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Province
of Mass[achusetts] Bay
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                                          To his Excellency
      Thomas Hutchinson Esq: Capt. Gen:
the Honorable his Majesty's Council & the hon[orable]
House of Representatives of said Province in Gen[eral]
Court assembled.
                                                      May the 27th 1772
                                                      _________________

      The Memorial of William Billings, &c.

      Whereas your Memorialist in the year 1770
proferred this Petition to this Honorable Court, therein pray=
ing for the Reasons therein mentioned, that he might
have a Patent granted him for the sole Liberty of print=
ing a Book, by him composed, consisting of Psalm
Tunes, Anthems & Canons, which has been found
upon Experience, to be to general acceptance; &
which Composition is made much use of in many
of our Churches, & is more & more used every Day.
      That your Memorialist has composed a 2nd Vol. in
Addition, to make his Performance more compleat,
though he is not insensible, that further Additions may
be made.      He would also inform this Hon[orable] Court
that he is apprehensive that an unfair Advantage