Journal, April 1772

fo. 65.

Thursday, April 2. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Eliot, Mr. Gascoyne.

The Earl of Hillsborough, one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, attends.

Africa.

Read Mr. Jackson's report containing his opinion upon the question stated to him, by order of the Board, the 17th of March, whether the provisions contained in the twenty first section of the statute of the twenty third of George the Second, for extending and improving the trade to Africa, by which this Board is impowered to remove any of the Committee of the Company of Merchants trading to Africa, who shall be guilty of misbehaviour, contrary to the true intent and meaning of the said Act, do apply to the case of the complaint exhibited in the petition of the merchants of London trading to Africa, mentioned in the minutes of the 17th ult.

fo. 66.

Their lordships, upon consideration of the said report, were of opinion, that the provisions contained in the twenty first section of the said Act, by which the Board is impowered to remove any of the Committee men, who shall be guilty of any misbehaviour, contrary to the true intent and meaning of the said Act, do not apply to the matter of complaint exhibited in the petition of the merchants of London trading to Africa against the Committee men named therein; and Mr. Anthony Bacon and several other of the merchants of London trading to Africa attending, they were called in and acquainted with their lordships' opinion in the case to which the said petition refers.

Senegambia.

fo. 67.

Read a letter to Mr. Pownall from John Robinson, Esquire, Secretary to the Lords of the Treasury, dated the 27th of March last, inclosing a petition of the merchants trading to Africa, praying for a reduction of the duties upon the exportation of gum senega, upon which petition the Lords of the Treasury desire the opinion of this Board.

fo. 68.

Their lordships took the said petition into consideration, and having had some discourse with the merchants of London trading to Africa thereupon, they were ordered to withdraw, and it appearing to their lordships, that the propriety of what is requested does in great measure depend upon a variety of facts and information, which it will take a considerable time to collect, it was agreed to postpone the giving any opinion upon the said petition, and the Secretary was ordered to signify the same to the Secretary to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, and to acquaint him at the same time for the information of their lordships, that this Board is induced to think, from many circumstances, that it would be very usefull, that the revenue officers, both here and in the province of Senegambia, should be particularly directed to have a very vigilant attention to the due and strict execution of those laws, which regulate the exportation of gum senega.

Monday, April 13. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Eliot, Mr. Jolliffe.

The Earl of Hillsborough, one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, attends.

Trade.

Read a memorial of the merchants concerned in the trade to North America and interested in the importation of timber, deals and oak staves from thence, to the Board, dated April 7th, 1772, signifying, that they should be fully satisfied, if the prayer of their former memorial could be obtained.

fo. 69.

Read a letter from Edward Stanley, Esquire, Secretary to the Commissioners of the Customs, to the Secretary to this Board, dated April 3rd, 1772, transmitting,
An account of the quantity of timber, deals, planks and boards, imported into England from America from Christmas, 1765, to Christmas, 1771, distinguishing each year.

Trade, Denmark.

Their lordships took into consideration the reference from the Earl of Suffolk of an extract of a letter from his Majesty's Minister in Denmark, relative to an order issued by that Court respecting the trade of the American Colonies, which reference is mentioned in the minutes of the 12th of March last, and a representation to his Majesty thereupon was agreed to and signed; as was a letter to the Earl of Suffolk inclosing the same, and desiring his Lordship to lay it before his Majesty.

fo. 70.

Georgia.

Their lordships took into consideration an Order of the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs, mentioned in the minutes of 18th of December last, referring a petition of sundry persons possessed of lands upon Savanna River, in which they state, that actions of ejectment have been brought against them by persons who claimed the said lands under a grant from the late Proprietors of Carolina, and praying that they may be defended against such actions at the expence of the Crown.

A draught of a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs upon the said petition having been prepared, was agreed to, transcribed and signed.

North Carolina.

The draught of a representation to his Majesty, proposing the disallowance of an Act passed in North Carolina, "relative to the Post Office," having been prepared pursuant to order, was approved, transcribed and signed.

fo. 71.

Proprieties, Pennsylvania.

Read Mr. Jackson's report upon a reconsideration of a law passed in Pennsylvania "for declaring the River Delaware a common highway and improving the navigation thereof."

Their lordships took the said law into consideration, together with the other Pennsylvania laws, mentioned in the minutes of the 19th of February last, and a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council thereupon was agreed to, transcribed and signed.

Leeward Islands.

fo. 72.

Read a letter from the Earl of Rochford to the Board, dated April 4th, 1772, inclosing two papers relative to the capture of a schooner, the property of Mr. Kingsley of Antigua, by a Spanish Guarda Costa; and signifying the King's pleasure, that their lordships should consider and report their opinion, whether the island of Bicques, or Crab Island, belongs to his Majesty or the Crown of Spain.

Ordered, that the Secretary do lay before the Board such evidence as can be procured from the books of this office of his Majesty's title to Crab Island.

South Carolina.

Read a memorial of Louis de St. Pierre, stating his having made a settlement in the province of South Carolina with a view to the culture of wine and silk; that he has now several colonists and many thousand vine plants ready to be shipped for that province, and therefore praying, that he may have some bounty from the Crown, as an encouragement to the object he has in view.

fo. 73.

It appearing, that Mr. St. Pierre had presented a memorial to the same effect to the Lords of the Treasury, to which department the consideration of this matter more properly belongs, and this Board having in consequence thereof, given by their minute of the 18th March a testimony of their sense of Mr. St. Pierre's undertaking, their lordships were of opinion, that they had done all, which in the present state of this business, it was fit for them to do.

