188 | From the Board of Trade

    Sir,

    Having had under Our Consideration the Acts passed in Massachusets Bay in 1761. & 1762, We have found amongst them no less than seven706 (a List of the Titles of which is inclosed) for erecting New Towns, and giving such Towns all the Privileges of Other establishd Towns in the Province.

    As it does not appear to Us, whether these New Towns will by this form of Constitution, be entituled to Representatives in the General Court; We shall suspend any determination upon them, untill We shall have received from You full Information upon this Point, to which end, and that We may know, with certainty & precision what is the Constitution and Practice of the Province in this case; We must desire that you will lose no time in transmitting to Us, an Exact List of the several Towns and Places, which send Representatives, distinguishing the Number, which each Place sends, when and by what Authority the right of Representation was first Establish’d and in what way this Right takes Place, whether by Petition to the General Court, or by direct application to the Governor.707

    As the Knowledge of these matters is essential to His Majesty’s Service, We desire you will be punctual in your Obedience to Our directions; of the want of which in Other Cases, We have but too much reason to complain, not having yet received from you any Answer to Our General heads of Enquiry, transmitted to You so long ago as the 28th. of April 1761,708 and which Answers are in the present State of Affairs very materially necessary for Our Information.

    We are, Sir, Your most Obedient humble Servants

    Sandys.

    Soame Jenyns.

    Ed. Bacon.

    Edmond Thomas

    Geo. Rice.

    Orwell709

    Exd.

    Whitehall Febry. 8th. 1763.

    L, LbC CO 5/920, pp 151-153.

    The Board’s letter was issued following consideration on 27 and 28 Jan. of forty-eight acts passed in Massachusetts between Nov. 1761 and Jun. 1762, along with a report by Sir Matthew Lamb. The Board decided that those acts constituting new towns with the privileges of existing towns required further consideration. JBT, 11: 330-335.