I fear this Calamity has been occasioned by an untimely piece of frugality: The frontier guard consisting of 250 Men; upon making the levies to form the Regiment that now serves under General Abercrombie 200 of these were reduced & only 50 Men left to guard this long frontier: This I imagined encouraged the Indians to make this Attack. I have therefore with the advise of the Council, ordered draughts out of the Militia of the neighbouring Counties to make up 200 men & shall encrease the Number if necessary: I have also sent orders to the commanding Officer for the better regulating the frontier guard which were Very much wanted. From these measures I hope I shall soon be able to inform your Lordships that these disorders are ceased.

I have fixed upon the 25th of July to call the Assembly together. This is the earliest day I could appoint on account of the harvest. I shall then propose to them to establish a certain & constant guard for the frontier. I have for that purpose before me a Very sensible Scheme proposed by a Quaker. It is no more than this: The whole Frontier to be guarded is of the length of 90 Miles on the banks of the Delaware. It is proposed to erect upon this line at the distance of 10 miles from each other 10 houses fortified against Muskets; and to have a guard of 25 Men at each of these houses with a sufficient Number of Dogs who are very useful in scenting the tracks of the Indians & preventing Ambuscades; To make two paths along this line of houses, the one along the banks of river, the other half a mile within land; & to have a patrol going from one house to another 3 or 4 times a day. By which means whenever any Indians pass the river It must be known in a few hours & probably before their Scent, which is very strong by their using Bears grease, is gone off the ground So that they will be

soon trackt & defeated or at least prevented in their Mischief. The chief Objection to this or some such Scheme will be the expence: But I hope to obviate that & that these barbarities will be effectually prevented for the future; of which I shall have great pleasure to be able to send an Account to your Lordships.

I find that since the death of Mr Belcher an Act has passed for emitting £50,000; I told the Council that this ought not to have been done without a Suspending Clause. They answered that His Majestys Service absolutely required it, for that they could not have sent their Regiment into the field without this aid. I observed that I was sorry to find that the Number of them sent from this province was thought by the General not to be equal to the ability of it. They said that they hoped it would be considered that within a short time they had lost two Regiments; That It was apprehended that they could not have raised more without using force which would have discredited the Service & weakened the forces themselves; That their Regiment was wholly composed of Volunteers & was universally allowed to be the best Corps of provincials that had joined the Army; And that they hoped that 1000 picked Men would do more service than 1500 indifferent ones. I believe the truth is that those Members of the Assembly who are most desirous to promote his Majestys Service, were apprehensive that if they had proposed more than 1000 they should have failed in their question; Since, as it was, there were 8 out of 20 Members present that Voted against any Augmentation.

I have ordered the Secretary to prepare Copies of all things that remain to be transmitted to England, & shall take care to send 'em to your Lordships before or soon after the meeting of the Assembly.

To morrow I sett out for Burlington to publish my

Commission there; a form which tho' not necessary has been usual: but must dispatch this before I go, as The Packet may probably sail before I return. I have the honour to be with great respect, My Lords, Your Lordships Most obedient and Most humble Servant

FRA. BERNARD

Letter from Governor Bernard to the Lords of Trade Had visited different parts of his Government and met with Governor Denny and General Forbes at Philadelphia about Indian invasion.

[From P. R. O., B. T., New Jersey, Vol. 8, I. 68.]

To the Rt Honble the Lords Commissioners of Trade & Plantations

My Lords

PERTH AMBOY July 3. 1758

I troubled your Lordships with a particular of what had passed here before I went to Burlington, & sent my Letter to New York that It might be ready for the Packet for England. But finding upon my return that the Packet boat had not sailed, I set down to continue my Account to the present time, hoping to get it to New York time enough for this mail.

I went from home on the 21st thro Brunswick & the next day at noon arrived at Trenton, from whence I dispatched a Messenger to Gov' Denny at Philadelphia informing him of the invasion of Our province by Indians who were supposed to be of some of the tribes that professed Peace with his Province & that I therefore had a particular occasion for his advise & assistance in providing for the Security of the Province. In

the Evning I went to Burlington & the next day published my Commission & received the usual compliments &c. The next day being the 24th as I was preparing to return to Amboy early in the morning, I received by my Messenger Letters from Gov' Denny, in which he signified that It was the desire of Gen' Forbes as well as his own that I should come to Philadelphia to confer with them about the Indian Invasion. I immediately set out for that City & arrived there about 11 in the forenoon; & had two conferences with the General & the Governor, the result of which was; that I should send orders to the commanding officer on our frontiers to endeavour by all means to take a prisoner & send him to me, that I might inform myself who our Enemy were; And that as It was generally believed that this Mischief was done by the Minnisink Indians now settled on the Susqeahannah, I should send a Message to them charging them with being the Authors of this Mischief & requiring them to declare whether they were friends or Enemies & if they chose to be reckoned as the former inviting them to a conference. This, We concluded must produce an Ecclaircissement that would enable me to direct my Military Operations if I am obliged to proceed with them. For these People are within our reach; & If they do not give us satisfaction I propose to repay their Visit before Winter.

The next morning early I returned to Bristol where I was attended by many of the principal Quakers of both Provinces, (who were very sollicitous to engage me to pursue peaceful Measures) & sev'ral other Gentlemen. Here I made up my Message to the Minissinks & another to Tudeyscung King of the Wioming Indians desiring him to accompany the Message to the Minissinks & having sent for two trusty Indians I sent 'em away directing 'em to go thro' Philadelphia & there to take with them a passport from the Gov' &

an English Flag: and I signified both in the Messages & verbally to the Messengers, that those Indians who proposed to visit us as friends must enter the Province below the falls at Trenton; for All Indians who crossed the River above Trenton would be considered as Enemies. In the Evning I returned to Trenton & the next Evning got to Amboy in good health tho' the Weather had been extremely sultry & what I should by no means have chose to march in if the public Service had not required it.

In the Course of my return I met with reports of a fresh invasion with a more numerous Enemy being intended; but from all circumstances It appeared allmost certain that this was nothing but the remains of the advises of the former. However I considered with myself how I might provide against an unexpected attack without any inconvenience to the Country: And therefore soon after I got home I sent orders to four Colonels of Militia from whom I had had no detachments, to muster 50 Men each & hold 'em ready to march to the assistance of Capt Gardner Commanding Officer of the frontier guard, whenever he should give notice of his wanting 'em, without waiting for orders from me. And I have signified to Capt" Gardner that he may send for those men when there will be an Occasion for them. So that We have now on the frontiers 200 Men, who may be reinforced by 200 more in 2 days time: the whole a force sufficient to oppose Any Enemy We can expect.

But I hope That this business is over for the present: For as I informed your Lordships that I believed It would not have happened if the frontier guard had not been drawn off & I expect It will cease upon reestablishing a guard there. I received Letters from Cap Gardner yesterday bearing date 26th of June, wherein I am informed that the only Action that has happened since the last Accounts was on the 12th, of

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