ment assembled, return your Majefty our most humble thanks for your gracious fpeech from the

throne.

We defire your Majefty will believe, that we entertain the moft grateful fenfe of the paternal and tender regard your Majesty has fhewn for the welfare of your people, by laying an embargo on wheat and wheat-flour going out of the kingdom, until your Majefty fhould have the advice of your parliament on that important fubject.

And we beg leave to affure your Majefty, that your faithful Commons will not fail, agreeably to your Majefty's recommendation, to take this weighty matter into our moft ferious confideration, in order, by timely and effectual meafures, to purfue the two great ends, which your Majefty's wifdom has pointed out, of providing against the many evils attending a dearness or scarcity of corn, efpecially to the poorer fort of your Majefty's fubjects; and, at the fame time, of fuppreffing that daring and dangerous fpirit of riot which has of late too generally hewn itself in many parts of this kingdom.

It is with the greatest fatisfaction, that we affure your Majefty, of our unfeigned joy on the fafe and happy delivery of her Majesty, and on the birth of a princefs; every increase of your Majefty's royal family being a fresh pledge of the future liberty and happiness of your people.

And, animated with the fame zeal, we most heartily congratu late your Majefty on the folemnization of the marriage of your Majefty's fifter, the Princefs Ca

roline Matilda, with the King of Denmark; by which the union with that ancient and natural ally of your Majesty's crown is ftrengthened, by a fresh tie of the most endearing kind.

We return your Majesty our very, fincere thanks, for your gracious communication, that a treaty of commerce has lately been concluded with the Emprefs of Ruffia, which, whilst it gives us hopes of feeing that important branch of our trade continued hereafter on a folid and advantageous footing, isa new proof of your Majelly's conflant regard for the true intereft of this commercial nation.

It is with the utmost chearfulnefs that your Majefty's faithful Commons will grant fuch fupplies, as fhall be neceffary for the fervice of the year; having the utmost confidence in the affurance your Majefty is pleafed to give, that they will be punctually applied to thofe purposes for which they fhalf be granted.

We beg your Majefty will permit us to exprefs our higheft fatisfaction on the prefent happy establishment of the public tranquillity; and the well-grounded hopes we entertain, from the wif dom of your Majetty's councils, and the influence of your example, that, while your Majefy wifely unites, with the refolution to fupport the dignity of your crown and the rights of your people, a true zeal for the general peace and happiness of mankind, the fame fpirit of equity and moderation, which animates your Majefty's conduct, will direct the councils of the other great powers of Europe to the like just and falutary views.

fold; and the making any motion

Gentlemen,

I return you most hearty thanks for your loyal and affectionate addrefs. The part you take in the late happy events in my family, completes the fatisfaction I receive from them. I fee with pleasure the continuance of that zeal and truly public fpirit which I have already experienced in my faithful Commons, by your early attention to the feveral great objects recommended to your confideration, and particularly to the means of providing against the evils attending a fcarcity of corn, and for fecuring the tranquillity of the country. You may depend on my invariable attention to the happiness and profperity of my kingdom.

WH

Hereas feveral good ftatutes have been made against forestallers, regraters, and engrof fers, who are thereby declared open oppreffors of the poor, and enemies of their country and by an act made in the parliament, bolden in the fifth and fixth years of the reign of King Edward the Sixth, the buying, bargaining, or contracting for the corn coming by land or by water to any market or fair, or to any city, port, haven, creek, or road, of this realm, or Wales, from any parts beyond the fea, to be fold before the fame fhall be brought into the markets, fairs, &c. to be

wife, to any perfon, for the inhancing of the price, or dear felling of the fame, and the diffuading any perfon from bringing his or her corn to any of the faid markets, fairs, &c. to be fold, are prohibited, and adjudged forestalling: And whereas, by the fame act, it is declared, that the obtaining, or getting into any man's poffeffion, any corn, in any fair, or market, and felling the fame in any fair, or market, held in the fame place, or within four miles thereof, fhall be adjudged regrating; and whereas, by the fame act, it is likewife declared, that it fhall be adjudged an unlawful ingroffing, to buy or contract for any corn, to fell the fame again, otherwife than is therein particu larly allowed of, (that is to fay) buying of barley, bigg, or oats (not by foreftalling) to be convert

