1707. His refufing to pafs a bill, in 1704, for explainwing and confirming the charter of privileges of the Heads of province; his rejecting the people's choice of Sheftrance. riff and Coroner, for the city and county of Phila

the remon

delphia, in faid year, contrary to the faid charter: His licencing feveral taverns and ale-houses in Philadelphia, against, and without the recommendation of, the city magistrates;—with his fending a message to difmifs the Affembly, on their complaining of his conduct, against the form and effect of faid charter, and known ufage, &c.

His appropriating certain monies to his own ufe which the Affembly intended otherwife; and his fecreting the objections of the lords of trade to certain laws which had been repealed; whereby they fell again into the fame error.

The project and confequences of the false alarm, before mentioned.

The arbitrary exaction of twelve fhillings from every master of a veffel, outward bound, for a letpass, notwithstanding their being cleared, according to the acts of navigation.

His permitting French Papifts to trade with, and refide among, the Indians, and their wicked behaviour among them.

His granting a commiffion for privateering, in 1706.

His beating and evilly treating Solomon Creffon, the Conftable, for doing his duty at a tavern, in one of his midnight revels; though he knew not that the Governor was there.

His exceffes and debaucheries, to the great encouragement of wickedness, and weakening the hands of the magiftrates, by his ill example, &c.

And

Note. About the year 1707, Vincent Caldwell, Thomas Wickerman, Joel Bailey, Thomas Hope, Guyan Miller, and other Friends, or Quakers, fettled in Kennet, Chefter county. M. S.

And against the Secretary, James Logan, it was 1707. alledged,

Heads of

That he knew the above mentioned alarm was the 'remonfalfe; but, inftead of ufing fuch means, as were in strance. his power, to prevent it, he, by his conduct, under pretence of coming at the truth of the affair, made it worse.

That, as Commiffioner of Property, to manage the Proprietary's land affairs, he had detained certain deeds, for lands, from the owners unjustly; and to fome perfons, denied patents for their lands, to which they were entitled.

That he had appointed wood-rangers, at large, over the located lands of the inhabitants, in common with those of the Proprietary; for which he had no right; in which accordingly they took up ftrays, &c. in an indifcriminate manner; which ought to have been restricted folely to the Proprietary's lands.

These are called by the Affembly, in this remonfrance, part of their many grievances; which was fent to their agents, George Whitehead, William Mead and Thomas Lower, in London; with a very angry letter, to be communicated to the Proprietary.

py of this

vain.

The Governor, getting intelligence of what was The Go going forward, in the Affembly, by a meffage to vernor dethe House, required them to lay before him, the mands a coaddress or reprefentation, which he was informed, reprefentathey intended to fend to England; and that they tion, but in should not prefume to fend any thing of that nature out of the government, till the fame had been fully communicated to him, according to justice, and the practice of other governments.-This had no effect with them; and the Affembly adjourned to the 23d. of September.

On the first of October, at the anniversary election, the choice of Reprefentatives, in Affembly, falling

1707. falling moftly on the fame perfons, as in the precending year, confequently but little of moment was The dif done in the public affairs of the government, becontinue. fides the continuation of the former difputes and

putes, &c.

altercations, respecting the bill of courts, and the
other obnoxious parts of the Governor's admini-
ftration; whence both fides became more untract-
able, and lefs difpofed to unite in any falutary pur-
pofe, for the public good.

But it is obferved, refpecting these proceedings,
that, though the parties were very free with each
other's conduct, yet, they are faid mostly to have
kept within the rules of decency and order; and,
in all their differences, both parties, in the ftrong-
eft terms, profeffed their fincereft defires and inten-
tions thereby, for the fervice of their country; and
that they had nothing fo much in view, in these
proceedings, as the real and best advantage of the
community.*

In

* The names of the Members of this Assembly, elected October, 1707,

Francis Cooke, William Lee.

Among the names of the Members of Council, in the year 1708, appear to be:

Edward Shippen,
Jofeph Growdon,

Samuel Carpenter,
Thomas Story,
Caleb Pufey,
William Trent,
Richard Hill,

George Roch,
Jofeph Pidgeon,
Samuel Finny,

Griffith Owen,

Jasper Yeats,

James Logan.

To thefe, in March 1709, were added, Isaac Norris, Samuel Preston,
Captain Anthony Palmer.

Note. Thomas Story was also keeper of the great feal, and Master of
the Rolls.

