(Copy) To His Excellency the Right Honble John Earl of Dunmore, Governor and Commander in Chief in and over the Colony and Dominion of Virginia.

We his Majesty's faithful Subjects the Mayor, Aldermen and Common Council of the Borough of Norfolk in Common Hall assembled, beg leave to represent to your Lordship, that on this day a Party of Men under the command of Captain [Matthew] Squire of the Otter Sloop of War lying in this harbour, landed in the.most public part of this Borough in the most daring manner, and in open violation of the peace and good order, Seized on the Printing-Utensils belonging to an Inhabitant of this Town as also the Persons of two of his Family.

We beg leave to represent to your Lordship, that this Act is both illegal and riotous, and that together with a Musquet-ball fired into the Town yesterday from on board the King Fisher has greatly alarmed and incensed the Inhabitants, and has occasioned a great number of the Women and Children to abandon this Borough, and that if these arbitrary Proceedings pass unnoticed by your Lordship as Chief Magistrate of this Colony that none of the Inhabitants are Safe from insult and abuse. we therefore as our duty represent this Matter to your Lordship for you interposition.

We my Lord as Men, and as a Common Hall have ever preserved the peace of this Town, and have never prevented the Ships of War and others from being supply'd with Provisions or any other Necessaries, and have Carefully avoided offering any insult to any of His Majesty's Servants. We had therefore hoped that the Inhabitants would never have been molested in their lawful business. We are Sorry however to have it in our power to State this fact to your Lordship which we must and do think a gross violation of all that Men and Freemen can hold dear.

Allow us to observe to your Lordship, that if the ー Inhabitants had been disposed to repel insult, that they were Sufficiently able either to have cut off or taken Prisoners the Small Party that came on Shore, and this we hope is another Proof of their peaceable intentions.

We the Mayor, Alderman and Common Council of the Borough of Norfolk, do most earnestly entreat your Lordship, that the Captains of the Men of War may not reduce the Inhabitants to the dreadful alternative of defending their Persons, or tamely suffering themselves to be abused; and to request that your Lordship will interpose your Authority to put a final Stop to such violent infringements of our rights; and to order the Persons Seized on by Captain Squire to be immediately put on Shore, and the property to be replaced from whence it was taken.

Norfolk Borough September 30th 1775

By order of the Common Hall