his province, as would furnish, from thence, a 1683. good, open and fufficient communication to the ocean, as well as by the Delaware. The nature and state of the controverfy, about this time, between the two Proprietaries, on this subject, more fully appear from the following letter of William Penn to the Lords of the committee of plantations, in London; to which board the Lord Baltimore feems to have been beforehand with him, viz. letter to the Philadelphia, the 14th. of the Sixth-month, 1683. "THOUGH it be a duty, I humbly own, to W. Penn's inform the Lords of the committee of plantations, Lords of of what concerns his majesty's intereft in the fuc- plantations, cefs of this province, I thought myself equally &c. obliged to be difcreet and cautious in doing it. To write, then, there was need, and not to trouble perfons, of their honor and business, with things trivial, at least, raw and unfinished for their view. This hitherto put me by giving any account of the state of our affairs, to fay nothing of the mighty difficulties, I have laboured under, in the fettlement of fix-and-twenty fail of people, to content, within the space of one year; which makes my cafe fingular, and excufable, above any other of the King's plantations. "But because my agent has informed me that the Proprietor of Maryland has been early in his account of our conference about fixing our bounds, and made a narrative of my affairs, as well before, as at that time, a little to my disadvantage, and the rather, because my filence might be interpreted neglect, I am neceffitated to make fome defence for myself; which, as it will not be hard to make, fo I hope it will be received as just. "I humbly fay, then, first, that it seemed to me improper to trouble the Lords with my tranfactions with this Proprietor, till we were come to fome refult; which we were not: for we parted till fpring; and even then were but to meet about the methods of our proceedings. 1683. "Next, This narrative was taken by the Lord's orders, without my confent, or knowledge, in a W. Penn's corner of a room by one of his own attendants. letter to the Lords of &c. "And, laftly, upon when notice was given of plantations, this ufage, I complained to him, he promised, upon his word and honor, it fhould go not farther; and that it was for his own fatisfaction he did it; I told him that mitigated the thing a little; but if he should divulge it before I faw and agreed to the copy, he must pardon me, if I looked upon it as a most unfair practice.-What that Lord has done, and what to call it, I leave to my betters; but the furprize and indigestion of the whole will, I hope excufe me of neglect, or disrespect: for though I am unceremonious, I would, by no means, act the rude, or undutiful. 'Time of "This faid, I humbly beg that I may give a brief narrative of the matter, as it then paffed, fince has been, and now ftands, without the weaknefs and tautology his relation makes me guilty of. "So foon as I arrived, which was on the 24th. W. Penn's of October last, I immediately dispatched two perarrival, &c. fons to the Lord Baltimore, to afk of his health, offer kind neighbourhood, and agree a time of meeting the better to establish it: While they were gone of this errand, I went to New-York, that I might pay my duty to the Duke, in the vifit of his government and colony. At my return, which was towards the end of November, I found the meffengers, whom I had fent to Maryland, newly arrived, and the time fixed, being the 19th. of December. I prepared myself in a few days for that province. The 11th. of the month I came to weft river; where I met the Proprietor, attended fuitable to his character; who took the occafion, by his civilities, to fhew me the greatness of his power: The next day we had conference about our business of the bounds, both at the fame table, with our respective members of council. letter to the "The first thing I did was to prefent the King's 1683. letter; which confifted of two parts:-One, that the Lord Baltimore had but two degrees; and the other, W. Penn's that, beginning at Watkins's point, he fhould ad- Lords of measure his faid degrees, at 60 miles to a degree. plantations, This being read by him, firft privately, then publicly, he told me, the King was greatly miftaken, and that he would not leave his patent, to follow the King's letter, nor could a letter void his patent; and by that he would ftand. "This was the substance of what he said from first to laft, during the whole conference. To this I answered, the King might be misinformed rather than mistaken, and that I was afraid the mistake would fall on his fide; for though his patent begins at Watkins's point and goes to the fortieth degree of north latitude, yet it prefumed that to lye in the 38th. elfe Virginia would be wronged, which fhould extend