Seven residents of Powhatan County support "a petition from the citizens of Northampton County to your body on the subject of imposing 'additional restrictions on Free negroes and mulattoes in the sale of produce &c.'" They assert that "a considerable portion of our population consists of Free negroes and mulattoes, who follow or pretend to follow, the pursuits of agriculture for a support, naturally lazy and indolent with but few exceptions, they seldom raise even a scanty supply." The petitioners purport, however, that this "serves as a means for enabling them to trade largely with our slaves for Grain &c making it very difficult to detect such trading." They therefore propose that said free blacks "be compelled when offering to make sale of their produce, to exhibit some written evidence, that they raised the articles or come honestly by them." The petitioners "think [that this] might probably be effected by having Four or more discreet, intelligent Farmers appointed in each county and located in the most convenient parts thereof to whom all Free negroes and mulattoes shall apply and obtain a written certificate setting forth that they have probably raised such articles for sale."
Result: Laid on table.
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Repository: Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
