Fryday the 5th of August 1715

At A Councill held at Perth-Amboy

Present

His Excellency Robert Hunter Esq' Capt: Genll: &c :

His Excellency Robert Hunter Esq' produced In Councill His Commission from His Present Majesty our Dread Sovereign King George to be Governour of the Province of NewJersey which was Read.

And then His Excellency tooke the oathes Appoynted to be taken In the stead of the oathes of Alleadgiance & Supremacy, and Subscribed and tooke the test and Abjuration oath the oath of Chanceller, and the oathes of observation of the Acts of trade and Navigation And then the oathes were Administred to the Gentlemen of His Majesties Councill that were present together with their severall Oaths of Office A Proclamation for continuance of All Officers Civill and Military drawn, signed and Published.

1

At a Councill held At Perth-Amboy.

Saturday the sixth of August 1715.

Present

His Excellency Robert Hunter Esq' Capt Genll: &c:

Ordered that A Proclamation Issue out declaring the Present Assembly to be dissolved.

The Answer of Alexander Griffith Esq' to the Reasons Given for his Suspention being Read

Ordered that the Paper of Alexander Griffith called Reasons for taking off his Suspention be considered by the first Comitty of Councill or any three of them

J BASS Clk

At a Council held for the Province of New Jersey at Perth Amboy the 7th November 1715

James Smith Esq' produced A patent under the Great Seal Constituting him Secretary of the Province of New Jersey and Also a Commission from the proprietors of the said

Province to be their Register and Recorder in the said Province and took the Oaths According to Law.

And Mr James Alexander produced a Commission from the proprietors of the Eastern and Western Division of the Province of New Jersey Constituting him Surveyor General of the said province of New Jersey And also took the Oaths According to Law.

James Smith Esq' and Mr James Alexander also produced his Matie's Letter Approving the said James Smith Esq Recorder and Register to the proprietors of the said province of New Jersey and approving the said Mr James Alexander to be Surveyor General for the proprietors of the said province of New Jersey

Ordered that a proclamation Issue to prohibit any other person to Execute ye office of Register and Surveyor to ye sd proprietors besides the s James Smith Esq' and M2 James Alexander or Such as Shall be Deputed by them

November y 29th 1715.

JA SMITH

At a Council held at Burlington the 20th December 1715.

George Deacon Esq' took the Attestation appointed by Law instead of the Oaths to qualifie him for his place in Council The Governour being informed that there was not a Suffict Number of Representatives come to Town to proceed to business Asked the Opinion of this Board whether it were better to adjourn them De Die in Diem until a Sufficient Number appear'd, or to adjourn them for a longer time

It is the Opinion of this Board that they be adjourned De Die in Diem upon which the Governo' ordered a proclamation to Issue to Adjourn them till Tomorrow the 21st Instant.

At A Council held at Burlington the 21st December 1715

A Message by Wm Lawrance and Benj: Clark to acquaint y' Govern' that there are now Sixteen Members of y° Assembly arriv'd and that they Desire to be qualified-And upon a Second Message by Elisha Lawrance and Jacob Huling that there were two more of y members arriv'd, It is the Opinion of y Council (many members being yet wanting And it being now late in y° afternoon) that the Assembly be adjourned till Tomorrow y 22nd Decem' and the Governour Ordered an adjournm* accordingly

At A Council held at Burlington the 22nd of December 1715.

The Governour being informed by a Message from some of the representatives that there were but Fourteen in Number met who Desired Immediately to be Qualified for their places in Assembly Desired the Advice of the Council whether it was Expedient that this Assembly Should be Adjourned by reason of the approaching Holy Days, or be Dissolved In

order to Give the Country one oppertunity more of a Free Choice having heard many Complaints of undue practices and Artifices Used in the last Election* and Several of the Members Return'd being persons who have Rendered themselves obnoxious to the Government having been Guilty of several Crimes and Misdemeanours for which some of them are now under prosecution And since his Arival in this place he ha's been very Credibly informed that they came wth no Good intentions towards ye Governmt But on the Contrary are resolved to pursue Measures we must run all into Confusion For the reasons above the Council are of opinion that this present Assembly be Dissolved in Order to A Free Choice And the Governour Ordered A proclamation to be Immediately Issued for that purpose

Lewis Morris Tho: Gordon Jn° Reading Tho: Byerly Geo: Deacon and Jn° Hamilton Desired that their reasons for their Opinion might be inserted at large in ye Council Books and are as follows

Several of the Members of this Assembly being persons formerly, And some now under prosecution for Crimes and Misdemeanours, and Disturbing the peace of the Government† And the person I am well informed they Design to make their Speaker ‡ having been the most Instrumental in hindering the payment of the publick Taxes And Sowing Sedition in this Government to the Great obstruction of the publick peace and Settlement of the Same And as far as I Can Guess from my knowledg of the Men and very Credible information, the Majority of them are met wth Design, Under. the Specious Notion of Doing the publick Service to Run the Government into Confusion. And many of them having been Chose by the most Indirect and unfair Methods, it is my humble opinion that it is for his Maties Service and the Quiet of the Government that yo' Excellency do Dissolve them,

*See sketch of Col. Daniel Coxe, N. J. Archives, X., 225-6, note, illustrating the sharp practices of the politicians of 1714-16.

† Col. Daniel Coxe, Jeremiah Bass, and perhaps Elisha Lawrence, are referred to. Col. Daniel Coxe.