to that degree; however this I affured him, that when I petitioned the King for five degrees north latitude and that petition was referred to the Lords of the committee of plantations; at that time, it was urged by fome prefent, that the Lord Baltimore had but two degrees; upon which the Lord Prefident, turning his head to me, at whofe chair I stood, faid, Mr. Penn, will not three degrees ferve your turn? I answered, "I fubmit both the what, and how, to the honourable board." "To this his uncle, and chancellor, returned, that to convince me his father's grant was not by degrees, he had more of Virginia given him, but being planted, and the grant intending only land not planted, or poffeffed, but of favage natives, he left it out, that it might not forfeit the reft: Of which the Lord Baltimore takes no notice, in his narrative, that I remember.-But, by that answer, he can pretend nothing to Delaware; which was at, and before, the paffing of that pa tent, &c. 1683. tent, bought and planted by the Dutch; and fo could not be given:-But, if it were, it was forw. Penn's feited, for not reducing it, during twenty years, letter to the under the English fovereignty; of which he held plantations, it; but was at laft reduced by the King, and therefore his, to give as he pleaseth. Lords of &c. "Perceiving that my preffing the King's letter was uneafy, and that I had determined myself to difpofe him with utmost softness to a good compli ance, I waved that of the two degrees, and preffed the admeasurement only, the next part of the letter:-For though it were two degrees and a half from Watkins's point to forty degrees, yet let it be measured at fixty miles to a degree, and I would begin at forty degrees, fall as it would:-My defign was, that every degree being feventy miles, I fhould get all that was over fixty, the proportion intended the Lord Baltimore, by the grant, and computation of a degree, at that time of the day:Thus he had enjoyed the full favour intendéd him, and I had gained a door of great importance to the peopling and improving of his majesty's province. ઃઃ "But he this alfo rejected;-I told him, it was not the love, or need, of the land, but the water; that he abounded in what I wanted, and accefs and harbouring, even, to excefs; that I would not be thus importunate, but for the importance of the thing, to fave a province; and because there was no proportion in the concern; if I were an hundred times more urgent and tenacious, the cafe would excuse it; because the thing insisted on was more than ninety-nine times more valuable to me than to him; to me the head, to him, the tail. I added, that, if it were his, and he gave it me, planting it would recompence the favours, not only by laying his country between two thriving provinces, but the fhips, that come yearly to Maryland for tobacco, would have the bringing of both letter to the both our people and merchandize; because they 1683. can afford it cheaper; whereby Maryland would, for one age or two be the mart of trade. But this W. Penn's alfo had no other entertainment, but hopes that I Lords of would not infift on these things at our next meet-plantations, ing; after three days time we parted; and I returned to this province. &c. "When the fpring came I fent an exprefs to pray the time and place, when and where I fhould meet him, to effect the business, we adjourned to, at that time. I followed clofe upon the meffenger, that no time might be loft. But the expectation, he twice had, of the Lord Culpepper's vifit, difap pointed any meeting on our affairs, till the month called May; he then fent three gentlemen to let me know, he would meet me at the head of the bay of Chesapeak; I was then in treaty with the kings of the natives for land; but three days after we met ten miles from New-castle, which is thirty from the bay. I invited him to the town, where having entertained him, as well as the town could afford, on fo little notice, and finding him only defirous of speaking with me privately, I preffed that we might, at our distinct lodgings, fit feverally with our councils, and treat by way of written memorials; which would prevent the mistakes, or abuses, that may follow from ill defigns, or ill memory; but he avoided it, faying, "He was not well, and the weather fultry, and would return with what fpeed he could, referving any other treaty to another feafon."-Thus we parted, at that time. I had been before told by divers, that the faid Baltimore had iffued forth a proclamation,* to * See the invite people, by lower prices, and greater quan- notein page tities of land, to plant in the lower counties; in 265, &c. which the Duke's goodnefs had interested me, as an infeparable benefit to this whole province. I was not willing to believe it; and the being in hafte, I omitted to afk him; But I had not been long |