The Virginia Gazette

To the PRINTER.

It is reported a petition to his Honour the Governour is handed about, or calling the General Assembly in July; the reason given in that petition, as I am informed, is to address his Majesty upon the repeal of the Stamp Act. It is certainly the duty of the General Assembly to address our Sovereign, upon every proper occasion; but cannot such an address be made three or four months hence, with as much propriety as in July? The Assembly is prorogued to the first Thursday in September; and as no notice is given in the proclamation that it is to meet at that time for the dispatch of publick business, according to the usual course, it is taken for granted that it will be further prorogued. Intermediate sessions ought never to be called, but in cases of the greatest exigency; as many inconveniences may arise, from the Burgesses not having timely notice to attend their duty in the House: Measures may be carried, by a few, which might not be agreed to if all the members were present; and other measures may be lost, or new modelled, so as to destroy their effects, which might pass by a great majority, in their original state, if the House was full. I believe instances of this sort have happened. But this is not all: We are told in the publick papers that many bills in favour of the commercial interest of the American colonies are under the consideration of Parliament. What hath been the fate of those bills we cannot certainly know until some months after the Parliament breaks up, which it is said will not be before the first week in July. Now is it not better to wait until the latter end of October, when we may expect to know the whole proceedings of the Parliament relative to America, than to enter into a partial consideration of what they have already done for us? In my opinion, an address at that time will be more proper than in July. The General Assembly, if it meets the last week in October, will have time enough to address the Throne or Parliament, if they think proper, long before the rising of the next Parliament; and it will be to no purpose to address sooner. Indeed I have ever thought it wrong to set forth any special cause in a petition to the Governour for calling the Assembly: The Gentlemen of the House of Burgesses are trustees of the people, and ought to be free and disengaged upon every question brought before them; but if a petition to the Governour contains any special matter as an inducement for him to call the Assembly, the Gentlemen concerned in such petition may think themselves under an obligation to support it even though they should be convinced of its impropriety. But there is another reason against the Assembly's meeting in July: The present year's taxes will not be paid into the Treasury before October. If the Assembly meets in July, these taxes cannot be carried to the publick credit in the Treasurer's accounts; and must remain in his hands until the succeeding Assembly, unless particular provision is made to prevent it; but if it meets in the beginning of the winter, the Treasurer must charge himself with the produce of these taxes in his account to be laid before the Assembly at that time, whereby a full state of the Treasury will be known to the end of this year, and the whole produce of the funds may be applied to their proper uses under the immediate direction of the Assembly, which I conceive will be an advantage to the publick credit. Besides, it is asserted by many Gentlemen that propositions will be made to the next Assembly for the publick benefit, some of which depend so much upon the state of the Treasury that if it is not fully known they cannot be carried into execution though they should be approved of. I will by no means insinuate that particular designs are hid under the cloak of addressing his Majesty: I do not believe the Gentlemen who I understand are the chief promoters of the petition are capable of such designs, but they may be assured insinuations of this sort have been flung out by some people.