The faith of the Crown was, by this act, solemnly pledged to the Indians, and a Clause corresponding therewith has been accordingly inserted in the Propositions for a Government on the Lands proposed to be granted to M Walpole and his associates. Admitting therefore that in the present State of that Country, it would, as your Lordship contends, be advisable, upon Grounds of general Policy, to allow Settlements under the authority of the Government of Virginia, beyond that Line (of which both myself and the rest of the King's servants entertain very great doubt) yet while these Compacts with the Indians remain in full force and The King's Sacred Word stands pledged for the observance of them, every attempt on the part of the King's Subjects to acquire title to and take possession of Lands beyond the Line fixed by His Majesty's authority & every encouragement given to such attempt, can be considered in no other light than that of a gross Indignity and Dishonour to the Crown, and of an Act of equal Inhumanity and Injustice to the Indians, that cannot fail to be attended with fatal Consequences. I am therefore commanded by the King to signify to your Lordship, His Majesty's just Displeasure that such a Proceeding as that to which your Letter refers should have received any degree of Countenance or Encouragement from you and it is not without real Concern that I find myself obliged to observe to your Lordship that if His Majesty had not been graciously pleased, out of His great Tenderness & Lenity, to suppose that your Conduct upon this Occasion has proceeded from Inadvertency to the facts above stated, it must have been followed by other Marks of the Royal Displeasure, which I mention to your Lordship, with a Wish of putting you more upon your guard for the future, for as on the one hand, it will at all times give me the greatest pleasure to represent to the King, in the most favorable light, the conduct of His Servants acting the Department with which I am entrusted, so on the other hand, I consider myself bound by every Tie of Duty to His Majesty, to see that His Commands are duly obeyed by those to whom I have the honour of conveying them. I am sorry I am obliged to say so much on this subject, but my Duty to the King is above all other Considerations, and having discharged that, so far as relates to your Lordship's Conduct in the Case of the purchase made by M' Murray and others, I have only to add, that it is The King's Pleasure that you do, in the most public and solemn manner, declare His Majesty's Disapprobation and Disallowance of that purchase, and that you do exert every power and Authority which the Constitution has vested in you, to preserve inviolate the Engagements entered into with Indians in the King's Name, and to prevent any Settlement whatever being made upon any Pretence beyond the Line settled at the Congress at Lockhaber in Oct 1770. I am further commanded by the King to acquaint your Lordship, that it is His Majesty's Pleasure that you do not make any Grant or consent to any Possession being taken of Lands included within the Limit of the Tract proposed to be granted to Mr Walpole and his associates, nor exercise any other Jurisdiction than what shall be absolutely necessary to preserve the public Peace and prevent Violence and Bloodshed. Your Lordship will find that Orders were given some time ago for the Transmission of Lists of all Grants of Land made and passed within the Colony of Virginia, but as I do not find that the Order has been regularly complied with, I am to signify to your Lordship His Majesty's further Commands that you do transmit to me, by the first Opportunity, an account of all Grants made and passed by you, specifying the date of each Grant, the Name of the Grantee, the Number of Acres granted, and where situated, and that you do make the like return every Six Months. Since my Letters to your Lordship of the 8th Sep I have received your Lordships Dispatches N. 20 & 21, and having laid them before the King, I am commanded to signify to your Lordship His Majesty's Pleasure that the Assembly be not allowed to meet in consequence of the New Election until His Majesty's further pleasure be known, unless the imminent danger of an Indian War shall, in your Lordship's Judgement, make it absolutely necessary. As your Lordship says that you were entirely ignorant of the Claim of Mr Walpole and his Associates, otherwise than by common Report, I think fit to inclose to your Lordship a Copy of Lord Hillsborough's Letter to Lord Botetourt of 31, July 1770, the Receipt of which was acknowledged by Mr President Nelson a few days after Lord Botetourt's Death, and appears by his Answer to it to have been laid before the Council. That Board therefore could not be ignorant of what had passed here upon M Walpole's Application, nor of the King's express Commands contained in Lord Hillsborough's Letter, that no Land whatever should be granted beyond the Limits of the Royal Proclamation of 1763, until the King's further Pleasure was signified, & I have only to observe that it must have been a very extraordinary Neglect in them not to have informed your Lordship of that Letter & of those Orders. I am My Lord Your Lordship's most Obedient humble servant DARTMOUTH. DARTMOUTH AND PEN. [MEM PITT & LEE CONVICTED OF DISINGENUITY, PERHAPS FALSEHOOD.] [Proprieties 1775-6 Sec. off.] It is apparent that Penn had not during the year 1774 & even 1775 any apprehension that his rule was so soon to end: For his despatches are full of the disputes with Virginia with respect to the Western boundary. Gov' Penn wrote Lord D. That the Military Association 5 June, 1775. universally prevailed in that Province. That the Congress had again met & would continue for some time; but they kept their proceedings very secret. 1775. The Pensy! Mercury of this date published the plan of 28 April, union submitted to the Congress of Albany 1754 by D Franklyn — because it bore so strong a resemblance to that laid before the Congress in 1774 by a Member (Galloway) it was thought right to take the child from the putative and give it to the rightful father - But Galloway in the same paper controverted this doctrine. 1775. In the Pensyl. Gazette of this date the prohibitory act of 14, P. passed 31 Mar. 1775 was published. Gov! Penn wrote to Lord D. That the Assembly after 5 Sept. 1776. in vain endeavouring to procure his assent to a bill for 2 Oct. 1775. 5 Dec. 1775. 9 Nov. 1775. striking paper, did of their own authority order £35.000 to be emitted—which now freely passes: The Assembly have voted to take into pay 4500 men for the defence of the province The Committee have ordered to be built a number of flat row boats and Machines of strong timber are to be sunk in the Delaware to obstruct the Navigation. Penn wrote to Lord D. That in the present distracted times it will be utterly out of his power to give any assistance to the Kings Gen! or Adm! - The Committee seized a quantity of clothing for the Kings troops & gave Major Trench his parole. Gov Pen sent Lord D. the instructions of the Ass to their Delegates in Congress, which discovers their abhorrence of a Separation or change of the form of Government, and notwithstanding the military preparations I am truly of opinion that the people of this province are very generally averse to all ideas of Independence on G. Britain & heartily desire a reunion with G. Britain. The Speaker laid before the house a letter received last night by a vessel from London which was as follows — HON SIR On the 21 of last month We sent to the Secretary of State for America a copy of the petition from the general Congress, and yesterday, the first moment that was permitted us, we presented to him the original, which his Lordship promised to deliver to the King. We thought it our duty to press his Lordship to obtain an answer; but we are told, that, as his Majesty did not receive it on the throne, no answer would be given. 7 January, 1775. We have &c. RICHARD PENN Lord D. wrote to Gov Pen: I am very much obliged to you for the early communication of the proceedings of the General Congress. |