was Basses Agent, to Collonel de Peyster. Bass was reckoned to be happy in my seizing that ship, by all people here that knew his circumstances. The dis course was among the merchants here that he had imbezzled his brother in law, Mr. John Loftnings cargo, which that ship brought from England, valued at £800, and by that means M' Lofting became bankrupt. The ship lay at Amboy near a year before Bass could freight her, and then neither was he able to freight her otherwise than with a paultry loading of pipe staves, which at £3.00 per 1,000, which is the common price, New York mony too, is but £98 this mony, and not much more than £70 sterling. So that with what conscience such extravagant damages were awarded for that ship and her loading of pipe staves, is more proper for your Lordships inquiry than mine. A most violent storm that happen'd here the 29th [?] of Nov at night drove all the vessels in this harbor from their Anchors and damnified most of them, and this ship among others which carries my packets, and delayed here a week longer from sailing; which gives me the opportunity of sending your Lordships Collonel de Peysters affidavit, sworn before the Mayor of this City with the seal of the City affixed to it; which will satisfy your Lordships of the many falsities alledg'd (and for ought I know sworn) about the value of the ship Hester and of her pretended Cargo. Collonel D'Peyster is a very honest upright man, and Bass on whose credit that tryal about the Ship was chiefly engaged into by the Proprietors of the Jerseys, is a known profligate fellow and remarkable for lying. I am with respect My Lords Your Lordships most humble BELLOMONT New Yorke Nov 23d 1700 Memorial from Jeremiah Basse to the Lords of Trade. [From P. R. O. B. T. Proprieties, Vol. 5, F 48.] Mem! from Mr Bass relating to ye present State of ye Jerseys. TO THE HONORABLE THE LORDS COM'S OF THE COUNCILL OF TRADE & May it please your Lordships. The continued advises that by every Ship is sent home of the distructions and Anarchy of the Jersies Ocations me in all humility to Request Your Lordships Speady care of them his Majesty hath been graciously pleased to refer their case to Your Lordships Consideration & I hope Your Lordships will pardon me if on their behalf I intreat you to be speady in the takeing such measurs as to your Wisdoms shall seeme most proper for their Reliefe and Setlement. & in order theareunto that the proprietors be Commanded to bring in a Speady Answer to the Petition Refered to Your Lordships Consideration. Your Lordships most humble Sertt J BASS [December 3 1700] From William Dockwra to Secretary Popple. Lre from Mr Dockwra promising an Answer to the Lre lately writ him wth a Remonstrance abt ye state of ye Jerseys. Worthy Sir I receiv'd yo! letter yesterday, and have com'unicated it to some of the Proprietors who have desired you will please to acquaint the Honble Boord, that theire Answer to y Remonstrance & Peticon (of those Seditious complainants from E. Jersey) has been ready these 6 or 7 dayes; but there being Another paper to be also laid before theire LoPPs wch is to be signed by certain Members of the Province of West Jersey as well as East Jersey, the difficulty of getting y together is such, as takes upp so much time (severall of them living in the Country) that I could not have y closed fitt for delivery, till another meeting weh was appointed (before I had the favour of yors) to be tomorrow evening, and I hope on Monday we shall be able to dispatch them to attend their Los there haveing been no delay in any thing relating thereto, wth in the power of Sir, Yo! most humble Serv 5° x 700 Answer of the Proprietors of East Jersey, to the Re- The Answer of the Propriets of East New Jersey in America to the Remonstrance and Petition lately prsented to his Majty in the name of the Inhabitants of that Province.1 The Propriet humbly acknowledgeing yo' Lordships fav and Justice, in allowing them a Copy of y Accusation against them, and time for makeing their 1 See Page 322.-ED. defence to it, and reserving to themselves the benefit of a further defence after they shall have transmitted this Remonstrance to, and received an Answer from the Govern of that Province; for present Answer to the same, in Obedience to your Lordships Com'ands, they say, and humbly hope to satisfye Yo' Lordships, that this Complaint is not sent from the whole body, or any Considerable Number of ye Inhabitants there, but from a few factions and Mutinous people, impatient of any Government; and doth not proceed from any just cause administred by the Propriet's or their Govern or Agents, but from a designe of these men to deprive the Proprietors of their Right to the Soyle and Quit-Rents of the Province derived to them by Grants from the Kings of England, and purchased by them with great sumes of money; and to strip his Majty of his Regall Right to that and other Plantations and to render them independent of the Crowne. In order to justify which Assertion, y Propriet crave leave to premise to yo! Lordships, that by the Law of Nations Kings and Princes have a Right to all Savage Country's either Conquered or discovered by their Subjects, and to dispose of them at their pleasure. In pursuance of which Right the American Country's (whereof East New Jersey is part) being first discovered by the English in the Raign of King Henry 7th and afterwards more fully in the Raigne of Queen Elizabeth, have ever since, by Vertue of Letters Patents from that Queen, and the Succeeding Kings of England, been granted to Planters under small Quit Rents payable to the Crowne, or Its Grantees, And though the Kings of England and their Grantees have permitted, and sometime Encouraged the Planters to purchase the Soyle from the Indians, (which they doe for trifles) yet that method was not used of necessity, or for defect of sufficient title in the Crown, or Its' Grantees; but merely to avoid wars with the Savage Natives, who were formerly more Numerous there than the English, and with a prospect to bring them over by such Gentle Usage to the Christian ffaith. neither is this method of purchasing from the Indians Universally practised in all his Majestys Plantations, and not at all in those of Virginia and Maryland, the Planters there sitting downe by Vertue of the Govern's Warrant only, without the Leave, or Consent of the Natives. The Proprietors acknowledge that the late King James who when Duke of York, was the first Grantee of this Province from King Charles the Second, and the Lord Berkley S George Carteret and the present Proprietors Claiming under him, have for the reasons above mentioned generally, by themselves, or by Licensing y Planters to doe soe, purchase the Soyle from the Indians, and afterward confirmed the same Lands to the Planters by Patents or Grants from the Propriet under small Quit Rents. This was the method of granting Lands within this province from the first planting It, and the Grantees usually paid their Rents till some of the Planters broached and advanced an Opinion, that the Kings Right to the American Countrys discover'd by English Subjects was only Notionall and Arbitrary, and, that the Indian Natives are the Absolute Independent Owners and have the sole disposall of them, In Consequence of which Opinion some of the Pets who after their Purchase from the Indians took Patents of the same Lands from the Proprietors for the time being, now refuse to pay their Quit Rents, and others of them who have lately made purchases from the Indians, refuse to take Patents from the Proprietors, If this Notion receive Encouragement, and prevail, the proprietors are advised that all pretences of the Crown to, and their Grants of the American Colonys, have been wholly illusory, and Royall ffrauds; and the Pets may, and in all probability, will, deny |