hands

Time, without leaving a Chance for thofe Struggles and Contentions about it, by means of which the Conftitution might have been purged, improved, and adapted to the Change of Circumftances. till

this

Thus, in dired Contradidion to the Rule laid

down

above, the People, inftead of being

fubje6led to at

firft

;

and

more Checks, are under fewer than their Power has been continually

Numbers and

Riches, while

their Governors, far

from keeping

increafing with their

the

Power of

Pace with

theirs,

has rather been decreafing in

the fame Proportion

quence of ftead of it

ought

fad,

this

is

ever fince.

clear.

drawing nearer

The Confe-

The Government,

in-

to the niixt Forins^ as

its Growth, is now, in pure Republic^ than when there

in Proportion to

more

a

were

;

:

H]

[

were not ten thoufand Souls veniencies of this

and they

The Incon-

it.

to feel feverely,

with the

continually increafe

mufl;

Numbers of

in

we now begin

Government becomes at lafl: fo unwieldly as to fall a Prey to any Invader, or fink beneath its own Weight, People,

the

unlefs a fpeedy

Remedy

is

till

the

applied.

—

Tho' many Circumstances concurred

to bring

us into this fad State, yet the chief Source of the

Evil was what follows

In the Year 1723, the old Proprietor William Penn, being lately dead, and his next Heirs,

Law among

at

ment and

Soil,

themfelves about the GovernSir

William Keith, who was

then Governor, falling into the

Hands of the

Af-

fembly, pafled a Law, giving them the fole Dif-

Money,

Contempt of all the Inftrudions of the Proprietary Family. pofal of

all

public

in manifeft

This entirely completed the Scheme of Power our Afiemblies had been long aiming

at,

by

fucceeding Governors, and

all

the Of-

dering ficers

for

all

of the Province, dependent upon them

now

they annually either vote or with-hold

the Salaries of the Governor and cers,

ren-

according as they

ures of the Afi'embly.

all

fuch Offi-

are, or are not, the Creat-

And

indeed moft of them

muft

[

muft be

fo

;

for

15]

our Aflemblies have wrefted,

Hands of the Governor, the Nomiof a great many of the * Officers that

out of the nation

hold the moft lucrative Pofts in the Government.

PoflefTed

of fuch unreftrained Powers and

Privileges, they

feem quite intoxicated

;

are fac-

and difregard the Proprietors Governors. Nay, they feem even to

tious, contentious,

and

their

claim a kind of Independency of their Mother-

Country, defpifing the Orders of the Crown, and refufing to contribute their Quota, either to the

general Defence of America, or that of their

own

particular Province.

As

a glaring Inftance of the former, I need

mention their Oppofition to Governor Thomas, in raifing Soldiers to fend againft the Spaniards in the Wejl-htdies, and their abfolute only

Refufal to contribute a Farthing for that Ser-

Since that Time, during the whole Courfe

vice.

of the

late

War, they have

often been called

upon by the Crown, and by Governor

SJiirlcy

of the MaJ/achu/ets, for the Expedition againft

Cape-Breton, &c.

To

all

which,

if

they have at

* Such as the Provincial Treafurer Office

;

;

the Truftees of the Loan-

the Colleftor of the Excife, Bronder of Flour, Bronder of

Beef and Pork, Health Officer,

fefr.

I^]

[

at

any Time contributed,

redly, and in a

it

has been done indi-

Manner fhameful

to this rich

Province; fo grudgingly, and in fuch fmall Sums,

common

as rather to hurt than ferve the

of the

Forgetful

public

Good, they feem

wholly to have employed themfelves ing after Power, altho' ready too

much of

inconfiftent

and

Nor have

as

own

really

is

particular Province, than of

American Dominions,

and that

Expence of

and fuch

this,

in grafp-

plain they have al-

felf-deftrudlive.

