To His Excellency Francis Legge Esquire, Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over His Majesty's Province of Nova Scotia and its dependencies Vice Admiral of the same &c &c &c
May it please your Excellency
We His Majesty's ever dutiful and loyal Subjects the Members of the Council and Representatives of this Province, met in General Assembly, having the most grateful Sense of our Sovereigns paternal Regard for all his faithful People, and particularly in the distinguish'd favors lately granted to the Inhabitants of this Province, and such as seek an Asylum therein from the other Colonies: Think it our duty to lay before your Excellency the Discouragement the trading part of the People meet with in their Commerce with Great Britain, the West India Islands, and also the Coasting Trade, by having their Seamen and other persons employ'd by them in that Business, impress'd and put on Board Ships of War which unless spedily prevented must utterly ruin the small Trade of this Province and deprive His Majesty's Subjects in the West Indies of that supply of Lumber and other necessary Articles which they would otherwise be furnish'd with from hence, and has a Tendency to prevent many well Affected persons from coming into the Province from the other Colonies which the Government at home seem desirous to encourage; and tho we are willing to contribute all in our Power at this time for the Aid & Assistance of His Majesty's Forces in America, we cannot but feel for the distress'd State of Numbers in the Town of Halifax, on Account of the Scarcity of Fuel, and other necessary Supplies of which they will be deprived in a great Measure from the dread the Persons are under of being impress'd, who usually furnish'd the Town therewith.
We therefore Request your Excellency will please to represent to His Majesty & Ministers, the Distresses, if not total ruin of the Trade of this Province, where but few Seamen are to be had, should the practice of empressing them for the Ships of War be continued: That an Order may be procur'd from the Lords of the Admiralty to put a Stop thereto: In the mean time we pray your Excellency woud use your Influence with the Admiral at Boston and the Commanders of such of His Majesty's Ships as are now in the Harbour of Halifax, or may resort hither, that the Seamen belonging to Vessels owned in Nova Scotia may not be impress'd. Octobr 1775.2
[Endorsed] (Copy) In Govr Legge's (No 49) of 4th Novr 1775.
