Settled; I have been obliged however to desist some what sooner than I expected, & apply entirely to Drawing; of which as I observed in my Last, there is sufficient to employ Us of a long Time. With the greatest Respect, My Lord, I am, Your Lordship's Most Obedient Letter from Gov. Franklin to the Earl of Dartmouth, relative to the condition of affairs in the Colonies; Lord Stirling had accepted a Colonel's commission from the Provincial Congress, and no gentleman would consent to be nominated for a place in the Council. [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 195.] PERTH AMBOY, Oct! 3d 1775. The Right Honorable the Earl of Dartmouth My Lord, By the July Packet I was honoured with your Lordship's Dispatch N. 19 enclosing a Triplicate of N. 18. which is the only one of that Number that I have yet received. The August Packet arrived last Week at New York, but I had no Dispatches by her, and I am informed that she brought none for any of the Gover nors. It is with extreme Concern I observe the Necessity His Majesty is now under of having Recourse to a military Force to secure His Dominions in America, and to reduce His Subjects to Obedience. I was once in Hopes that all Differences would have been settled in some amicable Way, and had the Actions of the Leaders of the People in this Country corresponded with their repeated Professions, such must have been the happy Consequence. Were the People, even now, left to judge for themselves, and the Avenues of Information not obstructed I have no Doubt but their natural good Sense would prevent their engaging in the Support of the present hostile and destructive Measures. Matters, however, are now carried so far, that unless some Propositions should come from Great Britain (if she can condescend, for the Sake of Peace, to make any other than she has already done) calculated to bring the Dispute immediately into a Train of Negotiation, there seems little Probability of such a Change of Conduct among the People as may afford any material Assistance in counteracting the avowedly pernicious Designs of many of their Leaders. His Majesty may be assured that nothing in my Power shall be wanting to remove their present Delusions, and to give Efficacy to His Measures for re-establishing the public Tranquility. I am happy to find that my Speech on the 16th of May has met with such high Approbation, though I can but lament with your Lordship that Circumstances prevented its having the desired Effect. It is to be hoped, however, that it has made some Impressions which may have a good Tendency should the People here be once more at Liberty to speak their undisguised Sentiments. Whether a Publication of my Speech in England might not be of some Service in removing Prejudices there, I submit to your Lordship. In my last Letter I informed your Lordship that your Dispatch No 17 came opened to my Hands, and that I had wrote to M Foxcroft the Deputy Postmaster General respecting my Suspicions of a Clerk in his Office. Mr Foxcroft being indisposed was prevented from answering my Letter for some Time, but at length sent me the Depositions of the Persons em ployed in that Office, Copies of which, with those of the Postmaster of Woodbridge and M Johnson (the Gentleman I had desired to call at the Post Office in New York for my Dispatches) and also of my Letters to Mr Foxcroft and his Answer, are sent enclosed. M: Bull, or Boel, the Clerk, declares that the Dispatch came opened in the Mail from England. If that was the Case, then it might have been opened either at the General Post office in London, or at Falmouth; or at some intermediate Office. For as to its having been rubbed open in the Carriage I am well convinced it was not, whatever might have happened to other Dispatches. It was rubbed a little at the Corners, but it was evidently broke or tore open from Corner to Corner at one End, and the ragged or indented Parts are still perfect and exactly fit each other, as your Lordship may see by the Cover enclosed; but had the Breach been made by mere Rubbing, Parts of the Paper would have been missing, as was the Case with the Corners. M' Boel's Excuse for not delivering the Dispatch to M Johnson may be true, but is not so satisfactory as I could wish, as Mr Johnson asked him particularly (after receiving the Packets of Newspapers) if there were no other Packets or Letters for me, and he declared there was none. I have been the more particular in giving your Lordship Information respecting the above Matter, as I have great Reason to believe that the Congress obtains by some Means or other Intelligence of the Contents of most of the Government Dispatches. What is passing in the general Congress at Philadelphia I cannot learn, except that it is publicly asserted that John Adams, one of the Delegates, has avowed there that he writ the Letters published as his by General Gage in Drapier's Massachusett's Gazette of the 17th of August. Many People express an Abhorrence of 1 See Works of John Adams, II., 411. his Sentiments of Independence, &c. and it is pretended that nine Tenths of the Congress are averse to them. Were this really the Case, they would probably ere now have given the Publick a convincing Proof of it by the Expulsion or Censure of M! Adams. The enclosed Minutes of Council will give your Lordship an Idea of the present State of Affairs in this Province. By them you will likewise see that there is Reason to believe that Lord Stirling, tho' one of His Majesty's Council for this Province, has accepted a Colonel's Commission from the Provincial Congress of New Jersey. I have received a strange Letter from him on the Subject,' but if he does not give a satisfactory Answer at or before the next Meeting of the Council, to the Question put to him by the Board, he will be certainly suspended from his Seat, untill His Majesty's Pleasure shall be known. Samuel Smith, Esq! has resigned his Seat in Council, on Account of his Age & Infirmities, and though I have proposed to several Gentlemen to recommend them to supply his Place, yet I have not been able to prevail on any of them to consent, by Reason of the present unsettled State of Affairs; nor do I yet know any one here willing to accept of it, whom I think qualified for the office. The Courts are still kept open, and some Business transacted in them, though not so much as is necessary. In short we do all we can to keep up some Appearance of Government, and the Council have advised the Calling the General Assembly on the 15th of next Month, but I shall not be surprized if we are prevented from meeting. I have the Honor to be, with the greatest Respect and Regard, My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient & most humble Servant WM FRANKLIN. The letter is given in Duer's Life of Lord Stirling, 113. Circular Letter from Secretary Pownall to the Governors in America, informing them of the discontinuance of Packet Boats between England and North America. [From P. R. O. America and West Indies, Vol. 279.] WHITEHALL 4th Oct 1775. Franklyn Circular to Governor Tryon Sir, It having been thought fit to discontinue for the present the Packet Boats for North America, I am directed by Lord Dartmouth to desire you will continue for the future some Means of sending your Letters to his Lordship thro' the Channel of the Admiral who is instructed to give all proper Facility by means of the small Vessels under his Command to the Conveyance of Letters and Intelligence, in every possible Channel of Communication. I am &ca J POWNALL Proceedings of the Shrewsbury Committee of Corre spondence. [From New Jersey Historical Society Manuscripts.] The Shrewsbury Committee met by appointment at the House of Mr. Bonham, 6th October, 1775, and unanimously placed Josiah Holmes in the Chair Ordered, that public advertisements be put up for the Officers of the Several districts in this Township to render in the names of all that still retain the province arms contrary to the sense of the advertisement published by the late committee, dated 16th Septem |