James Logan likewife Secretary and Clerk of the Council.

fucceeded

In this ftate continued the affairs of the province 1708. till the beginning of the year, 1709, when the Af-in fembly's complaints to the Proprietary having Gov. Evans proved effectual, Governor Evans was removed by Governfrom the adminiftration, and Charles Gookin fuc- or Gookin. ceeded him, in the government.

der difficul

It appears not improbable, but that the Proprie- The Protary for fome time paft, must have been under no prietary unfmall uneafiness and difficulty, refpecting his pro- ty about this vince: For his great generofity and expence, in time, &c. fettling it, with his other acts of beneficence, and the attention due to fuch a series of conduct, had fo far impaired his estate, in Europe, and involved him in debt, that, in the year 1708, in order to pay the fame, he borrowed from certain of his friends, a large fum of money; for which he mortgaged the province.*

Befides,

* Anderson (before mentioned in the notcs) under the year, 1715, obferves, viz.

"Ever fince the proprietary colonies began to be very confiderable, i.. fince the death of King Charles the second, and more especially fince the revolution, anno 1688, both King William's and Queen Ann's councils and ministries forefaw the great confequence it would be to the crown and kingdom, to buy off the Lords Proprietaries of Colonies, before they fhould grow too powerful; and frequent treaties were held with them by the ministers of the crown, for that end; particularly with the truly great Mr. William Penn, for the purchase of his fine province of Pennsylvania. His demand was £20,000, and Queen Anne, in council, referred that demand to the Lords Commiffioners of trade and plantations; whose report was referred by the Queen, to the Lords Commiffioners of the Treasury; foon after which an agreement was made with Mr. Penn, for £12,000, for the faid province; but, he being soon after seized with an apoplexy, which disabled him to execute the fame, a ftop was put to that bargain; until, by the Queen's order, a bill, in Parliament, fhould be prepared for that end. Whilst that bill was depending, Mr. Joshua Gee and others, who were mortgagees, under the faid Mr. Pena, petitioned the Houfe of Commons for relief; wherein they reprefented that Mr. Penn having purchased of the Indians their title to that country, had by his industry and great charge, improved the country and established confiderable colonies therein, whereby he had very much impared his eftate, in Europe; and that, in the year, 1708, to clear a debt contracted for fettling and improving the faid colonies, he had borrowed of the faid mortgagees £6,600, to whom he had mortgaged the said province, and all the powers of government."

Note. The names of the mortgagees were, " Henry Gouldney of London, Jofua Gee, Silvanus Grove, John Woods, of the fame place; and Thomas Callowhill, Thomas Oade and Jeffry Pennell, of Bristol, and John Field of Leaden, and Thomas Cuppage of Lambs-town, in Ireland.” M. S.

1709.

prietary in

Befides, it cannot be fuppofed, but that the nature of the difputes between the Affembly and his The Pro- Deputy Governor, at the fame time, could not cited to dif- have been agreeable to him, for, notwithstanding pofe of the what appears to have been amifs, or defective in the ment, &c. conduct of the latter, it was then vifible, and more

Govern

fo

Note. In a manuscript, figned Philadelphus, appearing to have been writ about the fourth year of Governor Gordon's administration, for a particular purpose, by James Logan, is the following observation, viz.

"When the Proprietor, by the fraud of a treacherous steward, was obliged to mortgage the Province, the Trustees of that mortgage, with his concurrence, appointed five perfons, in whose character they were beft fatisfied, viz. Edward Shippen, Samuel Carpenter, Richard Hill, Ifaac Norris and James Logan, to be their commiflioners, or agents. And the Proprietor, in a full confidence in the fame perfons, appointed them, with one more, to be trustees also of his will. Not long after this, the two first died, and the other three continued to discharge the truft, they had undertaken," &c. M. S.

Oldmixon, in his account of the British colonies, published in 1708, fays," We fhall not enter into any enquiries into the causes of the trouble, that has been given Mr. Penn lately, about the province of Pennfylvania; it appears to us, by what we have heard of it from others, for from himself we never had any information concerning it, that he has been involved in it, by his bounty to the Indians, his generofity, in minding the public affairs of the colony, more than his own private ones; his humanity to thofe, who have not made fuitable returns; his confidence in those, that have betrayed him; and the rigour of the fevereft equity; a word, that horders the nearest to injuftice of any. 'Tis certainly the duty of this colony to maintain the Proprietary, who has laid out his All, for the maintenance of them, in the poffeffion of his territory; and the public, in gratitude, ought to make good what they reap the benefit of. This is all faid out of justice to the merit of this gentleman, otherwise it would have been without his confent.

The fame author mentions the names of the Members of Council, and of the perfons in office, in Governor Evans's administration, as follows:

The Council confifted of:

Edward Shippen,

Samuel Carpenter,

William Trent,

Thomas Story,

Richard Hill,
William Rodney,
Caleb Pufey, and

James Logan.

Jofeph Growdon, Speaker of the Affembly.

Thomas Story, Matter of the Rolls.

William Clark, Edward Shippen, Jofeph Growdon, William Guest,

Peter Evans, Regifter. Edward Penington, late Surveyor General. Robert Afhton, Clerk of the Peace, for the town and county of Phi ladelphia.