Journal, November 1742: Volume 50

Journal, November 1742

Tuesday, November 2. Present:—Colonel Bladen, Mr. Plumer, Mr. Keene.

Georgia.

The draught of a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council (mentioned in the preceding), being transcribed, was laid before the Board, and signed.

New York.

Read a letter from Mr. Clarke, Lieutenant Governor of New York, dated August 24th, 1742, giving an account of his interview with the Six Nations of Indians, and of his confirming the union made two years ago betwixt them and all the Indian nations to the westward under his Majesty's protection, enclosing his speech to the said Indians and their answer, and transmitting two Acts, past the last session, with his observations thereon.

Ordered that the draught of an answer to the said letter be prepared.

Read likewise the representation of Richard Bradley, Esquire, his Majesty's Attorney General for the province of New York in America, dated the 30th of August, 1742, containing his objections to an Act for regulating the Payment of the Quit Rents, and complaining of the Assembly's encroachments on the prerogative of the Crown, and of their not paying his fees for publick prosecutions, and praying the Board's recommendation of him to the new Governor, for his favour and assistance in recovering his just dues.

Wednesday, November 3. Present:—Colonel Bladen, Mr. Plumer, Mr. Keene.

New York.

The draught of a letter, in answer to that from the Lieutenant Governor of New York, ordered to be prepared by the minutes of yesterday, was laid before the Board, agreed to and signed.

Nova Scotia.

Read a letter from Major Mascarene, President of the Council and Commander in Chief of Nova Scotia, to the Board, dated at Annapolis Royal, the 28th of June, 1742, in which he represents the necessity of some instruction about granting land to the French inhabitants, and complains that he has had no allowance as Commander in Chief there; and transmitting:—
Extracts of letters from Major Mascarene to the Deputies of Chiconecto, and to the missionary priest of the Indians, dated in May and June, 1742.
Minute of Council, dated the 9th of April, 1742, with extracts of letters from the President.

Thursday, November 11. Present:—Colonel Bladen, Mr. Brudenell, Mr. Keene.

Massachusets.

Read two letters from Mr. Shirley, Governor of the Massachusets Bay.—One dated at Boston, August 30th, containing an account of his having visited the Eastern parts of the province and the forts there, as also of his having had an interview and treaty with the Penobscot and other Indian tribes bordering thereon, and of his having, in obedience to his Majesty's instructions, altered the enacting stile of laws passed there.—The other dated Boston, September 15th, 1742, giving an account of his having suppressed the Land Bank or Manufactory Company, and restored tranquility to the province, and of his having obtained further grants of money to repair the forts.

Ordered that an answer be prepared to the letters received from Governor Shirley, since the Board writ last to him.

Read likewise a letter from Mr. Willard, Secretary of the Massachusets Bay, dated at Boston, June 21st, 1742, transmitting the following public papers of that province, viz.:—
Minutes of Council, from the 17th September, 1741, to the 25th February, 1741–2.
Minutes of Assembly, from the 16th of September to the 16th of October, 1741, and from the 25th November, 1741 to the 22nd January, 1741–2.
Eleven Acts, passed at Boston, in October, 1741, and January, 1741–2.

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

Friday, November 12. Present:—Colonel Bladen, Mr. Brudenell, Mr. Keene.

Barbados.

Read a letter from Sir Thomas Robinson, Governor of Barbados, to the Board, dated August 29th, 1742, giving an account of his arrival there, and inclosing a copy of his speech to the Council and Assembly.

Ordered that the draught of an answer thereunto be prepared.

The Secretary laid before the Board, an Act, received from Mr. John Sharpe, agent for the Island of Barbados, for defraying the expences his Honour the President hath been at, in the exercise of the government of that Island, passed the 4th of August, 1742.

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

Massachusets Bay.

The draught of a letter to Mr. Shirley, Governor of the Massachusets Bay, in answer to the three last received from him, having been prepared (as ordered by yesterday's minutes), the same was laid before the Board, agreed to, transcribed and signed.

Tuesday, November 16. Present:—Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Brudenell, Mr. Keene.

Barbados.

The draught of a letter, in answer to one from Sir Thomas Robinson, Baronet, Governor of Barbados, ordered by the preceding minutes, having been laid before the Board, was agreed to, transcribed and signed.

Plantations General.

The Secretary laid before the Board the nine following copies of Orders in Council, transmitted from the Council Office the 24th of last month, and the titles of the same were read, viz.:—

Antigua.

Copy of an Order of Council, dated the 17th of May, 1742, approving a representation of this Board, proposing Edward Byam, Esquire, to supply a vacancy in the Council of Antigua, by the death of Edward Byam, Esquire, late Lieutenant Governor of that Island.

Maryland.

Order of Council, dated the 17th of May, 1742, approving a draught of instructions for Thomas Bladen, Esquire, Deputy Governor of Maryland.

