Journal, May 1744: Volume 52

Journal, May 1744

Tuesday May 1. Present:—Lord Monson Colonel Bladen, Mr. Plumer, Mr. Keene, Sir Charles Gilmour.

Trade.

Read a letter from Mr. Wood, Secretary to the Commissioners of the Customs, dated April 27th, 1744 (in answer to one of the 26th from the Secretary of this Board), transmitting the following account, viz.:—
An account of the quantity of borax and camphor, imported and exported, from Christmas, 1733, to Christmas, 1742, distinguishing each year.

Turkey.

Read a letter from the Duke of Newcastle, dated April 30th, enclosing a copy of an address of the House of Lords to his Majesty, that he would be pleased to give directions that a copy of the report of the Board of Trade to the Lords Justices, dated October 9th, 1740, on two memorials of the Levant Company, in June, 1739, and September, 1740, be laid before that House.

Ordered that a copy of the said report be prepared, which having accordingly been done, the Lord Monson was desired to lay the same before the House of Lords.

Plantations General.

Lieutenant Hodgson attending, as desired by the minutes of Friday last, the Board had some discourse with him, in relation to the proposed settlements at Belize, mentioned in some preceding minutes.

The Board made a further progress in the consideration of the proposed settlement at Belize, mentioned in the preceding minutes.

Wednesday, May 2. Present:—Lord Monson, Mr. Plumer, Mr. Keene, Sir Charles Gilmour.

Plantations General.

Ruatan.

Mosquito Shore.

Belize.

The Board having gone through the several reports concerning the settlements, proposed to be made in the Island of Rattan on the Mosquito Shore, and at the River Belize, the same were ordered to be transcribed.

Thursday, May 3. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Plumer, Mr. Keene, Sir Charles Gilmour.

Plantations General.

Ruatan.

Mosquito Shore.

Belize.

The three reports, mentioned in yesterday's minute, having been transcribed, as was ordered, were laid before the Board, agreed to and signed.

Thursday, May 10. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Plumer.

South Carolina.

Georgia.

Read a letter to the Secretary from Mr. Martyn, Secretary to the Georgia Trustees, dated this day, relating to three Acts of Georgia, referred to this Board, some time since, and to which they have several objections.

Resolved to consider the purport of the said letter the first opportunity.

Friday, May 11. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen.

Georgia.

fol. 89.

The letter from Mr. Martyn to the Secretary, that was laid before the Board yesterday, was again taken into consideration, after which the Secretary was ordered to write to Mr. Fane, to desire he would, as soon as conveniently may be, let the Board have his report upon one of the Acts mentioned in the said letter, entituled, An Act for establishing the Tenures of Lands in Georgia and reducing the Quit Rents thereof.

Tuesday, May 22. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Plumer, Mr. Keene.

South Carolina.

Read a letter from Mr. Glen, Governor of South Carolina, to the Board, dated at Charles Town, March 12th, 1743–4, giving an account of the loss of the Loo man of war, and of the bad consequences from it to the town of Beaufort, etc., and transmitting some paragraphs of intercepted letters from the Havanna to the Governor of St. Augustine, mentioning a design of the Spaniards on some of the British plantations.

Ordered that the Secretary send an extract of as much of the said letter, as relates to the Loo man of war, to Mr. Corbett, Secretary of the Assembly.

Ordered that the Secretary prepare the draught of a letter, in answer to this, and two others received from Mr. Glen, since his arrival at his government.

Wednesday, May 23. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Plumer, Mr. Keene.

Jamaica.

The Board signed a representation recommending Thomas Fearon, Esquire, to be of the Council in Jamaica, in the room of Verney Philp, Esquire, deceased, and ordered draughts of representations to be prepared, recommending John Gale, and Benjamin Hume, Esquires, in the room of Temple Lawes and Edward Garthwaite, now in England, and who have acquainted the Board that they have no thoughts of returning soon.

Newfoundland.

Read a letter from the Duke of Newcastle, dated this day, signifying his Majesty's pleasure that he had appointed Charles Hardy, Esquire, Commander of his Majesty's ship the Jersey, to be Governor of Newfoundland, and directing the Board to prepare the draught of a commission and instructions for him accordingly.

Ordered that the said draught be prepared, as also a representation to his Majesty, and of a letter to the Duke of Newcastle, for inclosing the same.

South Carolina.

The draught of a letter to Mr. Glen, Governor of South Carolina, in answer to three received from him since his arrival at his government, was laid before the Board, agreed to, and ordered to be transcribed.

Thursday, May 24. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Plumer, Mr. Keene.

Jamaica.

