As I look upon the benefit arising to the province from its reimbursement, by enabling it to put an end to its paper currency, which has been productive of many mischiefs within it, and the Bane of the Trade from Great Britain with the Colonies of New England, and to introduce in its room a Silver Currency, which will lay a lasting foundation for the prosperity of those Colonies, and establish the Trade of their Mother Country with them upon a better foot for the future; to be of more value than the money itself, I hope the Lords of Trade, to whom I presume the consideration of the Act will be of course referr'd, and I have been particular in my Observations upon it, will make a favourable report, and that it will be honour'd with your Grace's recommendation of it for his Majesty's Royal Approbation; and that your Grace will be pleas'd to promote the bringing the whole Paper Currency of New England to a Period by the Interposition of the Parliament, with regard to the other Colonies of New England, especially those of Rhode Island and New Hampshire. I believe, My Lord, no person acquainted with the natural fondness of the People of New England for Paper money, the present Generation of whom have known no other money, would a year ago have thought it possible to have brought an Assembly of this Province into passing an Act for abolishing it: The principal Inducements for doing it now were first the effects of an Act, which I insisted upon their making at my entrance into the Administration of the Government, before I would consent to a new Emission of Bills of Credit, for securing to the Creditors the Value, every Debt was of, at the time of it's being contracted, against any subsequent Depreciation of the Bills, in which it was payable; which though Assembly upon that Subject would have prevented the passing this Act so advantageous to the Welfare of that province and so necessary to the Commerce of this Kingdom. Upon the whole the said Lords Commissioners are of Opinion that it may be advisable to lay the said Act before Your Majesty for Your Royal Confirmation [Acts of the Privy Council, 1749, pp. 228, 231, 249-52, 283, quoted by James Munro, Acts of the Privy Council (Colonial), 4, 85]. it has been in a great measure eluded, has had so much Effect as to make the Debtors sometimes sick of the Depreciations of the Bills (which are very sudden and irregular) and on that account less averse to putting an end to 'em; and 2dly the prospect of being eas'd of the heavy load of Taxes lay'd on several Years next ensuing, by having the Publick Debt paid off with the sum granted by Parliament; which indeed would be a most seasonable Relief to the People, and contribute greatly to their Prosperity and Satisfaction at this Juncture: But I am perswaded these motives would not of themselves have prevail'd in the House of Representatives, had not their present Speaker Mr Hutchinson, in concert with whom alone this Act was originally Plann'd, and all measures previously settled, by his extraordinary Abilities and uncommon Influence with the Members, manag'd and conducted it through the Opposition and Difficulties it long labour'd under in passing the House; being almost the whole Business of five Weeks there; which I mention to your Grace because, as by the Charter of the Province, the Election of Members of the Assembly is annual, and it is uncertain what turn the passing of this Act may give to ensuing Elections, I could not answer for another Assembly's passing the like Act, if this should not take Effect; which if it fails of doing the Points intended to be secur'd by it must run a great Risque of being lost. For avoiding this Danger, I should have been glad, if I could have induc'd the Assembly to have pass'd the Act, without supposing any particular time for the Arrival of the Money' granted by Parliament, or to have suppos'd a longer day for the Payment of it; but that could not be done; for the View of it's coming in time to ease the People of the great arrear of their Taxes (which lye heavy upon 'em) was, as I have observ'd to your Grace, one of the main inducements with those, who Voted for the Act. My Desire of seeing these great Points for the Interests of 1 The amount granted by Parliament on Apr. 4 was given by Christopher Kilby in a letter of April 6 to the speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives as £183,649. the Colonies of New England and the Trade of their Mother Country, with 'em settled, and promoting his Majesty's Service by that means, have occasion'd my being more particular in my Observations to your Grace upon this Act than I should otherwise have been; which I hope Your Grace will not disapprove. I am with the most Dutiful Regard I have lately receiv'd Intelligence (which your Honour will find contain'd in the inclos'd Paper,)2 of the Prepara11 Penn. Arch. 2, 20. 