PAPERS RELATING TO PROVINCIAL AFFAIRS. WILLIAM PENN TO CAPT. BROCLES AND JO. WEST. PHILADELPHIA, 3d 5th mo., 1683. WORTHY FRIEND: I doe much desire ye good news of ye Arrival of ye Governor, by whose.. & prudence I expect & hope an happy Settlement will Attend New York and her dependants. I hear my neighbour, ye Lord Baltimore, has desired to know of his arrivall, y' he might show him ye kindness of an old acquaintance. I would pray y' ye express stay to give me ye newes, y' I may express my duty to ye Duke & my Esteem for a Person of so fair & honourable a character. I have now to recommend yo bearer, and with hime a Gentleman of ye towne, in a busyness y' relaits to myselfe & ye Improvement of this his majesty's Province, they, James Graham & Wm; and yo busyness I intrust yem with is to treete with ye Sackem of ye Mawkawkes & Senecers & there Allies about some sasquehanash land on ye back of us, and whare I intend a Collony, forth with, a place soe out of ye way y' a small thing could not carry some people to it, all tending to enlarge yo English Empire. I doubt not thy continuance in favours to ye Commissioners of Albany, but I thought it decent to mention it, and doe assure ye yt I shall at all times embrace ye oppertunity by which I may manifest how sincerely I am Thy Affectionate & Wm PENN. WILLIAM PENN TO COL. PHILSON LLOYD. Ye 24th 11th mo., 1683. MY MOST ESTEEMED FRIEND: It is proverbial wth our nation, yt it is an Illwind y' blowse no body good. Jno. Edmonson's Entanglemt gave me ye satisfaction of a Lett' from thee, wch was increased by ye hand y' brought it, assuring me of thy perfect recovery, & I pray God continue it to those good & happy Ends, for which he givese long Life & length of days to ye Sons of Men. And, now, give me leave to say, y' this is ye first Letter I recd from thee since thy last g eat fitt of Illness, weh I mention to defend myself ye im putation of an unfriendly silence, for, (such I must have esteemed mine,) had I received a letter mention'd in this, weh, I perceive, thy kindness writes, but somebodies Carelessness or Injustice hath rob'd me of. In ye next place, while I was preparing myself to give thee a large acct of ye Discourse past in my presence, between John Edmonson, Jun., & W Pickering, about y Bill of Exchange, return'd protested, news is brought me of y' Arrival of a Ship, at New Castle, & Joseph Growdon here, to see me, weh made me .. giving thee ye trouble of y' History. & after such congrat ulations, Inquiring of their Voyage & wellfare, I took occasion to discourse him about it. I find him weary, wth nineteen weeks' passage, & ye care of an intire ship & Cargo of his own, but very ready to embrace y safe & speedie way to Justice. He tells me, y' Jn' Edmundson was, therefore, bound for ye Bill, because y' was drawn by his Agent, to enable him to make good his Bargain of Tobacco, wen being, yet, short of performance, more ya ya contense of y' Bill come to, especially wh he reflects on ye great Damages, as well by ye goods being sold really at first cost, or no better Tobacco at such a Price, & ye Ship wanting freight by non-performance of Contract. He holds him self not strictly obliged to deliver Jn° Edmonson from this. . . . till he hath first done him Justice about ye Contract. Nevertheless, he saith, y' if Jno. Edmonson will come hither, state ace, & give him reasonable security for Payment of y° Balance, he will immediately pay Coll. Lloyd y Contense of ye Bill, here or in England. To wch, I will venture to add, y' his Ability, Understanding, Education, & Morals, will not suffer him to step aside from his word. It would, therefore, become Jno Edmonson to hasten hither, his present circumstances not permitting him to leave these parts yet a while. In ye mean time, I am much obliged to thy good opinion of our Justice, wh, it seems, is not singular; & I am glad y' any good can be thought to come out of our Nazareth. I hope, while I live, I shall endeavour to make Justice easy, cheap, & speedy. And, if ye worst of men shall find it, Coll. Lloyd can never want it where I have any power to show it, which. Leave to return my hearty Acknowledgm" of thy Good wishes, for an Accommodation betwixt your Proprietors & me. And, now, suffer me to be more ya w" an occasion is given. I would not take, & can not civily loose. Want of his good neighbourhood is a thing I lament. Want of his good Neighborhood is a thing I came wth, but y' unkindness is better born y" deserved, especially when yo purchase of his favour is costly. Yor wise Light knows no quality nor person, & it is better to be plain y" to dissemble resentm'. An Agree" upon a ballance were desirable, but wa ye terms of it are to cost a man's self, compliance were mean and wittless. Neither nature nor Grace imposeth y Talk where neither Law nor Conviction governeth ye Case; but by many acts he hath precipitated ye business, & to make |