Whitehall 1st March 1769.
I have received and laid before the King your several Letters from No 7 to 14 and I have the pleasure to signify to you His Majesty's entire satisfaction in the Measures you have pursued for the suppression of the Insurgents in the interior parts of your Province, The early and active Vigour you have exerted in opposition to the dangerous designs they had meditated cannot be too much applauded. Their disappointment is justly to be attributed to it, as by your dispatch and Resolution you prevented the Party from gathering that strength which would probably have been the effect of delay and Indecision, and might have produced total Anarchy and Confusion in your Province. I had too much satisfaction in expressing His Majesty's approbation of your Conduct upon this Important occasion not to make it the beginning of my Letter; give me leave how to assure you of my concern that you have suffered so much in your Health from this expedition, but I hope soon to hear that you have perfectly recovered it.
The Conduct of the Assembly with regard to the Circular Letters as stated by you gives great satisfaction to the King; His Majesty is also much pleased with their approbation of your Conduct so highly honourable to you, and trusts that this approbation and the Resolution of both Houses of the Assembly to support the Constitution will have the effect to discourage these Licentious disturbers of the Public Peace for the future. It is in truth unaccountable that they should chuse to seek by Force the Redress of any real Grievance which they are sure to obtain from the Justice and Moderation of His Majesty's Government, a recent example of which has been afforded to them in the Prosecution of the Register and Clerk of the County for taking exorbitant Fees; Some such instances of severity as these tempered with that Lenity you have shewn to those of the deluded Insurgents who have been the objects of Public Prosecutions,
cannot fail of rendering your Administration respected & beloved, and the better to enable you to carry these Measures into execution, I have it in command from the King to acquaint you that, relying upon your Zeal and Discretion, His Majesty is graciously pleased to comply with your desire of making the Proclamation of Pardon General, except with regard to Herman Husbands, and of extending it to fines in all such Cases as you shall judge to be expedient and advisable for the Complete restoration and better preservation of the Peace of the Province.The King observes with great satisfaction the advantageous Report you make of the steady behaviour of the Troops employed in the suppression of the Insurgents, as well as of the Dutiful Zeal and Loyalty of the Presbyterian Ministers testified by their proper Admonitions to their several Congregations, and his Majesty is pleased to direct you to signify to them His gracious approbation of their conduct in having co-operated with you in those Measures, by the prudent and vigorous Execution of which, under God, the Public Peace of the Colony has been restored, and the Miseries with which it was threatened have been happily averted.
I am fully convinced as well from what you say in your Letter Nc 10 upon the Subject of the Boundary Line with South Carolina as from what was stated to the Board of Trade, when the last determination upon it was made, that it is highly expedient to extend that line further to the westward. I have received the King's commands to refer this matter to the consideration of the Board of Trade, and so soon as their Lordships shall have made their Report, will not fail to transmit to you His Majesty's directions thereupon.
I sincerely wish that the Assembly in the new Petition which they have prepared for an Emission of Paper Currency, may have formed their request in such a way as to admit of that favourable Consideration which you are so desirous should be given to it. The Commendable Conduct of the Assembly in the present disturbed situation of North America disposes His Majesty to shew them every indulgence in His Power, & the tranquility and support of your Administration are objects which you are well entitled to expect should be attended to by Government; you must however be sensible from what I have already wrote you upon the subject of Paper Currency, that it is not in His Majesty's Power to dispense with the Act of Parliament respecting the Legal Tender, and therefore no Petition that prays for Paper Currency as a Legal Tender can meet with the success
you wish. If the Assembly shall from what they may have learned of the advantages which have accrued to the Colonies of New England and Maryland from Establishing a Paper Currency upon a just foundation of Credit without making it a legal Tender, be inclined to adopt the same maxims, their Proposition will undoubtedly be received and considered with the greatest attention and every Indulgence allowed them that shall appear to be for the real and permanent Interests of the Colony.I now come to your recommendation of Captain Collet, and I am much concerned that I cannot see in what manner I can be Instrumental to his service, which both from the avowed Merit of the Gentleman himself, and from your strong recommendation of him, I should be much inclined to; besides that I have heard of some circumstances which (if true) give the Captain great reason to complain, But the Increase of the Establishment of the Fort, or the raising an Independent Company to Garrison it, appear both of them to me, to be expenses unnecessary for the Public, & I therefore cannot recommend them to the King, and the Offices on the Establishment for public surveys are all full, nor would any of them, save the principal, be worth his acceptance. I hope to see the Captain again, and if upon further Conversation I should find that I can be useful to him it will give me great pleasure.