Part 1 (1/2)
Report of the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations on the Pet.i.tion of the Honourable Thomas Walpole, Benjamin Franklin, John Sargent, and Samuel Wharton, Esquires, and their a.s.sociates.
by Great Britain Board of Trade.
MY LORDS,
Pursuant to your lords.h.i.+ps order of the 25th May 1770, we have taken into our consideration the humble memorial of the honourable Thomas Walpole, Benjamin Franklin, John Sargent, and Samuel Wharton, Esquires, in behalf of themselves and their a.s.sociates, setting forth (among other things) ”That they presented a pet.i.tion to his Majesty, in council, for a grant of lands in America (_parcel_ of the lands purchased by government of the Indians) in consideration of a price to be paid in purchase of the same; _that in pursuance of a suggestion which arose when the said pet.i.tion was under consideration of the Lords Commissioners for trade and plantations_, the memorialists presented a pet.i.tion to the Lords Commissioners of the treasury, proposing to purchase a larger tract of land on the river Ohio in America, sufficient for a separate government; whereupon their lords.h.i.+ps were pleased to acquaint the memorialists, they had no objection to accepting the proposals made by them with respect to the purchase-money and quit-rent to be paid for the said tract of land, if it should be thought adviseable by those departments of government, to whom it belonged to judge of the propriety of the grant, both in point of policy and justice, that the grant should be made; in consequence whereof the memorialists humbly renew their application that a grant of said lands may be made to them, _reserving therein to all persons their just and legal rights to any parts or parcels of said lands which may be comprehended within the tract prayed for by the memorialists;_”
whereupon we beg leave to report to your lords.h.i.+ps,
I. That according to the description of the tract of land prayed for by the memorialists, which description is annexed to their memorial, it appears to us to contain part of the dominion of Virginia, to the south of the river Ohio, and to extend several degrees of longitude westward from the western ridge of the Appalachian mountains, as will more fully appear to your Lords.h.i.+ps from the annexed sketch of the said tract, which we have since caused to be delineated with as much exactness as possible, and herewith submit to your Lords.h.i.+ps, to the end that your Lords.h.i.+ps may judge with the greater precision of the situation of the lands prayed for in the memorial.
II. From this sketch your Lords.h.i.+ps will observe, that a very considerable part of the lands prayed for, lies beyond the line, which has, in consequence of his Majesty's orders for that purpose, been settled by treaty, as well with the tribes of the Six Nations, and their confederates, as with the Cherokee Indians, as the boundary line between his Majesty's territories and their hunting grounds; and as the faith of the crown is pledged in the most solemn manner both to the Six Nations and to the Cherokees, that notwithstanding the former of these nations had ceded the property in the lands to his Majesty, yet no settlements shall be made beyond that line, it is our duty to report to your Lords.h.i.+ps our opinion, that it would on that account be highly improper to comply with the request of the memorial, _so far as it includes any lands beyond the said line_.
It remains therefore, that we report to your Lords.h.i.+ps our opinion, how far it may consist with good policy and with justice, that his Majesty should comply with that part of the memorial which relates to those lands which are situated to the east of that line, and are part of the dominion of Virginia.
III. And first with regard to the policy, we take leave to remind your Lords.h.i.+ps of that principle which was adopted by this Board, and approved and confirmed by his Majesty, immediately after the treaty of Paris, _viz._ the confining the western extent of settlements to such a distance from the sea coast, as that those settlements should lie _within the reach of the trade and commerce of this kingdom_, upon which the strength and riches of it depend, and also of the exercise of that authority and jurisdiction, which was conceived to be necessary for the preservation of the colonies, in a due subordination to, and dependance upon, the Mother Country; and these we apprehend to have been two capital objects of his Majesty's proclamation of the 7th of October 1763, by which his Majesty declares it to be his royal will and pleasure to reserve under his sovereignty, protection, and dominion, for the _use_ of the Indians, all the lands not included within the three new governments, the limits of which are described therein, as also all the lands and territories lying to the westward of the sources of the rivers which shall fall into the sea from the west and north-west, and by which, all persons are forbid to make any purchases or settlements whatever, or to take possession of any of the lands above reserved, without special licence for that purpose.
IV. It is true indeed, that partly from _want of precision_ in describing the line intended to be marked out by the proclamation of 1763, and partly from a consideration of justice _in regard to legal t.i.tles to lands_, which had been settled beyond that line, it has been since thought fit to enter into engagements with the Indians, for fixing a more precise and determinate _boundary_ between his Majesty's territories and their hunting grounds.
V. By this _boundary_, so far as it regards the case now in question, your Lords.h.i.+ps will observe, that the hunting grounds of the Indians are reduced within narrower limits than were specified by the proclamation of 1763; we beg leave however, to submit to your Lords.h.i.+ps, that the same principles of policy, in reference to settlements _at so great a distance_ from the sea coast _as to be out of the reach of all advantageous intercourse with this kingdom_, continue to exist in their full force and spirit; and, though various propositions for erecting new colonies in the interior parts of America have been, in consequence of this extension of the boundary line, submitted to the consideration of government (particularly in that part of the country wherein are situated the lands now prayed for, with a view to that object) yet the dangers and disadvantages of complying with such proposals have been so obvious, as to defeat every attempt made for carrying them into execution.
