ye Proprietors may have a more probable expectation of reaping the Benefits expected from their Services and conceiving, likewise that His Majesty out of His great desire of giving Protection to all his Subjects in their Endeavours to advance the Trade of these Nations will be pleased to see your Memorialists in particular, deserving of that protection, on account of the great Sums they have already disbursd: the increase of Subjects procured through their means and expence: and the advantages that must derive from a pursuit of their project to these Kingdoms: From these several reasons. Your Memorialists Pray that Your Lordship will be pleased to recommend them to His Majesty for a Grant of the aforesaid Establishment of Trois Rivieres for y purpose of Founding an Iron Factory; together with the Buildings that may be remaining on the premises, & the right of the rivulet whereon the same are said to be Built, from its Sourse being about Two miles above the said Buildings. And your Memorialists will ever pray & Letter from Governor Franklin to Secretary Lord Shelburne in relation to the Annual Charges in the Province of New Jersey, as well as to the quitrents. [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 270 (291).] To the Right Honble the Earl of Shelburne My Lord, Secry of State I am just honoured with your Lordships Letter of the 11th of December, requiring an Estimate of the annual Charges, and an Account of the Quit Rents, &c. in this Colony. On the first Head I had before receiv'd a Letter from the Secretary to the Treasury, which I answered on the 28th of December. I enclose your Lordship a Copy of what I then Sent to him, as it is the best Account I can give of that Matter. As to the Quit-Rents, the whole Province of NewJersey was granted by King Charles the Second to his Brother James Duke of York, in the Year 1664, under a Quit-Rent of Forty Beaver Skins yearly. The Dutch afterwards possessed themselves of this Province, but restor❜d it at the End of the War by Treaty; and King Charles the Second did again grant it to the Duke of York, by Letters Patent dated the 29th Day of June 1674. In August 1680, The Duke convey'd one Half of the Province by the Name of West New Jersey to Edward Byllinge and others, and in March 1682 he conveyed the other Half, or East New Jersey, to James Earl of Perth William Penn, and others. The Present Proprietors of the Soil of New Jersey hold their respective shares under some of the Grantees of the Duke of York, clear of Quit Rent, except the Forty Beaver Skins reserved as above in the Royal Letters Patent, and Twenty Nobles reserved by the Duke of York. Whether they have ever paid the Crown any part of this Rent, is what I cannot learn, but I am Inclin'd to think that the whole is in arrears. The Proprietors of each Division manage their Affairs by a Council chosen among themselves, and the Government has no more Knowledge of their Transactions than it has of those of any other private Persons in the Province. I am, very respectfully, My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient & most humble Servant WM FRANKLIN Order of the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs, referring to the Board, for their report, the Petition of Mr. Wilmot, the Agent of New Jersey, to the King, proposing alterations to be made in the annexed List of Commissioners for settling the Boundary Line between the Provinces of New York and New Jersey. L. S. [From P. R. O., B. T., New Jersey, Vol. 9, K. 66.] AT THE COUNCIL CHAMBER WHITEHALL By the Right Honourable the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs His Majesty having been pleased to referr unto this Committee, the humble petition of Henry Wilmot, Agent for the province of New Jersey, setting forth, amongst other things, that in Consequence of His Majesty's Order in Council, of the 19th of December 1764, a Draft of a Commission hath been prepared, by his Majesty's Attorney and Sollicitor General, for appointing certain Persons, whose names were contained in a List annexed to the said Order, to be Commissioners, finally to settle the Boundary Line, between the provinces of New York and New Jersey, from the Station on Hudson's River, to the Station on Delaware River; And humbly praying that Charles Stewart Esquire, now Surveyor General of the Customs, for the Northern District of North America, may be Appointed a Commissioner in the Room of John Temple Esquire the late Surveyor General And that Mess" Buckley, Morris, Guerrish and Gorham, may be struck out from being Commissioners in regard they are In habitants of Nova Scotia, which is at so great a Distance from New Jersey, that those provinces have no Intercourse with each other, and Answers can be sooner received in New Jersey from England than from Nova Scotia-The Lords of the Committee in obedience to his Majesty's said Order of Reference, this Day took the said Petition into Consideration, and are hereby pleased to refer the same, together with the afore mentioned List of Council (Copies where of are hereunto annexed) to the Lords Commissioners for Trade and plantations who are to Consider of the Alterations proposed to be made in the sa List and Report their Opinion thereupon to this Committee. W: BLAIR. To The Kings most Excellent Majesty in Council The Humble petition of Henry Wilmot Agent for the province of New Jersey Sheweth That Your Majesty by an Order in Council bearing Date the 19th Day of December 1764 was pleased for the reasons therein Contained, to Order, that M Attorney and M Sollicitor General, should prepare a Draft of a Commission to be passed under the Great Seal Appointing Certain persons whose Names are Contained in the List thereto annexed to be Commissioners finally to Settle and Adjust the Boundary or Partition List between the Provinces of New York and New Jersey from the Station on Hudson's River to the Station on Delaware River, conformable to the provisions in Certain Laws in the said Order mentioned and with such powers and Authorities, as have been Usual on like Occasions, And that M Attorney, And M Sollicitor General should lay the said Draft of the said Commission before Your Majesty for Your Royal Approbation leaving a Blank for the Number of Commissioners to make a Quorum That M York (Your Majestys late Attorney General) and M' Delpey (Your Majesty's late Solicitor General) have by their Report of the 17th Day of July 1766 Certified that they had prepared a Draft of such Commission and had annexed the same to their Report and Submitted the same to Your Majesty for Your Royal Approbation That Your petitioner is Informed by his principals, That Charles Stewart Esquire is now Surveyor General of the Customs in the Room of the late John Temple in the Commission mentioned, And as Your Petitioner apprehends that Mr Temple was appointed in respect of his Offices, he Conceives that it will be proper to Appoint Mr Steward in his Room. Your Petitioner also begs leave to represent to your Majesty that Richard Bulkley Charles Morris Joseph Guerrish and Joseph Gorham Esquires all of Nova Scotia are Appointed Commissioners, and that Your Petitioner is Informed by his principals, that the province of Nova Scotia is a Great Distance from that of New Jersey and that the two provinces have no Intercourse with each other, and those of New Jersey can receive Answers sooner from England than from Nova Scotia That your petitioner is also advised that it would have been more Agreeable to the Provinces if there had been fewer Commissioners Appointed, And those the nearest to the places where the said Line is to be run Your petitioner therefore Most humbly prays Your Majesty that the said M' Stewart may be Appointed a Commissioner in the Room of M' Temple and that M Bulkeley Mr Morris M' Guerrish and M' Gorham may (merely upon Account of their Residence in Nova Scotia) be Struck out from being Commissioners. And your pet! shall ever pray &c |