town of Boston, for a trespass, committed by some persons unknown, upon the property of the East India Company, without the said town having been apprized of any accusation being brought against them, or permitted to hear the evidence, if there be any, and to make their defence.

That the Bill takes away immediately from the inhabitants of the town, the use of property, to the amount of several hundred thousand pounds, vested in quays, wharfs, stores, &c. That it will restrain many thousands of his Majesty's subjects from subsisting themselves and their families, by their usual employments; that it will punish the innocent for the guilty; and even should all the reparation required by the Bill be made, the restoration of that property, or any part of it, is suffered to depend solely upon the will of the Crown.

Your Petitioners conceive such proceeding to be directly repugnant to every principle of law and justice; and that under such a precedent, no man, or body of men, could enjoy a moment's security; for if judgment be immediately to follow an accusation, the accused, unacquainted with the charge, and debarred from defending themselves, every fence against false accusation will be pulled down, justice will no longer be a shield, nor innocence an exemption from punishment.

Your Petitioners beg leave to represent, that the law in America, ministers redress for any injury sustained there; and they can most truly affirm, that it is administered in that country with as much impartiality, as in any other part of his Majesty's Dominions. In proof of this, they appeal to an instance of great notoriety, in which, under every circumstance that could exasperate the People, and disturb the course of justice, Captain Preston and his soldiers had a fair trial, and a favourable verdict. The due course of law thus manifestly holding out redress, they cannot but consider the interposition of Parliamentary power to be as unnecessary, as it is arbitrary and unjust.

Your Petitioners conceive, that this right honorable House, being the supreme judicature of this Nation, are too well acquainted with the inviolable rules of justice, to require any further objections to the Bill against the town of Boston, now under consideration.

They therefore trust and pray, that this right honorable House will not pass a Bill. which is to condemn and punish persons unheard, and therefore deprived of that privilege, which every principle of justice, and every practice of law, allows to the meanest individual: the privilege of hearing and controverting the evidence against him, and maintaining his innocence.

And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, shall ever pray.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie on the table.

The order of the day being read, for taking into consideration the several Papers laid before this House, (by his Majesty's command,) relating to Disturbances in America; and also his Majesty's most gracious Message in relation thereto; and for the Lords to be summoned:

And the said Papers were accordingly read by the Clerk.

Then the order of the day being read, for the second reading of the Bill, and for the Lords to be summoned:

The said Bill was accordingly read the second time.

It was moved "to commit the Bill," which being objected to;

After long debate, the question was put thereon? It was resolved in the Affirmative.

Ordered, That the said Bill be committed to a Committee of the whole House.

Ordered, That the House be put into a Committee upon the said Bill to-morrow, and the Lords be summoned.

TUESDAY, March 29, 1774.

The order of the day being read, the House was put into a Committee of the whole, upon the Bill.

The Bill was supported by the Lords Mansfield, Gower, Littleton, Weymouth, and Suffolk; it was opposed by the Dukes of Richmond, and Manchester, the Marquis of Rockingham, and the Lords Temple, Shelburne, Camden, and Stair; but the principal arguments were between the Lords Mansfield and Camden.

After some time, the House was resumed:

And the Lord Boston reported from the Committee, "That they had gone through the Bill, and directed him to report the same to the House, without any amendment."

Ordered, That the said Bill be read a third time tomorrow, and that the Lords be summoned.

WEDNESDAY, March 30, 1774.

The Earl of Stair presented to the House a Petition of William Bollan, Esq., Agent for the Council of the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

The same was read by the Clerk as follows:

To the Right Honorable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, in Parliament assembled, the Petition of William Bollan, Esq., Agent for the Council of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, most humbly showeth:

That the "Bill for the immediate removal of the officers concerned in the collection and management of his Majesty's duties of Customs, from the town of Boston, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, in North America; and to discontinue the landing, discharging, lading, and shipping, of goods, wares, and merchandise, at the said town of Boston, or within the harbour thereof," at present depending under consideration of this right honorable House, contains various provisions proposed to be enacted, inconsistent with the ancient and just rights, lawful possessions, usual comforts of life, and common social benefits, with other important interests of the Petitioner's constituents, long held in amicable conjunction with other inhabitants of Boston, and the Province, and the other Colonies, and the most desirable connection with innumerable persons employed in manufactures, trade, and navigation, in Great Britain, whereby they have been well maintained, and prospered; and moreover, with the general circulation of American commerce, from which so great benefits are daily received by this Kingdom, in various ways.

That the merchants of Boston were not partakers of the offence committed in the late destruction of the tea there, nor of any other act of violence; nevertheless, if the present Bill be enacted, they will become the chief sufferers, together with numerous British merchants and manufacturers.

Wherefore your Lordships Petitioner humbly prays that he may be heard before this right honorable House, in order to prevent these provisions from passing to be enacted.

W. Bollan.

Which done,

The said Mr. Bollan was called in, and heard at the bar, against the said Bill.

He is directed to withdraw. Then the said Bill was read the third time.

The question was put, "whether this Bill shall Pass?" It was resolved in the Affirmative, Nemine Dissentiente.

THURSDAY, March 31, 1774.

His Majesty being seated on the Throne, adorned with his Crown and regal ornaments, and attended by his officers of State, (the Lords being in their robes,) the Commons with their Speaker, attending; the Royal assent was pronounced severally, by the Clerk's Assistant, to thirtynine Bills, beginning with the Boston Port Bill.

The following Petition of the Natives of America, then in London, was presented to the King, on the morning of the 31st of March, before he went to the House of Lords: