I Received Your Letter by the way of Boston; You tell me you have seen the Votes of our Assembly, and their generous Resolution of giving the Governour a Thousand Pounds for his extraordinary Services: Had all the Votes been Published as they were Voted (which of right they ought to have been) you would have also seen, that they Resolved to give him but Seven Hundred and Fifty Pounds, and I am ashamed to tell you how they came to add the other Two Hun­dred and Fifty.

As I am one that wish well to my Country-men, I'll endeavour to con­vince you that they are not so much to blame as you imagine.

The People of this Province have always paid the greatest Regard to His Majesty's Representative, and I am sorry to say, that they have too often made concessions not so beneficial to the Country.

[Page 2]Our Governour's great Services in stopping of the Sugar Bill, were set forth in such a Manner▪ that I don't see which way they could refrain from drawing the Purse-strings of their Constituents; They were told, He fetch'd Lords one hundred Miles out of the Country to stop the Bill, That he stay'd in England three Months longer than he needed to have done, only for the Benefit of the Province, That had he come away, the Bill would have Passed, to the intire ruin of the Country; with many other Things too long to commit to Paper.

He also wisely took care not to communicate the following Instructions, tho' he had express Orders so to do, Viz.

‘Whereas several Inconveniencies have arisen to Our Governments in the Plantations, by Gifts and Presents made to Our Governours by the General Assemblies: For Prevention whereof for the Future, It is Our express Will and Pleasure, That neither You Our Governour, nor any Governour, Lieut. Governour, nor Commander in Chief, or Pre­sident of the Council of Our said Province of New-York for the time being, do give Your or Their Consent to the passing any Law or Act, for any Gift or Present to be made to You or Them by the Assembly; And that neither You nor They do receive any Gift or Present from the Assembly, or others on any account, or in any manner whatsoever, upon pain of Our highest Displeasure, and of being recalled from that Our Government.’

And the other Instruction is, ‘And We do further Direct and Re­quire, that the Declaration of Our Royal Will and Pleasure in the fore­going Instruction, be communicated to the Assembly at their first Meet­ing after Your arrival in Our said Province, and entered in the Re­gister of Our Council and Assembly, that all Persons whom it may concern may govern themselves accordingly.’

Now no Man of Person can imagine, if the Assembly had seen these Instructions, they wou'd ever have offered a Present, when the Accepting of it upon any terms, must have lost him his Government: Besides if you will observe, the Assembly have taken care so to Resolve it, that they may be clear of any blame by leaving of it to the Concurrence of the Council, who without dispute must know all his Instructions, at least [Page 3] those where their Advice and Consent is necessary, as it is in this case, as you will observe by the following Instruction, viz. ‘You are forth­with to communicate unto Our said Council, such and so many of these Our Instructions wherein their Advice and Consent is mentioned to be requisite; as likewise all such others from time to time, as You shall find convenient for Our Service to be imparted’; therefore it is hoped they cannot concur.

Perhaps his present Excellency may not have these Instructions, but I have the greatest reason to believe he has, because all the former Gover­nours have had them from the Earl of Clarendon down to Col. Montgomerie.

Some who pretend to be Courtiers, say, That the Governour never de­signed to take any Money after that manner, That his reason for [...]e [...]ting of the Assembly into such a Resolution, was only to shew his Friends at Home, that the People here were of so generous a disposition, as to en­deavour to force Money into his Pocket against the express Orders of the KING his Master.

Thus you see, Sir, we are Honest tho' Ignorant, and always ready to support Government, if we can but have the injoyment of our Liberties and Properties.

As you have been long a Member of the House of Commons, and must know the Interest of the Nation, I hope the Sugar Bill will meet with all the Opposition in your Power. According to your Desire, I shall let you know from time to time how we Act in this part of the World▪ what relates to the Payment of the Troops, you shall have a just and true Account of by the next Conveyance, and in the mean time, I am,