Journal, June 1767: Volume 74

Journal, June 1767

fo. 170.

Tuesday, June 3rd. Present:—Lord Clare, Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Robinson, Mr. Fitzherbert.

New Hampshire.

fo. 171.

Quebec, New Jersey, New York.

Their lordships took into further consideration the reference of the petition of the Society for the propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts, relative to the lands reserved for pious uses in the townships granted by the Governor of New Hampshire to the west of Connecticut River, and the draught of a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council thereupon having been prepared, was agreed to, transcribed and signed; as were also reports to the Lords of the Committee of Council upon the petition of Mr. Merry, relative to the King's posts in Quebec, and upon the petition of the agent for New Jersey, relative to an alteration in the names of the Commissioners to be appointed for running the boundary line between that province and New York.

Jamaica.

Read a letter from the Earl of Shelburne, dated April 28th, 1767, referring several papers relative to the committment of Mr. Douglas, late Collector of the Customs in Jamaica, by the Governor and Council, and his release by the Chief Justice; and signifying the King's pleasure, that the Board report their opinion, how far the power of the Governor and Council extends in Jamaica in cases of contempt.

fo. 172.

Ordered, that copies of the said papers be referred to the Attorney and Solicitor General for their opinion, whether the Council of Jamaica has jurisdiction to commit for contempt in the case to which the said papers refer.

Friday, June 5th. Present:—Lord Clare, Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Robinson.

Trade.

Read a letter from the Lord Provost of Edingburgh to the Secretary, dated May 22nd, 1767, in answer to his of the 11th instant, relative to the establishment of an herring fishery at Altona.

fo. 173.

Ordered, that the Secretary do write to the Lord Provost of Edingburgh, to express to him their lordships' thanks for his care and attention in the business of the herring fishery, and to desire he will communicate the papers relating thereto to the Trustees for Fisheries and Manufacturers in North Britain.

Plantations General.

The Secretary laid before the Board several letters and papers received from the colonies, and it was ordered, that copies of such of them as do not appear to be duplicates of what may have been transmitted to the office of the Secretary of State, be made, for the information of the Earl of Shelburne.

Nova Scotia.

fo. 174.

Their lordships read and took into consideration an Order of the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs, dated May 23rd, 1767, referring to this Board several applications for grants of land in the Island of St. John, and desiring that their lordships would make enquiry and inform themselves, of the intention and ability of each of the petitioners to make settlements upon the said lands, and then proceed upon the plan approved by his Majesty on the 9th of May 1764, and afterwards return an account of their proceedings therein, to the Lords of the Committee, in order to be laid before his Majesty, for the further signification of his royal pleasure to the Governor of Nova Scotia thereupon.

fo. 175.

Nova Scotia.

Ordered, that the several applications already made to his Majesty in Council, and to this Board for lands in St. John's, be taken into consideration on the 17th and 24th instant, and on the 1st of July, and that notice be given by advertisement to be published in the London Gazette, that the Board will be ready on those days to hear what the several proponents have to offer, by themselves or their agents, in support of their respective petitions.

It being proposed in the plan approved by his Majesty for the Island of St. John, that one entire parish should be granted to the Earl of Egmont for himself and family, a letter to his Lordship, inclosing a list of the parishes, and desiring his Lordship would point out which of those parishes he desires to have a grant of, was agreed to and signed.

fo. 176.

New Jersey.

Their lordships took into consideration an Act passed in the Province of New Jersey in 1766, intitled an Act to extend certain Acts of Great Britain, passed in the 12th year of her late Majesty Queen Anne, and the 4th of his late Majesty King George the First, for the preserving all such ships and goods thereof, which shall happen to be forced on shore or stranded.

fo. 177.

Ordered, that it be referred to his Majesty's Attorney and Solicitor General, to give their opinion, whether an Act of Parliament of the 12th of Queen Anne, intitled an Act for preserving all such ships and goods thereof which shall happen to be forced on shore or stranded upon the coasts of this kingdom or any of her Majesty's dominions, and also an Act of Parliament of the 4th of George the First, intitled an Act for enforcing and making perpetual the before recited Act, and for inflicting the punishment of death on such as shall wilfully burn or destroy ships, do extend to, and are in force in his Majesty's colonies and plantations in America.