Bahamas.

Read a letter from Thomas Shirley, Esquire, Governor of the Bahama Islands, to the Board, dated December 2nd, 1771, in answer to their lordships' letter of the 6th of June last respecting the passing of money bills.

Ordered, that the Acts mentioned in Mr. Shirley's letter be referred to Mr. Jackson for his opinion thereupon in point of law.

fo. 74.

Wednesday, April 15. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Gascoyne, Mr. Eliot, Lord Robert Spencer.

The Earl of Hillsborough, one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, attends.

Virginia.

Their lordships read and considered the draught of a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council upon the memorial of Mr. Walpole and others for a grant of lands in America, and the said report having been agreed to, was ordered to be transcribed.

Dominica, St. Vincent's.

Their lordships considered several applications of persons interested in leases of lands in the Ceded Islands for their lordships' approbation and allowance of assignments of the said leases to British subjects, and it was ordered, that the Secretary should certify their approbation of such assignments, vizt.
fo. 75.
Dominica.
Assignment by Louis Langlois to John Gillon of a lease of nineteen acres of land in the island of Dominica.
Assignment by Cecile St. Orge to John Baptist Peltier of a lease of land in Dominica.
St. Vincent's.
Assignment by René D'Huet to Josias Jackson of two lots of land of ten acres in the island of St. Vincent.

Wednesday, April 29. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Lord Robert Spencer, Mr. Eliot, Mr. Jolliffe.

The Earl of Hillsborough, one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, attends.

East Florida.

fo. 76.

John Daniel Roux of Lausanne in Switzerland attends again upon the subject of his memorial, praying for a grant of twelve thousand acres of land in East Florida, and is desired to attend again on Friday next, and, in the meantime, to state in writing the number of Protestant foreign families, which he engages to introduce into and settle in the said province within a limited time.

Plantations General.

Read a petition of Lieutenant Benjamin Roberts, late a Commissary of Indian affairs under Sir William Johnson, Baronet, to the Board, stating his expences and present distress, arising from a law suit occasioned by his acting in consequence of the King's proclamation in 1763; and praying relief from their lordships.

fo. 77.

Their lordships, upon consideration of the said petition, were of opinion, that having already, in a letter to the Treasury of the 11th day of May, 1771, made such a report with regard to Lieutenant Roberts' claims and accounts, as also with regard to the merit of his services, as Commissary for Indian affairs, as appertains to the department of this Board, they have done all that in the present state of the matter, to which Mr. Roberts' petition refers, it was fit and proper for them to do.

Ordered, that the Secretary do transmit to Mr. Roberts a copy of the foregoing resolution.

Jamaica.

fo. 78.

The Secretary acquainted the Board, that he was desired by the parties interested in an Act, passed in the island of Jamaica in December, 1768, entitled, An Act for enabling William Gilchrist, millwright, to carry into execution his new invented mill for grinding of sugar canes, to move their lordships for their representation to his Majesty for the confirmation of the said Act; whereupon their lordships took the said Act into consideration, together with Mr. Jackson's report thereupon, and it appearing, that a caveat against the said Act had been entered in this office on the part of John Ellis, Esquire, of Jamaica, it was agreed to take the said Act into further consideration on Thursday, the 7th of May, and that each party respectively should have notice to attend.

New York.

Their lordships read and considered forty four Acts passed in the province of New York in January and December, 1770, and January and February, 1771, together with Mr. Jackson's report thereupon.

Ordered, that the draught of a representation to his Majesty be prepared, submitting to his Majesty, for his royal disallowance, three of the said Acts, entituled,
An Act to amend and continue an Act intitled an Act for the relief of insolvent debtors within the Colony of New York with respect to the imprisonment of their persons.
fo. 79.
An Act to amend an Act, intituled, an Act for the more effectual vesting the real and personal estate, whereof Abraham de Peyster, Esquire, late Treasurer of this Colony, died seized and possessed, in trustees for the payment of his debts.
An Act to prevent abuses committed by tenants or by other persons entering and keeping possession of messuages, lands and tenements, before a legal title to the same is obtained.

New Jersey.

New York.

fo. 80.

With regard to the Act, intituled,
An Act for establishing the boundary or partition line between the Colonies of New York and Nova Cæsarea or New Jersey, and for confirming titles and possessions,
it appearing, that no regular return had yet been made to his Majesty in Council of the Commission issued by his Majesty for ascertaining the boundary line between New York and New Jersey, pursuant to an Order of his Majesty in Council on the 27th of April, 1770, or that the appeals against the decision of the Commissioners acting under the said Commission thereby directed to be admitted, had been admitted, their lordships did not think fit to lay the said Act before his Majesty, untill such return of the Commission had been made, and the appeals either proceeded upon or withdrawn.

Ordered that the Act for emitting one hundred thousand pounds in bills of credit, do lye by for further consideration.

Virginia.

The draught of a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council upon the memorial of Mr. Walpole and others for a grant of lands in America, having been transcribed pursuant to order, was signed.

New York.

fo. 81.

Their lordships read and considered a letter from the Governor of New York to the Earl of Hillsborough, dated March 5th, 1771, acquainting his Lordship with the wish of Mr. Henry Cruger to resign his seat in the Council to his son.

It appearing to their lordships to be inconsistent with the rule of their proceeding to advise his Majesty to accept of Mr. Cruger's resignation, upon the condition he proposes, it was ordered, that the draught of a letter to Governor Tryon upon this subject be prepared; as also for transmitting to him a copy of their lordships' proceedings upon the Acts of New York above mentioned.