ed into malt or oatmeal in the

houfe of the buyer, which shall be fo converted indeed; or the taking of any corn referved without fraud, upon any leafe, for term of any life or years; or the buying of any corn (not by forestalling) by any badger, kidder, or carrier, who is to be licensed fo to do, and shall fell the fame in open fair or market, or to fome victualler, or other perfon, for the provifion of his or their houfes, within one month after the fame fhall be fo first bought; or providing, without foreftalling, the ufual quantity of corn for any city, borough, or town corporate, or for provifion, or victualling any fhip, caftle, or fort, within the dominions of the crown; all which forts of dealing in corn are not offenfive to the fta

tute;

tute; nor the buying of corn (except by foreftalling) by any perfon licensed fo to do, to be tranfported by water, from any port or place in England, or Wales, unto any other port or place within our dominions; fo that the fame be, without fraud, shipped within for ty days after the fame fhall be brought, and carried with fuch expedition as the wind and weather will permit, to the port the cocket of the fame fhall declare, and there to difbark and fell the fame, and bring a certificate thereof from a juftice of the peace of the County, or mayor or bailiff of the town, and of the customer of the port, of the place, and day, where the corn was unladen and fold, to the customer and comptrollor of the port where the fame was fhipped; the punishments of which faid offences are enacted to be im prisonment for two months, without bail or mainprize, for the first offence, befides forfeiture of the corn fo bought or had; for the fecond offence, imprisonment for the fpace of half a year, without bail or mainprize, and lofs of double the value of corn fo bought or had as aforefaid; and for the third offence, fetting on the pilloin the place where the offender hall dwell, and forfeiture of all his goods and chattels, and imprifonment during our pleasure; the one moiety of all which forfeitures is given to the profecutor, in cafe he will fue for the fame; but the whole forfeiture will belong to us, where the conviction fhall be at our fuit only. And it was thereby likewife enacted, that if any perfon, having fufficient corn for provifion of his houfe, and fowing of his ground for one

ry

VOL. IX.

year, shall buy any corn in any fair or market, for the change of his feed, and fhall not bring to the fame fair, or market, the fame day, fo much corn as fhall be bought for his feed, and fell the fame if he can, at the price the fame fhall then go at in the faid fair or market, every fuch person fhall forfeit the double value of the corn fo bought. And whereas, by an act, made in the fifth year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, it was enacted, that no badger, lader, kidder, carrier, buyer, or tranfporter of corn, fhall be licensed but in the general quarter-feffions of the peace, for the county where fuch perfon fhall fo dwell, and hath dwelt for the space of three years before the date of his licenfe, who is then an householder, not a fervant, or retainer to any perfon, and who, at the time of granting fuch license, is or hath been a married man, not under the age of thirty years; which licenfes are to continue but for a year, and must be signed and fealed by three of the justices then prefent, whereof one to be of the quorum, on pain of forfeiting 51. by every perfon taking any license not pursuant to the faid act, and all fuch licenses are, by the faid act, declared null and void. And the faid juftices are, by the faid act, impowered to take bond and furety by recognizances of the perfon licensed, that he fhall not foreftall or ingrofs, or otherwife practife, or do any act, or thing, contrary to the faid ftatute of Edward the fixth.

