A. D. 1781. 683 



* That many of your Majefty's faithful and loyal fubjeds, on the 

 faith of Great Britain having recognized the trade, have fettled as 

 general traders in thofe Dutch iflands, and have confiderable property 

 in goods, merchandize, and money, in the faid illands ; and that 

 others of your Majefty's mod faithful and loyal fubjeds, as agents for 

 the Dutch, as well as Britifli, merchants in thole iflands, have fhijjped 

 confiderable quantities of goods and merchandize on account of ihe 

 faid merchants. 



* That thofe Dutch iflands, particularly S'. Euflatius, have therefor 

 been, and ought to be, confidered as free ports, open to all the world, 

 where the fubjeds of all flates in amity with Holland were equally 

 welcome, where the goods imported by the hand of commerce were 

 at open market, ready to be fold to the bell; bidder, without favour 

 and afFedion, without any partial, or political, attachment or predi- 

 ledion to any of the powers at war, without regard to any other ob- 

 jed than that of mercantile protit, which is the faring and foul of all 

 commerce whatever ; and that the value of the laid iflands to that 

 fovercigri power to which they belonged, as well as to your Majefty's 

 fubjeds and other nations, confifted in their being univcrfal opjn 

 marts, and not in the inconfiderable produdion ot their foil. 



' Your petitioners humbly beg leave to reprefent to your Majefly, 

 that, as a very confiderable part of the property found in thofe Dutch 

 iflands mufl: neccflarily belong to many of your Majefly 's moft faith- 

 ful and loyal fubjeds, from the caufes above flated, fo there are like- 

 wife others of your Majefty's fubjeds refiding in Great Britain and 

 the Britifli Leeward iflands, who arc large creditors of the Dutch and 

 Briiilh merchants in thofe Dutch illands, not only on account of goods 

 and merchandize openly and avowedly Ihipped by them, as the agents 

 of the faid merchants, but alfo in refpcd ot dealings and engagements 

 antecedent to, and unconneded with, the trade carried on by fuch 

 their debtors in thole iflands. 



' With refped to the property found in the faid iflands belonging to 

 the fubjeds of the ftates of f loUand, or any other of your Majefty's 

 enemies, your petitioners, having already ftated what they humbly 

 conceive to be the humane and political pradice ot war, feel them- 

 felves impelled by the principle of gratitude to prefent to your royal 

 view the condud of the commanders of the French king's forces, and 

 of the court of France, in the cale of the conciueft of the illands of 

 Grenada and the Grenadines. 



' When the ifland of Grenada, after having made a zealous, but un- 

 fuccefsful, defence againft the enemy's force, furrendered at dilcre- 

 tion, there was no plunder allowed, except on the Holpital hill, which 

 was taken by ftorm, and where the fmall efteds, that were lodged, 

 ncceilarily fell in furore bdli to the firft of the aHailanis who could lay 

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