Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 157

a proposal S^r William will by sending some Parties of the
Five Nations against them be able to bring them to Reason.
I doubt not but you have heard before this time of the new
Dispute which hath arisen in Pennsylvania since Governor
Penn's Arrival between the Assembly & him about the Mode
of Taxing the Proprietors Estate & know that in Consequence
thereof the Assembly actually Resolved to Address His Maj-
esty & in a formal manner petition Him to take the Province
under his own immediate Government. If you have not yet
seen an Account of these violent Proceedings the inclosed
Phila^a Gazette bearing Date the will give you some
notion of them. It is I understand supposed to be greatly
owing to M^r Franklin that Matters have been carried such
extraordinary Lengths & They who approve of the Assembly's
Conduct give out it seems that the Actors have the greatest
Reason to believe such Application for a Change of Govern-
ment will be far from disagreeable to His Majesty's Ministers
or the Parliament of Great Britain. After what I have often
intimated to you of the Inclination the Inhabitants of this
Province shew to adopt Pennsylvania Politics I suppose it
almost unnecessary to tell you that the Resolves of the Penn-
sylvania Assembly having become the Subject of general
Conversation throughout this Province & being much
applauded by the popular Leaders have led many to express
their Wishes publickly that a Revolution or Change of
Government was likewise to take place here, giving as a
Reason for such their Wishes that there would then be an End
to all Disputes between the Branches of Legislature about
Raising Supplies Appointment of Agents, Ordinary Lycence
Fines, & every other Matter without considering that Disputes
have often arisen in the Crown Governments & are at present
carried to a greater Length in South Carolina between the
Governor & Assembly than they have been even in Penn-
sylvania during the whole War, for tho the Indians have from
time to time been ravaging the Borders of Carolina Governor
Boone has not been able to obtain a Shilling from his
Assembly for the Frontier Inhabitants Relief & Support nor
will the Assembly proceed to any Business untill he shall
make some Concession to Them which from his noncom-
pliance he is not probably at liberty to do. Besides the
Gazette abovementioned I send you a Pamphlet which was
lately dispersed thro Pennsylvania entitled " Cool Thoughts
on the present Situation of Publick Affairs" & said to be
wrote by M^r Franklyn : the Design is avowedly to prejudice
the people against Proprietary Governments & tho the Dis-
putes which have subsisted here were by no means of a
similar Nature with theirs the Author has you will observe

Letter Bk. IV