Apportionment of the Salt taken by the Cruisers at Hampton among the several Counties of the Colony

v4:99

The Convention then, according to the Order of the Day, resolved itself into the said Committee; and after some time spent therein, Mr˙ President resumed the chair, and Mr˙ Cary reported, that the Committee had, according to order, had under their consideration the state of the Colony, and had come to the following Resolution; which he read in his place, and afterwards delivered in at the Clerk' s table, where the same was again twice read, and agreed to:

Resolved, That Col˙ Howe be informed, in answer to his Letter of the 25th, that this Convention are fully sensible of the hardships many innocent persons on board His Majesty' s Ships may be exposed to, for want of regular supplies of fresh Provisions, which we would not wish to withhold, unless compelled by the duty we owe to the country, loudly calling upon us to use every exertion for the defence of its inhabitants. That Capt˙ Bellew, who probably is a stranger to us and our situation, should be informed that this country hath ever, till of late, considered the officers and men of His Majesty' s Navy as their friends, and have always had great pleasure in showing them every mark of hospitality and civility; but many very recent and unwarrantable instances of the hostile behaviour of some of the Navy towards our inhabitants, justify us in suspicions we would not otherwise entertain. Who are the innocent and helpless whose blood Capt˙ Bellew would not wish to shed, we cannot, from his expressions, determine; but they carry with them the strongest implication, that the effusion of the blood of some of our countrymen is the object of his voyage to this country. That the Convention have the warmest wishes to find themselves mistaken in these apprehensions; and if Capt˙ Bellew can condescend to satisfy them, or Col˙ Howe, that he is come to Virginia on a friendly errand, this Convention will take every opportunity of paying proper respect to a gentleman in his

v4:100

Mr˙ Cary, from the Committee appointed, reported, that the Committee appointed for that purpose had proportioned the Salt taken by the cruisers at Hampton in pay of this Colony, amounting to 3,600 bushels, which necessary of life the inhabitants of sundry Counties are in great want of, occasioned by the many illegal seizures of vessels, laden with that article, by His Majesty' s Ships of War, and sundry Piratical Vessels fitted out by Lord Dunmore.

Resolved, therefore, That 599 bushels of the said Salt be, with all convenient speed, sent up James River to Richmond, to the care of the Committee of the County of Henrico, for the use of the following Counties, to wit:

And that 1,260 bushels of the said Salt be sent, as aforesaid, to the care of the Committee of the County of Chesterfield, to be landed at Manchester, for the use of the following Counties, to wit:

And that 985 bushels of the said Salt be sent, as aforesaid, to Petersburg, and Jordan' s, on Appamattox River, for the use of the following Counties, and to be left to the care of the Committees of the Counties of Prince George, and Dinwiddie:

And that 387 bushels of the said Salt be sent, as aforesaid, to Cumberland Town, and Newcastle, up York River, to the care of the Committees of the Counties of Hanover and New-Kent respectively, for the use of the following Counties, to wit:

And that 272 bushels of the said Salt be landed at Hampton, under the care of the Committee for the County of Elizabeth City, for the use of the following Counties, to wit:

And that 63 bushels of the said Salt be sent up James River, and landed at Berkeley, for the use of the County

v4:101

Resolved, That the Committees of the several Counties above named do, with the utmost despatch, cause the said Salt as above allotted to them, to be divided among such of the inhabitants of their several Counties as shall appear to them to be in the greatest need of that article; the persons receiving the same paying to the Chairman, or such person as shall be deputed by the several Committees, the sum of 5s˙ per bushel for such Salt, and also the expenses which shall accrue in transporting the same; which several sums of money are hereby ordered to be transmitted, by the Chairman of the several Committees, to the Treasurer of this Colony, within three months from this time. And if, on further inquiry, it appears that the Salt taken as above be the property of persons not inimical to this Colony, the Treasurer shall repay to the owners thereof after the rate of 4s˙ per bushel.

Resolved, That this Convention doth agree with the Committee in the said Report, and that the Committee for the County of Elizabeth City do cause the same to be delivered according to the several proportions therein mentioned.