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gov. dongan’s report on the province of new-york.

upon which they all thought it not convenient to have him sworn at least at that time as yourLopp 8 will see by the minutes of council

And my lords to bee short I must say this of him hes a man wholly unfit for business especiallythis wherein hee has noe more skill than a child, Soe that for the executing of it hee must have hiswhole dependance on another. I am sure if I had not taken more care of the Revenue than heedid since I found liis failure it had been more embezled than it is for though he received themoney I was obliged to continual watching to guard against his carelessness @ neglects

And truly what he takes very ill what there is neither president nor establishment for

In his commission hee has allowed him £200 p r annum the same allowance that Dyer had in thetime of S 1 Edmond Andros of which =£100 was for the Surveyor Comptroller @ Waiter therefore Ifinding no new establishment allow him no more than Dyer had for him @ his officers Salary itbeing the sentiment of the Council that I could not alter the former practice with which they werewell acquainted But he gives himself a far larger allowance he will have it that his salary is ster-ling; @ to make it so of this country money he charges three @ tliirty P r cent advance @ one hun-dred pound more for his two under officers, Besides this Mr Smith being his Deputy-Surveyor @Book-keeper, hee would have allowance to him of £50 p r ann as his deputy £40 P r ann as his ac-comptant £30 P r ann for his transcribing his books £20 P r annum P r his diet besides his salary forSurveyor, For John Harlow hee would have allowed £30 P r ann as waiter, £48 P r ann as beingemployed in the Kings service where or how noe man Knows £20 p r ann for his Diet and £162 andtwo voyages made into England with despatches for his Maty all this @ a great deal more such forhis officers in the country, @ the like your Lop 8 will see in his last general acc 1 a copy whereof isherewith sent,

Notwithstanding hee charges the King soe largely for his officers salaries, to some of them hee haspaid nothing at all insomuch as they are making very great clamor for their money, and not gettingit from him expect it from the King

Of his own head hee bought a little rotten tool of a sloop on pretence for his Mat 38 service,which as your Lop 8 may see by their audit, has stood the King in near £100 @ now cannotbe sold for thirty soe must either be laid up or burnt

In his instructions @ by several orders from me @ the council he was expressly forbid totrust out his Mat 3 ’ 8 revenue notwithstanding I was forc’t to take notes from him to the valueof £800. besides a great many more which hee pretends still to bee standing out as your Lop*will perceive by the audit

Hee has likewise been negligent in taking the bonds required by the laws of the Govermentfrom the masters of ships one ill consequence whereof has been the New York Pink has carriedoff several Elephants teeth without entry, @ the bond being inquired for there was none taken }How he has behaved himself touching an Interloper that came in hither I have already givenH- Benj. Bathurst an account, and as for the debts for him pretended to too the auditors upon

enquiry the most of them are found to bee received by him. and I believe of thee rest, the

twentieth part will never be had, they are soe ill

And besides notwithstanding his confused way of accounting @ being without a cheque uponhim as aforesaid, he is found by his own accounts brought into the audit to bee £1758 15shillings tlireepence and § t3 > 8 of a penny in debt to the King as your Lop 8 may see by the saidaudit which (as is to bee feared) is all gone besides his salary and pquisits, on which he mighthave lived very handsomely

Hee (as hee hath all along done) does to all persons he converseth with speak scurrilously

@ and abusively of me @ y e Council which considering his circumstances we let pass without

taking any notice of