Three Rivers
Hudson~Mohawk~Schoharie
History From America's Most Famous Valleys

Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York;
procured in Holland, England and France
by John Romeyn Broadhead, Esq., Agent,
UNDER AND BY VIRTUE OF AN ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE ENTITLED "AN ACT TO APPOINT AN AGENT TO PROCURE AND TRANSCRIBE DOCUMENT IN EUROPE RELATIVE TO THE COLONIAL HISTORY OF THE STATE," PASSED MAY 2, 1839. VOLUME V., ALBANY;
Weed, Pasons and Company, Printers, 1855.

(Note the spelling is from the 18th Century)

Lords of Trade to the Lord High Treasurer
[New-York Entries, H. 482.]
To the Most Hon(ble) the Lord High Treasurer of Great Britain.

My Lord.
Pursuant to Your Lordp's desire signify'd to us by M(r) Lowndes the 26th Nov(r) last we have considered the observations made by the Earl of Clarendon upon two letters from Coll: Hunter to the Earl of Dartmouth relating to the Palatines at New York upon which we observe to your Lordship.

That in August 1709. when the Palatines were in this Kingdom, it was referred by Her Maj(ty) to this Board to consider how to dispose of the said Palatines who thereupon proposed that such of them as should not be otherwise provided for, be sent to be settled on Hudson's River in the province of N. York.

In Nov(r) following when Coll: Hunter was appointed Gov(r) of New York a proposal of his for taking over with him 3000 of the said Palatines, to be employed in the producing of Naval Stores in that province, was referred to this Board, and on the 5th Dec(r) they reported the advantage it would be to that province to have such a number of those people settled there, and the benefit that would accrue to Her Maj(ty) and this Kingdome by establishing a trade for Naval Stores in Her Majt(ys) dominions. The said Report further contained a scheme for settling, maintaining and imploying the said Palatines and Her Maj(ty) having been pleased to approve thereof and Coll. Hunter desiring to have instructions in relation to the said Palatines, that Rep(tn) was turned into an Additional Instruction and signed by Her Majesty.

And lest the Palatines should at any time fall off from the imployment design'd for them, Her Maj(ty) was pleased to direct that they should oblige themselves by a contract in writing to attend that work, and an instrument for that purpose having been drawn (with the advice of Her Maj(tys) then Attorney General) was signed by the Palatines accordingly, a copy of which is herewith laid before Your Lordship. In which they promise that the neat produce of the Naval Stores they shall make, shall be applyed towards the repayment of what Her Majv shall disburse for their support & maintenance.

We take leave further to observe that in the forementioned representation of 5th Dec(r) 1709. there is one clause which proposes: " That as these people are very necessitous they will not be able to maintain themselves till they can reap the benefit of their labour, which will not be till after one year at the soonest, they be therefore subsisted the Men & women at sixpence ster: a head p(r) day and the children under ten years of age at four pence steri:"- This Representation having been turned into an instruction as aforesaid, seem to be a consent on Her Maj(tys) behalf, that she would subsist the Palatines as is therein proposed and the directions the then Commiss(rs) for trade had to prepare the forementioned contract signed by the Palatines, imply that Her Maj'y would do it for the first year.

After their arrival at New York the Gov(r) sent over an account of what had been done towards their settlement and imployment upon which this Board laid before Her Maj(ty) in Feb'y last a full State of that matter, giving the reasons why it was necessary to allow £15000 a year for their subsistance for two years to be computed from midsummer 1710, a copy of which Representation is herewith laid before Your Lordship.

When the Palatines arrived at New York they were in number 2227, and by the Acc(t) transmitted over by Coll: Hunter, & laid before your Lordship the 13th Nov(r) last the number that had been subsisted from the 26th March to the 24. June last was about 1894:

We have no acc(t) from the Gov(r) of the application of the 10000 pounds, which has been issued to him otherwise than that he informs us that " besides the £8000 for which he had bills over with him he had drawn other bills for £4700, all which money, he writes, has been expended in settling these people, and that he had transmitted an acc(t) thereof to the then Lords Comss(rs) of the Treasury whereby, he says, it does appear that he has disposed of that money with good management.

In order to our laying this matter more fully before your Lordp. and to propose some method how Her Maj(ty) shall be repaid, we take leave to offer that computing by the number of trees already prepared they may make 30000 Barrels of Tarr the first year 1713. which at New York is 8 shill: Steri: pr Barril and will come to £12000-And that if Her Majesty should be graciously pleased to allow them one mojety it would be sufficient encouragement for them to go on with their work, and by this means Her Maj(ty) would be repaid in about six years time as as more fully set forth in a memorial herewith laid before Your Lordship-

In case Her Maj(ty) shall be graciously pleased to approve hereof, we are of opinion, that it will be necessary a person be appointed by Her Maj(ty) to receive the Tar at New York into a storehouse to be provided there to ship the same for this Kingdom, and to Slate and keep particular accounts of the whole, both in relation to the past as future expence to be laid from time to time before Your Lordp. as is more particularly set forth in the above mentioned Representation of 5Dec(r)1709.