Barbados.

Their lordships then took into consideration ten Acts passed in the Island of Barbados in 1766, together with Sir Mathew Lamb's report thereupon, and the said Acts having been read, it was ordered, that the draught of a representation to his Majesty should be prepared, proposing that the Act intitled an Act to amend an Act intitled an Act for the governing of negroes, should be confirmed.

fo. 178.

Thursday, June 11th. Present:—Lord Clare, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Robinson.

Nova Scotia.

Read a letter from the Earl of Egmont to the Board, dated the 6th instant, signifying that he has no intention to take up any lands in the Island of St. John.

Plantations General.

fo. 179.

Read an Order of the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs, dated May 16th, 1767, referring back a report made by this Board the 12th of February last, upon a memorial of Sir William Johnson, baronet, Superintendant of Indian Affairs for the Northern District of North America, for their lordships' opinion respecting the authenticity of the grant therein mentioned, and the situation and other circumstances of the land granted.

Ordered, that the above reference be taken into further consideration on Tuesday next, and that notice be given to Sir John Johnson, acting as agent for his father here, to attend the Board on that day.

New York.

Read a letter from Sir Henry Moore, Governor of New York, dated April 26th, inclosing the report of a Committee of the Council, there upon the petition of the Presbyterian Church for a Charter of Incorporation.

Ordered, that the reference to this Board of the said petition be taken into consideration on Tuesday fortnight, and that the Secretary do write to the Bishop of London, desiring his Lordship's assistance at the Board on this occasion.

fo. 180.

Virginia.

The Secretary acquainted the Board, that he was desired by Colonel Mercer, of Virginia, to move their lordships to take into consideration a petition of his to his Majesty, in behalf of the Ohio Company, praying, either that directions may be given to the Governor of that colony to carry their plan of settlement into execution, or that they may be reimbursed the expences they have been at, which petition was referred to this Board on the 21st of June, 1765, but, no person appearing to prosecute the same, was not proceeded with.

Whereupon the reference of the said petition was read, and after some time spent in the consideration thereof, it was ordered, that the draught of a report thereupon should be prepared.

fo. 181.

Quebec, Nova Scotia.

Their lordships took into consideration the petition of Francis Mounier and Henry Mounier of Quebec, merchants, praying each for a grant of land in that colony; also a petition of James and John Forrest, esquires, praying for a grant of the Island of Madame in the Gut of Canceau; and the petition of Lord William Campbell, praying for a grant of the Island of Grand Menan, which several petitions were referred to this Board by order of the Lords of the Committee of Council, mentioned in the minutes of the 28th of May, and after some time spent therein, it was ordered, that draughts of reports upon the said several petitions should be prepared.

fo. 182.

Friday, June 12th. Present:—Lord Clare, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Fitzherbert, Mr. Robinson.

Plantations General.

Their lordships took into consideration the following petitions to his Majesty for lands in America, referred to this Board by an Order of the Lords of the Committee of Council, mentioned in the minutes of the 28th of May, vizt.,

New Jersey, New York.

Petition of the trustees of the College of New Jersey, commonly called Nassau Hall, praying for a grant of sixty thousand acres of land in New York for the support of that establishment.

Nova Scotia.

Petition of Philip de Gruchy and John le Breton, praying for a grant of fifty thousand acres of land in Nova Scotia for the settlement of the neutral Acadians.

Nova Scotia.

fo. 183.

Ordered, that draughts of reports to the Lords of the Committee of Council on the said petitions be prepared.

Massachusetts Bay.

Their lordships took into consideration nine Acts passed in the Province of the Massachusets Bay in June 1766, together with Sir Mathew Lamb's report thereupon.

Ordered, that the draught of a report to the Lords of the Council be prepared, proposing that the Act intituled, an Act for repealing two Acts, one intituled an Act for preventing frauds in debtors and for securing the effects of insolvent debtors for the benefit of their creditors; the other Act intituled, an Act in addition to an Act for preventing fraud in debtors, and for securing the effects of insolvent debtors for the benefit of their creditors, both made in the fifth year of his present Majesty's reign, may be rejected.

fo. 184.

Tuesday, June 16th. Present:—Lord Clare, Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Fitzherbert, Mr. Robinson.