South Carolina.

Order of Council, dated the 24th of June, 1742, for granting to Mr. Livingston and his associates 200,000 acres of land, under certain conditions, in South Carolina.

Virginia.

Copy of an Order of Council, dated the 24th of June, 1742, appointing Robert Dinwiddie, Esquire, a Councillor in Ordinary on the first vacancy in Virginia.

Order of Council, dated the 29th July, 1742, approving a representation of this Board, for confirming a private Act of Virginia, passed in June, 1740, relating to Mr. Richard Chapman.

Massachusets.

Order of Council, dated the 29th of July, 1742, approving a representation of this Board, for confirming six Acts, passed in the province of the Massachusets Bay in 1738.

Bermuda.

Order of Council, dated the 29th of July, 1742, approving a representation of this Board, for confirming two Acts, passed at Bermuda, in 1738, and 1739.

New York.

Order of Council, dated the 15th September, 1742, approving a report from the Lords of the Committee, desiring his Majesty not to grant any supply of gunpowder to the province of New York.

South Carolina.

North Carolina.

Order in Council, dated the 15th of September, 1742, directing Commissioners to set apart ¹/8 part of the provinces of Carolina to the Lord Carteret, under certain conditions.

Wednesday, November 17. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Brudenell, Mr. Keene.

Leeward Islands.

Read two letters from General Mathew, Governor of the Leeward Islands, one dated July 16th, 1742, transmitting the following publick papers, viz.:—
Two Acts, passed at St. Christophers, in April and May, 1742.
An Act of Montserrat for appointing Samuel Martin, junior, Esquire, agent for that Island. Passed 15th June, 1742.
A Nevis Tax Act, passed the 22nd June, 1742.

The other, dated August 26th, 1742, giving an account of his having communicated to the Assembly the Board's directions to him for affixing the seals of the Island to all such papers and evidences, as Mr. Dunbar shall think necessary for his defence, and for giving the like attestation to such papers and evidence, as the General Assembly have further to offer in support of their petition, transmitting likewise the following papers, viz.:—
Nevis.
Minutes of Assembly, from the 25th March to the 8th of June, 1742.
Montserrat.
Minutes of Council, from the 25th March to the 24th of June, 1742.
Minutes of Assembly for the same period.
Antigua.
Minutes of Assembly, from the 26th January, 1741–2 to the 23rd July, 1742.
Two Acts of Antigua, passed in May and June, 1742.

Ordered that the beforementioned Acts be sent to Mr. Fane for his opinion thereupon, in point of law, and that the Secretary prepare the draught of an answer to the Governor's said letters.

Thursday, November 18. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Brudenell, Mr. Keene.

Leeward Islands.

The draught of an answer to two letters from Mr. Mathew, Governor of the Leeward Islands, mentioned in yesterday's minutes, having been prepared, was laid before the Board, agreed to, transcribed and signed.

Bermudas.

Tuesday, November 23. Present:—Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Brudenell, Mr. Keene, Mr. Herbert.

Read Mr. Fane's reports upon ten Bermudas Acts, passed in 1739, 1740, and 1741, and the Board agreed to take the same into consideration to-morrow.

Bermudas.

Wednesday, November 24. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Brudenell, Mr. Keene, Mr. Plumer.

The Board took into consideration part of the Acts, passed at Bermudas, mentioned in the preceding minutes, and made some progress therein.

Bermudas.

Thursday, November 25. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Brudenell, Mr. Keene, Mr. Plumer.

The Board made a further progress in the consideration of the above-mentioned Acts of Bermuda.

Antigua.

Friday, November 26. Present:—Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Brudenell, Mr. Plumer, Mr. Keene.

Read an Order of the Lords of the Committee of Council, dated November 24th, 1742, referring to this Board the petition of the planters interested in the Island of Antigua, now residing in Great Britain, setting forth that the Legislature of that Island have, for three years together, passed Acts of an extraordinary nature, laying double taxes on the estates there, of such persons as did not, within six months from the dates of such Acts, go and personally reside in the said Island.

Upon application of Mr. Paris, solicitor for the petitioners, who attended personally, and the consent of Mr. Sharpe, solicitor for Mr. Yeamans, [agent] for the Island of Antigua, signified by Mr. Paris, the Board appointed Thursday next [vide folio 109,] for hearing both parties upon the subject of the said Acts. [Thursday, December 2].

New Hampshire.

Tuesday, November 30. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Brudenell, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Plumer, Mr. Keene.

Read a letter, signed by the merchants of London trading to New Hampshire, dated 26th of November, 1742, containing their reasons for the confirmation of three Acts of Assembly, passed in April, 1742, for raising money in that province (mentioned in the minutes of the 19th August last), and Mr. Tomlinson, the agent, being called in, their lordships agreed to take the same into consideration the first opportunity.