Albany, [N.Y.] 20 January 1689 May it Never could any Poor Distressed People in the world long more for Deliverance nor the Beseiged for Releasse than there Majes[ties] Subjects in the Citty & County of Albany have Longd. for yr. Excell: arrivall, to Deliver us from those Troubles Confusions & Distractions occasioned by Capt. Jacob Leysler & his adherents, who hath indefaticably Endevord all this last Summer to bring us to his Devotion & to submitt to his arbitrary & unparraleld Governmt. & when we Considerd the gracious Deliverance wrought by his most saived Majes[ty] [struck: under god the] [inserted: King William] our Benign Large Lord [inserted and struck: King William] the Right Defender of the True Reformed Protestant Religion, (whereof not only all his subjects but all Protestants in the Remotest part of the world [struck: will] Reap a Benefit by,) then the burthen of an usurped Power [inserted: exercised] by a Private man without the least shadow of authority seemd the more untollerable feet To give yr Excel: a Particular acct. of all his & his adherents actions to stirrup the People here to sedition & dissobedience would Require a whole volume; [illegible] and weary yr. Excel: Patience to P[roufe]; and therefore shall not Presume to Trouble yr Excel with it at Present, Being Resolvd assoon [sic] as we shall have Recd. the good & joyfull news of yr. Excel: [struck: arrival] [inserted: Landing] to send 2 or 3 of our number doune to N. Yorke [struck: &] [inserted: to] Congratulate yr. Excell safe arrivall; who will Inform yr Excel att Large of the Condition of this Place & of the Indians, whatever Spacious Pretence Capt Leysler may have for [inserted: acting at N: York] what he [struck: did] [inserted: has done], we are assured he never sought there Majes[ties] Intrest in our Parts, for if we had not [2] stiffly Resisted his & his adherents Proceedings undoubtedly this Part of the County would have long ine now been Embr[ew]d in a Bloody warr with the [struck: Indians] [inserted: heathen] for nothing would serve his turn butt the Totall submission of the government master of fort & Citty & then Excercised his boundlesse [inserted: Pretended authority] [struck: ambition]. The Trouble Cost & Care which we have been att since these Revolutions [inserted and struck: with the Indians] iss wel knowne to all the governmt., & [inserted: to] our neighbours of Boston and Conetticut; It was much against our will & Inclination that we wire [sic] necessitate to take the whole Charge of the affares of the Indians upon us. But necessity has no law & when these Indians [inserted: afterwards sent about the midle of June] told us there Intentions [inserted: Positively] to Beginn the warr [illegible] wth. the French. we sent doune there Propositions and all Papers Relateing to a Bussinesse of that Import and Diverted them to the gent of the Councill Mayr. aldermen & military officer of N: Yorke delyvreing there advise since we had Recd. letters from the gent[leme]n A litle [sic] before Relateing [inserted: to] the Indians westward, but Capt. Leysler [inserted: who had transplanted them] was Pleased to Intircept our letter & never Recd the least word in ansure nether from him or any body Else. Whereupon we Resolved to mannage the [inserted: Publick] Affares of this Citty [inserted: & County] by the Mayr. Aldermen, Commonality & military officer [struck: of this] of this Citty and the Justices of the Peace and Military officer of the County which made a Convention thinking this the safest way & most satisfactory to Every [struck: one, inserted: body]; [inserted and stuck: imitating them of N: Yorke before the Revolution] we declare we are none of us ambitious of keeping [3] of our Places, it is a Burthen & no benefite to us & an orderly Discharge would be very welcome, if we the Civille Magistrate could [inserted: have] absolved ourselfs of our oaths & if it had Consisted with the Peace & welfare of this his Maje[sty's] Citty and County it had not been to doe now, it was only the trust Reposed in us & our Real Desyne of the Common good which Put us on, very well knowing that the Rewards of Publique Service are not soon nor Easily gotten. However wth. the assistance of the almighty God we have Endevord to keep all [struck: heathen] in Peace & quietnesse & [Continiced] in the administrating the Laws as formerly, & have [inserted: hitherto] secured the Five Nations of Indians westward to this his