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TRIENNIAL ELECTIONS IN THE PROVINCE OF NEW YORK.

ing Colonies of the Masachusets Bay Connecticut and Rhode Island on the one hand, and Pensilvania on the other, were Increasing in People, flourishing in Trade , and abounding with Wealth and Con-tentment.

The Assembly Observed that those Colonies have the Annual Choice of their Representatives, bywhich General Grievances are either happily Prevented, or always Speedily redressed while by Ex-perience they have found, that the long Continuance of Assemblies in this Colony, had an unhappyTendency to Introduce Grievances, and Establish them as an Insupportable Burthen upon the People.They observed that the long Continuance of power in the same hands, had always grown up intoan oppressive Domination of a few men, which they found to have been the fruitfull Parent of allthose Evils, under which this Country had Visibly Declined ; and which had in some late InstancesProved Exceeding Dangerous to the Peace of His Majesty’s Government within this Colony.

These are the Reasons that Induced the Assembly with great Zeal and Unanimity to propose andpass that Law, as a most necessary Expedient, to retrieve the Peace and Promote the prosperityof this Miserable and Distressed Colony.

The Just representation of this matter to His Majisty, It’s believed cannot fail of procuringhis assent to this Law, which his People here have so much at heart. Tis not doubted but HisMajisty will think it necessary for His Honor, that His Subjects here, should live as easy and ashappy under His immediate Government as His Subjects are in the Neighbouring Colonies, underthe Charters Granted by His Royal Predecessors. Tis verily believed, that nothing can have amore happy Tendency to Accomplish this, than the passing this law.

Tis Evident, that the Liberty Ease and Safety of the People in the Neighbouring Colonies, whoEnjoy the Priviledge of Choosing their Assemblies yearly, is Attended with the most happyConsequences; this causes them to multiply Exceedingly, by their Natural Growth, and vast Addi-tions from Protestant Country s abroad, Whereas this Colony is but thinly Peopled, and more personshave Deserted it than have come to it for several years past. Those Colonies have been flourishingin Trade, and Extending it abundantly while it has been miserably declining among us. Twillhardly be believed in England that those Goverments, have so much the Advantage of us, in theValue of their Lands, as they have, It being a truth Capable of the fullest proof, that the Landsin Connecticut, will sell for three times the price of the Lands in New York , tho the Lands areContiguous, and there is no Difference in the Soil , but what proceeds meerly from the Partition linethat Divides it. This Country has an Advantage for Ship Building, raising of Hemp, making,of Iron and other Naval Stores, beyond any of the Plantations in America . Yet it is evident,that under the Ease and Safety of the Charter Goverments, Secured Chiefly by their AnnualAssemblys These Colonies have flourished to a great Degree in those usefull Manufactures, soAdvantagious to the Trade and Safety of Great Britain , while this Colony has been under suchDiscouragements, as to have done little or nothing in these Manufactures, but has seen the Iron Ore carried from hence, to be worked up at about 200 miles Distance in New England , tho with Respectto Wood and Water, this Country has as good or better Conveniences than that the vast Numberof People Inhabiting the New England Colonies, the sudden and prodigious growth of Pensilvania ,with their Annual Assemblies while the finist Colony lying between them, under the Kings Imme-diate Goverment, that has been as long Settled as either of them, is Empty of People poor andStarving, is generally believed to be chiefly owing to those Mischiefs, which have arose from thewant of a frequent Election of Assemblies, and the passing of this Law, will Doubtless Tend tothe Multiplying of our People, the Extension of our ffrontiers, the promoting of the fur Trade,and making this Colony a strong Barrier against the fffench, and Consequently the Bulwark andSafety of British Interests in America. It will make this Colony of more Service to Great Britain ,