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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Petition from the North Carolina General Assembly to George III, King of Great Britain concerning printing paper currency
North Carolina. General Assembly
January 16, 1768
Volume 07, Pages 681-682

Petition to the King from a Committee of both Houses of the Assembly of No. Carolina.

To the Kings most Excellent Majesty in Council

The Petition of a Committee of both Houses of Assembly in the Colony of N. Carolina.

Humbly Sheweth,

That by the Resolves of both Houses of Assembly your Petitioners have been appointed to represent to your most sacred Majesty the present distressed situation of this Colony, for want of a currency to answer the purposes of paying their internal Taxes, and for a medium in Trade.

The paper currency at present circulating will this year be due and payable to the Publick, when the distresses of the poor inhabitants of this Colony will be inexpressible, as they will not have wherewith to pay the internal Taxes, and other considerable debts, neither is it in their power by any of the produce of their lands to obtain Gold and Silver to answer any of those purposes.

We beg leave to represent as the sense of both Houses of Assembly that they will not by any Bill or Act of Assembly make any currency to be a lawful Tender for what now is, or may become due or payable to the Crown, or to Merchants or others residing in Great Britain, but that the same shall be made payable at the full sterling value.

Your Petitioners do most humbly pray your most sacred Majesty, that you will be graciously pleased to grant the Royal Licence for emitting in this Colony to be current for the term of sixteen years the sum of one hundred thousand pounds Proclamation money, not exceeding the value of seventy five thousand pounds sterling, which

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will not be more than seven shillings sterling for each person in the Colony or grant such other relief as may be thought proper.

And your Petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray &c.
MAURICE MOORE
CORN. HARNETT
ROBt. HOWE
JOHN RUTHERFORD
LEWIS DeROSSET.

North Carolina 16th January 1768.