Present
His Excellency the Governor. ー

The Honoble George Forbes		Esqrs	Edward Stiles		Esquires
Thomas Jones			Henry Tucker
Jonathan Burch			John Hinson
John Harvey

The Board Considering the present Alarming Situation of the Island from a Scarcity of Provision thought advisable to Address His Excellency on the Occasion.ー

The following Address being drawn up was read and approved of by the Board the same Signed by the President and by him presented to His Excellency as follows. Vizt ー May it please Your Excellency.

We His Majesty's most dutiful and Loyal Subjects the Council of Bermuda beg leave to represent to Your Excellency the present Melancholly and truly calamitous Situation of this Islandー

From your Excellencys long residence amongst us, you cannot but be intimately acquainted with the Nature of our Trade and our entire dependance upon the American Colonies for supplies of Provisions. That we cannot possibly exist without such supplies is a Fact well known to your Excellency, a Fact which cannot be controverted. It has however been often urged, that every necessary supply can be easily obtained from Great Britain and Ireland, but as your Excellency is no stranger to the utter Impractiofcability of such a plan we flatter ourselves it will be needless to suggest any the numberless Arguments, which may be adduced to demonstrate, that every attempt of that sort must infallibly prove unsuccessful and abortive Our Trade is now totally annihilated thro' the unhappy Contest between the Parent State and her Subjects in America. We have no Staple of any kind, by which we can procure the common Necessaries of Life, nor can we encourage the most distant Hopes of reeping any supplies from the Production of the Country (at all Times inconsiderable and trifling) but at present destroy'd by the long continued dry Weather. Under these deplorable Circumstances, where can we fly to for Refuge and Supportment. Where but to your Excellency the Representative of Our most Gracious Sovereign, whose Humanity is deservedly rank'd amongst his most distinguishing Characteristics. From what has been premis'd Should the late Act of Parliament which positively inhibits all fotercourse with the American Continent be literally and risidly [sic rigidly] adhered to, it is obvious that we must inevitably perish. We therefore most earnestly entreat your Excellency, that you wou'd be pleased to fall upon some Expedient; which may remove the Horrors the people at present but too justly entertain of an impending Famine. We are firmly persuaded that the Exigency of the Case and the peculiar Hardships we labour under will fully justify in His Majesty's Royal Breast every lenient Measure which Your Excellency may think proper to adopt for this desirable purpose, and therefore once more take the Liberty of repeating our Wishes that your Excellency wou'd be so good as to consider seriously the Distresses of the Inhabitants of this little Country and at the same time kindly grant them every Indulgence and Relief in Your Excellency's Power.ー

By Order of the Board

September 3d 1776.ー

His Excellency was pleased to Acquaint the Board that he would do every Service to the Country that [lay] in his power Consistent with his duty to His Majesty and supremacy of the British Empire, and Agreeable to His Instructions. ー His Excellency then laid before the Council an Instruction together with a Form of Lycence he lately received from the Right Honorable Lord George Germain directed to be granted for fetching of provisions. ー

The Board then Adjoured.ー