York, or by those claiming under him, as aforesaid ; but that many inconveniencies and disorders having arisen from their pretence of right to govern. The proprietors of East New-Jersey, did surrender their said pretended right to the late king James, in the month of April 1688 ; which was accordingly accepted by him.
That since his majesty s accession to the crown, the proprietors both of East and West New-Jersey, have continued to challenge the same right as before; and did in the year 1697, apply themselves to us, in order to their obtaining his majesty's approbation of the person whom they desired to have continued governor of the said provinces, but at the same time refused to enter into security to his majesty, pursuant to the address of the right honourable the house of lords, of the 18th of March, 1696, that the person so presented by them the said proprietors, should duly observe and put in execution, the acts of trade ; yet nevertheless proceeded, from time to time, to commissionate whom they thought fit, to be governor of those provinces, without his majesty's approbation ; according to what is required by the late act, for preventing frauds and regulating abuses in the plantation trade.
That in this manner having formerly commissionated col. Andrew Hamilton, afterwards mr. Jeremiah Basse ; then again superceding their commission to mr. Basse, and renewing or confirming that to col. Hamilton ; and ever since that also, some of them having sent another commission to one capt. Andrew Bown : The inhabitants sensible of the defect and insufficiency of all those commissions, for want of his majesty's authority, have upon several occasions, some of them opposed one of those governors, some another, according as interest, friendship, or faction had inclined them.
That the inhabitants of East New-Jersey, in a petition to his majesty, the last year, complained of several grievances they lay under, by the neglect or mismanagement of the proprietors of that province or their agents, as particularly, that from the latter end of June 1689, till about the latter end of August 1692 (which was a time of actual war) they had not taken any manner of care about the government thereof. . . .
That it has been represented to us, by several letters, memorials, and other papers, as well from the inhabitants as proprietors of both those provinces, that they are at present in confusion and anarchy ; and that it is much to be apprehended, lest by the heats of the parties that are amongst them, they should fall into such violences as may endanger the lives of many persons, and destroy the colony.
