Journal, April 1770: Volume 77

Journal, April 1770

Wednesday, April 4. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Rice, Mr. Fitzherbert.

New York.

Trade.

fo. 82.

East India.

The Earl of Hillsborough being present, their Lordships approved and signed a representation to His Majesty on Lieutenant Thompson's petition for two thousand acres of land in New York; and also a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council on the state of the exports of the united Company of merchants trading to the East Indies.

South Carolina.

Read an Order of the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation affairs, dated April 3rd, 1770, directing this Board to prepare and lay before their Lordships, the draught of an additional instruction to the Governor &c. of South Carolina, to prevent the Assembly of that Province from ordering publick money to be issued in the illegal and unconstitutional manner, stated in a report of the said Board on the 23rd of February last.

The draught of an additional instruction, conformable to the foregoing Order, having been prepared and approved, a report therewith to the Lords of the Committee of Council was signed.

New York.

fo. 83.

The Earl of Hillsborough laid before the Board an attested copy of an Act passed in the Colony of New York on the 27th of January last, entituled an Act declaring certain persons therein mentioned incapable of being Members of the General Assembly of this Colony, together with an extract of a letter from the Lieutenant Governor, containing his reasons for assenting to the said Act, and his Lordship signified the King's commands, that the Board should consider the said Act, and make such report thereupon to His Majesty in his Privy Council as they should think fit.

Their Lordships accordingly took the said Act and extract of the Lieutenant Governor's letter into consideration, and ordered the draught of a representation to His Majesty to be prepared, proposing that the said Act may be disallowed.

fo. 84.

New Jersey.

The Earl of Hillsborough laid before the Board an Act passed in the Colony of New Jersey on the 16th of November, 1769, entituled an Act for striking one hundred thousand pounds in Bills of Credit, together with an extract of a letter from the Governor of that Colony, containing observations upon the said Act, and his Lordship signified the King's command, that the Board should consider the said Act, and make such report thereupon to His Majesty in his Privy Council, as they should think fit.

Their Lordships accordingly took the-said Act and extract of the Governor's letter into consideration, and ordered the draught of a representation to His Majesty to be prepared, proposing that the said Act may be disallowed.

fo. 85.

Jamaica.

Read a report of His Majesty's Attorney General upon a private Act passed in Jamaica relative to the estate of Ballard Beckford, Esquire, ordered to be referred to the said Attorney General on the 16th of last month.

Their Lordships, upon consideration of the said report and of the Act, ordered the draught of a representation to His Majesty to be prepared, proposing that it may be approved.

Massachusetts.

The Earl of Hillsborough acquainted the Board, that His Majesty had approved of Thomas Hutchinson, Esquire, to be Governor of the Province of Massachusets Bay, in the room of Sir Francis Bernard, Baronet, and that it was His Majesty's command, that this Board should prepare draughts of a Commission and of instructions for the said Governor.

fo. 86.

Ordered, that the said draughts be accordingly prepared with all convenient dispatch.

New York.

Read a letter from Cadwallader Colden, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor of New York, to the Board, dated February 21st, 1770, relative to the Acts and proceedings of the Assembly, and the harmony subsisting between the different branches of the Legislature.

Monday, April 9. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Fitzherbert, Mr. Rice, Lord Lisburne.

New Jersey.

fo. 87.

The Earl of Hillsborough being present, his Lordship communicated to the Board an Act passed in the Colony of New Jersey in November, 1769, intituled a supplementary Act to an Act intituled an Act appointing Commissioners for finally settling and determining the several rights, titles and claims to the Common Lands of the Township of Bergen; and for making partition thereof in just and equitable proportions among those who shall be adjudged by the said Commissioners to be intituled to the same; together with an extract of a letter from the Governor, containing his reasons for assenting to the said Act, and his Lordship signified the King's command, that the Board should consider the said Act, and make such report thereupon to His Majesty in his Privy Council as they should think fit.

fo. 88.

Upon this occasion their Lordships resumed the consideration of Mr. Bayard's petition relative to the said Act, mentioned in the minutes of the 26th ultimo, and Mr. Bayard attending, and their Lordships having heard what he had to offer upon the subject matter of the said Act, it was ordered, that the draught of a representation to His Majesty should be prepared, proposing that the said Act may be disallowed.

Newfoundland.

The Earl of Hillsborough communicated to the Board, by the King's command, a memorial of the Embassador from the Court of France, complaining of certain grievances and hardships to which the subjects of that Crown are exposed in their con current fishery on the Coast of Newfoundland, and his Lordship signified His Majesty's pleasure, that this Board should take the said memorial into consideration and represent to His Majesty their opinion thereupon.

The said memorial having been read and considered, their Lordships, after some conversation with Captain Pallisser and Governor Byron thereupon, communicated the said memorial to them, and desired they would consider the same, and report to their Lordships such observations as should occur to them thereupon.

fo. 90.

Wednesday, April 11. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Rice, Mr. Eliot, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Fitzherbert.