Maje[esty's] Governmt. notwithstanding all the french Tamperings to the Contrare; we have Inclosed sent some Papers Relateing to the Indians being the last Transactions in that affare, our messengers sent to Onnondage [Onondaga] to be Present at there gen[era]l meeting we Expect home in a fortnights time when we shall if any opportunity Presents give yr Excel an acct: We [shine] in hopes assoon as the River shutt up to [inserted: have] had some Peace [inserted: within] and Employed all our time to oppose & Resist the Common Enemy [inserted: without] But Mr Leysler & his adherents [struck: have] [inserted: did] fynde away to Convey new Distractions to us, Endevoureing at once Irresistably to Erect & Establish his Power here and to turn all upside doune. Send[struck: eing] Commissions to Sundrey Persones [inserted: here] Particularly 5 Commissions for 5 Justices of the Peace at a Small village called Shinnechtady [inserted: who never had but one before] some of which Persones are So Illitirate cann neither write nor Read, against which Proceedings [inserted: of his illegible Jochin Staes] we have been necessitate to Publish the Inclosed Protest which hath in great measure qualifyed most of the Inhabitants Except such who are wholly Devoted for Leyslers Service. We doubt not but yr Excel will take Speedy care to send up orders for our better Setlement wth. Instructions how to act in these Dangerous times. We are not without our apprehensions of fear of the french and there Indians since it is Certain they have drawne all there force together to Mont Royall, by which we must Conclude they are either very much afraid of us or Design an attaque upon [4] this Place, & we are nott over well Provided to make a Suitable Resistance, haveing but 87 men from N: England & 50 from N: Yorke, besides the Inhabitants who cannot make 450 men, and they [inserted: by reason of these distractions] (which is the greatest [greiff]) not so obedient to there officers as they ougt [sic]. nevertheless with the help of god we are Resolved to maintain the Place & to make what opposition we can, Begging yr Excel would send up speedily yr Commands which is all we can wish for or Expect at Present. We have sent this by an Expresse on Purpose hopeing they may fynd yr [inserted: Excel:] safely arrived, else doubt whither they may come safe to hand, since our Letter are [inserted: commonly] [detained] & kept up by Capt. Leysler an unheard off [struck:doing] [inserted: action] to neighbors & frinds [sic]. We have Indian skouts out Towards the great lake to [watch] the French Designs & are [inserted: about] sending some Christians thither also for what danger ther is will be out in 3 weeks the season of the year Elapsing. This goes Inclosed to Mayr. Phillips Mayr. Cortlant & C[o]rnel. Bayard [inserted: whom we desyred to deliver it wth all speed] [struck: the 2 latter haveing long necessitate to abscond themselfs to Escape Mr Leysler & his adherants' Cruelty whereby we were illegible of that good advise which they were also to give in such a affares of moment. They will Render yr Excel an acct. of affairs here more Particularly then we can at present by writing; therefore shall Breake off]. We must likewise Put yr Excel in minde to send Particular order Concerning the 50 men sent hither by N Yorke Commanded by Jochin [Staes] and of the List of the Train band Com[pan]y [illegible] who took upon him that office by an Irregular way [struck: of which we cannot say are for our assistance] being no way Obedient to any order of ours haveing denyed to send a small Party of [these men] to [lye] [struck: in garrison in outer party of this County to the northward] [inserted: in the out Plantations as Scouts] after he had Engaged so to doe but he being soley [sic] devoted to Capt Leysler service could Expect no better. We [struck: have] send the kings arms [inserted: by the first opportunity] to be afixed at [Cadarachqui] & wish we were able to send men thither to demolish sd. fort; it having been always Prejudicial to this governmt.; We shall not Insist further at present knowing yr. Excel will have multiplicity of bussinesse the first arrival [struck: &] so wishing yr. Excel all happinesse & Prosperity in yr [illegible] new government. We remain Yr Excel most humble & most Obed[ient] Serv[en]ts, Convention of the City & County of Alb[any] P[ete]r Schuyler Mayr. Mathe Ge[rrise] Justice [illegible] L. Shar[k] Alderman [Jh.] Renselaer