Page:American History Told by Contemporaries, v2.djvu/101

No. 27] the Duke of York, but for the government not so much as is necessary. After his first arrival, however, in these parts, he prevailed with the people both of the province and those counties to join in one govern ment under him, according to the powers of the King's charter, which nevertheless extended to the province only, and so they continued, not without many fractions, till after the time of his last departure, when some disaffected persons took advantage of a clause, which he had unhappily inserted in a charter he gave the people, and broke off entirely from those lower counties ; since which time we have had two assemblies, that of the province, acting by a safe and undisputed power, but that of the other counties without sufficient (I doubt) to justify them. Last fall the assembly of those counties took occasion to inquire into their own powers, upon a design to set new measures on foot, and have sent home an address by one of their members, Thomas Coutts's brother, who is to negotiate the matter with the Lords of Trade and the ministry, to obtain powers to some person or other, who the Queen may think fit (though Coutts designs it for himself), to discharge all the necessary duties of government over them. This, I doubt, will give the proprie tary great trouble ; for when the Council of Trade is fully apprized, as by this means they will be, that those counties are entirely disjoined from the province, it is probable they may more strictly inquire into the proprietor s right of government and legislation with the people there, and it is much to be feared, that they may advise the Queen to dispose of the government of those parts some other way, which would be exceedingly destructive to the interest of the province in general. . ..

Upon the whole, what I have to propose is this, whether it would not be most advisable for the proprietor to consider in time what measures are most fit for him to take for his own and the country's interest, before the blow falls so heavy that it may prove difficult, if at all practicable, for him to ward it off; whether, therefore, it may not be most prudent to part with the government of both province and lower counties together, upon the best terms that can be obtained, before it proves too late for him to procure any. If he should hold the government of the province, nay even of the whole, during his life, he will never gain any thing by it ; and, after his decease, it will be lost, or at least be put out of the hands of Friends, and perhaps without any previous terms at all, when now he may be capable himself to negotiate a surrender, both to his own particular interest, and greatly to the advantage of the profession ; but, whenever this is done, he should remember