headquarters of the British land and sea forces in America. But although we may be unable wholly to support so large yet necessary civil list, yet we are willing to set apart a fund for that purpose, which will necessarily increase with the opulence and number of the inhabitants, and will, in time, relieve our parent State from the heavy burden of our support; our poverty, as a Province, will not prevent a British King and Parliament from hearing and justly relieving us, when, as humble and dutiful subjects, and being well acquainted with this country and its inhabitants, we only beg leave to inform our gracious King and Parliament with the measures which we conceive would best tend to the peace and happiness of this country.

“We therefore most humbly presume to offer, as our opinion, that no native of this Province may ever be appointed a Governour or Lieutenant-Governour in this Province. The ambition of affluent individuals in the Provinces to acquire governments have led to faction and parties, subversive of the peace and happiness of the people, the good of the Province, and the honour of Government. Probably the present disputes in America may have been promoted by this cause.

“We are humbly of opinion, that the members of the Legislative Council should be appointed for life, and that no person should be appointed a member of the Council, unless he be possessed of landed property in the Province to the value of one thousand pounds at least; and we most humbly pray that no Collector, or under officer of the customs, or any officer who is directly or indirectly concerned in the collection of the Provincial revenue, may ever be admitted to a seat at the Council Board.

“We humbly pray most fervently, that the officers of the customs, and every officer concerned in collecting the Provincial revenue, may be prohibited from serving as Representatives in General Assembly.

“We humbly pray that the elections for the Representatives of the people may be triennial, may be by ballot, and that the day of election triennially may be fixed by law; and that every officer of Government be particularly prohibited from interfering in elections, under severe and heavy penalties.

“We humbly pray, that the Judges of the Supreme Court of this Province may have their commissions during good behaviour, in the same manner as in England.

“We humbly pray, that, after the decease of the present Judges, all future Judges may be appointed in England, and may not be native of this Province. We can trace the present unhappy disorders in America to the want of a regulation of this kind.

“We humbly request your Majesty will graciously permit the Legislature of this Province to ascertain the number and boundaries of the several Counties in this Province.

“Most gracious King, grant and permit us a Sheriff in each and every County, and deliver us from a Provost-Marshal presiding over this whole Province, whose influence, owing to the nature of his office and the number of his deputies, must be excessive, and whose power in elections is absolute. If we are not relieved in this particular, we can have no pretensions even to the name of freemen.

“We humbly pray, that your Majesty will graciously permit and order that a Recorder of Deeds and Conveyances be appointed in each and every County, and not a deputy to a principal residing elsewhere.

“Our gracious King cannot be insensible of the great necessity there is that the most respectable persons in the community be appointed to the Commissions of the Peace. Legal authority, unless aided by the good opinion of the people, can have but little effect. Probably the reason why the most respectable persons decline the office is, because they are liable to be dismissed unheard. The want of power in the Magistrates to execute or enforce the laws has been a general complaint in America.

“We humbly pray, that the Governour, Council, and Judges of the Supreme Court, may constitute a Court of Vice-Admiralty throughout the Province, to determine all causes cognizable in such courts, agreeable to law and equity, and to receive no fees therefor.

“We humbly pray, that any two or more of the Judges of the Supreme Court, and a Jury balloted for and struck by the parties, shall constitute a Court of Equity in all civil cases throughout this Province, subject only to appeals to his Majesty in Council, where the property contested may amount to five hundred pounds sterling, or upwards.

“We humbly pray to be delivered from the oppression of Practitioners in the law, and pray that, in all civil actions, their fees, charges, and perquisites, may be limited to five per centum on all sums declared for or defended. It is not the desire of our good King to have his quiet and inoffensive subjects in this quarter of the globe given up to be persecuted by a few rapacious men.

“Most benign King, your Majesty was graciously pleased to grant tracts of land in this Province, upon various conditions of settlement and payment of quit-rents. Many of the conditions of settlement were impracticable, and others so expensive that the grantees were not able fully to effect them; we humbly pray to be exonerated from those severe conditions, and that you will graciously limit the power of the Court of Escheats to defaults in the payment of the quit-rent only.

“This House is sorry to observe that most cruel use has been made of this power of escheating land, even to the depriving of two old officers of the gratuity given them by your Majesty for near forty years of military service, and that to gratify two domesticks of that Governour who ordered the escheatment; and at this time a tract of land is advertised to be escheated, on which the proprietors have laid out near four thousand pounds.

“Finally, we most humbly request that the Assembly of this Province may be called together annually, and that no Governour may be allowed to dissolve or prorogue them when he shall be informed that they are preparing a Petition to our gracious King and Parliament of Great Britain.

“Most gracious Sovereign, we have unhappily experienced that the redress of our grievances, and those requested regulations could not come from us in the constitutional mode of laws which must have passed a Council, some of them without property in the Province, or interest in our welfare.

“May the God of all goodness shower down on our gracious Sovereign and his beloved family, every temporal blessing.

“May the spirit of concord, justice, and publick virtue direct the counsels of the British Senate, and may the Father of Mercies preserve constitutional freedom to the British race in every part of the globe!”

“W. NESBITT, Speaker.

“HALIFAX, June 24, 1775.”

Ordered, That the said Letter and Paper be taken into consideration upon Monday sevennight, the sixth day of November next.

Monday, November 6, 1775.

The Order of the Day being read, for taking into consideration the Letter communicated to this House by Mr. Speaker, upon the 26th day of October last, dated Halifax, Nova-Scotia, July 4, 1775, and signed “William Nesbitt, Speaker,” together with a Paper enclosed therein, intituled “The Address, Petition, and Memorial, of the Representatives of the Freeholders of the Province of Nova-Scotia, in General Assembly;” and a motion being made, that the said Letter and Paper be referred to the consideration of a Committee of the Whole House, the Lord North, by his Majesty’s command, acquainted the House that his Majesty having been informed of the contents of the said Letter and Paper, gives his consent, as far as his Majesty’s interest is concerned, that the House may do therein as they shall think fit.

Ordered, That the said Letter and Paper be referred to the consideration of a Committee of the Whole House.

Resolved, That this House will, upon Wednesday seven-night, the 15th day of this instant, (November,) resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House, to consider of the said Letter and Paper.

Ordered, That what the Lord North has now acquainted the House with from his Majesty, be referred to the consideration of the said Committee.

Wednesday, November 15, 1775.

The House, according to order, resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House, to consider of the Letter, &c.

Mr. Mackworth took the chair of the Committee.