to the Exercising the Power Given them in their Commissions, as they will answer the Contrary at their Peril. Given under my hand and Great Seal at Philadelphia, the six and twentieth day of May, in the third year of the Reign of Our Sovereign Lady Queen Anne over England, &c., Annoqe Domini, 1704. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN. JOHN EVANS. 3. A Proclamation by Lieutenant Governor Evans against Immorality and Profaneness. THE GREAT SEAL OF PENNSYLVANIA. By the Honourable Collonell John Evans, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania and Counties annexed. A PROCLAMATION, Against Immorality and Profaneness. WHEREAS, it hath Pleased Almighty God from the Treasures of his Infinite Goodness to extend his favours in an Eminent degree, and pour down His peculiar Blessings upon this Colony, from the first Erecting thereof, as well by Bestowing a happy Success on the Endeavours of its Inhabitants, and crowning what so lately was a Wilderness with a large affluence of all the Necessaries and Comforts of life, as by supporting it in an undisturbed Peace and Tranquility during all the Commotions that have deeply afflicted other parts of the Christian World, and Continuing to us the Enjoyment of those Manifold Mercies, which rightly used tend to make a people truly happy. All which divine Bounties as they loudly call for the most humble and hearty Acknowledgments, so they ought more deeply to Impress a just sense of the Great obligations upon us, so to regulate our Lives, with Care and Circumspection, in a true Obedience and Conformity to God's holy Laws, that we may not, Instead of making grateful Returns, by Impiety or Negligence provoke the just rage of the ALMIGHTY to withdraw his divine Protection, and inflict on Us the severe Chastisement of his Just displeasure. Notwithstanding all which I cannot but be sensible that too Many forgetting all those obligations, that as persons professing the Holy Christian Religion they indispensably lye Under, have given themselves a Loose in their Lives and Conversations, and manifestly trampled on their Positively known Duties in many Vicious Practices and Immoralities, to the great offence of ALMIGHTY GOD, in the breach of his Divine Laws, Vol. I-No. 1. 6 as well as of our Civil Institutions, and to the scandal of sober Men and great discredit of this Government; Which Practices, if not timely prevented, may terminate in an Utter Depravation of manners, through the Encouragement taken from those fatal and pernicious Examples, by persons whose better Education and Inclinations might otherwise have restrained them within the Bounds of Sobriety and Virtue; but from those many Instances sett before their Eyes, are in danger of being hurried on not only to their own Ruin, but of becoming accessary to the Incensing and drawing down upon Us the Vengeance of Heaven. In a deep Consideration of which, and to the end that all possible Discouragements may be given to the Growth of these Enormities, I have, through a sense of the duty I owe to God and ye Care of the People committed to my charge, By and with the advice and Consent of the Council of this Province and Territories, thought fit to Publish and Declare, that I will Discountenance and severely Punish all manner of Vice, Immorality and Profaneness in all persons whatsoever within this Government, that shall be guilty of the same. And I doe hereby strictly forbid all manner of Debauchery, Lewdness, Drunkenness, profane Swearing, Cursing, Rioting, breaking of the Sabbath, Night walking at unreasonable hours without Lawful Business, and all other Disorders whatsoever that are contrary to the Duties of a Christian Life and the Rules of true Virtue. And I doe strictly Command and Require all Magistrates, Justices, Sheriffs, Constables, and all Officers whatsoever, and others her Majesties good Subjects, that they not only be regular and Circumspect in their own lives, that, by their good Examples, they may incite those that behold them to the Practice of Virtue, but also that they be very Diligent in the Discovery and effectual Prosecution of all offenders, and that they rigorously putt in Execution all the good and wholesome Laws and Ordinances provided against the aforesaid and such other Immoralities, without favor, partiality, or Affection to any person whatsoever, as they will answer it to Almighty God and incur my utmost displeasure. And for the more effectual publication hereof, I doc require and Command the Justices of Quarter Sessions at their respective County Courts in this Government, and the Mayor and Recorder of the City of Philadelphia, that they cause this my proclamation to be publicly read in open Court immediately after their charge is given to the Grand Jury. Also that the Ministers of the Churches and Several Congregations within this Province and Territories, Cause the same to be Read in the time of Divine Service, at their respective places of Worship, at least six times in every year, And that they be very diligent in Discouraging all manner of Vice and Immorality in their Auditors, in Exhorting them to the exercise of Piety and Virtue. Given at Philadelphia the Ninth day of October, in the third year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lady Anne, by the Grace of God of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the Faith, &c., and the twenty-fourth of the Proprietaries Government, Annuqe Domini, 1704. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN. JOHN EVANS. 4. A Proclamation for a Thanksgiving for the Victories over the French. [This Proclamation has been much mutilated.] THE GREAT SEAE OF By the Honorable Collonel John Evans, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania, and Counties of New Castle, Kent, and Sussex, in Delaware. ** WHEREAS, The Queen's most Excellent Majesty by her Royal Proclamation given at her Court at K**** the one and twentieth day of May last, most devoutly and thankfully acknowledging the **** Almighty God in Continuing to her Majesty his Protection and Assistance in **** and For Disappointing the Boundless ambition of Fr Majesty, is now engaged, and in Conjunction with those of her Allies under the Command of His Grace John Duke of Ma****, General of Her Majesty's Land Forces, a Signal and Glorious Victory in Brabant over the French Armies ****, restoring the greatest part of the Spanish Netherlands to ye Posssession of the House of Austria, in the person of ** the third, by the Happy and wonderful progress of the Confederate Forces, and also in Blessing the Arms of Her Majesty and those of Her Allies with Great Success in Catalonia and other parts of Spain, Was Graciously pleased in Consideration, that such Great and Public Blessings doe call for Public and Solemn Acknowledgments, to Appoint and Command, with the Advice of Her Majesty's Privy Council, that a General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for these Mercies should be observed in her Dominions. AND