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go to ruin, and poffibly fo far as to be paft recovery, by fuch a revenue bill hereafter, and then what can follow, but that they must be rebuilt at the country's charge; for after this we must never expect again to have the quit-rents by any law to be appropriated to the use of the island; befides which, all the pains and charge we have been at these seven months together with our more precious time, in making of fuch laws as are already paffed here, will, in all probability, be quite loft, and the laws rejected at home, when it fhall be known to the king that we have refufed him the feven years bill; yet never was there a better body of laws framed for the good of Jamaica than these that now are, and others that may be paffed; fo that we fhould be extremely unhappy in fuch a disappointment, which being drawn upon us by our own wilfulness, we fhall rather be exposed to contempt and fcorn than pitied by our fellow fubjects. I have too much reafon to fear we shall never have the fame opportunity again, at least I am fure it is no prudence to truft to it, whilft it is in our power to make fure of this we have, especially when it is to be done, as I told you before, at the fole charge of foreigners, without one penny of real money of the island.

Con.-That, I must confefs, weighs more with me than any thing elfe you have faid, but I fhall confider both of that and the reft, with fome. other of our friends; and God Almighty direct us all to do for the best!

Drawn by colonel Hender Molefworth, 1682, upon the paffing the revenue bill void of clogs, the first of fir Thomas Lynch.

AN ORDER

DISAPPROVING THE

ACT DECLARING THE LAWS OF ENGLAND

IN FORCE IN

JAMAICA.

At the court at Whitehall, the twenty-third February, 1682, by the king's most excellent majesty, and the lords of his majesty's privy council.

HEREAS, by the powers given unto Charles, earl of Carlisle, late governor-in-chief of the island of Jamaica, and, in his absence, to the commander-in-chief thereof for the time being, dated the third day of November, in the thirty-fecond year of his majefty's reign, his majefty has been graciously pleafed to authorise and empower the governor, council, and affembly, of the faid ifland, to conftitute and ordain laws, which are to be in force until his majefty's pleasure be fignified to the contrary; and forafmuch as, in purfuance of the faid powers, an act has been paffed at an affembly in the faid ifland, on the twenty-eighth of October, 1681, entitled, An act declaring the laws of England in force, his majefty is pleased to fignify his diffatisfaction and difallowance of the fame; and, according to his majefty's pleafure thereupon expreffed, the faid law is hereby repealed, void, and of no effect,

JOHN NICHOLAS.

THE

THE GOVERNOR'S

SPEECH

ΤΟ THE

SING

ASSEMBLY

O F JAMA IC 1.

INCE all colonies need, and all people defire, certain and known laws, and that we have here laboured above twenty years in compofing a body of them, and fince we may believe this feffions will give the finifhing ftroke to fo great and needful a thing, it must therefore follow, it will not only be agreeable to us but profitable to them that come after us. It is true former affemblies have met generally out of temper, fome of them have been prejudiced, others jealous, the beft fo anxious, that all have been rendered impracticable; but you, gentlemen, have taken better methods, and the laft feffions given fuch inftances of your duty and loyalty to the king, and zeal and affection to the intereft of this flourishing colony, that the people cannot enough value nor enough praise you; for, without flattery, it is your prudence and moderation that have eftablished our peace, promoted our interefts, and given fuch fanction to the meeting of affemblies, that I dare fay, now you have made them eafy, they will for the future become frequent. From your laft feffions, gentlemen, we may begin to date the profperity of the ifland, for it was then you gave his majefty all the teftimonies of duty you were capable of, by entirely fubmitting all your concerns to his facred will, and by your ready and cheerful taking every offenfive claufe out of the act of his revenue: It was then you framed your moft feafonable petition and difcrcet addrefs, wherein you acknowledged that duty, and profeffed that gratitude, which is due to fo great a benefactor, fo exact a prince, as our king: It was then, likewife, you made fuch prudent and humble application to our lords at home, that I may fay without hyperbole, if I could without prefumption, it has rendered them fo favourable that they feem concerned for us as advocates, kind to us as guardian angels; the happy confequences thereof are fo obvious, I need fay nothing, for who does not know how gracious the king is, how obliging the lords have been, how great our credit abroad, how perfect our union here, all mankind agrees in it, and fee heaven feems pleafed as well as the king. For, if the last year it appeared brafs, this it melts into fhowers, to rain blef

