]^02 AUTHEXTIC HISTORY 



in Council, at Albany where, with great magnanimity, they pardoned the 

 offence of the Cartledges, and requested they might be discharged without 

 further punishment. The address of the King merits a place here : ' The 

 great King of the Five Nations,' said the reporter, 'is sorry for the death 

 of the Incfian that was killed, for he was of his own flesh and blood: he 

 believes the Governor is also sorry; but, now that it is done, there is no 

 help for it, and he desires that Cartledge may not be put to death, nor 

 that he should be spared for a time and afterwards executed; one life is 

 enough to be lost; there should not two die. The King's heart is good 

 to the Governor, and all the English.' ^ The Governor was attended on 

 his journey to Albany by Messrs. Hill, Norris and Ilamihon, of his 

 Council. 



" A part of the emigration to the Colonies was composed of servants, 

 who were of two classes. The first and larger, poor and oppressed in 

 the land of their nativity, sometimes the victims of political changes, or 

 religious intolerance, submitted to a temporary servitude, as the price of 

 freedom, plenty, and peace. The second, vagrants and felons, the dregs 

 of the British populace, were cast by the mother country upon her colo- 

 nies, with the most selfish disregard of the feelings she outraged. From 

 this moral pestilence the first settlers shrunk with horror. In 1682 the 

 Pennsylvania Council proposed to prohibit the introduction of convicts, 

 but the evil was then prospective to them only, and no law was enacted. 

 But an act was now passed, which, though not prohibitory in terms, was 

 such in effect. A duty of five pounds was imposed upon every convicted 

 felon brought into the province, and the importer was required to give 

 surety for the good behaviour of the convict for one year ; and to render 

 these provisions effectual, the owner or master was bound under a pen- 

 alty of twenty pounds, to render, on oath or affirmation, within twenty- 

 four hours after the arrival of the vessel, an account to the collector of 

 the names of the servants and passengers. But such account was not 

 required when bond was given conditioned for the re-exportation of such 

 servants Avithin six months," 



Commercial embarrassments now ensued, [1722] caused by various 

 circumstances, but chiefly by a deficiency in the circulating medium,^ This 

 difficulty Keith proposed to overcome by the introduction of paper-money. 

 The Assembly proceeded with the utmost caution and circumspection in 

 this important affair, for with full knowledge of the examples and mis- 

 takes of the other Colonies, they felt it chiefly incumbent upon them to 

 prevent the depreciation of their bills "which nothing could so much 

 effect as an over-quantity, defect of solid security, and of proper provis- 

 ion to recall and cancel them; so in this, their first experiment of the 

 kind, they issued only £15,000, on such terms as appeared most likely 

 1 Gordon. 2 Pioud. 



