Journal, May 1770
Tuesday, May 1. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Roberts, Lord
Greville, Mr. Eliot, Mr. Fitzherbert, Mr. Northey.
North Carolina, Antigua, St.Christopher's
The Earl of Hillsborough being present, draughts of representations to His Majesty recommending several persons to be
appointed Members of the Councils in North Carolina, Antigua
and St. Christopher's having been prepared pursuant to order,
were approved and signed.
fo. 99.
Newfoundland.
Their Lordships took into further consideration the reports
of Captains Byron and Pallisser, in respect to the memorial of the
French Embassador relative to the concurrent fishery on the
Coasts of Newfoundland, and Captains Byron and Pallisser
attending, their Lordships expressed to them the great satisfaction they had received from the manner in which their reply
was stated; an observation however having occurred, in respect
to some expressions, which might create difficulty in making that
use of it which was wished, they desired leave to withdraw it, in
order to make some alteration therein.
East Florida.
fo. 100.
Mr. Walter Humphreys attends upon the subject of his petition
to the King for two thousand acres of land in East Florida, which
petition was referred to this Board by order of the Lords of the
Committee of Council, and Mr. Humphreys being questioned as to
his ability to carry such a settlement into execution, he stated
himself to be a merchant concerned in trade to that Colony, that
he had already a small quantity of land there, and proposed, if
he succeeded in this application, to send over agents to stock the
land with Negroes, in order to the culture of indigo;—Mr.
Humphreys being withdrawn, their Lordships agreed to postpone
the further consideration of his application until he should produce testimony from some merchant of known credit of his being
what he states himself to be.
New York.
fo. 101.
New Hampshire.
Grenada.
Their Lordships took into consideration two Orders of the
Lords of the Committee of Council, mentioned in the minutes of
the 3rd of January last, the one referring to this Board, for their
consideration, a Bill passed by the Assembly of New York, and
transmitted by the Governor, for confirming estates claimed by or
under aliens; the other, referring a Proclamation issued by the
Governor of New Hampshire for fixing the rate at which foreign
gold and silver coins should pass in that Colony, and it was
ordered, that the said Bill and Proclamation should be referred to
Mr. Jackson, for his opinion in point of law, and letters from the
Secretary to him on those subjects were approved;—as was also a
letter referring to him, for his opinion in point of law, a petition
of Governor Melville and others for their Lordships' approbation
of the assignment of a lease of lands in Dominica, which petition
is mentioned in the minutes of the 19th of February last.
fo. 102.
Thursday, May 3. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Roberts,
Mr. Eliot, Mr. Fitzherbert, Lord Greville.
East Florida.
The Earl of Hillsborough present, the Secretary laid before the
Board certificates of several merchants and others trading to and
interested in East Florida, testifying their knowledge of and
dealings with Mr. Walter Humphreys, whose petition is mentioned
in the preceding minutes, whereupon it was ordered, that the
draught of a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council
should be prepared, recommending that the prayer of the said
petition may be complied with.
New York.
fo. 103.
Their Lordships took into consideration the state of the
Province of New York, preparatory to the forming a draught of
general instructions for the Earl of Dunmore.
Friday, May 4. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Lord Robert
Spencer, Mr. Fitzherbert, Lord Greville, Mr. Northey.
Newfoundland.
fo. 104.
The Earl of Hillsborough present, the Secretary laid before the
Board the report of Captains Byron and Pallisser, by way of
reply to the articles of complaint contained in the French Embassador's memorial relative to the concurrent fishery on the Coast
of Newfoundland, with some alterations made by them therein,
correspondent to what was suggested by the Board in their
discourse with them on this subject on the 1st instant; and the
said report so altered having been read and considered, a representation to the King upon the French Embassador's memorial
was approved and signed, and Lord Hillsborough was requested
to present it to His Majesty.
Massachusetts.
East Florida.
Their Lordships took into further consideration the draught of
a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council upon Sir
Francis Bernard's petition for a confirmation of the grant of the
Island of Mount Desert, which draught is mentioned in the
minutes of the 12th of January last, and the said draught having
been approved, was signed;—as was also a report to their Lordships upon the petition of Mr. Walter Humphreys for a grant of
two thousand acres of land in East Florida.
fo. 105.
Georgia.
Read a letter from James Wright, Esquire, Governor of Georgia,
dated September 28th, 1769, signifying that he had granted two
certificates to Mr. Jones of his having acted as Chief Justice of
that Colony from the death of Mr. Simpson to the arrival of Mr.
Stokes, in order to intitle him to the salary of the said office from
the death of said Simpson to the day of the date of Mr. Stokes'
Warrant, and to a moiety of it from that day to Mr. Stokes'
arrival.
Georgia.
Their Lordships, on consideration of Mr. Wright's letter, were
of opinion, that it was reasonable that Mr. Jones should have the
allowances according to the Governor's certificates.
fo. 106.
Thursday, May 10. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Fitzherbert,
Mr. Roberts, Lord Robert Spencer, Lord Greville.
The Earl of Hillsborough present.
New York.
Read a petition of Colonel Martin, setting forth his services,
and praying the Board to recommend him to the King for a
grant of twenty thousand acres of land in New York.
A representation to His Majesty in favour of Colonel Martin's
request was agreed to and signed.