Plantations General.

Their lordships took into further consideration an Order of the Lords of the Committee of Council made upon the report of this Board on the petition of Sir William Johnson, for a confirmation of a grant of lands made to him by the Mohawk Indians; and Sir John Johnson attending, as desired, produced to their lordships the original deed of gift of the said lands from the Indians.

Sir John Johnson being withdrawn, it was ordered, that the draught of a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council upon this business should be prepared.

fo. 185.

Wednesday, June 17th. Present:—Lord Clare, Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Fitzherbert, Mr. Robinson.

Nova Scotia, Island of St. John.

Their lordships took into consideration the several applications made to his Majesty in Council and to this Board, for grants of land in the Island of St. John, and several of the proponents, or their agents, attending, they were respectively heard in what they had to offer in support of their petitions.

fo. 186.

Thursday, June 18th. Present:—Lord Clare, Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Fitzherbert, Mr. Robinson.

The following draught of a representation to his Majesty, and also draughts of reports to the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs, having been prepared pursuant to order, were considered and approved, and it was ordered, that they should be transcribed, vizt.,

Barbados.

fo. 187.

Representation to his Majesty, proposing the confirmation of an Act passed in the Island of Barbados for amending an Act for the better government of negroes.

Massachusetts.

Report to the Lords of the Committee of Council upon an Act passed in the Province of Massachusets Bay, for repealing two former Acts relative to insolvent debtors.

Virginia.

Report to the Lords of the Committee of Council upon the petition of Colonel Mercer, in behalf of the Ohio Company.

Plantations General.

Report to the Lords of the Committee of Council upon the Order made by their lordships on a former report of this Board, proposing a confirmation of the grant of lands made to Sir William Johnson by the Mohawks in 1760.

fo. 188.

Wednesday, June 24th. Present:—Lord Clare, Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Roberts.

Nova Scotia.

Their lordships made a further progress in the consideration of the applications made for grants of lands in the Island of St. John, and several of the proponents, and the agents of others, attending, they were respectively heard in what they had to offer in support of their petitions.

Barbados.

fo. 189.

Read a letter from the Earl of Shelburne to the Board, dated June 19th, 1767, notifying the appointment of William Spry, esquire, to be Governor of the Island of Barbados, and signifying his Majesty's pleasure, that the draught of his Commission and instructions be prepared.

Ordered, that the draught of a Commission be prepared with all convenient dispatch.

Friday, June 26th. Present:—Lord Clare, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Fitzherbert.

Barbados, Massachusetts, Virginia, Plantations General.

fo. 190.

A representation to his Majesty, proposing the confirmation of a Barbados Act, for amending an Act for the better governing of negroes, was signed; as were also reports to the Lords of the Committee of Council upon an Act of the Massachusets Bay for repealing two former laws relating to insolvent debtors; upon the petition of Colonel Mercer in behalf of the Ohio Company; and upon Sir William Johnson's case relative to the lands given to him by the Indians in 1760.

Barbados.

The draught of a Commission, appointing William Spry, esquire, to be Governor of Barbados, having been prepared pursuant to order was approved, and a representation to his Majesty thereupon was signed.

fo. 191.

The Secretary laid before the Board the following papers received from the American colonies, vizt.,
West Florida.
Letter from Montford Browne, esquire, Lieutenant Governor of West Florida, to the Board, dated March 25th, 1767, relative to the settlement of the French emigrants.
Copy of the minutes of a Council held at Pensacola, March 9th, 1767.
Copy of a report of a Committee of the Council appointed to draw up certain rules and regulations to be entered into and signed by the French emigrants.
fo. 192.
Letter from Montford Browne, esquire, Lieutenant Governor of West Florida, dated April 13th, 1767, transmitting a copy of his letter to Mr. Macpherson, Secretary of the said province, relating to the appointment of a person to officiate upon the departure of his deputy.
South Carolina.
Letter from Lord Charles Greville Montague, Governor of South Carolina, dated May 12th, 1767, relative to the suspension of Charles Skinner, esquire, Chief Justice of the said province, and transmitting two papers on that subject.
Plantations General.
Letter from Samuel Holland, esquire, Surveyor General of the Northern District of America, to the Secretary, dated April 15th, 1767, respecting the progress he has made in his survey.
fo. 193.
Observations made on the Islands of St. John and Cape Breton, to ascertain the longitude and latitude of those places.

