46 | Circular from the Board of Trade

    Whitehall April 28th. 1761.

    Sir,

    His Majesty having been graciously pleased by Commission under the Great Seal of Great Britain to constitute and appoint Us His Commissioners for promoting the Trade of this Kingdom, and for inspecting and improving His Majesty’s foreign Colonies & Plantations, It is Our Duty to acquaint you therewith, and to desire, that you will, from time to time, give us frequent and very full Information of the State and Condition of the Province under your Government, as well in respect to the Administration of Government and Justice, as to the Trade and Commerce thereof; and that you will also will regularly and punctually send Us the several Papers required by His Majesty’s Instructions to you to be transmitted. And to the end that We may be the better enabled to form a true Judgement of the present state of the Province under your Government, We must desire your speedy Answer to the several heads of Enquiry herewith transmitted to you, and that you will every six Months make a return thereto, that We may be from time to time apprized of any Alterations which may happen in the Circumstances of the Province.

    We are, Sir, Your most obedient humble Servants,

    Sandys240

    Soame Jenyns

    E. Bacon241

    Edmond Thomas242

    Geo: Rice243

    Francis Bernard Esqr Govr: of Massachuset’s Bay

    LS, RC BP, 9: 194-197.

    This letter was the first communication to the colonial governors from a new Board of Trade appointed by royal commission on 21 Mar., on the direction of the earl of Bute as incoming secretary for the Northern Department, and meeting for the first time on 1 Apr. JBT, 11: 181. The enclosed heads of enquiry have not been found, but the endnotes to FB’s “Answer” contain reconstructions, based on contemporary documentation, of the questions that would have been asked (No. 234).