their agents and counsel, against the said Bill; relying on the wisdom, goodness, justice, and mercy of the House, not only for special relief in this instance, but for such further assistance as the House can give.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the table, until the Report be received from the Committee of the Whole House, to whom the Bill to prohibit all trade and intercourse with the Colonies of New-Hampshire, Massachusetts-Bay, Rhode-Island, Connecticut, New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, the three lower Counties on Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North-Carolina, South-Carolina, and Georgia, during the continuance of the present Rebellion within the said Colonies respectively; for repealing an Act made in the fourteenth year of the reign of his present Majesty, to discontinue the landing and discharging, lading or shipping, of Goods, Wares, and Merchandise, at the Town, and within the Harbour of Boston, in the Province of Massachusetts-Bay, and also two Acts, made in the last session of Parliament, for restraining the Trade and Commerce of the Colonies, in the said Acts respectively mentioned; and to enable his Majesty to appoint Commissioners, and to issue Proclamations in the cases, and for the purposes therein mentioned, was committed; and that the Petitioners be then heard, by their counsel, against the said Bill, upon their Petition, if they think fit.

Thursday, February 29, 1776.

A Petition of the Master, Wardens, and Commonalty, of the Society of Merchant Venturers of the City of Bristol, under their common seal, was presented to the House, and read, setting forth, That the British Colonies in the West-Indies have been usually supplied from North-America with great quantities of bread, flour, rice, Indian corn, live stock and other provisions; and that, during the present situation of publick affairs, the said Colonies will be greatly distressed unless a supply is sent from this kingdom: And therefore praying the House to take the premises into consideration, and to apply such remedy as shall appear fit and necessary.

A Petition of several Merchants trading from the Port of Milford, in the County of Pembroke, whose names are thereunto subscribed, was also presented to the House, and read, setting forth, That the British Islands in the West-Indies have been hitherto supplied from the Continent of North-America with large quantities of wheat, wheat meal, biscuit, bread, and other articles of provisions, which supplies are, by the present disputes with America, entirely withheld from the numerous inhabitants of the said Islands; and representing to the House that it is impossible to ascertain the quantities of the above articles absolutely necessary for the sustenance and support of the numerous inhabitants of the said Islands, where the heat of the climate renders every article of provision liable to speedy decay: And, therefore, praying the House, to take into consideration the unhappy situation which the inhabitants of the said British Islands must be in, while such supplies are withheld from them, and allow the Petitioners to export wheat, wheat meal, biscuit, bread, pease, and other articles of provisions, to the said British Islands, for the sustenance of the inhabitants thereof, under such regulations as the House shall think proper.

And the said Petitions were severally ordered to be referred to the consideration of the Committee of the Whole House, to whom it is referred to consider of the Petition of the Merchants and Traders of the Town and County of Poole, (praying to be permitted to export Provisions and other necessaries for the use of the British Fishery carried on at Newfoundland, and the places adjacent,) and of the several other Petitions referred to the consideration of the said Committee.

Friday, April 26, 1776.

A Petition of the Proprietors of Plantations in the British West-Indies, Merchants in Glasgow, and others, trading thither from the River Clyde, was presented to the House, and read, setting forth, That the inhabitants of the British Sugar Colonies have formerly been supplied with large quantities of flour and grain from the Continent of North-America, from which supply they are now cut off by reason of the present interruption of commerce with America;

and that the quantities of wheat, meal, flour, bread, and biscuit, now allowed by law to be exported to the said Colonies, and from the Port of London only, will be greatly insufficient for the sustenance and use of the Sugar Colonies, during the continuance of such interruption: And therefore praying the House to take this matter into consideration, and to grant permission for exporting the above kinds of provisions from the Ports of Greenock and Glasgow, to the West-Indies, and to give such other relief in the premises as to the House shall seem meet.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the consideration of the Committee of the Whole House, to whom it is referred to consider of the Petition of the Merchants and Traders of the Town and County of Poole, (praying to be permitted to export Provisions and other necessaries for the use of the British Fishery carried on at Newfoundland, and the places adjacent,) and of the several other Petitions referred to the consideration of the said Committee.

Thursday, May 2, 1776.

Mr. Alderman Oliver, according to order, reported from the Committee of the Whole House, to whom it was referred to consider further of the Petition of the Merchants and Traders of the Town and County of Poole, (praying to be permitted to export Provisions and other necessaries for the use of the British Fishery carried on at Newfoundland, and the places adjacent.) and of the several other Petitions referred to the consideration of the said Committee, the Resolution which the Committee had directed him to report to the House; which he read in his place, and afterwards delivered in at the Clerk’s table, where the same was read, and is as followeth, viz:

Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee, that a limited quantity of Biscuit and Pease be allowed to be exported to the Island of Newfoundland, to the Province of Nova-Scotia, to Bay Chaleur, and to the Coast of Labrador, under certain regulations, for the benefit of the British Fishery carried on in those parts.

The said Resolution being read a second time, was, upon the question put thereupon, agreed to by the House.

Ordered, That it be an Instruction to the gentlemen who are appointed to prepare and bring in a Bill pursuant to the Resolutions, which, upon Monday last, were reported from the Committee of the Whole House, to whom it was referred to consider of the Petition of the Merchants and Traders of the Town and County of Poole, (praying to be permitted to export Provisions, and other necessaries, for the use of the British Fishery carried on at Newfoundland, and the places adjacent,) and of the several other Petitions referred to the consideration of the said Committee, that they do make provision in the said Bill, pursuant to the Resolution this day reported from the said Committee, and which has been agreed to by the House.

The House was moved, That the Resolution which, upon Friday last, was reported from the Committee of the Whole House, to whom it was referred to consider of so much of an Act, made in the thirteenth year of the reign of his Majesty, intituled “An Act to regulate the Importation and Exportation of Corn,” as relates to the Ports and places into which Corn and Grain may be imported and landed, without payment of the Duties, and was then agreed to by the House, might be read.

And the same was, as agreed to by the House, read accordingly, and is as followeth, viz:

Resolved, That Corn, Grain, and Flour, imported into the Port of Preston, be allowed to be landed without the payment of the Duties, under the like restrictions as Corn, Grain, and Flour, is allowed to be landed at the several Ports mentioned in an Act made in the thirteenth year of the reign of his present Majesty, intituled “An Act to regulate the Importation and Exportation of Corn.”

Ordered, That it be an Instruction to the gentlemen who are appointed to prepare and bring in the said Bill, that they do make provision therein, pursuant to the said Resolution.

Ordered, That it be an Instruction to the gentlemen who are appointed to prepare and bring in the said Bill, that they do make provision therein for indemnifying all persons with respect to advising or carrying into execution his Majesty’s Orders of Council already made, for allowing the exportation of Wheat and other articles.