Folios 196-197. The humble Address and Petition of the Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Commons...

Folios 196-197. The humble Address and Petition of the Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Commons of the City of London in Common Council assembled to the King expressing their great alarm that the bill entitled 'An Act for making more effectual provision for the government of the Province of Quebec in North America' has passed both houses of Parliament. They apprehend the bill 'to be entirely subversive of the great fundamental principles of the constitution of the British Monarchy, as well as of the authority of various solemn Acts of the legislature'. They take issue not only with the fact that the bill does not admit trial by jury in any civil cases but imposes the French law of Canada on all the Province's inhabitants 'by which both the persons and properties of very many of your Majesty's subjects are rendered insecure and precarious' but also 'that the Roman Catholic religion, which is known to be idolatrous and bloody, is established by this bill, and no legal provision is made for the free exercise of our reformed faith, nor the security of our protestant fellow subjects of the Church of England, in the true worship of Almighty God according to their consciences'. They pray the King not to give his assent to the bill. Signed by James Hodges.