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Halifax March 8th 1850

Sir

We have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 7th Inst. enclosing by command of His Excellency the Lieut Governor a Memorial from Mess.rs Creighton & Grassie praying the delivery of certain Goods wrecked on Sable Island and claimed by them as Agents. In obedience to your commands we have the honor to report; That immediately on the receipt of Mess.rs Creighton & Grassie's communication of the [1st?] Inst, though we had no doubt ourselves of the illegality of their claim, and that the granting of it even had it been in our Power so to do, would have been a practice never before acted upon, to our Knowledge in any single instance, since the Establishment on the Island, and have constituted a precedent beyond doubt pregnant with very many difficulties, as also enabling parties in any future instance to claim the like indulgence; Yet anxious not to act upon our own judgement and previous experience, we without loss of time
transmitted

[address at lower left]
The Honorable
Joseph Howe
Provincial Secretary &c &c