"inconveniences have arrissen from the manner of Chuseing Representatives in our said province It is our will & pleasure and You are accordingly to make the same known in "the most publick manner that the method of Choiseing "representatives be for the future as follows

"Viz Two by the Inhabitants householders of the Citty or town of Perth Amboy in East new Jersey & two by the "ffreeholders of Each of the five counties in the said divi"sion of East new Jersey: Two by the Inhabitants house "holders of the citty or town of Bridlington in West new "Jersey, Two by the Inhabitants householders of the town "of Salem in the said division and two by the ffreeholders of "Each of the four Counties in the said Division of West "new Jersey, which persons so to be chosen make up together "the number of twenty four Representatives;' And it is our "further will and pleasure that noe person Shall be capable "of being elected a representative by the freeholders of Either "division as affores or afterwards of Sitting in General "assembly's, who Shall not have one thousand acres of Land "of an Estate of ffreehold in his own Right within the divi"sion for which he shall be chosen or a personall Estate in "" money Goods or chattels to the value of five hundred "pounds Sterll, And all Inhabitants of Our Said Province

being So quallifyed as afforesaid are hereby Declared capa"ble of being Ellected Accordingly And it is likewise our "pleasure that noe ffreeholder shall be capable of voting in "the Ellection of Such representatives who Shal! not have 66 one hundred acres of Land of an Estate of freehold in his "own Right within the county for which he Shall so vote or "a personall Estate in money Goods or chattels to the value "of Fifty pounds Sterrll, And all freeholders in our said 'province being so qualified as afforesaid are hereby declared capable of voting in the Ellection of Representatives, Which "number of Representatives Shall not be Enlarged nor di"minished or the manner of Ellecting them (hereby directed) "altered there, Otherwise than by an Act or Acts of the

See N. J. Archives, V., 12.

"Generall assembly to be confirmed by the approbation of us, Our heirs and Successors And you are therefore to recom"end to the General assembly that a law be passed there "for Ellecting representatives to Serve in Assembly conform"able to this present Instruction

I have now Repeated to you that Instruction which is the only rule by which you have been chosen & now Sitt as a house and I thought itt necessary to acquaint you with it that you may carefully observe his majesties Directions therein contained & that you may consider of a law in pursuance of them

Att a Council held at Burlington March y 29th 1721 Post Meridiem

Present

His Excellency William Burnet Esq

Lewis Morris

John Reading

Peter Bard

A Message from the house of Representatives by Jeremiah Bass Esq' and John Kay in these words

The house of representatives for the province of New Jersey having taken into consideration that part of your Excellencys Speech relating to the Quallifying of members in these words (that every member of your house is to be Sworn before the Governour and that the practise has been Allways so since this Government came under the more Imediate administration of the crown) beg leave to Inform your Excellency that on a Due Inspection into the Journalls of this house do find that on the 19th of december 1710 Robert Wheeler Esq was by the Clarke of the crown Quallifyed in the house as one of the members for the town of Burlington, and that on the 28th of Novbr 1716 John Kay Esqre a member returned for the county of Gloster, and Richard Johnson EsqTM in whose place John Mason is now returned as a mem

ber for the town of Salem were by the clarke of the Crown quallifyed in the house and also that William Eires Esq' att the same Sessions was Quallifyed by the clarke of the crown in the house as a member of the Citty of Perth Amboy and do not find any president that ever itt was refused when directed by the house

Which Message being fully considered and the whole minutes of the councill and Assembly Searcht it is ordered by his Excellency that the clarke of the councill do acquaint the house of Representatives, that his Excell has Considered their Said message and finds nothing in the Instances they there mentioned but what is Easyly reconsiled with his Speech to them, in which he told them, that every member of the house is to be sworn before the Governour, that is to Say If he require itt, He may Indeed do it If he pleases by a Commission to Another person

Their Instances only Shew that the Governour has Sometimes Suffered the Clarke of the Crown to do it, but do not att all prove that they have any pretence to demand of him that it be done in that manner, as also its Ordered that he tell them that his Excellency has looked into the minutes of -Council and there finds the practice always the same, and particularly That on the 27th day of Novbr 1716 The minute of Councill is thus M Speaker and Severall of the representatives attended his Excellency in councill and desired that three of their members lately Ellected might be Quallifyed to Act which was accordingly Done

His Excellency Ordered the clerk to Acquaint them further that he has Examined into their Journalls and there finds that on the 28th december 1716 it was Ordered "That "m Jeremiah Bass and m' Elisha Lawrence do Goe with m "Jacob Spicer to his Excellency and desire that he might be "Quallifyed in Order to take his place in the house; and m❜ "Jeremiah Bass acquainted the house that himselfe and m "Lawrence had seen m' Jacob Spicer qualifyed as the law "Directs, Both which are Instances of their desireing that their members might be qualifyed before the Governour but

found no Instance of their Ever desireing that they might be Quallifyed by the clarke of the crown in their own house which could never be refused if it was never desired, he is further ordered to Acquaint them that he Expects that without further loss of time their new members do attend them in Order to be Qualifyed in his presence where any other of their body may be present as witnesses

Att a Council held att Burlington the 1st of Aprill 1721

Present

His Excellency William Burnet Esq' Capt" Generall &

Lewis Morris

John Hamilton

John Parker

John Wills

John Hugg

John Reading

His Excellency communicated to this board a Letter he designed to send to the Speaker of the assembly concerning the resolves made Yesterday by the house of Representatives in these words

Mr Speaker

Burlington April 1* 1721

finding in your votes of Yesterday Severall resolves which Seem intended for Answers to what I lately Said to your house I thought it Proper to give you my thoughts upon them in the Easyest and Quickest manner and not to waite for forms which are seldom of use till the matters them selves are well digested and considered And I desire you forthwith to Communicate this letter to the house that they may know my Sentiments on Every one of their Resolves which I will Consider in Order as they Lye

Their 1 Resolve is that they have not been ledd A side into Any practise dangerous to the Publick peace and Derogatory to his majestys prerogative

This is meant I Suppose as an answer to my words, That Some of your body have been Ledd aside &c, Does it not att first Sight appear that my words are here misrepresented that a Seeming Answer might be Given when a Reale one cannot Because I say that is all of them were not ledd aside which is all their Resolve affirms with Certainty therefore were not Some of them led aside which is what I affirm, Or will they now Say that none of them were Ledd aside which is the only Sufficient Answer they can Give me, did none of them neglect to Attend upon my Summons to Obey the Kings Writt And Did none of them persist in this practice after I had admonished them of their duty and was not this practise dangerous to the publick peace and Derogatory to his Majestys prerogative and would their pleading their opinion to the contrary be any Justifycation of their Disobedience in a Court of Law where Every man is supposed to know the law at his perrill and have they not now all of them Shewed by their acting Since in the house, that they think they were then in the wrong and would it not best become them to Own it & my Gentleness on that occasion

Their 2a Resolve is that they are not Sensible of any heats and animosities Among them selves that they have run into that m[a]y Give occasion to those Expressions in his Excellencys Speech

I should be very glad to be convinced that I was mistaken in Supposing that they had heats and animosities Among them selves which the case of m' Hunlock made me suspect, or to be convinced by these very resolves that they have Even now laid them aside, They may be their own Judges in this Case

Their 3d Resolve is that the cheerfullness and Speedyness of the resolves of the house in raiseing a Suitable support for the Government both in respect of the Sume and time for which it was Granted are such that they Deserve the same good character from his Excellency as they had from his Excellencys predecessor

As for my predecessors Good character of them it might