Journal, March 1739: Volume 47

Journal, March 1739

Thursday, March 1. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Plummer.

Trade.

Plantations General.

A letter from his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, dated February 28th, enclosing copies of three addresses of the House of Commons, of the 26th of the last month, and acquainting the Board with his Majesty's pleasure that copies of the papers, therein desired, be laid before the House, was read, and the said copies were ordered to be prepared accordingly.

The Secretary laid before the Board copies of several papers in this Office, to be laid before the House of Lords, pursuant to their address to his Majesty, the 22nd of February, 1738/9, mentioned in the minutes of the 27th of last month; and the Lord Monson was desired by the Board to present the said papers, together with a list of them, to the House of Lords.

Friday, March 2. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Plummer, Mr. Herbert.

Trade.

Plantations General.

The Secretary laid before the Board copies of several papers in this Office, to be laid before the same House of Commons, pursuant to their addresses to his Majesty of the 26th of last month (mentioned in the minutes of yesterday), and Colonel Bladen was desired by the Board to present the said papers with a list of them to the House of Commons.

Tuesday, March 6. Present:—Lord Monson, Mr. Ashe, Sir A. Croft, Mr. Plummer.

Antigua.

Col. Lucas, one of the Council of Antigua, attending, with Mr. Yeamans, agent for that Island, in relation to the Act, passed there in June, 1738, to reduce and settle the rate of interest within that Island, offered his reasons in behalf of that Act; and Mr. Kirby, late Speaker of the Assembly there, attended likewise, with Mr. Paris, his Solicitor, against the said Act; and the Board resolved to take the affair into further consideration, when Mr. Fane shall return the said Act with his report thereupon.

Tuesday, March 13. Present:—Colonel Bladen, Sir A. Croft, Mr. Plummer.

New England.

Read a letter from Mr. Belcher, Governor of the Massachusets Bay, dated at Boston, January 23rd, relating chiefly to Bills of Credit there, and enclosing a new Bill for a fresh emission of Bills of a new tenor, together with an address to him from the Council and House of Representatives about it, with the votes of the House of Representatives; and the Board, after having considered the said Bill, ordered that Mr. Wilks, the agent of the province, should be desired to attend the Secretary to-morrow morning, in order to hear what he has to say on the subject of the said Bill.

Wednesday, March 14. Present:—Colonel Bladen.

Jamaica.

Barbados.

Leeward Islands.

Mr. Yeamans, attending with several merchants, presented the copy of a petition of the merchants and planters trading to, and interested in, the British sugar colonies, desiring the assistance of this Board, when the same should be laid before the House of Commons.

Thursday, March 15. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Plummer.

New England.

The Board resolved to take into consideration on Wednesday next [the 21st inst.] the state of the Paper Currency in New England, and particularly the new Bill for a fresh emission of Bills of a new tenour, mentioned in the minutes of the 13th instant.

Bahamas.

Read the Petition of Mr. Chaloner Jackson to the Board, praying that they would transmit to the Lords of the Committee of Council the evidence laid before them, in support of his complaint against Mr. Fitzwilliams, Governor of the Bahama Islands.

Jamaica.

Barbados.

Leeward Islands.

Virginia.

Read the petition of the merchants and planters of the British sugar colonies, mentioned in the minutes of yesterday.

Read a letter from Major Gooch, Lieutenant-Governor of Virginia, dated November 7th, 1738, enclosing copies of his speech and of the addresses of the Council and House of Burgesses at the opening of the Assembly, November 1st, 1738.

Wednesday, March 21. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Brudenell, Mr. Plummer.

Bahamas.

Read a letter from Mr. Howell, President of the Council and Commander in Chief of the Bahama Islands, dated August 8th, 1738, signifying that upon Mr. Fitzwilliams leaving those Islands, the administration of that Government was devolved upon him, as President, and giving an account of the present good state of the country.

New England.

The Board took into consideration the state of the paper currency etc. in New England, mentioned in the minutes of the 15th instant, and Mr. Wilks, agent for the province, attending, they had some discourse with him on that subject, and made some progress therein.

Ordered that letters be writ to Mr. Sandford, Mr. Baker, and Mr. Tomlinson, merchants trading to New England, desiring their attendance at the Board about eleven o'clock on Friday next [the 23rd].

Thursday March 22. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Brudenell, Mr. Plummer.

Trade.

Wool.

Ireland.

Mr. Pearn, whose letter and scheme annexed for preventing the running of wool, is mentioned in the minutes of February 21st last past, attending, the Board had some discourse with him on the subject.

Trade.

Denmark.

Read a letter to the Secretary from Mr. Tigh, Consul at Elsinore, dated March 4th instant, transmitting two lists of ships of all nations that passed and re-passed the Sound in 1738.

Friday, March 23. Present:—Lord Monson, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Brudenell.

Leeward Islands.

Read a letter from General Mathew, Governor of the Leeward Islands, dated November 27th, 1738, enclosing duplicates of public papers that have been received, and promising to send every six months a list of members of the Council of each Island.

New England.

Mr. Baker, Mr. Sandford and several other merchants trading to New England, attending, together with Mr. Wilks, agent for the said province, the Board had a long discourse with them on the subject of the paper currency etc., mentioned in the minutes of the 15th instant, and upon their desire of a longer time to take the same affair into their consideration, in order to form an opinion, their lordships were pleased to appoint this day sennight for their attendance [Friday, 30th].

Leeward Islands.

Barbados.

Read a letter from the Duke of Newcastle, dated March 21st instant, enclosing copies of three addresses of the House of Commons for copies of papers in this Office, relating to the Sugar Colonies, to be laid before them, and the said copies were ordered to be prepared accordingly.

Tuesday, March 27. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Brudenell.

South Carolina.

The Board ordered the Secretary to write a letter to Mr. McCulloch, desiring his attendance here on Thursday next [the 29th inst.], on the subject of some affair, relating to the province of South Carolina.

Thursday, March 29. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Brudenell, Mr. Plummer.

North and South Carolina.

Mr. McCulloch attending, as desired by the minutes of Tuesday last, the Board had a long discourse with him on the subject of several laws, passed in the two provinces of North and South Carolina, and referred the further consideration of the same to another opportunity; ordered likewise, that the Secretary write a letter to Mr. Fane, that he would be pleased to appoint a time when Mr. McCulloch may talk with him on the subject of the Quit Rent Law in South Carolina.

Friday, March 30. Present:—Lord Monson, Colonel Bladen, Mr. Ashe, Mr. Brudenell, Sir A. Croft, Mr. Plummer.

New England.

Mr. Sandford, Mr. Townsend and several merchants trading to New England, attending, together with Mr. Wilks, agent for the said province, delivered in two papers, which were read, containing their objections to a Bill lately sent over by Mr. Belcher, Governor of New England, mentioned in the minutes of the 13th instant, for a fresh emission of Bills of a new tenour; together with their proposals for the draught of a new Bill; and after some discourse with the said merchants, the Board ordered the draught of a representation to his Majesty to be prepared, on the subject of the said Bill.