1762.] HISTORY OF Delaware county. 269 



Davis, Edward Brinton ; Cliief Burgess of Chester, Alexander 

 Johnson, Jolin Mort<ni, John Culhertson, William Clinfrham, 

 William Parker, Timothy Kirk, John Hannum, John Price, 

 Roger Hunt, John Fairlamb, George Currie, Henry Hale 

 Graham. 



The County tax about this period was levied at the rate of 

 2d. per pound, and six shillings on each freeman. The amount 

 raised at that rate appears to have exceeded the wants of the 

 County, for the Commissioners and Assessors, " upon inspection 

 of the affairs of the County that properly came under their 

 notice, find no necessity for raising a tax this year." This 

 announcement was no doubt a very gratifying one to the tax 

 payers of the County. 



Incorporations of meadow companies commenced about this 

 period ; under what kind of an arrangement the several parties 

 interested in meadow lands along the Delaware, contributed 

 their proportionate share of the expense towards maintaining 

 the banks, before these acts of incorporation were obtained, is 

 not now well understood. It must have been by means of a 

 private understanding. 



War with Spain was declared on the 4th of January, 1762, 

 This created a greater alarm for the safety of the Province, and 

 especially for Philadelphia, than had previously existed, as 

 Spain was then in possession of a powerful navy. The Go- 

 vernor forthwith convened the Assembly, and the members 

 being sensible of the weakness of the Province, the House im- 

 mediately appropriated £23,500, which appears to have been 

 the Parliamentary allotment for 1759. Five thousand pounds 

 were also appropriated for the erection of a fort mounting 

 twenty cannon on Mud Island, near the mouth of the Schuyl- 

 kill. The fortification, hurriedly erected during this period of 

 alarm, and which bore the name of the island upon which it 

 was erected, has been supplied by the respectable fortress now 

 known as Fort Mifflin, being so named in honor of Governor 

 Thomas Mifliin. 



The large number of negroes imported about this time became 

 alarming to the people. The Assembly of Pennsylvania had 

 enacted a law imposing a prohibitory duty on their introduction, 

 which was repealed by the Crown. Other Colonies, including 

 Virginia and South Carolina, had enacted laws to restrain the 

 importation of slaves, but these enactments failed to receive the 

 royal sanction. "Never before had England pursued the traflBc 

 in Negroes with such eag.er avarice."' 



Pitt resigned his position as head of the British ministry, and 

 was succeeded by the Earl of Egremont — a most unfortunate 



1 Bancroft, iv. 421. 