The two draughts of representations, ordered by the minutes of yesterday, recommending John Gale and Benjamin Hume, Esquires, to be of the Council in Jamaica, in the room of Temple Lawes and Edward Garthwaite, Esquires, having been prepared and laid before the Board, were agreed to and signed.

Newfoundland.

The draught of a representation to his Majesty, accompanying the draught of a commission for Charles Hardy, Esquire, appointed Commander in Chief in and over his Majesty's Island of Newfoundland, having been prepared, was laid before the Board, agreed to, and signed—as was likewise a letter to his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, for enclosing the same.

Tuesday, May 29. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Brudenell.

Newfoundland.

A representation to his Majesty, accompanying the draught of instructions for Charles Hardy, Esquire, appointed Governor of Newfoundland, as likewise a letter to his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, for enclosing the same (ordered by the minutes of the 23rd inst.), having been laid before the Board, were agreed to and signed.

Wednesday, May 30. Present:—Lord Monson, Mr. Plumer, Mr. Keene.

Trade.

Africa.

Read a letter from the Duke of Newcastle, dated May 24th, 1744, enclosing copy of an address from the House of Commons to his Majesty, that he will give directions to the Commissioners for Trade and Plantations that they do enquire into the general state of the trade to Africa and the condition of the forts and settlements there, belonging to the Royal African Company, and what is the necessary charge of maintaining the same—to be laid before that House the next session of Parliament.

Resolved to take the said letter and reference into consideration on Thursday, June 7th, and ordered that in the meantime, the last representation of this Board upon the trade to Africa, and all papers received since, relating to that subject, and the forts and settlements of the Royal African Company, together with the charter granted to them by King Charles the Second, be looked out, and laid before the Board on the day above-mentioned.

Trade.

Minorca.

Read a letter from Lord Carteret, dated May 29th, 1744, referring to this Board a letter to his lordship from Prince Scherbatow, the Russian minister, with a note enclosed, relating to some Greek merchants in the Island of Minorca, who desire to become subjects to his Britannick Majesty.

Resolved to take the said letter and paper into consideration to-morrow morning.

Bermuda.

Read a letter from Mr. Popple, Governor of Bermuda, to the Board, dated December 5th, 1743, with his observations on three Acts, passed in 1743, and transmitting the following public papers, viz.:—
Copy of a letter from the Commissioners of the Customs to the Governor of Bermuda, dated the 16th of December, 1740.
Copy of a letter to the Commissioners of the Customs, dated the 12th of February, 1741–2, from Governor Popple.
Minutes of Council, from the 3rd of May to the 1st of November, 1743.
Minutes of Council in Assembly, in October, 1743.
Journal of the Assembly, for the same time.
Three Acts, passed at Bermuda, the 8th of October, 1743.

Ordered that the said Acts be sent to Mr. Fane, for his opinion thereon, in point of law.

Read another letter from him to the Board, dated January 18th, 1743–4, recommending Thomas Gilbert and Robert Brown, Esquires, for Councillors, in the room of Mr. Auchinleck, deceased, and Mr. Dunbar, removed, from his office of Surveyor General of the Customs there.

Ordered that the draught of a representation recommending Thomas Gilbert be prepared, which was accordingly done and signed.

Read a third letter from the same to the Board, dated the 9th of April, 1744, mentioning the design of passing an Act there for preventing the bringing the small pox into the Islands of Bermudas.

South Carolina.

The draught of a letter to Mr. Glen, having been transcribed, as ordered by the minutes of the 23rd inst., was laid before the Board, and signed.

Bermuda.

Read a letter from Mr. Popple, Governor of Bermuda, to the Secretary of this Board, dated the 5th of December, 1743, in answer to one from him, with queries upon two Acts, passed at Bermuda, in August, 1739.

Thursday, May 31. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Plumer, Mr. Keene.

New Hampshire.

The Board had again under consideration the letter from Mr. Wentworth, Governor of New Hampshire, mentioned in the minutes of the 17th of April last, relating to the state of that province, and the impediments he finds in settling it; and after some progress made therein, ordered that the Secretary write to Mr. Tomlinson, agent for that province, to desire his attendance this day sennight [Thursday, 7th June], in order to have some discourse with him on the subject of Mr. Wentworth's last letter to the Board, dated the 23rd of January, 1743–4.

Trade.

Minorca.

The Board took into consideration the Lord Carteret's letter, as agreed to in yesterday's minutes, together with that from Prince Scherbatow, and after some progress made therein, deferred the further consideration thereof to another opportunity. In the meantime gave directions for finding out Colonel Pinfold, and Mr. Gregory Kassava, a Greek priest, lately come from Minorca.