principles are opposed to fighting, even in their own defence, were most active on this occasion. The rioters came to Germantown (within five miles of Philadelphia). The governor fled for safety to the house of Dr. Franklin, who, with some others, advanced to meet the Parton boys, as they were called, and had influence enough to prevail upon them to relinquish their undertaking and return to their homes."-Dr. Franklin wrote a pamphlet on this occasion, which had a considerable effect in soothing the passions, and restoring tranquillity. His services, however, were but ill requited by the governor, who was, as well as the province, under great obligations to his active and successful exertions.

The disputes between the proprietaries and the assembly, which had so long agitated the province, and which had for a time subsided, were again revived, and are thus accounted for:

"The proprietaries were discontent at the concessions made in favor of the people, and again exerted themselves to recover the privilege of exempting their own estates from taxation, which they had been induced, with great reluctance, to relinquish.

"In 1763, the assembly passed a Militia Bill, to which the governor refused to give his assent, unless the assembly would agree to certain amendments which he proposed. These consisted in increasing the fines, and in some cases substituting

death for fines. He wished, too, that the officers should be appointed altogether by himself, and not nominated by the people, as the bill had proposed. These amendments the assembly considered as inconsistent with the spirit of liberty: they would not adopt them; the governor was obstinate, and the bill was lost.

These and various other circumstances, increased the uneasiness which subsisted between the proprietaries and the assembly to such a degree, that in 1764 a petition to the king was agreed to by the house, praying an alteration from a proprietary to a regal government. The following draught of. the same was found in Dr. Franklin's papers:

To the KING's most excellent MAJESTY, in Council, The PETITION of the Representatives of the Freemen of the Province of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met,

Most humbly sheweth;

"That the government of this province by proprietaries, has by long experience been found inconvenient, attended with many difficulties and obstructions to your majesty's service, arising from the intervention of proprietary private interest in public affairs and disputes concerning those in

terests.

"That the said proprietary government is weak, unable to support its own authority, and maintain the common internal peace of the province, great

riots having lately arisen therein, armed mobs marching from place to place, and committing violent outrages and insults on the government with impunity, to the great terror of your majesty's subjects. And these evils are not likely to receive any remedy here, the continual disputes between the proprietaries and people, and their mutual jealousies and dislikes preventing.

"We do therefore most humbly pray, that your majesty would be graciously pleased to resume the government of this province, making such compensation to the proprietaries for the same as to your majesty's wisdom and goodness shall appear just and equitable, and permitting your dutiful subjects therein to enjoy under your majesty's more immediate care and protection, the privileges that have been granted to them, by and under your royal predecessors.

A

By order of the House." Great opposition was made to this measure, not only in the house, but in the public prints. speech of Mr. Dickinson on the subject was published with a preface by Dr. Smith, in which great pains were taken to show the impropriety and impolicy of this proceeding. A speech of Joseph Galloway, Esq. in reply to Mr. Dickinson, was also published, accompanied by a preface by Dr. Franklin, in which he ably opposed the principles laid down in the preface to Mr. Dickinson's speech. Among other pointed remarks, Dr. Franklin says:

"In the constitution of our government, and in that of one more, there still remains a particular thing that none of the other American governments have; to wit, the appointment of a governor by the proprietors, instead of an appointment by the crown. This particular in government has been found inconvenient; attended with contentions and confusions wherever it existed; and has therefore been gradually taken away from colony after colony, and everywhere greatly to the satisfaction and happiness of the people. Our wise first proprietor and founder' was fully sensible of this; and being desirous of leaving his people happy, and preventing the mischiefs that he foresaw must in time arise from that circumstance, if it was continued, he determined to take it away, if possible, during his own lifetime. They accordingly entered into a contract for the sale of the proprietary right of government to the crown; and actually received a sum in part of the consideration. As he found himself likely to die before that contract (and with it his plan for the happiness of his people) could be completed, he carefully made it a part of his last will and testament; devising the right of the government to two noble lords, in trust, that they should release it to the crown. Unfortunately for us, this has never yet been done. And this is merely what the assembly now desire to have

' William Penn.

done. Surely he that formed our constitution, must have understood it. If he had imagined that all our privileges depended on the proprietary government, will any one suppose that he would himself have meditated the change; that he would have taken such effectual measures as he thought them, to bring it about speedily, whether he should live or die? Will any of those who now extol him so highly, charge him at the same time with the baseness of endeavoring thus to defraud his people of all the liberties and privileges he had promised them, and by the most solemn charters and grants assured to them, when he engaged them to assist him in the settlement of his province? Surely none can be so inconsistent.-And yet this proprietary right of governing or appointing a governor, has all of a sudden changed its nature; and the preservation of it become of so much importance to the welfare of the province, that the assembly's only petitioning to have their venerable founder's will executed, and the contract he entered into for the good of his people completed, is styled, an Attempt to violate the constitution for which our fathers planted a wilderness; to barter away our glorious plan of public liberty and charter privileges; a risking of the whole constitution; an offering up our whole charter rights; a wanton sporting with things sacred,' &c."

In addition to the preface just mentioned, Dr. Franklin wrote a pamphlet intitled " COOL