In Pennfylvania, tification,

is

they been more attentive to the De-

fence of their his Majefty's

it

Caufe.

we have but one

raifed

made

The

at the

Proprietors,

us a Prefent of twelve

large Cannon, part of the twenty-fix

mounted, and they have

fmall For-

and fupported

private People.

indeed, generoufly

in general.

alfo

we have

given the Gunner

of the Fort a Salary of twenty Voundi?, per An-

num

towards his Support f.

We

are otherwife entirely

t

The

five years

honourable Proprietors alfo propofed to our AfTembly ago,

That

if

the Affembly would give

Money

ing a Strong-Houfe on the Ohio (not venturing to call

any Thing that implied Defence) they, the

on

Fort, or

faid Proprietors

any reafonable Proportion ing and fupporting of the faid Strong-Houfe. But their Part, contribute

for buildit

would,

to the buildthis Propofal,

like

>/] without Arms [

entirely naked,

or

Ammunition,

and expofed to every Invafion, being under no Obligation to military Duty. In the laft War, one of the Spanijli Privateers came up the Delaware, within a itv^ Miles of this City; and when thofe,

and

who were

not Quakers^ took the Alarm,

Defence of the

aflbciated themfelves for the

Country, they not only received no Encouragement from the AfTembly, but were abufed and reproached for their Pains, and the Dttiek or

Germans kept back from joining tion,

by

The

all pofTible

the

under-hand Pradlices.

Frenc/i, well apprized of this defencelefs

and disjointed ligious

in the Aflbcia-

and prefuming on the

State,

re-

Principles of our ruling People, have,

Year before

laft,

invaded the Province, and

have adlually three Forts, the Limits of

it.

now

ere(5led far

Juftly, therefore,

War

may we

fume

that, as

take

PofTeffion

really

be faid to have ftronger Footing in

foon as

within

of the whole, fince they

we, having three Forts

in

it

pre-

declared, they will

is

it

may than

fupported at public

Expence, and we but one fmall Fort, fupported only by private Gentlemen. 'Tis like it

many

others,

came from

was rejefted with Scorn, merely, perhaps, becaufe

the Proprietors

;

nor was

thy of a Place in their Minutes

it

though

fo

much

as thought

clear, if

it

complied with, the French had not now been

fortified

in the

River, as they

now

arc.

3

wor-

had been

it is

;

fame

[

'Tis

true

'8]

our Neighbours, the Virginians^

have taken the Alarm, and called on our ance to repell the

AfTift-

common Enemy, knowing

French hold Footing in PennfylvaIn like manner, nia, their Turn muft be next. among the reft, ours Governors, and feveral the have received his Majefty's gracious Orders to raife Money, and the armed Force of their refpedlive Governments on fuch an Emergency and had thefe Orders been complied with laft Winter, the French would neither have been able to drive the Virginians from the Fort they had begun in the back Parts of Pennfylvania^ nor yet to get PofTefTion of one third Part of the Province, which they now have undoubtedly got thro' the Stubbornefs and Madnefs of our Afthat if the

;

femblies.

But here two Queftions

Why

1.

are our AfTemblies againft defending

a Country, in which their tates

lie, if it is

2.

will naturally arife.

Why have

really in

own

Fortunes and Ef-

Danger

not the feveral

?

Sums been

ac-

cepted, which they have offered for the King's

Ufe?

With

regard to the

firft,

it

may feem

a Solecifrn

'9]

[

cifm

in Politics, for a

own Property when

People not to defend

it is

their

adlually invaded^ unlefs

they were certain of the Friendship of the Invaders.

I ihail not,

however, be

fo uncharitable as to

fuppofe our political Quakers reckon ent, whether, or not, the

felves Maifers

of

fhall

it indiffer-

make them-

Province, notwithflanding

this

Perfons at a Diflance

French

may be

the following Reafons.

i/?,

apt to judge fo for

From

the contin-

ued Refufal of our AfTemblies to defend the Province.

7.dly^

From

the extraordinary Indul-

gence and Privileges granted to Papijls

Government

:

—

in this

Privileges plainly repugnant to

our political Interefls, confidered as a Fron-

all

on the French^ and one Race of Germans^ liable to be feduced by every enterprizing Jefuit, having almofl no Proteflant Clergy among them to put them on their Guard, and warn them tier-Colony, bordering

half of the People an uncultivated

againfl Popery.

