ment aflembled, return your Majetty our moft humble thanks for your gracious fpeech from the throne.

We defire your Majefty will believe, that we entertain the most grateful fenfe of the paternal and tender regard your Majefty 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 affore your Majefty, that your faithful Commons will not fail, agreably to your Majefty's recommendation, to take this weighty matter into our moft ferious confideration, in order, by timely and effectual measures, to purfue the two great ends, which your Majelly's wifdom has pointed out, of providing against the many evils attending a dearnefs or fearcity of corn, efpecially to the poorer fort of your Majefty's fubjects; and, at the fame time, of fuppreffing that daring and dangerous spirit of riot which has of late to generally fhewn ittelf 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 Majefty, 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 moft heartily congratulate 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 Majefty's crown is ftrengthened, by a fresh tie of the most endearing kind.

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

It is with the utmost chearfulnefs that your Majefty's faithful Coinmons will grant fuch fupplies, as fhall be necellary for the fervice of the year; having the utmost confidence in the affurance your Majefly is pleafed to give, that they will be pun&tually applied to thofe purpofes for which they hail be granted.

We beg your Majefty will per mit us to exprefs our higheft fa tisfaction on the prefent happy establishment of the public tran quillity; and the well-grounded hopes we entertain, from the wife dom of your Majefty's councils, and the influence of your example, that, while your Majefty wifely unites, with the refolution to fupport the diguity of your crown and the rights of your people, a true zeal for the general peace and happiness of mankind, the famg 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 juft and falutary views,

fold; and the making any motion

Gentlemen,

I return you moft 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 pleafure the continuance of that zeal and truly public spirit which I have already experienced in my faithful Commons, by your early attention to the feveral great objects recomhended to your confideration, and particularly to the means of providing against the evils attending a carcity of corn, and for fecuring the tranquillity of the country. You may depend on my invariable attention to the happinefs and profperity of my kingdom.

A proclamation for putting the laws in execution against forestalling, regrating, and engroffing of corn. GEORGE R.

W

Hereas feveral good ftatutes have been made againft foreftallers, regraters, and engrol fers, who are thereby declared open oppreffors of the poor, and enemies of their country: and by an act made in the parliament, holden 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 sea, to be sold 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 sold, are prohibited, and adjudged foreftalling: And whereas, by the same act, it is declared, that the ob taining, 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 same 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, otherwise than is therein particularly allowed of, (that is to say) buying of barley, bigg, or oats (not by foreftalling) to be converted into malt or oatmeal in the house 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 foreftalling) by any badger, kidder, or carrier, who is to be licensed fo to do, and fhall 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 shall be fo firft bought; or providing, withotit forestalling 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

tutez

tute; nor the buying of corn (except by foreftalling) by any perfon licensed fo to do, to be tranf ported 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, fhipped within forty 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 comptroller of the port where the fame was fhipped; the punishments of which faid offences are enacted to be imprifonment for two months, with out bail or mainprize, for the firft offence, befides forfeiture of the corn fo bought or had; for the fecond offence, imprifonment 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 pillory in the place where the offender hall dwell, and forfeiture of all his goods and chattles, and imprifonment during our pleafure; 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 hall 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 VOL. IX,

the

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 quarterfeffions of the peace, for county where fuch perfon fhall fo dwell, and hath dwelt for the fpace 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 licenfe, 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 figned and fealed by three of the juftices then prefent, whereof one to be of the quorum, on pain of forfeiting 51. by every perfon taking any licenfe not purfuant to the faid act, and all fuch licenfes are, by the faid act, declared null and void. the faid juftices are, by the faid act, impowered to take bond and furety by recognizances of the perfon licenfed, that he fhall not foreftall or ingrofs, or otherwife prác tife, or do any act, or thing, contrary to the faid ftatute of Edward the fixth.

And.

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, unlels fuch perfon [Q]

fhall

fhall be thereunto licenced 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 increafed, and the fame is likely to grow much dearer, to the great oppreffion of the poor, partIy, because the said 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, fhe, riffs, bailiffs, and all other magiftrates, officers, and minifters, whatsoever, and wherefoever, with in England, Wales, and our town of Berwick upon Tweed, that, they and every of them, within their respective places and jurifdictions, do caule the laid acts, and all other acts relating to the fame matters, to be in all, and every the parts and branches therept, 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 hall 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 regiftering the fame. For which faid fee, the faid clerk or his deputy hall have and keep one register-book, and therein all regifter 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 fhall be granted; which book or regilter, the faid clerk of the peace, or his deputy fhall have and bring to every teffions, to the intent that it may appear what number of licenfes be and fhall be from time to time granted, whereby the better confideration may be had thereof.]

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

26, 1766.

in Council.

from

from the lord mayor and alder, men of London, the cities of Briftol and Norwich, and other confiderable corporations, and numerous bodies of men, that the price of wheat has gradually increased 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 most other places in the kingdom greatly exceeding the fame, and it is upon the strongest 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 flopped, there is great caufe to forefee 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 ap. prehenfion is much increased from the undoubted informations his Majefty has received, that from the failure of, and deficiencies in the crops in feveral foreign parts, commiffions have been received from thence to purchase wheat, to fapply fuch foreign markets, at an unlimited price; and which

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 neceffity now impending, and for the fafety, benefit, and fuftenance of his Majefty's fubjects, that his Ma-, jefty, 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 Commiflioners 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.

W. BLAIR.

26, 1766.

Council.

WHEREAS his Majefly bath

corn