A. D. 1781. 685 



* They beg leave to repeat to your Majefty, that the confifcation of 

 ' private property in thofe Dutch iflands would grievoufly affect many 

 ' of your MajeHy's mod: fliithful and loyal fubjects, who have traded 

 ' there under the fandion of our laws, or who are creditors of merch- 



* ants in the faid iflands ; and at the fame time to ftate to your 

 ' Majefty their apprehenfions, that fuch a meafure, fo far as it would 

 ' injure the property of the fubjecls of the enemy, muft neceffarily tend 

 ' to increafe the calamities of war, by exciting defperate refiftance, by 

 ' exafperating our foes againft the trading inhabitants of thofe iflands 

 ' which may hereafter be obliged to fubmit to their arms, and by 



* eftablifhing a prcedatory fyftcm, deftrudive and ruinous in its con- 



* fequences to individuals, and of no folid benefit to the feveral ftates 



* concerned. 



* Your petitioners, therefor, do moft humbly, but fervently, pray, 



' that your Majefty will be gracioufly pleafed to take the premifes 

 ' into your ferious confideration, and remove the apprehenfions of 

 ' your petitioners by adopting fuch meafures on the prefent 



* occafion, as to your Majefty in your great wifdom, juftice, and 



* clemency, fhall feem meet. 



' Signed by order, and in the name, and on the behalf, of the Weft- 



' India planters and merchants, 



' William Crichton, 



4 T , A -1 /■ -o, ' Chairman of the general meeting 



' London, April 6, 1781. , u- r • 1 u r r , 



' i- ' ' 'oil this ipecial buhnefs. 



The Portuguefe, after ftridlly prohibiting the importation of cotton 

 goods from Britain, now refufed to admit woollen goods and printed 

 linens from Ireland ; a meafure, which was fulpeded by the Irifti to 

 have originated in England. 



March 12"" — The regulations concerning the admiffion of prize goods 

 into the kingdom being now extended to prizes taken from the Dutch, 

 fome others were enaded, refpedling the fale of, and duties upon, Kaft- 

 India goods condemned as prize in the port of London ; for permitting 

 the purchafers of prize goods condemned abroad to import iuch goods 

 into this kingdom, as well as the captors , and for rcducijig the duties 

 on foreign prize tobacco. [21 Geo. Ill, c. 5. J 



The permilfion to import Italian organzincd filk was prolonged till 

 the 25'" of March 1782. [21 Geo. Ill, c. 6.] 



The permiflion to navigate merchant ftiips with foreigners for three 

 fourths of their complement was alio prolonged for the fame time. 

 [21 Geo. Ill, c. I I.J 



March 22" — Twelve millions were raifed this year for the Urvicc of 

 government by a loan, and /"^So.ooo by a hntery. The terms of the 

 loan were >C 1 50 in the thrce-per-cent confolidated fund, and £2^ in the 