New Jersey.

Dr. Franklyn, agent for the Province of New Jersey, attended and was heard in what he had to offer on the subject of two Laws lately passed in that Province, the one appointing Commissioners to decide the right to certain Common Lands in the Township of Bergen, the other for emitting one hundred thousand pounds in paper Bills of Credit on loan.

fo. 91.

Dr. Franklyn being withdrawn, representations to His Majesty, proposing the disallowance of both the Laws abovementioned, were approved and signed.

Trade, Africa.

A letter to the Earl of Rochford, one of His Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, on the subject of the complaints of the Committee of the Company of merchants trading to Africa, respecting the interruption given by the Dutch West India Company to Portuguese vessels selling Brazil tobacco to His Majesty's subjects, having been prepared pursuant to order, was approved and signed.

Trade.

fo. 92.

Read a letter from John Delamere, Esquire, concerned in the silk trade and manufacture of this Kingdom, stating the expediency of extending the bounties on raw silk to several descriptions of it of an inferior quality, not now judged to be entitled to such bounties.

Mr. Delamere attending, their Lordships recommended him to postpone any application to Parliament on this subject till next year, on account of the present session being so far advanced.

Jamaica.

Massachusetts.

New York.

fo. 93.

A representation to His Majesty proposing the confirmation of an Act passed in Jamaica in December, 1769, relative to the estate of Ballard Beckford, having been prepared pursuant to order, was approved and signed; as were also a representation to His Majesty with the draught of a Commission for the Governor of the Massachusets Bay; and a representation to His Majesty for the disallowance of an Act passed in New York in January last,for disqualifying the Judges from sitting in the Assembly.

Proprieties, Pennsylvania.

Read a letter to Mr. Pownall from Edward Stanley, Esquire, Secretary to the Commissioners of the Customs, desiring to be informed whether the name of Andreas Henry Groth, by birth a foreigner, appears upon the Register of names naturalized in the Province of Pennsylvania.

fo. 94.

The Secretary having acquainted the Board, that it does appear that Andreas Henry Groth was naturalized by an Act of the Legislature of that Colony, but that his name is not on the list of persons who have qualified themselves as natural born subjects of Great Britain, under the regulation of the Act of Parliament of the thirteenth year of His late Majesty's reign, it was ordered that the Secretary should return an answer to Mr. Stanley accordingly.

Monday, April 30. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Roberts, Lord Greville, Mr. Eliot, Mr. Fitzherbert, Mr. Northey.

Miscellanies.

fo. 95.

The Earl of Hillsborough being present, a Commission under the Great Seal of Great Britain, constituting the great officers of State, together with Soame Jenyns, Edward Eliot, John Roberts, William Fitzherbert, Esquires, Robert Spencer, commonly called Lord Robert Spencer, George Greville, commonly called Lord Greville, and William Northey, Esquire, to be His Majesty's Commissioners for promoting the trade of this Kingdom, and inspecting and improving His Majesty's Plantations in America and elsewhere, was read, and Lord Greville and Mr. Northey took their seats at the Board.

The Earl of Hillsborough signified His Majesty's pleasure, that Richard Jackson, Esquire, one of His Majesty's Counsel at Law, should be the person whom their Lordships should consult upon all such matters of law, as are not of a nature and importance to require the advice and assistance of His Majesty's Attorney and Solicitor General, and Mr. Jackson attending, was called in and acquainted therewith.

Plantations General.

fo. 96.

A letter from the Secretary to Mr. Jackson, referring to him, for his opinion in point of law, a number of Acts passed in several of His Majesty's Colonies, and pointing out such of them as require particular consideration and immediate dispatch, was read and approved.

Newfoundland.

Their Lordships read and considered a paper received from the Governor of Newfoundland, containing his and Captain Pallisser's observations upon and answers to the complaints of the Court of France relative to the concurrent fishery on the coast of that Island, as stated in the French Embassador's memorial, communicated to the Board by Lord Hillsborough on the 9th instant.

Ordered, that the said papers be taken into further consideration tomorrow, and that Governor Byron and Captain Pallisser be desired to attend.

fo. 97.

North Carolina, Leeward Islands.

The Earl of Hillsborough, by His Majesty's command, communicated to the Board extracts of letters to his Lordship from the Governors of North Carolina and the Leeward Islands, recommending persons to supply vacancies in the Councils of those Governments.

North Carolina, Leeward Islands.

fo. 98.

Ordered, that draughts of representations to His Majesty be prepared, proposing that Martin Howard and Samuel Cornell, Esquires, may be appointed of the Council of North Carolina, in the room of James Murray, Esquire, who has quitted that Province, and of Edward Brice Dobbs, Esquire, who has resigned; and that Edward Byam, Esquire may be appointed of the Council of Antigua; and Anthony Johnson and Francis Phillips, Esquires, may be appointed of the Council of St. Christopher's, there not being a sufficient number of Councillors resident in either of the said Islands to transact the publick business.