WATTS TO MONCKTON. NEW YORK, 26th Oct 1765 DEAR SIR, I wrote you 12th inst. by Sir Will. Johnson's son who sailed in the Harriot packet and carried the (wild) papers. The Congress is broke up, their transactions not publickly known, as decency forbids they should. How their addresses will be received, you are the best judge. I take their resolves to be pretty much upon the Philadelphia plan, with some elucidations. I mean the resolves of that Colony. People here are kept quiet, but are thoroughly dissatisfied, the stamps are safe in the Fort, that came by Davis, If they are issued, confusion will ensue, I am afraid. If they are not twill be as bad if not worse, so you see our unhappy situation. The Government wants weight, and the good folks at home may thank themselves for it; where there is neither love, fear, or common confidence to bind, what must be the consequence? LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR COLDEN'S DECLARATION, &c., ABOUT THE STAMP PAPERS, 1765. The Lieutenant Governor declares that he will do nothing in relation to the Stamps but will leave it to Sir Harry Moore to do as he pleases on his arrival. Council Chamber New York November 2d 1765 By order of his Honour W. BANYAR D. D. Con. The Governor acquainted Judge Livingston, the Mayor, Mr Beverly Robinson and Mr John Stevens this morning, being Monday the 4th of November, that he would not issue, nor suffer to be issued, the Stamps, now in Fort George. ROBT R. LIVINGSTON JOHN CRUGER The Freemen, Freeholders and Inhabitants of this City, being satisfied that the Stamps are not to be issued, are determined to keep the peace of the City, at all events, except they should have other cause of complaint. WATTS TO MONCKTON. NEW YORK 9th Nov! 1765. DEAR SIR, I desired our friend Napier by Davis two days ago to acquaint you that I had wrote the 12th ult. by Sir Will. Johnson's son, and the 26th by an ordinary transport, desiring him at the same time to deliver you the 2a of the sett of Bills I then enclosed for £150. sts drawn by Colin Drummond on Lt Sam. Hudger and Gartners indorsed for your use. Davis carried with him a half a dozen barrels of pippins for yourself Coll. Amherst and Napier which I recommended to the Doctor's care-hush what have I said. No money received from Pollard for you, neither the bill on Forman of the Artillery he remitted for £140. odd pounds nor the other on Duncan for a hundred and ninety odd pounds paid, though neither have been neglected. I am apprehensive he has not talents for business, too soft or too compliant, equally bad. The old gentleman has had no time if he had inclination to pay me any thing for you, his hands have been so full, owing to his own impolitick conduct, which is bred in the bone, but allowing that a more conciliating temper and a less ungracious character would have prevented half the confusion, the state of the Colonies in general, and this, (now) in particular, is become very serious, of which the stamp act is the foundation, and that once removed would calm the storm very soon, but while at home so little attention is paid to their interests, so little delicacy or regard in filling the offices, wherein life property, and good government are concerned, such strokes, as the appeal, at the most essential libertys of a subject, carrying their estates from Juries to a submissive Court of Admiralty, they never can or will be easy, till they are either persuaded or compelled to forget they are entitled to the rights of Englishmen. The injudicious question about the power of parliament, no prudent man would meddle with, but among friends as a mere matter of speculation, rash conceited prigs and printers have done it, but are blamed by all men of reflection, yet it has become so general, notice probably will be taken of it, and the more the pity there should be any occasion, the less is said on the subject the better on this side, tis too delicate if not presumptuous. For my own part I really believe some new constitution will be formed in time between the mother country and the colonies, nothing similar to the present states offers in history. That there should be a supreme power lodged somewhere seems reasonable, but as the colonies, before a great number of years are elapsed, will exceed the mother country in numbers, would it be equally reasonable the property of the majority should be disposed of by the minority at mere will and pleasure, especially when it is their interest to throw the burthen off their own shoulders upon those of their absent, unrepresented, and of course unheard fellow subjects, must not, unless the nature of man is changed, such a government end in oppression, then what follows -'A propos, Mr Delancey of Maryland has printed a pamphlet here much admired, it will be reprinted at this place next week, and I will send you one; I never saw it myself, but others tell me tis the best performance of the kind. My compliments to Mr Charles, I thank him for his letter, and shall soon answer it, at present there is no occasion, the Committee writes him fully, to him I therefore beg to refer you and to Sir Harry Seaton for the particulars of our late violent commotion. Sir H. M. cannot think when he arrives of enforcing the stamps and what can be done without them is equally perplexing. Col! Vaughan desires me to inclose you this letter to his brother. The old gent. has sent circular letters to call the Assembly 15th inst. but I am persuaded he is determined not to meet them. How he will dispose of himself when he leaves the Fort he best knows, I should not like his situation. You cannot conceive how much the people are incensed at his administration I wrote you by an ordnance store ship to London 26th ult. and by the Halifax Packet the 9th inst. Nothing new in your affairs, no money either receiva or paid. I have sent by this ordnance transport two barrels of pippins, two kegs of pickled peppers, and a pipe of your Madeira cased, to the care of Mr Bard an officer in the 22d. I have many reasons for sending the wine and wish you had ordered both pipes away while our port was open and it could be done safely, at present nothing is done in the Commercial way, the stamps cannot possibly be distributed and if vessels should be permitted by this and the other governments to go without them 'tis uncertain what treatment they may receive abroad, and yet go they must at all hazards or Ireland must be without its necessary supply of food, the West Indies without their food, His Majesty's fleets and garrisons without their supplys &c &c. This, I am informed is a safe and good conveyance, the wine will be subject as usual to the duties and every other circumstance easy, which chiefly tempted me to send it. Sir Harry seems to be an easy sensible well bred man and experienced in business; every body likes the change extremely, indeed nobody could come amiss, so they were but rid of the old man. The first question put to the Council was, whether it would be practicable to issue the stamps, answered unanimously, no; the next, whether they approved of reducing the Fort to its old state, it seemed, he said, to carry too hostile an appearance in a friend's country, he further proposed to throw open the gates as usual, and to give everybody free access, all unanimously consented to, and the old man at his elbow among the rest, who had been at the bottom of all these hostile preparations and unfriendly measures, the consequence is, that every body is happy and quiet, and love the one, and detest the other, to be sure the old gentleman fortified as if he had been at Bergen-op-Zoom, when the French besieged it with a hundred thousand men, which gave more offence and made people's blood run higher than any one thing that had happened. Not a cannon on the Battery, or in the fields, whether publick or private property I am told, but |