VI. Many objections, besides those which we have already stated, occur to us to propositions of this kind; but as _every argument_ on this subject is _collected together with great force and precision_, in a representation made to his Majesty by the Commissioners for Trade and Plantations in March 1768, we beg leave to state them to your Lords.h.i.+ps in their words.
In that representation they deliver their opinion upon a proposition for settling new colonies in the interior country as follows, _viz._
”The proposition of forming inland colonies in America is, we humbly conceive, entirely new: it adopts principles in respect to American settlements, different from what have hitherto been the policy of this kingdom, and leads to a system which, if pursued through all its consequences, is, in the present state of that country, of the greatest importance.
”The great object of colonizing upon the continent of North America, has been to improve and extend the commerce, navigation, and manufactures of this kingdom, upon which its strength and security depend.
1. ”By promoting the advantageous fishery carried on upon the northern coast.
2. ”By encouraging the growth and culture of naval stores, and of raw materials, to be transported hither in exchange for perfect manufactures and other merchandise.
3. ”By securing a supply of lumber, provisions, and other necessaries, for the support of our establishments in the American islands.
”In order to answer these salutary purposes, it has been the policy of this kingdom to confine her settlements as much as possible to the sea coast, and not to extend them to places inaccessible to s.h.i.+pping, and consequently more out of the reach of commerce; a plan, which, at the same time that it secured the attainment of these commercial objects, had the further political advantage of guarding against all interfering of foreign powers, and of enabling this kingdom to keep up a superior naval force in those seas, by the actual possession of such rivers and harbours as were proper stations for fleets in time of war.
”Such, may it please your Majesty, have been the considerations inducing that plan of policy hitherto pursued in the settlement of your Majesty's American colonies, with which the private interest and sagacity of the settlers co-operated from the first establishments formed upon that continent: It was upon these principles, and with these views, that government undertook the settling of Novia Scotia in 1749; and it was from a view of the advantages represented to arise from it in these different articles, that it was so liberally supported by the aid of parliament.
”The same motives, though operating in a less degree, and applying to fewer objects, did, as we humbly conceive, induce the forming the colonies of Georgia, East Florida, and West Florida, to the South, and the making those provincial arrangements in the proclamation of 1763, by which the interior country was left to the possession of the Indians.
”Having thus briefly stated what has been the policy of this kingdom in respect to colonizing in America, it may be necessary to take a cursory view of what has been the effect of it in those colonies, where there has been sufficient time for that effect to discover itself; because, if it shall appear from the present state of these settlements, and the progress they have made, that they are likely to produce the advantages above stated, it will, we humbly apprehend, be a very strong argument against forming settlements in the interior country; more especially, when every advantage, derived from an established government, would naturally tend to draw the stream of population; fertility of soil and temperature of climate offering superior incitements to settlers, who, exposed to few hards.h.i.+ps, and struggling with few difficulties, could, with little labour, earn an abundance for their own wants, but without a possibility of supplying ours with any considerable quant.i.ties. Nor would these inducements be confined in their operation to foreign emigrants, determining their choice where to settle, but would act most powerfully upon the inhabitants of the northern and southern lat.i.tudes of your Majesty's American dominions; who, ever suffering under the opposite extremes of heat and cold, would be equally tempted by a moderate climate to abandon lat.i.tudes peculiarly adapted to the production of those things, which are by Nature denied to us; and for the whole of which we should, without their a.s.sistance, stand indebted to, and dependant upon other countries.
”It is well known that antecedent to the year 1749, all that part of the sea-coast of the British empire in America, which extends north-east from the province of Main to Canceau in Nova Scotia, and from thence to the mouth of St. Laurence river, lay waste and neglected; though naturally affording, or capable by art of producing, every species of naval stores; the seas abounding with whale, cod, and other valuable fish, and having many great rivers, bays, and harbours, fit for the reception of s.h.i.+ps of war. Thus circ.u.mstanced, a consideration of the great commercial advantages which would follow from securing the possession of this country, combined with the evidence of the value set upon it by our enemies, who, during the war which terminated at that period, had, at an immense expence, attempted to wrest it from us, induced that plan, for the settlement of Novia Scotia, to which we have before referred; and which, being prosecuted with vigour, though at a very large expence to this kingdom, secured the possession of that province, and formed those establishments which contributed so greatly to facilitate and promote the success of your Majesty's arms in the late war.
”The establishment of government in this part of America, having opened to the view and information of your Majesty's subjects in other colonies the great commercial advantages to be derived from it, induced a zeal for migration; and a.s.sociations were formed for taking up lands, and making settlements, in this province, by princ.i.p.al persons residing in these colonies.
”In consequence of these a.s.sociations, upwards of ten thousand souls have pa.s.sed from those colonies into Novia Scotia; who have either engaged in the fisheries, or become exporters of lumber and provisions to the West Indies. And further settlements, to the extent of twenty-one towns.h.i.+ps, of one hundred thousand acres each, have been engaged to be made there, by many of the princ.i.p.al persons in Pennsylvania, whose names and a.s.sociation for that purpose now lie before your Majesty in council.
”The government of Ma.s.sachussets Bay, as well as the proprietors of large tracts to the eastward of the province of Main, excited by the success of these settlements, are giving every encouragement to the like settlements in that valuable country, lying between them and Novia Scotia; and the proprietors of the twelve towns.h.i.+ps lately laid out there, by the Ma.s.sachussets government, now solicit your Majesty for a confirmation of their t.i.tle.