PETITION BY riiOPKIETORS. 27 "the considerations by which the government was influenced in its treatment of the action of the House of Assembly in regard to land. An application was made in behalf of officers abroad in the King's service, who were proprietors of land, praying that the arrears of quitrent due on their lands should be remitted, and that no proceedings should be taken to dispose of those lands for future arrears until the conclusion of the war, wlien they might be enabled to settle and improve the same. Thomas Townshend , the colonial secretary, accordingly recommended that no action during the war should be taken against the property of absent ■officers. A. petition was about the same time presented by •other proprietors of land in the island, reciting the difficul¬ ties peculiarly incident to the island, showing that their expectations, mainly in consequence of the American war, had proved abortive, and complaining that many of the allotments in the island had been sold under the assembly act of 1774, and of the treasury order of 177G, to officers resident in the island, for little more than the arrears and charges of confiscation. They further prayed for a remis¬ sion of the quitrents in arrear, and that in future they might liave the option of paying the quitrents cither in London or the island. The council proceeded, on the first of May, to take these matters into consideration, wdicn it was agreed " that all such as, on or before the first of May, 1784, should liave paid up all the arrears of quitrent due upon their respective lots to the first of May, 1783, should, from the said first of May, 1783, until the first of May, 1789, be exempted from the payment of more than the quitrent now payable upon each of their lots, and that, for and during the further term of ten years,—to commence from the said first of May, 1789,—the same quitrent only as is now payable on each of their lots should continue to be paid in lieu of the