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My Lord,

I had the honor to receive your Lordship's Dispatch No 7 two days ago together with an Order of His Majesty in Council for the disallowance of three Acts passed in this Province in January 1771, and a Copy of the representations of the Lords of Trade upon them and a fourth Act not disallowed; in Obedience to the Royal Command signified to me by your Lordship's letter I have declared His Majesty's disallowance of such Acts in the usual manner by Proclamation.

In Consequence of Representations made to me of the calamitous state of this Country from a long and excessive drought that hath much injured the Harvest of Wheat and other Winter Grain and in many parts totally destroyed the crops of Indian Corn and that the Northern and Southern Colonies have suffered

in like manner, I have by and with the advice and consent of His Majesty's Council laid an Embargo upon Wheat and Rye and the flour thereof to continue until the 28th day of November next when the Crops of Indian Corn may be ascertained and the Propriety of continuing or taking off the Embargo determined upon right principles.

By the Minutes of Council it will appear to your Lordship that I have taken this and other measures with the advice of only three Members of the Council more than which as the Members are so remotely situated and widely dispersed I find it impossible to convene in any reasonable time even when I am at New Bern the fixed seat of Government and the distance of this place renders it still more difficult to assemble a greater Quorum.

I have assiduously aimed at a strict conformity to His Majesty's Instructions relating to Trade but I do assure your Lordship I find it utterly impossible to effect what is required by the 9th article of those Instructions; it may be easy in a Colony that has but one Port where the Governor resides but in this which has many and very distant from his Residence it is impracticable without great inconveniences and delays to the trading part of His Majesty's subjects as well as much greater punctuality and attention in the Officers of the Customs than my predecessors or I have been able to bring them to wherefore I cannot help expressing my wishes to your Lordship that His Majesty may be graciously pleased to take this matter into His Royal consideration and that your Lordship will be pleased to inform me whether since His Majesty's appointment of the Board of Commissioners of the Customs for America it is designed that the Governors should direct their correspondence on business of that department to them only or to the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury the Commissioners of the Customs in London and to the American Board also.

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