And it is further likewife provided by the faid act, that no perfon fhall buy any corn, or grain, out of open fair, or market, to fell again, unless fuch person [2]

fhall

fhall be thereunto licenfed by fpecial order and exprefs words, upon pain of forfeiting the like fum of 51. all which feveral offences, the juftices of the peace, at the quarter-feffions for the county where fuch offences fhall be committed, have power to hear and determine. And whereas the prices of corn are already very much increased, and the fame is likely to grow much dearer, to the great oppreffion of the poor, partly, because the faid acts are not duly put in execution; we have thought fit, by the advice of our privy-council, to iffue forth this our royal proclamation; and we do hereby ftrictly charge and command all, and every, our judges, juftices of the peace, mayors, theriffs, bailiffs, and all other magiftrates, officers, and minifters, whatsoever, and wherefoever, within England, Wales, and our town of Berwick upon Tweed, that they, and every of them, within their respective places and jurifdictions, do caufe the faid acts, and all other acts relating to the fame matters, to be in all, and every the parts and branches thereof, put in fpeedy and effectual execution; and that they do take care that no licenfe be granted to any badger, lader, kidder, carrier, or buyer of corn, or grain, but to fuch perfons as are, or fhall be qualified for the fame, according to the directions of the acts of

minifters, and loving fubjects whatfoever, to be aiding and affifting in the due execution of this our royal proclamation, on pain of our high difpleasure, and of fuch pains and punishments, as may by law be inflicted upon the contemners of our royal authority.

Given at our court of St. James's the 10th day of September 1766, and in the fixth year of our reign.

[By the above ftatute of the fifth of Queen Elizabeth, the clerk of the peace is allowed twelve pence, and no more, for every license, eight pence for every recognizance, and four pence for registering the fame. For which faid fee, the faid clerk or his deputy fhall have and keep one register-book, and therein fhall register and write all the names, furnames, and dwellingplaces of fuch as fhall be licensed as aforefaid, with a brief declaration or entry of the faid license, and of the day, time, and place, where fuch licenfe or licenfes shall be granted; which book or regifter, the said clerk of the peace, or his deputy, fhall have and bring to every feffions, to the intent that it may appear what number of li cenfes be and fhall be from time to time granted, whereby the better confideration may be had thereof.]

under fuch fureties as those acts do require; and that they do take

26, 1766.

in Council.

W

HEREAS his Majefty his been informed, by addreffes

from

from the lord mayor and aldermen of London, the cities of Briftol and Norwich, and other confiderable corporations, and numerous bodies of men, that the price of wheat has gradually increafed ever fince the ports were opened by the expiration of the act of the laft feffion of parliament prohibiting the exportation of corn, and that at Bear-key it is above the bounty price, and in moft other places in the kingdom greatly exceeding the fame, and it is upon the ftrongeft ground to be prefumed to be ftill rifing; that the ftock in hand is very inconfiderable; and that the crop of the prefent year has failed in fuch a proportion, that if the exportation be not immediately ftopped, there is great cause to foresee that very fhortly there will not remain in the kingdom a quantity fufficient for the neceffary fupply of his Majefty's fubjects: And whereas this apprehenfion is much increased from the undoubted informations his Majefty has received, that from the failure of, and deficiencies in crops in feveral foreign parts, commillions have been received from thence to purchase wheat, to fupply fuch foreign markets, at an unlimited price; and which

the

not an opportunity of taking the advice of his parliament speedily enough upon the prefent emergency to ftop the progrefs of a mifchief daily encreafing, and which, if not immediately provided againft, might be productive of calamities paft all poffibility of remedy: It is therefore, upon the grounds of the above urgent ncceffity now impending, and for the fafety, benefit, and fuftenance of his Majefty's fubjects, that his Majefty, with the advice of his privy council, doth order, and it is hereby accordingly ordered, that an embargo be forthwith laid upon all fhips and veffels laden or to be laden, in the ports of Great Britain, with wheat or wheat flour, to be exported to foreign parts; and that the faid embargo do continue and remain from the date hereof until the fourteenth day of November next. And the Right Hon. the Lords Commiffioners of his Majefty's Treafury, the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, and the Lord Warden of the cinqueports, are to give the neceffary directions herein, as to them may refpectively appertain.

26, 1766.

W. BLAIR.

corn,