Grenada, Dominica.
fo. 107.
Read a petition of Richard Neave, of the City of London,
merchant, setting forth that he had obtained the consent of the
Commander in Chief of the Southern Caribbee Islands to an
assignment to him of a lease of lands in Dominica granted to
John Blackall and Nicholas Comyn, late of the said Island, and
praying the Board's approbation of said assignment.
Ordered, that the said petition do lye by for further consideration at another opportunity.
Virginia.
Read a memorial of Colonel Mercer, setting forth that he has
agreed in behalf of the Ohio Company to join with Messrs. Walpole, Pownall and others for purchasing a new Province on the
Ohio River, and therefore that he withdraws his former memorial
containing a caveat against any grant being made to those persons.
fo. 108.
Trade.
Read a letter from Dr. McBride to the Secretary to this Board,
dated February 24th, 1770, in answer to his of the 19th, and
signifying his compliance with the Board's proposal.
Grenada.
Read a letter from John Harvey, Esquire, one of the Council
of Grenada, to the Secretary, dated March 31st, 1770, in answer
to one from him respecting his intention of returning to that
Island.
fo. 109.
Monday, May 21. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Fitzherbert,
Mr. Roberts, Lord Robert Spencer, Mr. Northey.
The Earl of Hillsborough present.
Grenada, Dominica.
Their Lordships took into consideration Mr. Neave's petition,
mentioned in the preceding minutes; and the Secretary was
ordered to certify their approbation of the assignment to Mr.
Neave of the lease of lands in Dominica therein mentioned.
New York.
fo. 110.
The Secretary laid before the Board a draught of general
instructions, and also a draught of those relating to the observance
of the laws of trade prepared for the Governor of New York, and
the said draughts having been read and approved, a representation thereupon to His Majesty in Council was agreed to, and signed.
Leeward Islands, Antigua.
Virginia.
Read Mr. Jackson's reports upon one private Act passed in
Antigua in October, 1769, and upon two private Acts passed in
Virginia in November, 1769, together with the several Acts
therein referred to; and their Lordships having, at the request of
the persons interested therein, agreed to lay the said Acts before
His Majesty for His Royal confirmation, representations to His
Majesty thereupon were accordingly prepared and signed.
Virginia.
fo. 111.
Mr. Bell attends upon his petition for one hundred and twenty
thousand acres of land in Virginia, which petition is mentioned
in the minutes of the 26th of February last; and Mr. Bell having
been informed, that their Lordships did not see any reason for
complying with his request, a report to the Lords of the Committee of Council to that effect was agreed to, prepared, and
signed.
West Florida.
Read a petition of Major Farmar, late of the 34th Regiment,
praying a confirmation of his title to lands in West Florida, part
of which is held under purchase from the French inhabitants,
and part under a grant from the Indians.
Ordered, that the said petition be taken into consideration on
Thursday next, and that Major Farmar have notice to attend.
fo. 112.
Nova Scotia.
Read a petition of Hugh Bailley, late of Bengal in the East
Indies, and of George Walker, formerly Commander in Chief of
the Royal family private ships of war, to this Board, praying for
grants of certain tracts of land therein particularly specified in
the Province of Nova Scotia.
Ordered, that the said petition do lye by for further consideration, when the petitioners shall make application for that
purpose.
fo. 113.
Thursday, May 24. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Roberts,
Mr. Fitzherbert.
West Florida.
Their Lordships took into further consideration Major Farmar's
petition, mentioned in the preceding minutes; and Major
Farmar attending, he was informed, that their Lordships were of
opinion, that the prayer of his petition could not be complied
with, as there was no precedent of any confirmation of titles to
lands in America claimed under the circumstances stated in the
said petition.
fo. 114.
Wednesday, May 30. Present:—Mr. Jenyns, Mr. Roberts,
Lord Robert Spencer, Mr. Eliot, Mr. Fitzherbert, Lord
Greville, Mr. Northey.
New York.
The Secretary laid before the Board a list of papers relative to
the Province of New York, of which Lord Dunmore desired to have
copies for his information in the Government of that Province,
and it was ordered, that such copies should be prepared and
delivered to his Lordship.
Grenada.
Read a report of Richard Jackson, Esquire, to this Board,
dated May 29th, 1770, on an assignment made by Gabriel Brousse
and Alexander Stewart to Governor Melvill and Andrew Bruce
of lands in Dominica.
fo. 115.
Ordered, that the Secretary do give notice to the agent for the
petitioners for this Board's approbation of the assignment of the
lease therein mentioned, of the objections stated by Mr. Jackson.
New Hampshire.
Read a report of Richard Jackson, Esquire, to this Board,
dated May 28th, 1770, on a Proclamation issued by the Governor
of New Hampshire on the 2nd of March, 1769, for ascertaining the
value of gold and silver coins current in that Province.
Ordered, that the draught of a report to the Lords of the
Committee of Council be prepared, pursuant to their Lordships'
Order referring the said Proclamation to the consideration of this
Board.
fo. 116.
Quebec.
Read an order of the Lords of the Committee of Council for
Plantation affairs, dated May 25th, 1770, referring to this Board,
for their consideration and report, a petition of Sir Jeffery
Amherst to the King, praying that His Majesty would grant him
the estates belonging to the Jesuits in Canada.