Journal, May 1774: Volume 81

Journal, May 1774

Monday, May 2. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Gascoyne, Mr. Keene.

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

Bahamas.

Dominica.

The Secretary laid before the Board draughts of general instructions and of those relative to the observance of the Acts of trade prepared for the Governors of the Bahama Islands and Dominica, and the said draughts having been read and approved, draughts of representations to his Majesty thereupon were ordered to be prepared.

fo. 46.

Plantations General.

Read a letter from Mr. Scammell, Inspector and Surveyor of his Majesty's Woods in North America, to the Secretary to this Board, dated December 28th, 1773, relative to his survey of the thirteen new townships granted by the general Court of the Massachusets Bay.

Pennsylvania.

Their lordships resumed the consideration of the Laws of Pennsylvania, mentioned in the minutes of the 21st ultimo, and it was ordered, that Dr. Franklin, agent for the said province, should be desired to attend the Board on Thursday next, on the subject of some objections, which have occurred to several of the said Laws.

fo. 47.

Thursday, May 5. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Gascoyne, Mr. Keene.

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

Pennsylvania.

Their lordships took into further consideration the Laws of Pennsylvania, mentioned in the preceding minutes, and Dr. Franklin attending as desired, the Board had some discourse with him upon the objections which had occurred to two of the said Laws, the one for the establishment of pilots for the river Delaware, the other for imposing duties amounting to a prohibition upon the importation of negroes. Dr. Franklin being withdrawn, it was ordered, that the draught of a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs upon the said Laws should be prepared.

fo. 48.

Grenada, Dominica, Bahamas, Leeward Islands.

Their lordships read and considered several Laws passed in the Governments of Grenada, Dominica, Bahama and of the Leeward Islands, together with Mr. Jackson's reports thereupon.

Antigua.

Some objections having occurred to an Act passed in the island of Antigua, intituled, an Act for the embodying and better regulation of the matrosses on the forts and fortifications of this Island, it was ordered, that the draught of a representation to his Majesty should be prepared, proposing the disallowance of it.

New York.

The draught of a representation to his Majesty, proposing the disallowance of two Acts passed in the province of New York, having been prepared pursuant to order, was approved and ordered to be transcribed.

fo. 49.

Thursday, May 12. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Lord Robert Spencer, Mr. Gascoyne, Mr. Keene.

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

Grenada.

Read a letter from John Robinson, Esquire, Secretary to the Lords of the Treasury, to the Secretary to this Board, dated May 6th, 1774, transmitting a memorial of the late Governor Melvill, stating his losses by building a government house in Grenada, and his expences in coming to England, after he was superseded in his government; and praying an allowance of one year's salary as an indemnification for such losses and expences; and desiring him to lay the same before the Lords of Trade for their opinion on the several matters contained in the said memorial.

fo. 50.

The draught of a letter from Mr. Pownall to Mr. Robinson, containing the Board's sentiments upon General Melvill's memorial. was read and approved.

New York.

Read a letter from John Robinson, Esquire, Secretary to the Lords of the Treasury, to the Secretary to this Board, dated May 6th, 1774, transmitting a memorial of Colonel Henry Clinton, praying payment of some arrears of salary due to his late father, as Governor of New York in 1741, and desiring him to lay the same before this Board, and move their lordships to communicate to the Lords of the Treasury a state of the facts, with their opinion on the said claim.

The draught of a letter from Mr. Pownall to Mr. Robinson, containing the Board's opinion upon Colonel Clinton's memorial, was read and approved.

fo. 51.

Pennsylvania.

New York.

Antigua.

The draught of a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs upon fifteen Acts passed in the province of Pennsylvania in February, 1773, having been prepared pursuant to order, was approved, transcribed and signed; as were also draughts of representations to his Majesty upon two Acts passed in New York in February. 1773, relative to trespasses, and naturalization; and upon an Act of the island of Antigua for the embodying and better regulation of the matrosses.

fo. 52.

Friday, May 20. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Keene, Lord Robert Spencer, Mr. Greville.

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

Massachusetts.

fo. 53.

His Lordship laid before the Board an Act of Parliament passed in the present session, intituled, an Act for the better regulating the government of the province of the Massachusets Bay in New England, and signified his Majesty's command, that their lordships should recommend to his Majesty in Council such a number of persons, not exceeding thirty six, inhabitants or proprietors of land within the said province, as they should judge fit to be appointed Councillors or assistants for the said province, pursuant to the provisions of the said Act of Parliament; and that their lordships should also prepare, and lay before his Majesty in Council, a draught of such additional instruction as they shall judge proper to be given to Lieutenant General Gage thereupon.

Their lordships, in obedience to his Majesty's command, took the said Act of Parliament into consideration, and the draught of an additional instruction to Lieutenant General Gage, containing the names of thirty six persons to be Councillors or assistants for the said province, and also containing such directions in relation thereto, as their lordships think fit to be given, having been read and approved, it was ordered to be transcribed, and a representation to his Majesty thereupon was signed.

fo. 54.

Thursday, May 26. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Lord Robert Spencer, Mr. Gascoyne, Mr. Greville.

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

Africa.

Read a letter from the Earl of Suffolk to this Board, dated May 17th, 1774, inclosing an extract of a letter from Sir Joseph Yorke to his Lordship, giving an account of his conversations with the Grand Pensionary of the States General on the complaints against the servants of the Dutch West India Company; and signifying the King's pleasure, that the Board take the said extract into consideration, and report their opinion to his Majesty on the expedients pointed out by Sir Joseph Yorke; and, if they should be adopted, how far they may be considered as effectual for removing the causes of the said complaints.

fo. 55.

Their lordships took the subject matter of Sir Joseph Yorke's letter into consideration, and made some progress therein.