Part 34 (1/2)

To the Kings most Excellent Ma^{ty}.

The humble Pet.i.tion of Andrew Hamilton, and Robert West.

SHEWETH

That your Maj^{tie}. and the late Queen of Blessed Memory in the fourth Year of your Raigne, by Letters Patent granted to Thomas Neale Esq^{r}.

full power and Authority to Erect a Post, and Post office in North America, To hold for one and Twenty yeares without any Account, And by the same Letters Patent directed the Post Master Generall of England to Issue Deputations from time to time to such Persons as Mr. Neale or his a.s.signes should Nominate, to Execute the same power.

In pursuance of which Grant, the Post Master Generall at Mr. Neales nomination, Deputed Your Peticoner Hamilton, who hath Setled a Post from New Yorke Southward as far as Virginia, and Eastward Seventy Miles beyond Boston in New England, which proves of great Advantage to the Trade of those Coloneys, and of no lesse Service to your Maj^{tys}.

Governm^{t}. there.

In the Setling and Supporting w^{ch} Post, your Pet^{r}. West, above seven yeares agoe upon the request and Credit of Mr. Neale, advanced Two hundred pounds, and your Pet.i.tioner Hamilton hath since disbursed Eleven Hundred Pounds more, and brought it to such Perfection, that it allready defrays Its own Charge, and will in time be a Considerable Revenue.

That Mr. Neale being unable to pay your Pet^{rs}. or to give them other Satisfaction, in August 1699 a.s.signed all his Interest in the said Post to your Pet.i.tioner West for secureing all the Monys due to both your Pet.i.tioners and all such other sumes as your Pet^{r}. Hamilton should expend in further enlarging the said Post, with Common Interest for the whole Moneys.

That Mr. Neale Dying before payment of any part of the said Debts, and all persons declining to Act either as his Executor, or Administrator, Your Pet^{rs}. will be necessitated to dispose of the said Post for Satisfaction of their Debts, but being Sensible It is more for your Maj^{ties}. Interest and Service, to have such Post Under the management and Controll of some Officer to be appointed by your Ma^{tys}. than of any Private Person.

Your Pet.i.tioners humbly tender the same to your Maj^{tie}. and if your Maj^{tie}. shall not thinke fit to Accept It, They humbly pray that your Maj^{tie}. will Gratiously encourage the Continuance and Enlargement of the said Post, by granting them a further terme of years therein, and such additional Priviledges as are necessary for the Improvement of it.

And your Pet.i.tioners shall ever pray &c^{a}.

At the Court.

No. 2.

LONDON _Feb^{ry}. 8th 1779._

SIR,

My present disagreable Situation as an Officer under the Crown without Employment, and without a Salary, occasioned by the Rebellion in America, induces me to give you the Trouble of this Adress, and to request your advice and a.s.sistance in procuring that Relief which my present Circ.u.mstances require.

You are not a Stranger to my Appointment to the Office of Deputy Postmaster of Philadelphia in the year 1776 by the Deputy postmasters General of North America, and that I continued to act in that Office, and as I trust to the entire Satisfaction of all concerned, until the Confusion and Sedition in that Country rendered it impossible for me to be of any kind of service.

In the Spring 1775 having good Reason to believe from a variety of Information that there was a Danger of breaking up the Post Office at Philadelphia under the Crown, and seizing upon all the Monies in my Custody, I immediately made up my Accounts, and remitted the Balance in my Hands to the Comptroller in New York up to the 5^{th} April of the same year.

About this time the disaffected Merchants in Philadelphia set up by Subscription a post Office in opposition to Government, appointed William Bradford Postmaster and compelled many of the well effected Merchants and others to send their Letters to it for Conveyance; and in May following the Mail was seized in New England under a public Avowel of the Rebels.

Under these Circ.u.mstances finding not only my person was in danger, but that I could be of no further service to the Crown by my continuing in Philadelphia, I left it and came into New York where my Conduct being approved, I procured leave of Absence, and returned to London in order to represent the true State of the Offices in America, which on my arrival I did. You will also recollect that as soon as possible after hearing that the City of Philadelphia was in possession of the Kings Troops I again embarked under an Expectation that the War would be settled by the Commissioners, and to take care of the post Office Affairs in that City. But on my arrival finding that All Letters by the packets &c^{a}. were taken up by the Commander in Chief, and delivered not only to the Army and Navy but even to the Merchants, the City being evacuated soon after, I was obliged to return again to this place for safety. When in the Execution of my Office my Salary amounted to Two Hundred and Twenty five pounds Sterl^{g}. p. Ann. out of which I paid Clerks Wages and Office Rent. This I received up to the 5 of April 1775.

Since that time I have subsisted on my own means (except Two Hundred pounds at the Post Office by Warrant from the Treasury) without receiving any other part of my Salary from Government.

In these Circ.u.mstances it is with reluctance I find myself under the necessity of applying for the same Allowance from the Crown, which has been made to other persons in Office under it, in the like Situation.

I am Sir &^{ca}.

THOS. FOXCROFT.

Anth. Todd, Esq^{r}.

Treasury authorized 100 a year from 5th April, 1775, ”until he may be reinstated in the office or otherwise provided for.”