The current session of the House of Burgesses opened on 4 May and achieved a quorum the next day. During this week, GW and John West received petitions from William Ramsay, Robert Adam, John Carlyle, and John Dalton, four of the leading merchants and town fathers of Alexandria, requesting certain acts to be passed in this session. One would lower the duty on rum. A second was for “the inlargement of our Town . . . as this place is in a very thriving condition.” A third act would standardize the quality and packing of “the Herring fishery which you well know, is become very considerable.” Finally, the two Fairfax County burgesses were advised they would also receive “a petition for a more effectual method to prevent the raising of Hogs and suffering them to run at large, also Goats and Geese” (16 May 1774, DLC:GW).