2 The paper referred to as inclosed was the following from Israel Williams at Hatfield forwarded by Josiah Willard : SIR : Hatfield, Feby 13th, 1748. The 11th Instant, Col. Willard sent a Frenchman to me, who, the Wednesday before came to Fort Dummer, he calls his name Jean Orange, and gives this account of himself, that seven days before his arrival at Fort Dummer, he came from Crown Point, where he had been for some time a soldier, and that he deserted the service, and came to New England with hopes to get home to France, from whence he came about six years ago. Its possible he may give the true reason of his running away; he is very desirous of getting to Boston, and having an opportunity to send him along without much charge to the Government; I have ordered him to your Excellency to be disposed of as you think proper; he says tions making by the French of Canada, for the Settlement of the Lands near Crown Point; and I make no Question of the truth of it, it being a thing I always expected would be attempted by them immediately upon a Peace, and I look upon the affair to be of such Consequence, as to require the utmost Efforts of the English Governments in every proper way to prevent it; and, (besides it being a matter of general Concern to all his Majesty's Colonies on the Continent of America, who may in Process of time be equally indangered by the spreading and Growth of the French upon our Borders,) as your Colony, as well as ours, will be more immediately affected herewith, I judg'd it necessary to communicate this Intelligence to you, and to desire that you would maturely consider this matter, and let me have your Opinion what may be proper to be done by the English Governments (in Case the French should make these Incroachments upon his Majesty's Territories,) for preventing them before it be too late. I am, with very great Regard, Sir, Your Honour's most W. SHIRLEY. The honble James Hamilton, Esqr. Endorsed: Governor Shirley's Letter to Governor Hamilton, dated 20th Febry, 1748. there is about an hundred Soldiers now at Crown Point, no Indians out, and that both French and Indians are in full Expectation of an Established peace. Also, that the French are preparing, and intend very soon to come and settle the Lands near Crown Point, it seems they little fear the success of Mr. Bollans memorial, (if they have ever heard of it) or the Attempts made to procure the Demolition of that Fort, and their Removal from thence. Our people that have been there one and all, represent the lands East and South of Crown Point for a great extent, exceeding rich, valuable and suitable for Settlements. Examined, J. WILLARD, Secry. Endorsed: Extract of a Letter from one at Hatfield to Governor Shirley, dated 13th Febry, 1748. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO THE DUKE OF BEDFORD1 MY LORD DUKE, Boston, February 27, 1748. In Obedience to his Majesty's Commands, which I receiv'd in a Letter from his Grace the Duke of Newcastle,2 directing me to send him a Plan of a Civil Government for the Province of Nova Scotia, to be laid before his Majesty for his Royal Consideration, I now transmit your Grace some general heads of a Charter Government, which I would humbly propose to be exercis'd there as soon as the Inhabitants shall be in a Condition to receive it, and of a temporary Form of Government adapted to the present Circumstances of the Country in the mean time; upon which I shall only farther observe to your Grace, that I have made the Charter of their late Majesties King William and Queen Mary granted to the Province of the Massachusetts Bay the Basis of this Plan; as I think, a near Conformity of the Civil Government of Nova Scotia to that of this Province, may be a great advantage to the former for attracting New England Settlers to live there; and that with the Amendments I have proposed (the particular reasons for making which are annex'd to 'em) it may answer all the Ends designed by his Majesty in erecting a Civil Government in Nova Scotia. I have not mention'd any thing, My Lord, here concerning what may be the proper method for his Majesty to grant away the Lands of Nova Scotia in the most advantageous manner for answering the Ends of his Royal Purposes; under what Restrictions those should be laid with whom he shall be pleas'd to intrust the Distribution of 'em; upon what Conditions they should be granted to the New Settlers, and whether any and what Allowances should be made 'em upon their first Arrival, in order to encourage 'em to transplant themselves; not having so fully inform'd my self of 1 P. R. O., C. O. 5, 45, p. 107. See General Heads of Shirley's Plan for the Civil Government of Nova Scotia, post, p. 472. 2 Oct. 3, 1747, ante, p. 401. |