endeavours; wee doubt not to enjoy, Safety & protection from our enemies abroad; Liberty of Concience, peace & Tranquility at home; and that euery thing repugnant to the True English interest, may henceforth & for euer Euanish; But more Espetially wee beg Leaue to Tender Yor Excie our most hearty & gratefull acknowledgements, for the late pious Refformacon, yo Excie hath been pleased to effect in this County; by promoteing such among us, as wee hope, Truly fear God, & will candidly endeauour to Advance his glory, by discouraging & suppressing prophainess & immorality, wch in great meashure by the neglect & ill example of some of our Magistrates, has heretofore Like a Vniuersall contagion, diffused & spread among us to the great scandall & reproach of the Christian Relligion, & the dishonour and prejudice of her Majesties Gouernment. In Concurence Therefore wth yor Excies Laudable intentions, wee do most humbly craue the continuance of yor patheticke concerne, by distinguishing wth marks of yor Valuable fauor, such of her Majesties Judges & Justices as faithfully discharge their respective dutys by puttg in speedy & due Execution those Excellent Laws, now Extant against vice & immorallity; and to require from them, from Time to Time, an account of their agreeable proceedings.

Wee present to yor excie this our humle address, out of a sence of our duty, and Zeale for the glory of God, and to the end that all our enterprizes, may be owned & blessed by his Diuine guidance & assistance; And that yor Excell may be propitious in acquiring all the good ends of Gouernment, aduance in her majestys fauour, & haue the obsequious regards, as well as the Cordiall affections of the people here under yor sage Administracon; continue wth yor Noble Consort Long & happely among us, to yor Excies unexpressible aduantage, satisfaction, & Complacency; are the constant wishes, & unalterable desires, & prayer of,

May it please yor Excellency

Your Most Obliged Most faithfull & Obedient Seruts
JAMES REEVE foreman

Presented by Coll. Smith

5th April 1712.

in behalf of the Grand Jury

Capt. Mulford's Representations against the Gov't of New-York.

MEMORIAL

O F

Several Aggrievances and Oppressions of His Majesty's Subjects in the Colony of NEW-YORK in America,

SHEWETH:

WHEN the Enemies of the Nation had, by their wicked Councils and trayterous Intreagues, brought our Nation to the very Brink of being swallowed up by Popish Superstition and Arbitrary Government, it pleased the Almighty God by his wonderful Omnipotence to bring in Peace and settle his Most Sacred Majesty, King GEORGE, upon the British Throne; and it is to be hoped, that his Subjects in distant Countries, and in particular those of the Colony of New York may in some Measure feel the Influence of his Happy Government, and be in due time relieved from all Oppressions.

The West End of the Island Nassau, (the then Manhados) Hutsons River and Staten Island were first settled by the Dutch from Holland, in great Danger and Hardship many of them being slain by the Salvages; the East End of the same Island by English under the Crown of England (they then befng a Part of Connecticut-Colony) who also settled in great Hazard and Hardship. In some time after the Natives were suppressed, in the Year 1664, General Nicols with a Fleet of Ships and some Land Forces reduced the then Manhados to the King's Obedience, it being delivered to him upon Articles. And being thus subjected to the Crown, King Charles the Second making a grant of the same to his Brother James Duke of York, as by the same may at large appear, the said General Nicols and Commissioners demanded the East End of the Island; and though the Inhabitants thereof were much against, being moved from Connecticut to New York, yet it was their Misery and unhappy Fate to have it to be so. The Governor, Commissioners and Council took upon them the Legislative Power, and the People were governed by their Ordinances, until Governor Dungan came to be over them, then an Assembly were called, which Privilege was then declared to be the People's Right; and some time after an Act of Assem

