Primary tabs
Mr˙ Tilghman and Mr˙ Allen laid before the Board a Report of their proceedings in Virginia, pursuant to the commission and instructions of the 7th of May last, given to them to treat with the Earl of Dunmore, Govemour of that Province, concerning the several matters therein contained, together with copies of their several letters to his Lordship, and his original letters to them, which passed in the course of their negotiation at Willamsburg; all which were ordered to be entered on the minutes of Council, and follow in these words, viz:
The Report of James Tilghman and Andrew Allen, Commissioners appointed by the Honourable John Penn, Esquire, Govemour of Pennsylvania, to treat with the Right Honourable the Earl of Dunmore, Governour of Virginia, on sundry public matters mentioned in the commision, and the Governour' s instructions, bearing equal date therewith.
MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOUR: In pursuance of your Honour' s commission, and your instructions attending; it, we sat out on our journey on Thursday the 12th of May, 1774, and on Thursday, the 19th, we arrived at Williamsburg
We have the honour to be, with great regard, your Honour' s most obedient humble servants,
To the Honourable John Penn, Esq˙
Philadelphia, June 17, 1774.
Report of James Tilghman and Andrew Allen
v1:454
v1:455
and went to Lord Dunmore' s. He was not then at home. We waited on him next morning to pay our respects, and to know when it would be agreeable to him to have our business laid before him. Saturday morning at ten o' clock was disappointed to wait upon him on the occasion. We met him at his house, and informed him our business was to apply to him to join the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania in a petition to the Crown to appoint Commissioners to settle and run the lines of Pennsylvania to the westward, and in the mean time to agree with his Lordship upon some line of jurisdiction to remedy the inconveniences of the present clashing jurisdictions between Virginia and Pennsylvania, and to prevent them for the future. To the first he readily agreed, and said he had already written to Lord Dartmouth on the subject, pointing out the necessity of settling the boundaries, but he informed us that the Colony of Virginia would not bear any part of the expense. As to the other point, his Lordship answered that he should be glad if our propositions, relating to a line of jurisdiction, were stated in writing, that he might be the better able to consider them and give us an answer, and desired to have a sight of any draughts or papers we had which might illustrate the matter. This request we promised to comply with as soon as possible, and on Monday the 23d, at ten o' clock, we sent our written proposals, copies of which, and of the several other letters which passed, from us to Lord Dunmore in the course of the negotiation, as also his original letters to us, are hereunto annexed, numbered in proper order, and to which we beg leave to refer, and request that they may be taken as part of our Report.
JAMES TILGHMAN,
ANDREW ALLEN.