They prayed, that all store-houses, &c. built by planters since 1685, in the front of fishing ships’ rooms, towards the water, should be declared by act of parliament to belong to the ship to which the fishing room belonged—this to be enforced by forfeitures, to be levied by the fishing admirals. For better preservation of store-houses, cook-rooms, stages, &c. &c. they prayed that the fishing admirals, at the end of the season, should inspect them all, and depute some honest and best inhabitant of the harbour, to take care that no one presumed to demolish or injure them; and that such person so deputed should receive twenty shillings from the fishing ship which occupied it next season. They propose some strict regulations, to prevent aliens and strangers sending out ships as English owned; with a power to the fishing admirals to administer an oath to the masters of ships, as to the ownership; and to seize, as forfeited, all foreign ships; half the forfeiture to go to the person seizing. They complain, that the French parts were not so open for fishing ships to get rooms as they should be, _Governor Moody_ and others pretending to have bought the French plantations; that the governor had permitted French ships to come, and had taken all power out of the hands of the fishing admirals. In order that the poor labouring fishermen might not suffer oppression and disturbance from any military, or public officer, soldier, they desired, that no military person, on any pretence whatsoever, should intermeddle with the fishery or fishermen, inhabitants, or others; nor should let the soldiers out to hire, nor keep suttling houses, nor have, for their private use, any house out of the lines of the fortification, or any gardens that have served, or may serve, for fishing rooms, according to the judgment of the fishing admirals of the harbour. And because the commodores of late years had taken upon them to keep courts, and send warrants to several remote harbours, for commanders of fishing ships, in the height of the season, upon frivolous complaints of idle and debauched men, and others, without the complaint being first heard by the fishing admirals, according to act of parliament, to the great prejudice of the fishery—they prayed, that the commodore might not in future be permitted to do the like; that all complaints might be decided by the fishing admirals, and that no commodore should presume to intermeddle with debts between merchants, masters, planters, and fishermen, as they had lately done, to the great prejudice of the merchants. They pray, that the ships of war, which were there to project the trade, might be obliged to come or send assistance, in case of piracy or mutiny in any of the harbours.