Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes, 1730 [extracts]

              The Reports from the respective Quarterly Meetings were
also read, all concurring on This, That Friends are generally in
Love and Unity, Meetings duly kept up, and where any Thing
is out of Order, The Discipline put in Practice.
	But as to the Proposal from the Quarterly Meeting at
Chester, relating to the buying of Negroes, by this Meeting referr'd
to the respective Quarterly Meetings, to consider of. The Reports
being various, are in Substance as followeth, viz.
	The Quarterly Meeting of Philadelphia report
	That They remembering the like Proposition had formerly
been made throughly Debated and Conclusions thereupon had
did not therefore think it proper to offer any further Opinion there
upon, but referr'd the Case to this Meeting, where they presum'd the former Minuits would be reviewed and considered.
	The Quarterly Meeting of Bucks report
	That they had Deeply considered and debated the said Proposi=
=tion, But could not so far agree as to come to any Result about it, and
therefore left it to this Meeting to Determine as in the Wisdom of
Truth might be seen meet.
	The Quarterly Meeting of Burlington report
	That having seriously and deliberately considered the said Pro=
=position, They give it as their Opinion, That as it is not agreeable
to our Discipline, to be actually concerned in the importing of Negroes
into these Countreys, So consequently it cannot be agreeable to buy them
when imported, because it has a manifest Tendency to incourage the
Importation of Them, That yet it is the Desire of that Meeting, The
Restriction to be made may not extend Further than Advice and Coun=
sell not Censure.
	The Quarterly Meeting of Glouster & Salem report
	THat having considered the said Proposition, It is the Sense