WHEREAS, I have received Directions together with the said Proclamation, from the Right Honorable the Lord Commissioners of Trade and Plantations, that in conformity to Her Majesty's Royal Pleasure in Her other Dominions, I should also appoint in this Her Majesty's Province, a Proper and Special day for a Solemn Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the mercies aforesaid. I have therefore, in obedience thereto, thought fit to Appoint and Command that on the sixteenth day of January next ensuing, a Solemn General Publick Thanksgiving be observed by all her Majesty's Loving Subjects within this her Majesty's Province and in the Counties aforesaid. On which Day all Persons are Required to Refrain from their usual Labour and Employment and Repair to Divine** in the Publick Places of Worship, Devoutly to return to Almighty God, the Author of all Blessings, most humble and hearty Thanks and Acknowledgments For his aforesaid mercies they tender the Favour of Heaven upon pain of being Punished*** mners of Her Majesty's Royal Commands in the Pe*** Religious and Necessary. Witness my Hand and the Great Seal of the Government at Philadelphia, ******* Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lady Anne of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the Faith, &c. Arnoqe Domini. 1760. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN. JOHN EVANS. VIII.—Letter from Mr. Andrew Banks of Juniata County, on the Early History of that County. [This Letter was received in reply to the Circular issued by the Society a few years since. In the fourth volume, part second, of the Memoirs of the Society, published last year, the Circular and several of the replies to it may be found.] About the year 1758 Capt. James Patterson settled on the Juniata river on the spot where Mexico now stands, his object appears to have been to trade with the Indians for their lands; he obtained from them all their lands lying north from that place for the distance of three or four miles lying on Doe run; the original title of all those lands was vested in him. Although a trader he, as it appeared, did not rely upon the peaceful habits of those he traded with, for in order to keep them in awe he converted an oak log into a cannon and discharged it frequently in their hearing, which greatly intimidated them. On a certain occasion when the men were absent from the rude station, the barking of a dog drew Mrs. Patterson's attention, when to her great surprise she discovered a large group of Indians making their way towards her. She at once stationed herself beside the mimic cannon, menacing defiance, calling aloud "Come on you yellow dogs you," whereupon the whole batch disappeared under covert of the thicket. About the year 1760 and subsequently, came a number of individuals, principally Irish or their descendants, from York and Adams counties, but principally from Cumberland county along the waters of the Conedoguinet. They were generally persons about to set out into the world, their families were mostly small, and generally in low circumstances. About the period above alluded to William Maclay, late of Harrisburg, settled on the Juniata, where Mifflintown, the seat of justice of Juniata county now stands; the house that he occupied is yet in a good state of preservation; and about the same period Robert Nelson settled on the "Cedarspring;" the old mansion is yet standing; a part of the other cotemporary settlers were James Purdy, William Henderson, James Gibson, William Sharon, Hugh Sharon, Alexander Armstrong, Hugh McAlister, James Dickey, Nathaniel Dickey, Samuel Mitchel, Samuel Sharon, and others. Mifflintown was first improved as a town about the year 1786. Its improvement was very slow until the county was disannexed from Mifflin in 1829, since which time some valuable improvements have been made Besides the necessary public buildings, two brick churches, one Presby terian, the other Lutheran, have been erected, and an iron foundry and other valuable improvements were made in 1844. Mrs. Charlotte Thompson of Delaware township in this county, who is grand daughter to Capt. James Patterson above alluded to, informs that she has in her possession a large number of papers which belonged to her grandfather, among which are a number of letters in correspondence between him and other officers in the army of General Forbes in 1758, and during the French war at various periods. These documents are said to contain much valuable information; copies can be had on application. In 1773, when the writer first visited this country, the improvements generally were a small hut or cabin house, and barn of like description, with a few acres of cleared land. Improvements progressed very slowly until about the beginning of the present century, when a number of German emigrants from Lancaster, Berks, Montgomery, Chester, and other eastern counties, bought out a large number of the original inhabitants, and from that time the county began rapidly to improve. The improvements now generally are a frame, stone, or brick dwelling house, a stone or frame bank barn, and other necessary buildings in proportion; and the lands are all cleared with the exception of hill lands for timber and fuel. Seventy years ago, and many years subsequent, wild game were very plenty in our forests. It consisted of deer, bear, wolf, some panthers, wild cat, otter, raccoon, squirrel, rabbit, and beaver. The fowl were turkey, pheasant, pigeon, partridge, &c. Game of almost every kind gradually disappeared, the writer has not known of deer's being caught for the last nine or ten years, and the same may be said of every other species of game, with the exception of the red fox, who fully maintains his ground. It has been an ancient observation that the red fox extirpated the grey, and such appears to be the fact. The first emigrants found this county an unbroken forest, in the midst of which they settled, exposed to numerous privations, as no supplies could be had nearer than their native places, and when they did furnish supplies from their industry, they had to take it over the mountains from thirty to forty miles to get it ground. I do not know of any person who have made any historical collection either ancient or modern. The inhabitants of this part of the state are, and have been an agricultural people, whose attentions were not drawn to these objects. The early court records of this county were deposited in Carlisle up till the year 1789, when what is now Juniata, Mifflin, and Centre counties were disannexed from Cumberland and denominated Mifflin County; consequently the early court records are to be found at Carlisle and Lewis town. I have no knowledge of any state or county maps further than such as are contained in our Geography. Do not know of any medals or ancient coins; have not seen any of the Continental money for many years. I have no ancient documents of historical interest. I have no drawings either public or private. |