Tho'

this

might be infinuated, yet from Ob-

fervation I have Reafon to believe, that mofl of

the

Quakers without Doors are

really againft

Defence from Confclence and their religious Tenets but for thofe within Doors, I cannot ;

but afcribe their Condudl rather to Interefl than Confcience.

Our

[20] Our Aflemblles apprehend, Sums

that as foon as they

agree to give fufficient fence of the Country,

of

all

their

Power,

it

as

for the regular

would

De-

Root

ftrike at the

Quakers, by making a

Militia-Law needful, in Time of Danger. Such Law, they prefume, would alter the whole face of Affairs, by creating a vaft Number of new Relations, Dependencies, and Subordinations in the Government. The Militia, they fuppofe, would all vote for Members of Aflembiy, and being dependent on their Officers, would probably be influenced by them. The Officers, again, as a

they imagine, would be influenced by the Gov-

ernment; and thus the Quakers foon be out-voted in

would For this

fear they

moft Places.

Caufe, they will fufler the Country to the

lafl;

Extremity, hoping that

Neighbours

will, for their

own

when

fall

it is fo,

into

our

Sakes, defend

it,

without obliging them to pafs a Law, which,

would fo foon ftrip them of their darBut this Backwardnefs of theirs

they

fear,

ling

Power.

has quite a contrary Eff^edt; for the neighbour-

ing Colonies, feeing this Colony, that

is

imme-

diately attacked, doing nothing, refufe to exert

themfelves for a People,

who

are able, but un-

willing, to defend themfelves.

Thus much

in

anfwer to

the firjl

Quef-

tion.

With

[21 With to

]

regard to the fccond,

little

need be

fhew why the Monies they have

faid

offered for

the King's Service never could be accepted of

For while they have the forefaid Apprehenfions from a Law for the Defence of the Country, it muft be plainly repugnant to their Intereft, ever to offer

Money

for this Purpofe, unlefs in fuch

Manner as they know the Duty of a Governor

a

to be inconfiftent with to pafs their Bill into a

fully underflood from what which will alfo fhew by what Means they fave Appearances among the People, without doing any Thing for the Public.

Law.

This will be

follows,

There was a royal Inftrudion fent to all the EngliJJi Governors in America^ upon the humble Addrefs of the Lords and Commons, fignifying. That under Pain of his Majefly's highefl Difpleafure, they fhall not pafs any A6t for the EmifTion of Paper-Money, without a fufpending Claufe, that it fhall not take Effedl till his Majefly's Pleafure is known. Since that Time, upon Petition of the chief Merchants in England, an

A61 of Parliament was ing the four

pafTed, entirely reftrain-

New-England

ting any Paper-Bills at

all,

Colonies from emit-

except

in the

Cafe of

an Invafion, or fome great Emergency, and then the fame to be funk in a few Years.

But the

Southern Provinces flill continue under Force ot the Inftrudion.

the

Our

[22] Governor, Mr. Hamilto7i, upon receiving his Majefty's Orders to arm the Province, folicited the Aflembly laft Winter, to raife

Our

late

Money, and enable him dience to the royal

pay a proper Obebut they to;

him, and adjourned themfelves.

tally difregarded

Upon

to

Commands

receiving an Account that the French had

driven the Virginians from their Fort, he again

them

called the Aflembly, conjured

to

obey

his

and demonftrated the imminent Danger to which their Refufal would expofe not only themfelves, but all the BritiJJi Colonies. Majefliy's Orders,

He

at the

fame Time

let

his Inftrudlions reftrained

Paper-Money at

all

without a fufpending Claufe,

yet, in the prefent prefling

rifque

it,

and fmk

them know, that tho' him from pafling any Emergency, he would

provided they would vote handfomely, it

within the

Time

prefcribed

by A61

of Parliament, in the Cafe of Ncw-Engla7id. Then, and not till then, they voted 10,000/. for his Majefty's Ufe, redeemable by the Excife in twelve Years, for which

be funk annually

Time

the Bills were to

in equal Proportions.