Ordered, that copies be made, for the Earl of Shelburne, of such of the foregoing papers as shall appear not to be duplicates of what may have been already transmitted to him.

Jamaica.

Read a report of his Majesty's Attorney and Solicitor General upon the papers referred to them, relative to the case of Mr. Douglas, Collector of the Customs in Jamaica.

Ordered, that the draught of a letter to the Earl of Shelburne, inclosing to him a copy of the abovementioned report, be prepared.

fo. 194.

Tuesday, June 30th. Present:—Lord Clare, Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Dyson, Mr. Fitzherbert.

Jamaica.

Read a letter from the Earl of Shelburne to the Board, dated June 29th, 1767, notifying the appointment of Sir William Trelawny, baronet, to be Governor of the Island of Jamaica, and signifying the King's pleasure, that the draughts of his Commission and instructions be prepared.

Ordered that the draught of a Commission be prepared with all convenient dispatch.

fo. 195.

Plantations General.

Read a report of his Majesty's Attorney and Solicitor General, dated June 25th, 1767, on the question, whether two Acts of Parliament of the 12th of Queen Anne and 4th of King George the 1st for the preserving of ships and goods forced on shore, etc., extend to the Plantations in America.

New Jersey.

Their lordships, upon consideration of the said report, ordered, that the draught of a representation to his Majesty should be prepared, proposing the disallowance of the Act passed in New Jersey in 1766, intituled, an Act to extend certain Acts of Parliament of Great Britain, passed in the 12th year of her late Majesty Queen Anne and the 4th of his late Majesty King George 1st, for the preserving all such ships and goods thereof, etc.

fo. 196.

The following duplicates of letters from the Governors of Massachusets Bay and East Florida to the Earl of Shelburne, received since the last meeting of the Board, were read, vizt.,
Massachusetts.
Duplicate of a letter from Francis Bernard, esquire, Governor of Massachusets Bay, to the Earl of Shelburne, dated February 21st, 1767, relative to the Lieutenant Governor's right of sitting in the Council, and transmitting two printed papers on that subject.

Duplicate of a letter from Governor Bernard to the Earl of Shelburne, dated March 2nd, 1767, containing remarks on two inclosed papers, vizt.,
fo. 197.
An account of the expences of the government of Massachusets Bay, with observations thereon, etc.
An account of the mode of granting lands in the Province of Massachusets Bay.
Duplicate of a letter from Governor Bernard to the Earl of Shelburne, dated March 28th, 1767, relative to the Assembly's appointment of a separate agent.
Duplicate of a letter from Governor Bernard to the Earl of Shelburne, dated March 30th, 1767, relative to the fees of the several offices of government.
Journal of the House of Representatives from the 28th of January to the 20th of March, 1767.
fo. 198.
East Florida.
Duplicate of a letter from James Grant, esquire, Governor of East Florida, to the Earl of Shelburne, dated April 18th, 1767, praying that his Lordship will give orders for the agent's acceptance of his draught in favour of Mr. Moncrief, and desiring his bills may not be noted and protested.
Duplicate of a letter from Governor Grant to the Earl of Shelburne, dated April 19th, 1767, relative to distributing presents to Indians, and the expediency of establishing a troop of Rangers in East Florida.

Massachusetts.

fo. 199.

Read an Order of the Lords of the Committee of Council for Plantation Affairs, dated May 19th, 1767, that this Board should report, what rights and privileges belong to persons inhabiting townships in the Massachusets Bay, exclusive of the rights of having a certain number of freeholders to send representatives to the General Assembly.

Ordered, that the draught of a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council upon the matter referred to in the said order, be prepared.

New York.

Ordered, that the consideration of the petition of the Presbyterian Church in New York for a Charter of Incorporation, appointed for today, be postponed to Tuesday next, and that the Secretary do give notice thereof to the Bishop of London.

fo. 200.

Massachusetts.

The Secretary laid before the Board twelve Acts passed in the Province of Massachusetts Bay in March last, received from the Secretary of the said province, and it was ordered, that they should be referred to Sir Mathew Lamb, for his opinion thereupon in point of law.