Noinina/ioiis ill Colonial N'c2u York 267 river and hope we will always be true to one another. I am with hearty thanks for all your good will, your true friend and well wisher. W. J. To all the Messers of Canajoharie. ' ' This document speaks with no uncertain note of the personal influence of Sir William, at least over the farmers of Canajoharie. But his influence, as we shall see, was not limited to the Mohawk region : it was almost if not quite as great in other parts of the county, and even in the city of Albany itself his name was one to conjure with. " It may easily be seen," writes a correspondent from Albany two years later,' " that the intention of the heads here in general are {sic) for putting in Coll : Schuyler and Peter Winne, who with their party here work very hard from morning till night and Mr. Collins sends letters to all parts of the county. Mr. De Peyster is very diligent — wether for himself or others is yet a secret to your friends who long to see you here and say if you appeared it would make a great alteration for they confess it is in our power to- turn the skeals if you take it in hand." Factional contests became increasingly sharp towards the time of the Revolution : as early as 1761 competition for the assembly- seat in Albany County had become keen and a number of men were ready to set themselves up. For most of them it seemed desirable, for some it seemed essential, to get the support of Sir William John- son. The old members, we are told,' " propose to advertise them- selves this day without the advise of any one of the citizens." But although they may have ignored the magnates of Albany, it does not appear that they found it wise altogether to neglect Johnson. On the same day we find one of them, at least, seeking his aid for the office." "As the gentlemen here in town propose to set us up for Representatives for the city and County of Albany, and if its agreeable to you we beg your Interest, in which you'll very much oblige us. We remain respectfully, sir," etc. ^ A third party deter- mined to run Abraham Yates, the late sheriff, who was, they assured Sir William, " a very good man," and was likely to have " a pretty strong interest," but, " nevertheless we should be glad to know your Inclinations, as we are certain they would be supported by both the manors of Rensselaer and Livingston." * The next election — the last but one in the colonial period — came 1 Richard Miller to William Johnson. July 3, 1750. Johnson MSS , XXIII. 121. ^David Van der Heyden toWilliam Johnson, Feb. 3, 1761. Johnson MSS., V. 38. The old members were Jacob Ten Eyck .and Peter Winne. 3Jacob Ten Eyck and Volckert P. Douw to William Johnson, Feb. 3, 1761. Ibid., 37.
- David Van der Heyden to William Johnson, Feb. 3, 1761. Ibid., 38.
