TRIENNIAL ELECTIONS IN THE PROVINCE OF NEW YORK.

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so Convinced Its not Doubted but that the Natural Advantages which this has Beyond those Colo-nies will soon invite many of them to settle here and Encourage other Foreign Protestants to followtheir example, By which our Indian Trade and the Settlement of this Colony may soon be greatlyextended; Its probable the want of bringing this Colony into those Circumstances that has obstructedits being settled quite to and along the Banks of S 4 Lawrence & its Lakes , and which has giventhe Opportunity to the French to make Sundry Settlements there which this Colony might havedone, so that this Colony has but one single Settlement upon the Lakes of S 4 Lawrence, to witt,Oswego & no Settlement within one hundred & fifty miles thereof to support it.

But its hoped that this may still be in great measure retrieved if this Colony be brought into theCircumstances aforesaid For this Colony by its safe and short navigation to Brittain and its safe,short and speedy Inland Navigation to the Indian Nations and Lakes of S 4 Lawrence may be Ena-bled far to undersel the French amongst the Indians, and thereby Can in time cut them out of allthat Trade, which now they will probably cut us out of, if this act should be Damned.

Fifthly—Should it be objected by Enemies to the being of this Colony, That tho’ our Neigh-boring Colonies of both Sides have Annual Elections, yet they are Charter Governments and whyshould the Kings Government follow their Example. Answer, Its Derogatory to his Majistiesgoodness and Honour to suppose that he would Deny any thing to the Colonies under his immediateGovernment that will tend to their well being and prosperity which this Act plainly will, andDoes in those Colonies which Enjoy the Benefit of it, On the Contrary it would Greatly tend tohis Majesties Honour and Interest that the Colonies under his Immediate Government had theirLiberties and Properties Even better Secured by Good Laws than in those Charter Governments.The Certain Consequence whereof would be That such Colonies under his Majisties immediateGovernment would flourish more than the Charter Colonies now do. That would tend to makethose Colonies indifferent as to their Charters and in time to give them up and to Chuse hisMajesties immediate Government in the place thereof. Whereas while this Colony remains in itspast uncertain State as to the Liberties and Properties of the People, Those neighboring Coloniesget our people from us, and are taught by our Sufferings highly to value their Charters and to pityour Misfortunes.

Sixthly—Its not Charter Governments only that have the priviledge of frequent Election ofRepresentatives for their General Assembly,—For we are well assured that South Carolina and NorthCarolina have likewise that priviledge the first an Annual Election and the last a biennia], But asto them it may be said, they had those Priviledges while they were Charter Governments, But as tothat we are informed that Barbadoes-Antigua & the other Leward Islands never were Charter Gov-ernments and yet they have the Priviledge of an Annual Election Whether any and which of theother Colonies have such priviledges we are unacquainted, But whither they have or not we Con-ceive is very Little to the Question, which we think is,

Whether as this Colony is Scituated betwixt Colonies on both Sides which have it. And as thisColony has greatly Suffered and now suffers thro’ the want of it, It be possible for this Colony topreserve its inhabitants and to prosper, and to keep on a footing with the neighbouring Colonieswithout that priviledge which they enjoy so much tending to their happyness, advantage andprosperity.

And whether the Declining State of this Colony thro’ the want of that Law does not tend to theLoss of the Indian Trade, to the Dispeopling of this Colony, to the Possessing of it by the French ,and to the Loss of all the other Colonies in Consequence of it.