merly been Agent for some of the said pretended Proprietors, and stands in a near Relation to several of the pretended Proprietors aforesaid; the present Chief Justice of said Province is Trustee and Guardian of several Orphans who are pretended Proprietors aforesaid; and the rest of the Judges and Members of the Council are in general interested, on the said pretended Proprietors Side.

That the Juries in the Counties where the said purchased Lands lye, are generally interested and engaged against your Petitioners; and the more effectually to secure all in Favour of the said pretended Proprietors, the Governor, Council and General Assemby of the said Province, have, by an Act passed in the Fifteenth Year of your Majesty's Reign, annexed part of your Petitioners Lands, which were before in the County of Essex, unto the County of Somerset, where the Juries are generally in the said Act, representing the Inhabitants as having prayed for the same; which your Petitioners believe to be a great Mistake.

That under all these and many other such like Disadvantages, Writs of Trespass, and Leases of Ejectment, in behalf said pretended Proprietors, are frequently commenced against some of your Petitioners, and thereon Verdicts and Judgments obtained; some of them for Six-pence Damage, and for Two or Three Hundred Pounds Proclamation Money Costs; others of your Petitioners are turned out of their Freeholds and Living, and large Bills of Costs taxed against them.

By Means whereof many of your Majesty's poor Petitioners are grieviously distressed, and others are daily threatened with the same Fate, and are daily under Expectation of being burthened with heavy Costs, great pretended Damage, and Loss of their Possessions and Inhabitants; which your Petitioners are advised, they do not suffer for Want of Justice;

and your Majesty's Petitioners are advised, that it's neither legal, equitable nor just, that the Titles to their said Lands should be tryed by the Judges, Jury and Courts of the said Province, in Regard they are Parties in Interest more or less in the Matters in Controversy, and ought not to hold Plea of your Petitioners said Lands.

WHEREFORE, Your Majesty's Petitioners most humbly implore your Majesty, the Fountain of Justice, that you would be graciously pleased to take them and their said Cause under your Majesty's Royal Care and Protection; and as there is no Prospect that your distressed Petitioners can find any Remedy of their Grievances in this your Majesty's Province of New Jersey that your Majesty in your most Honourable Privy Council, would be pleased to hear and determine their said Controversy; or, that your Majesty would be pleased to appoint disinterested Commissioners out of some of the Neighbouring Colonies, and by a Jury from thence also to be taken, to hear and finally decide the said Cause; or, that your Majesty would be graciously pleased to appoint Commissioners to hear, and enquire into, and determine said Controversy, or otherwise order for your Majesty's loyal, dutiful, poor, oppressed Petitioners Relief, as to your Majesty, in your princely Wisdom and abundant Goodness, shall seem meet,

And Your Majesty's Most Humble Petitioners, as in Duty bound, shall ever pray, &c. [July, 1744]

[Three hundred and nine names were appended which can be found in papers of F. J. Paris in Historical Society Library-Elizabeth-town Papers, Bundle L, No. 9.]

Memorial of the East Jersey Proprietors to Governor Morris-asking for the passage of an Act for running the Division Line exparte.

[From Papers of Ferdnand J. Paris, Book A, p. 137, in the New Jersey Hist. Soc. Library.]

TO HIS EXCELLENCY LEWIS MORRIS ESQ Captain General and Governor in chief of the Province of New Jersey and Territories thereon Depending in America and Vice admiral in the Same.

The memorial of the Council of General proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey.

Humbly Sheweth

That by an Act of Governor Council and Assembly of the Province of New York pass'd in the year 1717 the Governor thereof was impowered to appoint Commissioners in behalf of that province to Join with such Commissioners as Should be appointed in behalf of the province of New Jersey for Runing and Ascertaining the Line of partition and division between the Said Two provinces; and a Sum of money was by the Said Act appropriated for that purpose.

That Soon afterwards another Act was pass'd by the Governor Council and Assembly of New Jersey impowering the Appointment of Commissioners for the Eastern and Western Divisions of the Province of New Jersey to meet with the Commissioners to be appointed for the province of New York to Execute the purpose aforesaid.

That in the year 1719, Commissioners having been

Appointed in pursuance of both the Said Acts: they met, and Unanimously Settled the Latitude of 41°; 40' upon the Northernmost Branch of Delaware, which is the North end of the Partition Line between the Said provinces: and Executed Indentures Tripartite under their hands and Seals for Commemorating the Said North partition point: which North partition point, is also the partition point between the Eastern and Western Divisions of New Jersey; and So the Said Western Division had no further interest nor concern in or about the Said line; As by one part of the Said Indentures here Ready to be produced to your Excellency may appeare.

That afterwards in the Said year 1719 by order of the Said Commissioners a Line was run and Mark'd from the Said North partition point to Hudson's River, towards the place where they Esteemed the Latitude of 41° would be found upon it, which Latitude on the East Side of the Said River is the South End of the partition Line between the Said Provinces, and Sundry Obsevations were taken upon Hudson's River for discovering the Said Latitude of 41° there, but the Commissioners Concerned did not then nor ever Since meet to agree thereon.

That The Commissioners and Proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey afterwards used many and frequent Amicable endeavours with the Commissioners for New York, and with the New York proprietors of the Lands adjoining to the Said partition Line for Ascertaining the South partition point aforesaid upon Hudson's River and for Runing the Line from thence to the North partition point aforesaid, but all those Endeavours proved ineffectual.

That in September 1741 Committees, appointed by the Two Councils of proprietors of the Eastern and Western Division of New Jersey, met and laid before your Excellency a Representation of the Greivances

and hardships that the people and proprietors of the province of New Jersey laboured under for want of the Said Line of Partition being Settled, and praying your Excellency's interest and Assistance for procuring the Said Line to be Settled, and for putting a Stop to the Grievances Suffered for want thereof.

That in July 1742, Your Memorialists laid another Representation before your Excellency to the purpose of the former, praying your Excellency to take Such Effectuall measures as you Should think proper that the Settlement of the Said Line might be brought to a Speedy Conclusion.

That we are fully Satisfied that your Excellency used your Best Endeavours with the honorable George Clark Esq! Lieutenant Governor and late Commander in Chief of the Province of New York to have our Requests aforesaid put in Execution, and are Sorry that those Endeavours had not the Success that we had reason to hope for from them.

That in October 1743 the Inhabitants of this Province living near the Said partition Line by Abraham Vanaken and Jurian Westphale petitioned your Excellency and the General Assembly of this Province for Relief against the Grievances by them Suffered for want of the Said Line of Partition being run; And we are fully Satisfied that your Excellency in that Same Month of October Sent Coppies of the Two Memorials aforesaid and of the Said petition to his Excellency George Clinton Esq' Captain General & Governor in chief of the province of New York, and used your Endeavours with him for the Settlement of the Said Partition Line; but Notwithstanding the Several Endeavours aforesaid, and other private Endeavours by Some of us with the New York Proprietors of the Lands adjoining to the Said Line, we are under great Concern to Say that we have little hopes left of obtaining the Settlement of the Said Line, otherways