A motion was made, and the question being proposed, that the said Petition be referred to the consideration of the Committee of the Whole House, to whom it is referred to consider further of the several Papers which were presented to the House by the Lord North, upon the 19th and 31st days of January last, by his Majesty's command;

An amendment was proposed to be made to the question, by leaving out from the word "whom" to the end of the question, and inserting the words, "the Petition of the Merchants, Traders, and others, of the City of London, concerned in the commerce of North America, is referred," instead thereof,

And the question being put, that the words proposed to be left out stand part of the question,

It passed in the Negative.

And the question being put, that the words "the Petition of the Merchants, Traders, and others, of the City of London, concerned in the commerce of North America, is referred," be inserted instead thereof,

It was resolved in the Affirmative.

Then the main question, so amended, being put,

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the consideration of the Committee of the Whole House, to whom the Petition of the Merchants, Traders, and others, of the City of London, concerned in the commerce of North America, is referred.

The Lord North presented to the House, by his Majesty's command,

No.1. Extract of a Letter from the Honourable Governour Gage, to the Earl of Dartmouth, dated Boston, 26th of December 1774; received 31st January, 1775, enclosing,

No.2. Copy of a Letter from Governour Wentworth to Governour Gage, dated 14th of December, 1774.

No. 3. Copy of a Letter from Captain Cochran to Governour Wentworth, dated 14th December, 1774.

No. 4. Extracts of a Letter from Governour Wentworth to Governour Gage, dated 16th December, 1774.

No. 5. Extract of a Letter from Lieutenant Governour Colden to the Earl of Dartmouth, dated New- York, 4th January, 1775; received 31st January.

No. 6. Extract of a Letter from the Deputy Governour of Pennsylvania to the Earl of Dartmouth, dated Philadelphia, 31st December, 1774; received 31st January, 1775, enclosing,

No. 7. Extracts from the Printed Votes of the Assembly of Pennsylvania.

No. 8. Extract of a Letter from Deputy Governour Eden, dated Annapolis, Maryland, 30th December, 1774; received 1st February, 1775, enclosing,

No. 9. Extract from the Maryland Gazette, of December 29th, 1774.

No. 10. Copy of a Paper handed about in the City of Annapolis.

Together wish a List of said Papers.

And the said List was read.

Ordered, That the Papers be referred to the consideration of the Committee of the Whole House, to whom it is referred to consider further of the several Papers which were presented to the House by the Lord North, upon the 19th and 31st days of January last, by his Majesty's command.

The other Order of the Day being read,

The House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House, to consider further of the several Papers which were presented to the House by the Lord North, upon the 19th and 31st days of January last, and this day, by his Majesty's command.

Mr. Speaker left the Chair.

Sir Charles Whitworth took the Chair of the Committee.

Mr. Speaker resumed the Chair.

Sir Charles Whitworth reported from the Committee, that they had made a further progress in the matters to them referred; and that he was directed by the Committee to move that they may have leave to sit again.

Resolved, That this House will, to-morrow morning, resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House, to Consider, further of the said Papers,

THURSDAY, February 2, 1775.

A Petition of the Planters of his Majesty's Sugar Colonies, residing in Great Britain, and of the Merchants of London, trading to the said Colonies, was presented to the House, and read, setting forth—

That the Petitioners are exceedingly alarmed at an Agreement and Association entered into by the Congress held at Philadelphia, in North America, on the 5th day of September, 1774, whereby the Members thereof agreed and associated for themselves and the inhabitants of the several Provinces lying between Nova-Scotia and Georgia, that, from and after the 1st day of December, 1774, they would not import into British America, any Molasses, Syrups, Paneles, Coffee, or Pimento, from the British Plantations; and that after the 10th day of September, 1775, if the Acts and the parts of Acts of the British Parliament therein mentioned are not repealed, they would not directly or indirectly, export any Merchandise or commodity whatsoever to the West Indies; and representing to the House that the British property in the West India Islands amounts to upwards of thirty millions sterling; and that a further property of many millions is employed in the commerce created by the said Islands, a commerce comprehending Africa, the East Indies, and Europe; and that the whole profits and produce of those capitals ultimately centre in Great Britain, and add to the national wealth, while the navigation necessary to all its branches, establishes a strength which wealth can neither purchase nor balance; and that the Sugar Plantations in the West Indies are subject to a greater variety of contingencies than many other species of property from their necessary dependence on external support; and that, therefore, should any interruption happen in the general system of their commerce, the great national stock thus vested and employed must become unprofitable and precarious; and that the profits arising from the present state of the said Islands, and that are likely to arise from their future improvement, in a great measure depend on a free and reciprocal intercourse between them and the several Provinces of North America, from whence they are furnished with Provisions and other Supplies absolutely necessary for their support and the maintenance of their Plantations; and that the scarcity and high price in Great Britain, and other parts of Europe, of those articles of indispensable necessity, which they now derive from the middle Colonies of America, and the inadequate population in some parts of that Continent, with the distance, danger, and uncertainty of the navigation from others, forbid the Petitioners to hope for a supply in any degree proportionate to their wants; and that, if the first part of the said Agreement and Association for a Non-Importation hath taken place, and shall be continued, the same will be highly detrimental to the Sugar Colonies; and that, if the second part of the said Agreement and Association for a Non-Exportation shall be carried into execution, which the Petitioners do firmly believe will happen, unless the harmony that subsisted a few years ago between this Kingdom and the Provinces of America, to the infinite advantage of both, be restored, the Islands, which are supplied with most of their subsistence from thence, will be reduced to the utmost distress, and the trade between all the Islands and this Kingdom, will of course be obstructed to the diminution of the publick Revenue, to the extreme injury of a great number of Planters, and to the great prejudice of the Merchants, not only by the said obstruction, but also by the delay of payment of the principal and interest of an immense debt due from the former to the latter; and, therefore, praying the House to take into their most serious consideration that great political system of the Colonies heretofore so very beneficial to the mother country and her Dependencies, and adopt such measures as to them shall seem meet, to prevent the evils with which the Petitioners are threatened, 'and to preserve the intercourse between the West India Islands and the Northern Colonies, to the general harmony and lasting benefit of the whole British Empire; and that they may be heard by themselves, their Agents, or Counsel, in support of their Petition.

A motion was made, and the question being proposed, that the said Petition be referred to the consideration of the Committee of the Whole House, to whom it is refer-