186 | To Richard Jackson

    Boston. Jan: 25. 1763.

    Dear Sr.

    The Letter inclosed with this is intended to be communicated to Mr Mauduit, if you shall think fit. The Secretary writes to him by this Vessel, & I believe, greatly condemns his bringing on this affair in so hasty a Manner, without considering how injurious this proposal was to you, & how disagreeable it must be to me. However I shall at present leave a door open for this Matter being set right: but if after my sentiments are known, Mr Israel Mauduit shall determine to push his fortunes here in opposition to me, He may be sure that whoever is Agent, he will not be. If on the other hand, He can propose to you a compromise, which will leave to you the conduct of those affairs which belong to your Profession & save you the trouble of lesser Matters, if you approve of it, I doubt not but that I shall. I know but of two ways of doing this: the one is by appointing you joint Agents without any distinction in the commission, but with separate departments to be settled by instructions or by private Agreement. The other is to appoint You Council & him Agent by separate & independant Commissions. The former is the best method & has a very Authoritative Precedent for it: In 1693 immediately after the opening the Charter, Sr Henry Ashurst (I suppose a Citizen of London) & Constantine Phipps (a noted Councellor) were appointed joint Agents without any distinction of Professions or of departments.692 All this is supposed upon a supposition that Mr Israel Mauduit is a suitable Person to be connected with you in this Affair Manner; if that should not be so what relates to him must have a further consideration.

    For this purpose I could wish that you would at all events look out from among the dissenters a sensible discreet Man, & such an one as you should like to be connected with & whom you could depend upon: if he had a public Character it would be better but it is not necessary. There is a great hankering after a dissenter for an Agent: & tho this distinction was treated in the two houses with more indifference than I could expect; yet it is got among the Clergy & may be revived again with more power. I should therefore be glad to be provided with a proper Person of that Sort, in case such an one should be wanted by the affair’s taking a religious Turn, which I know some People will labour to give it.

    When first your Name was mentioned, an obvious objection against you arose, that you was agent of Connecticut, which Colony has intrests opposite to those of this province. I have gained great ground upon this & in general have turned it to your advantage, but still it has it’s difficulties. It is certain that the interests of the Province & Colony are so united by a similarity of priviledges manners & religion, that an Union of the Agencies would be advantageous to both, as it would give them more weight. And tho’ there may be questions of interest, arising between the two, yet they must be very trifling in Comparison of those great Points in which they are jointly interested. And yet if they had one Agent, it should be previously settled what part he should act in Cases of dispute between them. To answer this in your own Case, it is certain that you cannot be desired by this Province to relinquish the defence of the right of Connecticut to the Townships which you have already undertaken: on the contrary other hand Connecticut could not take exception if this Province should expect, as the Superior, to have your assistance in such other Matters of controversy as shall hereafter arise: especially as it is not easy to foresee that any such will arise. What you say in Your Letter of the dispute concerning the Townships seems to amount to this: but I should be glad to be allowed to make such a stipulation in positive terms if it should be expedient.

    Febry 1st.693

    Since I wrote the foregoing, Mr Mauduits friend Mr Otis (A Gentleman of much ^great^ warmth of Temper & much indiscretion) has workt himself into such a passion by his dissappointment, that none but the most violent measures are pursued by him & his friends. On Saturday last (on the Mornings of which, as on Monday Evenings, the House is always Very thin) there being but 45 in the House, he introduced a Letter in the Name of the House to Mr Mauduit, apologising for thier not having complied with his request, & assigning for reason thier not being able to bear any additional expence in thier Agency. This was notoriously false, because in the Vote there was an express proviso that the province should be put to no further expence by the appointment of a substitute; and the Arguments against it turned almost wholly upon other reasons.694 Nevertheless the House being very thin, one Side prepared & the other Surprised, it was suffered to pass. It being a new thing for the House to write to the Agent without the concurrence of the Government^nor^ & Council, The Council on Monday (yesterday) afternoon, appointed a Committee to join with a Committee of the House to answer Mr Mauduit Letter, & sent the Vote down to the House. The House being thin, as before nonconcurred it, alledging they had already answerd the Letter But this Morning the House being filled, as before, with 72 persons members, The Vote of the Council was reconsidered & concurred by the same Majority as the Vote for substituting Mr Is, Mauduit had been rejected: and A Committee was appointed to join the Committee of the Council After which the Speaker demanded of the Clerk the former letter, who answered he had delivered it to Mr Otis, who said he had sent it away.695 As It was known that no Vessell could stir out of this port during this time, He was asked by whom he sent it: he refused to declare. upon which Violent debates insued; in the Course of which it was proposed to oblige him by Censures of the House to answer what he had done with the Letter; but moderate Men prevented the Question being put.

    I believe Mr Mauduit has no idea of the confusion which the use of his & his Brothers Name is creating in the Councils of this Province; which must occasion great trouble to himself & cannot fail to defeat his purposes of introducing his Brother into the Agency; for which the Means at present used are directly opposite to propriety. The only way to retrieve this business is for Mr Mauduit to advise more with his old friends & trust less to his new ones; and then he will learn that the Governor Council & Assembly of this province are not to be drove in this Violent Way.

    I expect this letter will go tomorrow the harbour being now clear; so shall conclude with assuring you that696

    I am Sr Your &c

    R. Jackson Esqr

    P.S. A Packet is arrived at NYork last fryday was sevnight Jan 21,697 which we are told has brought account of a Cessation of arms; yet such is the Management of the post office here that I have not received my dispatches nor do I expect to have them till next Saturday 15 days after their coming to NYork

    L, LbC BP, 2: 252-257.