Journal, September 1776: Volume 83

Journal, September 1776

fo. 154.

Friday, September 13th. Present:—Mr. Gascoyne, Mr. Keene, Mr. Eden.

Lord George Germain, one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, attends.

Senegambia.

Their lordships took into further consideration the accounts of monies expended by Governor O'Hara in the province of Senegambia in the years     , transmitted to this Board by Mr. Robinson's letter of the 27th of July last, mentioned in the minutes of the 9th instant.

The draught of a Commission appointing John Clarke, esquire, to be Governor of the province of Senegambia, having been prepared pursuant to order, was approved, and a representation to his Majesty thereupon was signed.

fo. 155.

Leeward Islands.

The draught of a Commission appointing William Mathew Burt, esquire, to be Governor of the Leeward Islands, having been prepared pursuant to order, was approved, and a representation to his Majesty thereupon was signed.

Dominica.

Read a letter from Thomas Shirley, esquire, Governor of Dominica, to the Board, dated March 30th, 1776, transmitting copies of five laws passed in the present session, with remarks on the said laws, and
Transcripts of the journals of the proceedings of the Council and Assembly from the commencement of the session to the 24th of December. 1775.

Bermuda.

Read two letters from George James Bruere. esquire. Governor of the Bermuda Islands, to the Board, dated May 25th and July 12th. 1776. transmitting.
fo. 156.
A memorial of the legislature of the Bermuda Islands against an Act for regulating the salt ponds at Turks' Island, etc., passed in February. 1774.

Ordered, that Dr. Forbes, agent on the part of the Bermudas, be desired to attend the Board on Friday next, the 20th instant, at twelve o'clock.

Quebec.

Ordered, that the draught of a representation to his Majesty should be prepared, recommending John Drummond, esquire, to be of the Council of Quebec, in the room of Colin Drummond, esquire, deceased.

West Florida.

fo. 157.

Read an Order of the King in Council, dated August 28th, 1776, referring to this Board, for their consideration and report to the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs, the petition of James Milne and Walter Humphreys for a grant of twelve thousand acres of land in the province of West Florida to make a settlement or settlements thereupon.

Trade.

Read an Order of the Lords of the Privy Council, dated September 6th, 1776, referring to this Board the petition of the Carron Company, for leave to export from their works in Scotland to Copenhagen in Denmark, certain ordnance and balls for the service of the Royal Danish East India Company.

Their lordships, upon consideration of the aforementioned petition, were of opinion, the exportation prayed, for should be allowed; and it was ordered, that the draught of a report to the Lords of the Privy Council should be prepared accordingly.

fo. 158.

Read an Order of the Lords of the Privy Council, dated September 12th, 1776, referring to this Board the petition of Richard Lever for leave to export certain military stores to the River Mississippi, on board the brig Norton.

The petitioner attending was called in, and acquainted by their lordships, that government had provided an ordnance store ship for West Florida, on board which he might take freight for the military stores mentioned in his petition: and the draught of a report was ordered to be prepared accordingly.

The following Orders of the Lords of the Privy Council were read, vizt..
fo. 159.
Order of the Lords of the Privy Council, dated August 29th, 1776, referring to this Board the petition of Messrs. Buller and Company, for leave to export certain ordnance and balls to Lisbon, on board the ship Diana, for the use of a ship fitting out at Lisbon for the Brazil trade.
Order of the Lords of the Privy Council, dated August 29th. 1776, referring to this Board the petition of Matthew Carrett for leave to export certain ordnance and shot to Lisbon, on board the ship Diana, for the use of a new ship for the Brazil trade.

Their lordships deferred making any resolution on the beforementioned two Orders of Council, until the petitioners, who were desired to attend on Friday next, shall give their lordships satisfaction on some particulars about which it is necessary to have further information.

fo. 160.

New Jersey.

Their lordships read and considered eight Acts passed in the province of New Jersey in December 1775, together with Mr. Jackson's report thereupon.

St. Christopher's, Antigua, Montserrat, Nevis, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica.

Their lordships also read and considered several Acts passed in the Islands of St. Christopher's, Antigua, Montserrat, Nevis, Dominica and Grenada in the years 1775 and 1776, together with Mr. Jackson's reports thereupon; likewise an Act passed in the Island of Jamaica in 1757, to render more effectual an Act intituled an Act to enable Thomas Hope Elletson, esquire, to take up a sufficient quantity of water, etc. together with Mr. Jackson's report thereupon.

fo. 161.

Friday, September 20th. Present:—Mr. Gascoyne, Mr. Keene, Mr. Eden.

Lord George Germain, one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, attends.

Quebec.