In that Space the Excife would raife 45,000/. viz. 10,000/ for the King's Ufe, and the remaining 35,000/ would have been at their own Difpofal for what Ufes they might think fit.

The

[23] The Governor,

therefore, juftly

that if he ihould pafs this Bill,

ing the Government out of his

confidered,

would be Hands, and

it

givren-

dering himfelf and his SuccefTors entirely unneceflary in the Adminiftration for twelve Years.

would be putting 35,000/. into the Hands of the Aflembly, ftill more to increafe their Power, and lay out in Schemes to abridge the Powers of their Proprietors and Governors for tho' the Preambles to all our Money-A6ls, and to the Excife, fay that the Intereft-Money, and what It

;

arifes

from the Excife, are to be applied to the

Support of Government; yet they apply they pleafe,

viz. to

diftrefs all

who

it

as

oppofe their

Meafures, and for building Hofpitals, purchafing

Lands, Libraries, &c.

For the

thefe Reafons,

Money was

and confidering

to continue feven

alfo that

Years longer

than the A61 of Parliament allows, the Governor refufed his AfTent altho' they

knew

;

upon which they adjourned,

very well before they propofed

the Bill, that he could not give his AfTent, with-

out incurring his Majefty's highefl Difpleafure.

Upon Summer,

the the

News

of Wa/Imigtons Defeat, laft Governor again fummoned them,

and intreated them Situation of

to confider the

Ajfiairs,

and

fall

melancholy

upon Ways and

Means

;

[24] Means to repel the Enemy, confiftent with his Duty to pafs it; he having, in the mean Time, received Sir Diidley Riders Opinion, that he

could not, w^ith Safety to himfelf, pafs fuch an

A6t

they wanted.

as

They then voted him

15,000/. to be raifed exa6tly as before, being

Governor could not venture to pafs Accordingly, upon his Refufal, they again it. adjourned, and to intimidate other Governors certain the

from daring

to difpute their

Commands,

with-

held his yearly Salary.

Mr. Hamilton, a Gentleman of great Honor, Probity, and good Senfe, having for fome Time forefeen, that with fuch an obilinate and perverfe People, he could never, as Governor, enjoy Eafe to himfelfj nor be in a Capacity either to

obey

the King's Inftrudlions, or be of any real Ser-

vice

to the Province his native Country,

had

wrote over to the Proprietors to fend him a SuccefTor,

afluring

them he would no longer con-

tinue to adl as Governor.

Upon

Appointment of the Proprietors, he was accordingly fucceeded by the Hon. Robert Hunter Morris^ Efq the

This Gentleman, upon

his

coming

Government, immediately fpoke,

in

into the

the

mofl;

pathetic

pathetic Terms, to the

of the old

new AfTembly, compofed

Members. —

After a fhort Adjournment, they met and offered a Bill for 20,000

Terms

/.

conceived in the fame

make

Paper-Money new Govthem before-hand, that he was

as before, viz. to

the

extend for twelve Years, though the ernor had told

fame Inftrudions as his Predeand could not pafs any fuch Bill into a

fubjedled to the cefTors,

Law.

Thus

their

whole Condudl has been of a Piece

in this Country, tho' I

am

well afTured

it is

very

much difapproved of and condemned by their Brethren the Quakers in England^ who are juftly efteem'd a quiet and upright People, fuch as we already obferv'd the ince were.

It

is

firft

Quakers

in this

Prov-

very plain they have no mind

to give a fmgle Shilling for the King's Ufe, unlefs

own Power Money in orSide, who not

they can thereby increafe their

but they keep continually voting der to keep the People on their

;

being well enough acquainted with the Nature of Government, to underftand

why

the

Money-

Bills

cannot be pafTed, think every fuch Rejec-

tion

of a Money-Bill, a Defign againft their

and throw the whole Blame upon Proprietors and Governors, treatiiig their

Liberties, their

-