fings

fings on us; for who has ever feen Port-Royal fo full of hips, or known. the planters have fold their goods fo dear. If we have had loles at fea, have they not been borne with that equanimity and filence that becomes merchants and reafonable men, and our trade is neverthelefs encreated, fo that we have more feamen and velfels than any king's colonies in thefe Indies; and are not you all my witnelles that, within fifteen months, every man's freehold throughout this great ifland is almoft rifen in value from fifty to twq hundred per cent, fo that we have actually experimented what is commonly faid, concordia parve res crefcunt, &c. peace and agreement make little and young colonies thrive, whereas difcord and quarrels ruin thofe that are great and profperous; I must there, fore again fay, and wave my part in it, your conduct has done this, and, which is more valuable, it has procured us a moit particular mark of the king's grace and favour. This, gentlemen, appears beft in his majetty's own letter. I dare not prefume to tally it with any comment, for it is all the king, every fyllable is good, every period infinitely gracious. The gentlemen of the council have entered it in their book; here it is for you to record, not only in your journal, but in your memories, fo that you may difcourfe it to your children, they to their pofterity, that the generations to come may know it, blefs God for it, and recur to it as another kind of magna charte. You have, gentlemen, that clause in the charter of the governor that continues affemblies, declares their laws must depend on the king's pleafure; you must needs have heard thofe of Virginia, Bar badoes, &c. do to this day, yet they are ancient colonies, have coft the king nothing, but have and do render confiderably both to him and the nation; notwithtanding this, and that wife and juft princes manage their prerogative, yet ours has been fo fingularly gracious to us as to relax his, pafs your laws, and here they are in your own words; by which act and grace his majefty is pleafed for feven years to foreclofe himfelf the use of that power which all divine and human rights veft him with; and this, gentlemen, is a confideration fo extraordinary, a grace fo obliging, that you can better comprehend than I exprefs it; certain it is, another kind of of prince, in fuch kind of juncture, would have made no fuch conceffion, nor when preffed for money, on report only of our loffes by pirates, been at the charge to fend us another freight. These things are extraordinary, fo is all that the king has done for us, and by it you fee princes fouls, or the perfect reprefentative God has on earth; you can no fooner fhew your fubmiffion and dependence, but you thall receive good and have protection. Poffibly, gentlemen, fame fcrupulous and ill informed people

without

vithout doors (we here know and can judge better), may be fhocked at feven years, and fancy the laws thould have patted indefinite; but these do not confider that places, times, and affairs, as well as men and the reafon of things, do all naturally change; pray mark it, and that there is no difference betwixt making a thing perpetual and putting it into the train of being fo; we do not think the motions of a clock the lefs perfect or regular because it needs winding up, and if we defire affemblies thould fometimes meet, we ought what may occafion it. Can any one judge it reafonable we should have fo great a concern for our little triffling municipal laws, and think the minifters at home thould be fo fupine as to have none at all for the great laws of the ftate, and what regards the king? Is not his revenue the reafon and balance, is it not rather the four and vitals? Can there be motions, can there be life, in government without money? The king then is very juft, and his minifters have been exceeding prudent, for they have only joined with his powers what our good renders abfolutely infeparable. If that does not entirely please, you fhould have done, or do yet, as wife nature for the noble parts, the heart first, and you may believe the body and members will proportionally have life, vigour, and duration. This book, gentlemen, does not contain all your laws, fome are returned to be amended, but those amendments are so reasonable, you will no fooner hear them but you will affent to them: one is the king is too humane to be paid for hedding man's blood, fo you muft find fome other way to reftrain the cruelty of mafters, more barbarous than their flaves; another is, his majefty would have his peace obferved, and all his fubjects have their rights; his attorhe thinks an honest and material officer herein, fo muft not be difcouraged, nor pay other fees than in England. There are fome other things like thefe, the detail of them you have in the letter of the lords, which I put into your hands, because it will beft inform and direct you. And pray take notice if there be any thing in the act already paffed that you will judge ought to be altered or amended, you may do it and believe if reafonable it will be readily atient d to by me. The negro act the king keeps in his own power, either to fupprefs or continue as feems moft reafonable to his majetty; and this I think the bed for us. and that it was a mistake to wave his majetty's order, that provided for the importation as well as determined the price. In trade, all reftrictions and impofitions that are not very fupportable prove prohibitions; it is against reafon or the nature of con merce to put a perpetual standing price on goods w ned, and tl at ufe to be imported, for trade ought to have liberty and encouragement,

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