The draught of a representation to his Majesty, recommending John Drummond, esquire, to be of the Council of Quebec, in the room of Colin Drummond, esquire, deceased, having been prepared pursuant to order, was approved, transcribed and signed.

East Florida.

The Secretary laid before the Board a memorial of Dr. Turnbull, complaining of the conduct of Governor Tonyn.

fo. 162.

Dr. Turnbull attending was called in, and acquainted by the Board, that if he thought proper to reduce the general charges contained in his memorial to such specific matter, as the Board could properly take cognizance of, his complaints should be attended to.

West Florida.

Their lordships took into further consideration the petition of James Milne and Walter Humphreys for a grant of land in West Florida, mentioned in the minutes of the 13th instant, and were of opinion, that, as it does not appear there has been any Order of his Majesty in Council to rescind his Majesty's Order of 28th October, 1773, it would not be advisable to recommend the allowance of the grant prayed for.

fo. 163.

Bermuda.

Their lordships also considered the memorial of the legislature of the Bermuda Islands against a Bahama Act for the better regulating and government of the salt ponds at Turks' Island, mentioned in the minutes of the last Board.

Ordered, that the memorial, together with the Act, should be sent to Richard Jackson, esquire, counsel to the Board, and that the Secretary do write to him, to desire, that he would reconsider the said Act, and report his opinion thereupon.

Virgin Islands.

The Secretary also laid before the Board a copy of the Quieting Bill made in the Virgin Islands in July 1775, together with a copy of Mr. Hamilton's letter to the Governor, dated at St. Christopher's, 27th March, 1776, containing his observations on the said bill.

fo. 164.

Ordered, that the said two papers be referred to Mr. Jackson, counsel to the Board, for his opinion and report thereupon.

Trade.

The draught of a report to the Lords of the Privy Council upon the petition of the Carron Company, for leave to export certain ordnance and balls to Copenhagen for the service of the Royal Danish East India Company, having been prepared pursuant to order, was approved, transcribed and signed.

As was also the draught of a report on the petition of Richard Lever to export certain military stores to West Florida.

fo. 165.

Their lordships took into further consideration the petitions of Matthew Carrett and Richard Buller and Company, for leave to export ordnance and balls to Lisbon, mentioned in the last minute; and the petitioners attending, and their lordships having entered into an examination of such parts as they thought fit to interrogate them upon, were of opinion, the exportation prayed for should be allowed; and the draughts of reports to the Lords of the Privy Council upon the above two petitions having been prepared accordingly, were agreed to, transcribed and signed.

Read an Order of the Lords of the Privy Council, dated this day, referring to this Board the request of the West India merchants for a general order to allow the ships bound to the sugar colonies to take a certain quantity of powder for the use of the inhabitants and the defence of the ships out and home.

fo. 166.

Their lordships, upon consideration of the above petition, were of opinion, that the exportation prayed for should be allowed; and the draught of a report to the Lords of the Privy Council having been prepared accordingly, was approved, transcribed and signed.

(fn. 1) St. Christopher.

Read a letter from Craister Greathead, esquire, Commander in Chief of the Leeward Islands, dated June 5th, 1776, in answer to their lordships' letter of the 20th of February last, expressing their disapprobation of an Act passed in Antigua, an Act for reviving, continuing and amending an Act, intituled an Act for establishing Courts of Common Pleas, Error, King's Bench and Grand Sessions, etc.

Senegambia.

Read a memorial of Robert Browne, merchant and contractor for Senegal garrisons, complaining of the conduct of Lieutenant Governor McNamara.

Their lordships, not conceiving that the matters contained on the above memorial came under their cognizance, were pleased to dismiss it.

fo. 167.

Read a memorial of the merchants and other adventurers of London in the trade to Senegal, complaining of the conduct of Lieutenant Governor McNamara, and praying, that his Majesty's Governor may be instructed to afford them immediate relief on his arrival; and that their lordships will be pleased to take effectual order to restrain his Majesty's officers and servants in the province of Senegambia from trading, or giving the memorialists interruption in their trade.

Jamaica.

Their lordships read and considered twenty two Acts passed in the Island of Jamaica in November and December, 1775, together with Mr. Jackson's report thereupon.

fo. 168.

Wednesday, 25th September. Present:—Mr. Keene, Mr. Eden.

Lord George Germain, one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, attends.

Trade.

Read an Order of the Lords of the Privy Council, dated September 20th, 1776, referring to this Board, for their consideration and report, the petition of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, for leave to export certain military stores, therein specified, to their settlements at St. Helena and in the East Indies, on board several ships.

Their lordships, on consideration of the abovementioned petition, were of opinion, that the exportation prayed for should be allowed; and the draught of a report to the Lords of the Privy Council thereupon having been prepared accordingly, was approved, transcribed and signed.