Provincial Commissioners to Robert Hunter Morris, 12 August 1756
Provincial Commissioners to Robert Hunter Morris
LS:4 Yale University Library
Philadelphia Augt. 12. 1756
Sir
Your Honour having in your Letter of Yesterday to the Commissioners5 recommended sundry Articles of Expence, and the advancing of Money on several Occasions, they think it necessary to acquaint your Honour, which they hereby do, that the Fifty-five Thousand Pounds put into their Hands by Act of Assembly for the King’s Use, is all expended,6 together with about Two Thousand Two hundred Pounds, Part of the Five Thousand Pounds given by the Proprietors; But the Proprietors’ Receiver General having this Day acquainted the Commissioners that he has no Money in his Hands to pay the Remainder of that Gift, and does not know when he shall have it, they can proceed no further in advancing Money or giving Orders, till they can see how the same will be repaid or answered.7
We are your Honour’s obedient humble Servants
| James Hamilton | Jos: Fox |
| John Mifflin | Evan Morgan |
| Jon. Hughes | B Franklin |
To Honourable R. H. Morris, Esqr.
Addressed: To / The Honble. Robt. H. Morris, Esqr. / Lieut. Governor, and / Commander in Chief / of the Province of / Pennsylvania.
Endorsed: 12th Augt. 1756. Commissrs. letter to the Govr. that the £55,000 is expended.
4. In William Franklin’s hand; signed by all the commissioners except Isaac Norris.
5. Not found.
6. A payment on July 26, 1756, had exhausted the £55,000 granted the previous November, and no new expenditures were ordered by the commissioners until Oct. 4, 1756, under an appropriation bill of September 21. Votes, 1755–56, p. 153; Norris Papers, Hist. Soc. Pa.
7. See above, p. 257 n, for the Proprietors’ gift of £5000 which added to the Assembly’s grant theoretically made £60,000 available for defense. Since the £5000 was to come from quitrent arrears, which were slow in reaching Receiver General Richard Hockley, only about £1000 had been turned over to the commissioners by July 1, 1756, when Hockley proposed that bills of credit be struck for the £4000 still due from the Proprietors. Anxious to provide emergency funds, the Assembly approved such a measure on July 5 ( BF not present), but a quarrel with Morris over the bill’s preamble held it up until July 21, when it was finally laid aside. Votes, 1755–56, pp. 110, 118, 121–4.