On your Election to the elevated office of President, to the Supreme Executive Council of this Common Wealth, every soul here acquainted with your Excellencies Character and capable of sentiment and reflection exulted on the joyous occasion from a conception that something favorable to this settlement might yet be hoped through the instrumentality of such a known friend to the sacred rights of mankind, whose election wrought in our imaginations the affectionate epithet of a political Father, who would impartially consider and weigh the opposite claims of his Children dispensing his smiles or his frowns, according to their adherence, or non-adherence to those pure original Laws which can neither be superceded nor abrogated by human Tribunals.

In the character of a Father then would we address your Excellency and complain of our grievances, we know your attention has for many years been occupied with greater and more national concerns which renders it possible, if not probable that you may not be duely apprized of our many and complicated sufferings.

The dispute which has for a number of years subsisted betwixt this State and that of Connecticut respecting territory, the arguments which have been urged on both sides of the question, and the decree of Trenton are matters well known to your Excellency; we would humbly crave your attention therefore only to such facts as you may not have been duly apprized of, which have rendered our situation nearly wretched and desperate.

We have no hopes from the avaricious land schemers of this State, who have been seeking to sheath the sword in our bosoms, and have stripped us nearly of our all, and whom we have reason to think wish our utter extirpation through whose insinuations the Legislature have been made to believe that we are a People who desire no Law and deserve little Mercy.

Our anarchal and local situation have indeed brought hither from the different States some licentious Characters by which we have been denominated a bad People by our enemies, who have had the advantage of us in Representation, and exparte hearings before Council and Assembly, and who wish to mislead to our prejudice those Honorable Bodies as well as the good people of this State at large.

This true that the most unexceptionable Characters amongst us influenced by the Law of self-preservation have fought in defence of their lives, their Families and their all when attacked by merciless Assailants—such defence has been judg’d highly criminal by those who judg’d the actions of others good or bad as they feed or oppose their own avarice—with such Characters revenge stands for justice; accordingly we find that the most innocent Persons among us who have occasion to travel through the State if they have been defensive actors must be loaded with vexatious suits under pretence of Debt or Criminality but for no other purpose than to add a pecuniary distress to the already distressed.

Could we free from such vexatious but expensive prosecutions send an Agent who could be honour’d with an interview with your Excellency we could be able to exhibit such incontestible facts relative to our sufferings both from the land-jobbers and a former Assembly (influenced by them,) as your Excellency would hardly imagine and could your Excellency in some way furnish a protection for such an Agent, we shall duly acknowledge the Favour, and readily embrace the opportunity, and we would hope by the means to furnish your Excellency with such kind of knowledge as may through your wise and paternal influence terminate in a just and amicable settlement of these unhappy and ruinous disputes.

We would beg leave to mention to your Excellency that we have noticed a late Act of Assembly Entitled “An Act for quieting the disturbances at Wioming, &c.,” but how far it respects us we are unable fully to determine. We send a Petition to the Hon’ble Assembly accompanied with this, praying for an explanation, &c.

We wish to have an existence in the world above that of Slaves or beggars, and we ardently wish as good Citizens to injoy the blessings of the glorious Constitution of this State, and to have the Laws operate among us and administered on Constitutional principles, as these are the ideas, may it please your Excellency, we have ever express’d in our Addresses, Petitions and Remonstrances to the Honble Council and General Assembly since the Decree of Trenton, conformable to which has been the general tenor of our conduct however misconstrued by our Enemies.

We submit to your Excellency the propriety of the above requests.

Our best wishes attend your Excellency in all your important trusts—may no faction in the State over which you Preside disturb your tranquility at the eve of life, which we hope will be crowned with every reward which a long and most useful life has merited. We are, may it please your Excellency, with due esteem and respect your Excellencies Most obedient Humble Servants,