268

PAPERS RELATING TO THE SUSQUEHANNAH RIVER.

towns whose inhabitants manage husbandry and have not above 3000 acres of manureable land; allthe rest being hills and mountains, not possible to be cultivated.

Albany lyes upon the same River distant from NewYorke 144 miles, only settled for Indian trade;its commerce extends itself as far as the Lakes of Canada and the Sinnekes Country in which is theSusquehannah River; their chiefe dependance is upon their traffick with the 5 Nations called SinnekesCayeugoes Oneydes Onondages and Maquase; which Indians in the time of the Dutch did surrenderthemselves and their lands to the obedience & protecon of Albany, and upon that place’s reducconto your Majesties Crowne of England they continued confirming the same successively to all theGovernours of this Province, and hath now ratifyed and confirmed the same unto your Majesty; sothat all that tiact of land from the Westermost extent of the Sinnekes Country unto Albany hathbeen appropriated and did absolutely belong unto the Inhabitants of Albany, upwards of fourtyyeares; The Indian inhabitants have always reckoned themselves subjects to your Majesties Crowne,and are not willing to submitt or have any trade or Commerce with any of your Majesty’s subjectsbut those att Albany, your Majesty’s forts of New Yorke and Albany had always an absolute do-minion over all the Indian Nations adjacent to this Province but especially of all those to the West-ward ; and they were accustomed annually to bring tribute to your Majesty’s forts, acknowledgingthe same, but of late years the neighbouring Collonyshave obstructed them which we conceive highlyinjurious to your Majesty’s interest and that this royalty is not conveyed by any of the afore recitedgrants.

Long Island is pleasantly scituated and well planted but brings little gain unto your Majesty, theEast end being chiefly settled by New England people who have erected five towns. Their improve-ments are most in pasturage and whaleing. What is produced from their industry is frequentlycarried to Boston and notwithstanding of the many strict rules and laws made to confine them to thisplace they interlope that the revenue there is not able to defray the expense of looking after it. Themiddle of the Island [is] altogether barren; the West end chiefly employed in tillage, which in agreat measure supplys the trafliq of New Yorke

All the rest of the Province, West Chester, Staten Island and Martin’s Vineyard excepted, consistof barren mountains hills not improveable by humane industry.

Now May it please Your Maj‘y :

The revenue that is established in this Province is in such a nature that if the encroachm w andpretences of our neighbours be removed, it will not only be sufficient to defray the charge of yourMaj tie * Governm 1 but also bring in profitt into your Maj tie « Coffers.

East Jersey is scituate on Hudsons River over against Long Island Staten Island and New York ,and they pretend by the aforementioned grant to be a free place and to have free ports to trade asthey please, which if admitted must certainly destroy yo r Maj‘‘«» interest and revenue here; for whatmerchant will come to New York and trade and pay to yo r Maj‘r 2 and 10 p cent with the excise andyo r Majt i « s duties settled here, if they can at 2 or 3 miles distance over against the same place go andbe free from any duty or imposition whatever.

Connecticutt lyes to the eastward of us & pretends to the like freedome as East Jersey, and dothin the same degree threaten y r Majestys interest with the like inconveniency and prejudice. There-fore may it please our Maj‘y if Connecticut East and West Jersey be not annexed to your Majesty’sGovernment of this Province it will be alltogether impossible to raise such a revenue to yo c Majestyhere as will be sufficient to defray the charge of the government, and the annexing thereof cannotbe injurious to the proprietors, but on the contrary advantageous to them, for it will ease them ofthe charge of governm 1 which hath allways exceeded the quitt Rents accrueing to them ; whereas ifthey were annexed the profits would be freed from that charge, retain their propertys and putt theQuitt Rents clear in their poequets.