To the King's most Excellent Majesty.
Whitehall, May 12th 1758.
May it please your Majesty,
We have lately received a letter from Arthur Dobbs Esqre your Majesty's Governor of the Province of North Carolina, in which he acquaints us that John Rutherford Esqre receiver general of your Majesty's Quit rents in that Province having upon a solemn hearing before the Council been voted by a full Board to be guilty of a misdemeanour in the execution of his Office, he had suspended him from the execution of that office untill your Majesty's Pleasure shall be known and that he had also suspended the said Mr. Rutherford together with James Murray Esqre another member of your Majesty's Council from their seats at that Board for some Reasons which appear entred on the Journal of the Council and for some others which he judging them to be improper to be communicated to the Council has given at large in his said letter to us. We therefore beg leave humbly to lay before your Majesty the annexed extract of the said letter with copies of the Minutes of Council and other Papers therein referred to and humbly to represent to your Majesty thereupon that the suspension of Mr. Rutherford from the Office of Receiver General of your Majesty's Quit rents may be a matter proper for the consideration of the Lords Commissioners of your Majesty's Treasury under whose appointment and more immediate direction he exercised that Office and it appears by Mr. Dobbs' said letter, that the state of that Officers conduct and of the proceedings in Council thereupon are now before their Lordships.
With respect to the suspension of Mr. Rutherford and Mr. Murray from their Seats in Council we must beg leave to submit to your Majesty whether the Reasons entred on the Council Journals grounded as it appears on Facts fully proved in Council, might not alone be sufficient to justify such suspensions and to induce your Majesty to confirm them but if it be true as Mr. Dobbs alledges in his letter and his character is such as will not permit us to doubt his vaeracity that these gentlemen have formed parties in the Council and Assembly with a design to embarrass and oppose the measures of your Majesty's Governor to lessen your Majesty's Prerogative and to add to the Power of the Assembly We are humbly of opinion that it is necessary for the Peace and good government of North Carolina as well as for the support of your Majesty's said Governor in his administration that they should be removed from the Council in that Province and we beg leave accordingly humbly to propose to your Majesty that you would be graciously pleased to confirm the suspensions of the said John Rutherford and James Murray, in
such manner as your Majesty was lately pleased to direct in the similar case of Wm Wragg Esqre lately a member of your Majesty's Council in the Province of South Carolina.