the humble Petition of several officers and Soldiers who served in North America during the late war, and were reduced at the peace setting forth, " That in pursuance of His Majestys Royal "Proclamation of the 7 of October 1763, they did obtain war- "rants from the Lieutenant Governor of his Majesty's Province "of New York for sundry tracts of Land to be surveyed and "also patents for divers Tracts of Lands in the Northern parts of "the said Province which Lands the petitioners alledge do yet "remain unsettled owing to a Claim of several grantees under " the Government of New Hampshire, as also to a late Instruc- "tion of his Majesty to his Govt of New York restraining him " from making any further Grantsin these parts, till his Majestys * Royal pleasure 'shall be known and humbly praying his " Majesty to permit the Governor of New York to Grant Lands "tosuch of the Petitioners, at whose expence they have been " located & surveyed ; and to confirm to others the Grants which " have already been made ;" a request of such a nature from persons so respectable and meriforious induced the fullest attention to it, as it appeared to us by a letter from the Governor of New Hampshire to the Ear] of Hillsbourough communicated to us by his Lordship, that the Council of that province were preparing, in order to transmit to his Majesty for his consideration a full state of the claims to Lands in that District under Grants from the Government of New Hampshire we thought fit to postpone any Report to your Lordships on this Case, until that Representation should be received as no such Representation has yet however been transmitted, and as his Majestys Governor of New York has repeatedly and in the strongest terms represented the necessity there is, as well in Justice to the case of the reduced officers as in propriety with respect to his Majestys service, that some speedy determination should be had concerning that very 'valuable and extensive tract of Land, which in consequence of 'those Claims remains in great part unsettled and unimproved, and in which the greatest disorders are committed it becomes ° our duty no longer to delay making our Report to your Lordships upon amatter, which in every light wherein it can be viewed, seems to us of great importance.