I concern for the trouble thia suhjeut lia» CK!Cftsioued yovir Lonlship in conncil, I beg to acknoM ledge the endeavours that have been made l>y your Lorrlffhip's goverument to prevent the eWl His Majeaty a service and the public prosperity in these settlements have so much cause to lament/' King implored Lord Hobart to take ** niore efficient steps" with Mr. Campbell, supposed to be then in England,] and took steps in the colony hiniself. He conceived the petition to be more of a " connnand than a request/* '* However speciously worded, it bad for its object the veatiug the spirits in the haiida or at thecommaDd of Mr. CanipbelVs agents, who were aiie deindcd settlers were informed) to have retailed il at six i^hilliugs a galloiiJ for fre^h pork at sixpence a pound, which would infallibly have prevented any exertion m agriculture antl been the means of bi^ygaring the aettlera. As I conceived this measure highly improper, I haftteued the Eaijle'» departure without allowing one drop to be landed/' King **sammoned the magistrates to consider whether the signatures to the petition harl been obtained in a proper manner/' They thought that under the Bill of Eights every person had a right to petition, and that any irregu- larity might have ** proceeded from ignorance,*' and recom-^ mended the ** discharge of the delinquents/* which King "concurred with readily/* first giving an *' admonishing General Order/' On any "supposed or real occasion'* an intending peti- tioner was to communieate with *' the nearest magistrate/* who was to refer to the Governor, that " immediate atten- tion" might be given, which would *' prevent the seditious and ill-disposed going about getting petitions signed by the credulous and uowary for the most destructive purposes," < • - Legal and proper petitions lie would decide upon the existing laws of England . . . *' as nearly as local circumstauces** . . . and the ** tranquillity and welfare of the colony** would admit.
- Any petition sanctioned by three magistrates to be signed by more
than one person after its »uljje«.^fc had been fiT»t t'omniiinicated to the Governor wiU be received am! atviclly considered ; but any person pre- suming to go about with petitions otherwise than allowed by law, will ineui* the pains and penalties provided for on that behalf by the laws of England/'
- Thi8 measure/' the Governor wrote, *' had the effect of calming the
petitioninef settler.s, or rather two or three interested people who eared but little for the welfare of those abnut them, provided their avarice coidd be firatitied at any saeritice of health, property, atul luoraAa. Iil i^vOT.,>Ma
