211 | From the Board of Trade

    Sir,784

    The inclosed Copys of two Letters from the Secretary to the Commissrs. of the Customs, to Mr Pownall, will shew you the result of Our proceedings upon Your Letter to Us of the 19th of Febry last,785 and as it appears, from these Letters, that the Surveyors General of the Customs in America, have no power by their Commissions to appoint deputys, nor any Authority for it, either from the Lords of the Treasury, or the Commissioners of the Customs, except in cases of Leave to come to England, We entirely approve of your having refused to Administer the Oaths to Mr. Robert Temple, and think that the admitting him to qualify as Deputy Surveyor General under any Stipulation whatever would have been improper and irregular, and would have a manifest tendency to set aside the Effect and Intention of the 25th: Article of His Majesty’s Instructions to You.

    We have received An Authentick Copy of the Conditional Grant made to You by the General Court of the Island of Desart,786 and tho’ it would be very agreeable to Us, to Concurr with the Legislature of your Province in so proper a testimony & Approbation on their part of your Services to the Publick, yet We cannot think it advisable to bring the Questions which may arise upon this Case, into discussion, until the new Governments, which are proposed to be formed in consequence of the Cession in No. America, made to His Majesty by the Treaty of Peace, shall be settled.

    We are Sr. &ca.

    Whitehall May 18th 1763

    Soame Jenyns787

    Ed Eliot788

    Ed. Bacon

    Jno York

    Geo. Rice

    Orwell

    Bamber Gascoigne

    L, LbC CO 5/920, pp. 161-162.