America, whose knowledge and experience in the affairs of the colonies give great weight to his opinion.

In a letter to us, on the subject of the mischiefs attending such grants, he expresses himself in the following manner, viz.

"And now, my lords, I beg your patience a moment, "while I consider this matter in a more extensive point of "view, and go a little further in declaring my sentiments "and opinion, with respect to the granting of large bodies "of land, in the back parts of the province of Georgia, or ❝in any other of his majesty's northern colonies, at a dis"tance from the sea-coast, or from such parts of any pro"vince as is already settled and inhabited.

"And this matter, my lords, appears to me in a very se❝rious and alarming light; and I humbly conceive may be "attended with the greatest and worst of consequences; for, "my lords, if a vast territory be granted to any set of gen❝tlemen, who really mean to people it, and actually do so, "it must draw and carry out a great number of people from "Great Britain; and I apprehend they will soon become a "kind of separate and independent people, and who will set ❝up for themselves; that they will soon have manufactures "of their own; that they will neither take supplies from the "mother country, or from the provinces, at the back of ❝which they are settled; that being at a distance from the "seat of government, courts, magistrates, &c. &c., they will "be out of the reach and control of law and government; "that it will become a receptacle and kind of asylum for of"fenders, who will fly from justice to such new country or "colony; and therefore crimes and offences will be commit❝ted, not only by the inhabitants of such new settlements, "but elsewhere, and pass with impunity; and that in process "of time (and perhaps at no great distance) they will become “formidable enough to oppose his majesty's authority, dis❝turb government, and even give law to the other or first "settled part of the country, and throw every thing into con❝fusion.

"My lords, I hope I shall not be thought impertinent, "when I give my opinion freely, in a matter of so great con"sequence, as I conceive this to be; and, my lords, I ap"prehend, that in all the American colonies, great care "should be taken, that the lands on the sea-coast should be thick settled with inhabitants, and well cultivated and im"proved; and that the settlements should be gradually ex"tended back into the province, and as much connected as "possible, to keep the people together in as narrow a com"pass, as the nature of the lands, and state of things will "admit of; and by which means there would probably be"come only one general view and interest amongst them, and "the power of government and law would of course naturally "and easily go with them, and matters thereby properly re"gulated, and kept in due order and obedience; and they "would have no idea of resisting or transgressing either, "without being amenable to justice, and subject to punish❝ment for offences they may commit.

"But, my lords, to suffer a kind of province within a pro"vince, and one that may, indeed must, in process of time, "become superior, and too big for the head, or original set❝tlement or seat of government, to me conveys with it ma"ny ideas of consequences, of such a nature, as I apprehend "are extremely dangerous and improper, and it would be "the policy of government to avoid and prevent, whilst in "their power to do so.

"My ideas, my lords, are not chimerical; I know some"thing of the situation and state of things in America; and "from some little occurrences or instances that have already "really happened, I can very easily figure to myself what "may, and, in short, what will certainly happen, if not pres vented in time."

IX. At the same time that we submit the foregoing reasoning against colonization in the interior country to your lordships' consideration, it is proper we should take notice of one argument, which has been invariably held forth in sup

M m

port of every proposition of this nature, and upon which the present proponents appear to lay great stress. It is urged, that such is the state of the country now proposed to be granted, and erected into a separate government, that no endeavors on the part of the crown can avail, to prevent its being settled by those who, by the increase of population in the middle colonies, are continually emigrating to the westward, and forming themselves into colonies in that country, without the intervention or control of government, and who, if suffered to continue in that lawless state of anarchy and confusion, will commit such abuses as cannot fail of involving us in quarrel and dispute with the Indians, and thereby endangering the security of his majesty's colonies.

We admit, that this is an argument that deserves attention; and we rather take notice of it in this place, because some of the objections stated by governor Wright lose their force, upon the supposition that the grants against which he argues are to be erected into separate governments. But we are clearly of opinion, that his arguments do, n the general view of them, as applied to the question of granting lands in the interior parts of America, stand unanswerable; and admitting that the settlers in the country in question are as numerous as report states them to be, yet we submit to your lordships, that this is a fact which does, in the nature of it, operate strongly in point of argument against what is proposed; for, if the foregoing reasoning has any weight, it certainly ought to induce your lordships to advise his majesty to take every method to check the progress of these settlements, and not to make such grants of the land as will have an immediate tendency to encourage them; a measure which we conceive is altogether as unnecessary as it is impolitic, as we see nothing to hinder the government of Virginia from extending the laws and constitution of that colony to such persons as may have already settled there under legal titles.

X. And there is one objection suggested by governor Wright to the extension of settlements in the interior country, which, we submit, deserves your lordships' particular

attention, viz. the encouragement that is thereby held out to the emigration of his majesty's European subjects; an argument which, in the present peculiar situation of this kingdom, demands very serious consideration, and has for some time past had so great weight with this board, that it has induced us to deny our concurrence to many proposals for grants of land, even in those parts of the continent of America where, in all other respects, we are of opinion, that it consists with the true policy of this kingdom to encourage settlements; and this consideration of the certain bad consequences which must result from a continuance of such emigrations as have lately taken place from various parts of his majesty's European dominions, added to the constant drains to Africa, to the East Indies, and to the new ceded islands, will, we trust, with what has been before stated, be a sufficient answer to every argument that can be urged in support of the present memorial, so far as regards the consideration of it in point of policy.

XI. With regard to the propriety in point of justice, of making the grant desired, we presume this consideration can have reference only to the case of such persons who have already possession of lands in that part of the country, under legal titles derived from grants made by the governor and council of Virginia; upon which case we have only to observe, that it does appear to us, that there are some such possessions held by persons who are not parties to the present memorial; and therefore, if your lordships shall be of opinion, that the making the grant desired would, notwithstanding the reservation proposed, in respect to such titles, have the effect to disturb those possessions, or to expose the proprietors to suit and litigation, we do conceive, that, in that case, the grant would be objectionable in point of justice.

XII. Upon the whole, therefore, we cannot recommend to your lordships to advise his majesty to comply with the prayer of this memorial, either as to the erection of any parts of the lands into a separate government, or the making a grant of them to the memorialists; but, on the contrary,

we are of opinion, that settlements in that distant part of the
country should be as much discouraged as possible; and that,
in order thereto, it will be expedient, not only that the orders
which have been given to the governor of Virginia, not to
make any further grants beyond the line prescribed by the
proclamation of 1763, should be continued and enforced, but
that another proclamation should be issued, declaratory of »s
majesty's resolution not to allow for the present, any new set-
tlements beyond that line, and to forbid all persons from tak-
ing up or settling any lands in that part of the country.
We are, my lords,

Your lordships most obedient and
Most humble servants,

Whitehall, April 15, 1772.

OBSERVATIONS ON, AND ANSWERS TO THE FOREGOING REPORT.

[Drawn up by Dr. Benjamin Franklin.]

I. THE first paragraph of the report, we apprehend, was intended to establish two propositions as facts; viz.

First, That the tract of land agreed for with the lords commissioners of the treasury, contains part of the dominion of Virginia.

Second, That it extends several degrees of longitude westward from the western ridge of the Alleghany mountains.

On the first proposition we shall only remark, that no part of the above tract is to the eastward of the Alleghany mountains; and that these mountains must be considered as the true western boundary of Virginia;-for the king was not seised and possessed of a right to the country westward of the mountains, until his majesty purchased it, in the year 1768, from the Six Nations: and since that time, there has not been any annexation of such purchase, or of any part thereof, to the colony of Virginia.