46 Early New York Paper Currency. 



Circumstances growing out of the control and disburse- 

 ment of these funds, occasioned controversies to which in 

 point of bitterness, modern political warfare affords no 

 parallel. The assembly assumed the right of judging of 

 the necessities of the colony, and moreover took advantage 

 of the demands and actual necessities of the government to 

 secure for their own friends positions of power and influ- 

 ence. Governor Clinton, anxious to carry out the wishes 

 of his government, was compelled to make concessions, 

 and explanations of the manner in which funds and pro- 

 visions previously granted had been applied. The bill was 

 passed, but the distribution of the means for carrying on 

 the expedition was intrusted to commissioners. 



The governor, on the advice of the council, assented to 

 the act notwithstanding the opposing " instructions," be- 

 cause the extraordinary occasion seemed to require it, and 

 then dissolved the general assembly. In his letter to the 

 lords of trade of this elate, he recounts his grievances, and 

 deprecates the growing power of the assembly, and sug- 

 gests as a remedy the repeal of the acts issuing bills of 

 credit and reissuing these bills under such conditions as 

 his majesty should think proper. 



This disagreement between the governor and general 

 assembly continued for several years. The former attempt- 

 ed a restoration of the appropriation of supplies for the 

 government for five years as in the times of Hunter, Burnet, 

 &c, which was successfully resisted by the latter, as were 

 efforts to reinvest the governor with certain privileges now 

 claimed by the assembly. On a subsequent occasion the 

 treasurer refused to furnish the governor with a statement 

 of the accounts of the colony or of the bills of credit, in 

 order to enable him to respond to a demand from the 

 crown. 



Between the years 1748 and 1752 there was peace be- 

 tween France and England. The long contests for pos- 