bly passed, That the Persons to be Elected to sit as Representatives in the General Assembly from time to time, for the several Cities, Towns, Counties, Shires, Divisions or Mannors of this Province, and all Places within the same, shall be according to the Proportion and Number hereafter expressed; that is to say, For the City and County of New-York four, for the County of Suffolk two, for Queens-County two, for Kings-County two, for the County of Richmond two, for the County of Westchester two, for the County of Ulster two, for the County of Albany two, for the Mannor of Ranslerwick one, and for Dukes County two, and as many more as their Majesties, their Heirs and Successors shall think fit to establish; That all Persons chosen as aforesaid, or the major Part of them shall be deemed and accounted the Representives of this Province in General Assembly, and such Acts made by them, consented to by the Governor and Counsel, shall be the Laws of the Province, until they are disallowed by their Majesties, their Heirs and Successors, or expire by their own Limitation. And though by this Act, their Majesties, their Heirs and Successors may establish as many more, as they shall think fit: It is not to be thought that our Most Gracious Sovereign King George, will. establish so many in such Places, that they may live upon other Parts of the Government, and great Injustice be done thereby, neither give Power to his Governor so to do; But that his Most Sacred Majesty would have Justice done: Notwithstanding of late their hath been Precepts issued out for Choice of Representatives in what Part and Places of the Government as he pleaseth. So that notwithstanding the Law, they are raised to the Number of Twenty Five; and now the Minor Part of the People in the Government have the Major Part of the Assembly, and for their Interest Oppress a great Part of the People, and they lie under great Disadvantages; as may appear by the following Proportion of a 4000l. Tax, and several other Particulars upon the several Counties in the Colony, here is an Account of the men, Inhabitants in each County, and their Representatives in the Assembly; also the Quota of Tax in the same.

By this plan it is evident, that the several Counties are very unequally Represented, as well with Regard to the Number of Inhabitants in each, as to the Taxes they pay; And to this Disproportion of Assembly-Men is to be ascribed the unequal Taxing of the several Counties, without respect to their Number of People, their Riches and Commerce. To evince this it will appear, that Kings-County, Queens-County and County of Suffolk, which contain 2220 Men, have only Six Representatives in Assembly, and are taxed at 20557. whereas all the other Counties, having in them 3465 Men and so many Representatives that they are Taxed only at 19457. So that at this time there is up Hudsons River Ten Assembly-Men, in Albany, Ranslerwick, Ulster, Orange and Dutchess Counties, and all those Ten represent, do not pay in one Tax so much as one County on the Island of Nassau, where they have but two in each County. And for what Disbursements and Services done on the same Island, for publick Service there is very little if any thing paid them: When for publick Disbursements and Services done up Hudsons River (do but give it the Name for their Majesties Service) altho' it be to draw Trade to them, or to go to purchase Land for themselves, it is brought to the Assembly to put the Charge upon the Country; and for the most part they get twice so much as others in part of the Government would demand for the same Service, if it were for the Publick.

It is a Privilege to have an Assembly, if it were as near as may be according to the Number of the People in each County, that Justice and Right might be done: But to have the Name and nothing of the Nature, is but a Snare to the greatest Part of

the People in the Colony, and would be easier for them that there was not any Assembly, than to have such an One as endeavour to live upon their Neighbours, and not by them, and shall be called True and Loyal Subjects, complying to all Proposals for some Mens Advantage; when others, endeavouring to have Justice and Right done, and speak any thing for Property and Liberty of the Subjects, shall be looked upon as Criminals, if not prosecuted for the same, as Capt. Mulford was. It is supposed there are some things else besides Loyalty, as An Office with a Sallary, A Grant of some Lands, and A Sallery of Three Hundred Pounds per Ann. to the Commissioners of the Indian Affairs at Albany; though it is not known to the Country, what Service they do to the King or Country, except it be to draw Trade to themselves and Debts upon the Country, and procure a Resolve of the Assembly to allow them 3001. per Annum for five Years, and also to Allow the Indians 4007. by a Resolve of the House for the same time. And so in time of Peace have brought the Colony to be Tributaries to the Heathen, and when the five Years are expired, the Indians will expect it for ever; and if they have it not, they will think they have just Cause to Quarrel with the English. And of what dismal Consequence are such Measures! But it is thought that the Indians did not expect such a Present now, but that it was somebody else that wanted it: For 4001. at New York, with the Customary Advance of 501. Per Cent. at Albany, makes 6001. And if the Indians have 400l. there, it will do; also somebody must present it to the Indians, who in Retaliation return several Packs of Beaver and other Skins: The Report is, that sometimes to the Value of the Present, which is unknown to the Publick what becomes of it. But it is thought to be the greatest Reason of Making the Present, and so bring His Majesties Subjects to be Tributaries. If it were of Necessity to do it, and were for the publick good of the Plantations in America, why do not the Neighbouring Colonies assist, which are as deeply concerned for their own Security?

The Indians that fled out of New-England are setled near Albany, and those from North-Carolina, when fled from thence, come there for Shelter, amongst those Indians which their Majesties Subjects in New-York-Government are brought to be