Humbly Sheweth

That Your Memorialist is a native of Great Britain and went to reside in Georgia about the Year 1760.

That sometime in the Year 1772 Your Memorialist was appointed Collector of the Customs at Sunbury in the said Province, where he continued untill the Subversion of His Majesty’s Goverment in 1776.

That your memorialist being zealously attached to His Majesty’s Person & Goverment, and peremptorily refusing to take the Oaths to Congress; his House was broke open & plundered; and your memorialist in order to avoid persecution & imprisonment was on the night of the 1st of August 1776 obliged to put to Sea in a small open boat, without any assistance than that of a negroe Boy; and your memorialist was at sea upwards of Twenty Hours, when he luckily reached the Inlett of Tybee and Ten leagues distant from Sunbury aforesaid, and there got on board His Majesty’s Ship Raven Commanded by Captain STANHOPES.

That your Memorialist went from Georgia to East Florida, from thence to New York, where he continued some time at a heavy expence, and then came to Great Britain, at which place your memorialist resided untill he was ordered by the then Lords Commissioners of the Treasury to return to Georgia to resume the duties of his office there.

That on your Memorialists Arrival in Georgia he resumed the exercise of his Office at Sunbury, but that part of the Country being partly laid waste, and Trade almost at a Stand, he received very little benefits therefrom, and your Memorialist while there, was again plundered by the Crew of a Row Galley from North Carolina, and at last obliged to retire into the Garrison at Savannah.

That the Officers of the Customs in America have very small Salaries annexed to their appointments, and they depended chiefly on the fees of Office for their support, the receipt of which ceased on the Subversion of the Kings Goverment there, and in the Case of your Memorialist the Salary was on £ 55 P Year whereas the fees of Office amounted Yearly to upwards of £ 200.

That dureing Your Memorialists continuance in Great Britain he received only Twenty five pounds a year in addition to his Salary of £ 55. which was altogether inadequate to support Your memorialist, and such addition of £ 25 a Year, was withdrawn on your memorialists return to Georgia.

That your memorialist Served as an Officer of the Militia several years before the Rebellion took place, and on his return was appointed by His Excelly. the Governor to a Majority in the Loyalists Commanded by Colo. KETSAL, and also did duty in a volunteer Company composed of the Principal Inhabitants there.

That on the Evacuation of Georgia Your memorialist went with other Crown Officers to New York, where he remained three months at a heavy expence waiting a passage to Great Britain; and that on Your Memorialists arrival in Great Britain there were nine quarters Salary due him, for the payment of which he hath applyed in vain.

That your Memorialist haveing lost what property he had in America, together with the Emoluments arising from his Office for near Seven Years past; dureing which time he hath been at an expence he was little able to bear, and received but a trifling support from Goverment.

Your Memorialist therefore most Humbly Prays Your Lordships to take his Case into Consideration, and not only to order Your memorialist the arrears of Salary due him but also to make him such reasonable allowance for his present & future support, as to Your Lordships shall seem just and meet--

And Your Memorialist as in duty bound will Pray &c.

James KITCHING

London
February 2d 1783

Great Britain, Public Record Office, Audit Office, Class 13, Volume 36, folio 317.

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