Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society (Volume 74) (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: WILLIAM BOLLAN TO THE SPEAKER.1 Leicester Square, [London], May 8th, 1761 Sir, ? The Lords Commissioners for Trade and plantations having under their Consideration an Act passed by the General Court in February, 1760,2 for regulating fees, on the 24th of last month, pursuant to their direction, 1 attended their Lordships, when Lord Sandys 3 told me they had these two objections to the Act. (1) that altho' atemporary Act, it repeald a perpetual Act of the 4th of William and Mary, Chapt. 17. (2) that the perpetual Act having had the royal approbation, an Act for repealing it ought to have contain'd a Clause suspending its force and execution, until the king's determination thereupon was declared.1 A few things were then said, wherein some of the Lords seem'd to suppose these objections unanswerable. After observing that a New establishment of Money, with the changing circumstances of a New country, required a New table of fees, I desired the matter might be deferr'd til I could consider the present Act, and all the former laws relating to fees, together with their Lordships' objections, as this Act had never been transmitted to me, and I was wholly a stranger to it when I received their directions to attend; and after some time spent hereupon the matter was put off accordingly. Their Lordships then passed to another affair, and Lord Sandys having in his hand four Acts for lotteries he inveigh'd against them, as mischievous in their nature, destructive to labour, and industry, and introductive of the spirit of gaming, ever attended with many ill consequences.2 In excuse for these Acts, I observed that the distresses, occasiond by the heavy expence of the War, of which the Province had taken so large a part, had probably brought these lotteries intouse; and the whole board havin...