Upon the whole as it does not appear to us there has been any mismanagement in subsisting the said Palatines by Coll: Hunter and that his Credit is very deeply ingaged in that service, and in consideration that the whole design of producing Naval Stores in Her Maj(tys) Dominions by the Palatines must fall and the money already expended be intirely lost unless they are subsisted for two years as aforementioned, we are humbly of opinion that they be supported in such method as your Lordship shall think proper-We are-Mylord. Your Lordp's most obedient humble servants
WINCHELSEA,
GEO: BAILLIE,
PH. MEADOWS,
ARTH MOORE,
CH. TURNER,
FR. GWYN.
Whitehall Febr(y) 1, 17 11/12.


Governor Hunter to the Lords of Trade.

First part of letter not shown in this typing.

.....................As. to the Palatines I doe assure your Lordships that their work comes fully up to our expectation, the trees they are prepar(g) and which will receive the last barking next fall promisse extreamly well, and M(r) Sackett tells me he does not in the least doubt but that the experiment he is making of some trees to fell at a years preparation will answer very well and as soon as this parking (which they are now about) is over hee will try it, of which I will inform your Lordships, by the first opportunity after it, as to that small quantity of tar which I formerly mentioned to your Lordships, I must beg leave again to observe to you, that it was made from the Knotts which the children gather'd together whilst their Fathers were working on the trees, this tar may have y(e) burning quality, but is as good fro pitch as the other. N. your Lordships want to be informed out of what fund I provide the cask for the tar, formerly told your Lordships, that out of the sixpences and four pences a day for these peoples subsistance, I hoped to pay all the contingent charges, except such as are mentioned in a list sent by M(r) Du Pre, and this of the cask is one of those charges I shall pay out of the subsistance.

I have not had any complaints of late of the Palatines they work chearfully, and seem resolved to goe through what they are employed about, being greatly incouraged by the proposall of receiving one half of the proffits of y(e) tarr to their own use, whilst the other half goes towards the payment of the charge her Majesty is put to about them I am so much indisposed now to goe to them, but as soon as I am able to de[s]ign to goe up and visit their works and M(r) Sackett being with them he will take care that noe part of this Barking season be mispent.

......................... the letter covers other topics.

It is signed by Rob: Hunter, New York June 23d 1712.


Governor Hunter to the Lords of Trade

First part of letter not shown in this typing.

................As to the Palatines my substance and credit being exhausted, I had no remedy left but by a letter to the managers of the work, to inimate to that people that they should take measures to subsist themselves during the winter, upon the lands where they were planted, and such as could not, might find it by working with the inhabitants leaving with their commissaries their names and the names of the places or landlords where they are employed during that time, that they may be in readiness upon the first publick notice given to return to work, which they have obliged themselves by contract to pursue; upon this intimation some hundreds of them took a reolution of possessing the lands of Scharee, & are accordingly march'd thither have been suisy in cutting a road from Schenectedy to that place, and have purchased or procured a quantity of Indian corn toward their winter subsistance, it being imposs(ble;) for me to prevent this, I have been the easier under it, upon these considerations that by these means the body of that people is kept together witin the Province, that when it shall please her Majesty to resume the design of Prosecuti;ng that work, that body at Schoharee may be employ'd in working in the vast pine woods near to Albany, which they must be obliged to do, having no manner of pretence to y(e) possession of any lands but by performing their part of the contract relating to that manufacture, and that in that situation they serve in some measure as a frontier to, or at least an increase to the strength of Albany and Schenectaday, but if the war continues, or should by any misfortune break out again, it will be neighter possible for them to subsist, or safe for them to reamin there; considering the ill use they have already made of arms when they were intrusted with them. The tar work in the mean time was brought to all the perfection that was possible in the time, the trees have received their last preparation, and staves prepar'd for the barrels, the magazines almost finish'd, and the road between it and the pine woods almost compleated M(r) Sacket, who has had the direction of that work ever since M(r) Bridger did basely desert it, assures me, that the trees promise beyond expectation, the best of it in oru present circumstances is that the longer they should stand now the more tar they will yield, providing it do not exceed a year or two.

The reasons of the difference between the method of preparing the trees which your Lordships have transmitted to me, and that we follow, are obvious; the sun has much more force here than in Moscow, which obliges us to consult and follow the seasons of the year in our several barkings; I myself have observed that where by mistake the trees have been first rinded on the side where the suns heat had most influence, the ground near it was filled with turpentine dreined by it from the tree.

My friends in England who know nothing of the matter press mightily the send over a quantity of tar to convince the world of the solidity of the project to your Lordships I refer them, who are sufficiently apprized of the time absolutely requisite to produce the first quantity in the manner it is done in all other Countries from whence we have had it, and shall conclude this subject with this reflection, if the production of that quantity of tar requisite for the Navy in her Majesty's own Plantations be a real advantage or rather at this time indispensable necessary to Great Britian, if the world is convinced that tar is made out of Pitch pine, of which we are here sufficiently perswaded, our trees yielding as much turpentine, (which is the same substance) as any in the world, if a sufficient Number of hands duely instructed and employ'd are the instruments and mean of producing it, which are now here at a great expence and so employ'd, if all this, be true as undeniable it is, then I shall still conclude it impossible that this design as can be dropt, when it is brought so near to the Pitch of perfection.

....................................rest of letter discusses other matters.

Signed Rob: Hunter

New York

Oct(r) 31st, 1712.

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