Port Bill, acknowledge your several letters of the 7th and 17th of December last, enclosing invoices of Flour, &c., amounting with charges, to one thousand and sixty-two Pounds, nine Shillings, and six Pence, which agreeable to your kind wishes, are come safe to hand.

I am directed by the Committee to request that you would assure our benefactors, the worthy citizens of New-York, of their warmest gratitude for the very seasonable relief they have afforded their brethren in this place, by such generous donations, in this most difficult time of the year. While we acknowledge the superintendency of Divine Providence, we feel our obligations to the sister Colonies.? By their liberality they have greatly chagrined the common Enemies of America, who flattered themselves with hopes, that, before this day they should have starved us into a compliance with the insolent demands of despotick power.—But the people, relieved by your charitable contributions, bear the indignity with becoming patience and fortitude. They are not insensible of the injuries done them, as men as well as free American subjects; but they restrain their just resentment, from a due regard to the common cause.

The Committee beg the favour of you, gentlemen, to return their thanks to our worthy brethren of Marbletown, for the valuable donation received from them.

I am, with due acknowledgments for the care you have taken in transmitting these donations, in the name of the Committee, gentlemen, your affectionate friend and humble servant, &c.

SAMUEL ADAMS, Chairman.

MEETING OF AMERICAN MERCHANTS, LONDON.

King's Arms Tavern, Cornhill, January 11, 1775.

At a very numerous Meeting of Merchants, Traders, and others, concerned in the American Commerce, agreeable to adjourment,

THOMAS LANE, Esq., in the Chair.

The Committee informed the meeting, that they had prepared the Petition proposed at their last meeting.

Moved, That the said Petition be read. It was read accordingly.

Resolved unanimously, That the Petition now presented and read, is approved of by this meeting.

Resolved unanimously, That the above mentioned Petition be fairly engrossed, under the inspection of the same Committee that prepared it, with the addition of Mr. Strettell, Mr. Watson, Mr. Hunter, for the Province of Quebec; and that the said Committee be desired to attend the signing and presenting of the same to the House of Commons, and to prepare and digest such evidence as may be necessary for proving the allegations of the said Petition, and for supporting the same.

Resolved unanimously, That the Committee be desired to call another meeting of the Merchants, Traders, and others, concerned in the American Commerce, (as soon as they know the fate of the Petition in the House of Commons) in order that the publick may be properly informed thereof.

Resolved unanimously, That the minutes of this meeting be fairly transcribed, and inserted in the publick morning and evening Papers, signed by the Chairman.

THOMAS LANE, Chairman.

A circumstantial account of the Proceedings of the NORTH American Merchants, held at the King's Arms Tavern, CORNHILL, LONDON, on WEDNESDAY, l1th of JANUARY, 1775.

There was a very numerous and respectable meeting of the Merchants, &c, trading to North America, consisting of between four and five hundred, for the purpose of the Committee (appointed at the last meeting) reporting the particulars of a Petition to be presented to Parliament in the present alarming situation of American affairs.

The business of the meeting was opened about eleven o'clock, by the reading of the Petition, the substance of which was as follows:

"First, stating to the House, the several particulars of the extensive trade carried on between this country and America as it respected the barter of commodities, the barter of commodities, the balance of cash, as well as the negotiation of exchange in several parts of Europe; it next stated how this very extensive trade was hurt by the several Revenue Bills affecting North America, passed since the repeal of the Stamp Act, to the year 1773; it then concluded by praying redress in these particulars, as well as in the operation of all other Acts which may affect the general trade carried on between this country and North America." The whole was couched in decent, manly terms; and in point of style, good sense and precision, shewed the Committee appointed for drawing it up every way equal to the great trust delegated to them.

As soon as the Petition was read, Mr. Haley made the following motion: "That the Petition entitled &c., &c., now read, be approved of." This opened a very long, yet an able and candid debate.

Mr. Watson said he had no objection to the Petition then as it went; on the contrary he highly approved of it, yet he was for adding a clause where the late Quebec Bill should be particularly expressed, and where the very great constitutional, as well as commercial evils, resulting from that Bill should be marked out; that he saw no reason why so extensive a Province as Canada, the trade whereof was so very material to the interest of this country, should be left out of so great a question as the present; he therefore proposed a clause after, "the operation of all other Acts," particularly specifying the late Quebec Bill.

Mr. Baker answered Mr. Watson, by first calling the recollection of the gentlemen present to the general wish thrown out last meeting, of the Committee's avoiding every thing that was political in the Petition; he said that they had, in consequence, been very guarded in this particular; but however, to be as extensive as they could with prudence, they had still left an opening, by the words, "the operation of all other Acts," for Counsel at the bar of the House to plead any inconveniences arising from the Quebec or other Acts; the Boston Port and Massachusetts Bay Bills were omitted for the same purpose, yet were by no means precluded, if the Committee should afterwards think proper to instruct their Counsel so, from being remonstrated against, either in part or in the whole,

Mr. Sargeant supported Mr. Baker, in a very eloquent and forcible manner and shewed, by fresh implications, that the words in the Petition, "as in the operation of all other Acts," were fully competent to any clauses that could be added either in favour of Quebec or Boston.

Mr. Nutt acquainted the meeting, that probably he could reconcile this difference of opinion, by informing them, on almost positive grounds, that the King, by a clause in the Quebec Bill, empowering him to allow at his pleasure, of the trial by Juries, and the use of the Habeas Corpus Act, had either sent out, or was preparing to send out, an order for their continuing in full force, and that as the Quebec Bill was not to take place till the first of May next, the ill effect of that Bill in these two particulars would never operate; this being the case, he imagined it would be found less necessary to insist on adding the clause respecting Quebec. Several other gentlemen for these and other reasons, were for having no additions made to the Petition.

Mr. Watson replied to them, and urged with greater confidence, the necessity of particularizing Quebec. He said, though our present gracious Sovereign might feel for his Canadian subjects in allowing them the use of Juries and the Habeas Corpus Act, this Nation might one day or other have a Sovereign of a different way of thinking; he was therefore not for leaving things on such uncertain ground as the will of a Prince, but for having them established with more certainty and precision.

Mr. Sharp and some others agreed with Mr. Watson, particularly the former, who said, among other things, "that Canada was universally looked upon as a cudgel, in the hands of Government, against the rest of the Americans."

Mr. Creighton more than once attempted to meet the differences of the assembly, by complimenting, in high terms, the draught, purport, and extent of the Petition; and then expressing his wish, that three Canadian Merchants should be added to the Committee, for the purpose of instructing Counsel touching those points, which Mr. Watson and his friends so much insisted on, by which they might bring about, equally as well, the effects they so much desired.