hall not be mentioned to be referved to our heirs and fucceffors for the public utes of that our ifland, and fupport of the government, as by the at and order fhall be directed. And we particularly require and commnd, that no money or value of money whatfoever be given or granted by any act or order of affembly to any governor, lieutenant governor, or commander-in-chief, of our faid ifland, which thall not, according to the file of acts of parliament in England, be mentioned to be given, and granted unto us with the humble defire of fuch affembly, that the fame be applied to the ufe and behoof of fuch governor, lieutenant governor, or commander-in-chief, if we thall fo think fit; or, if we fhall not approve of fuch gift or application, that the faid money or value of money be then difpofed of and appropriated to fuch other ufes as in the faid act or order fhall be mentioned, and that from the time the fame be raited, it remain in the hands of the receiver of that our land until our royal pleasure fhall be known therein.

And whereas great prejudice may happen to our service by the abfence of our governor or commander-in-chief, without a fufficient caufe, and efpecial leave in council; for prevention thereof, you are not, upon any pretence whatfoever, to come unto England from that government without first having obtained leave for fo doing from us in council; we hereby declaring, that our verbal leave, or other permiffion whatfoever, except fuch leave in council, fhall not be efteemed a fufficient warrant for the fame, as it is particularly fet forth and directed by an order in council ated the third day of November, 1680, herewith delivered unto you.

And you are not to fuffer any public money whatfoever to be iffued or difpofed of otherwife than by warrant under your hand; but you may nevertheless permit the affembly, from time to time, to view and examine the accounts of money or value of money difpofed of, by virtue of any act made by them, which you are to fignify to them as there fhall be occafion.

And it is our exprefs will and pleasure, that all laws whatsoever for the good government of our faid ifland be made indefinite and without limitation of time, except the fame be for a temporary end, and which will expire and have its full end within a certain time; and therefore you fhall not re enact any law which thall be once enacted by you, except upon argent occafions, but in no cafe more than once, without our exprefs

confent

confent; you fhall not remit any fines or forfeitures whatsoever above the fum of ten pounds before or after fentence given, nor difpofe of any ef cheats whatfoever, or of any fine or forfeiture exceeding the fum of fifty pounds, until you fhall have firft fignified unto us the nature of the offence, or occafion of fuch fines, or forfeitures and efcheats, with the particular fum or value thereof, which you are to do with all speed unto our high treasurer or commiffioners of our treafury for the time being, until your have received our directions therein; but you may in the time fufpend the payment of fuch fines and forfeitures, and you are particularly not to pafs any law or do any act by grant, fettlement, or otherwife, whereby our revenue may be leffened or impaired, without our especial leave or command therein.

And whereas information has been lately given, that great quantities of goods and fums of money, piratically taken away or belonging to pi rates, hath been brought into and now remaining in our ifland, for the feizure and confifcation whereof no due enquiry or procefs had been yet nade, or no account thereof as yet returned of fuch feizure and confifcation, we do therefore charge and command you, with the advice and affittance of our council, to make ftrict enquiry, by the best means you can, where fuch goods or money piratically taken or belonging to pirates, are now to be found, and give all fitting encouragements to ail fuch as may be able to make difcovery thereof, to the end that all fuch concealments and embezzlements be brought to light, and to legal profecution; and thereupon you tranfmit an account of your proceedings in the profecution of thefe matters, in order to receive our pleasure therein.

You are to require the fecretary of our inland, or his deputy, for the time being, to furnith you with all fuch acts and public orders as shall be made from time to time, together with a copy of the journal of the council, to the end the fame may be tranfmitted unto us as above directed; which he has duly to perform, upon pain of incurring the forfeiture of his office.

You fhall not difplace any of the judges, juftices, or other officers or minifters, within our faid itland, without good and fufficient cause signified unto us and to our committee for plantations; and, to prevent arbitrary removals of judges and justices of the peace, you are not to express any limitation of time in the commiffions you are to grant, with the advice

and

and confent of the council, to fit perfons for their employments, nor hall you execute yourfelt, or by deputy, any of the faid offices, nor fùffer any perfon to execute any more offices than one by deputy.

You shall not erect any court or office of judicature, not before erected nor established, nor diffolve any court or office already erected or establifhed, without our fpecial order: therefore you are to tranfmit unto us, with all convenient fpeed after your arrival, a particular account of all establishments of jurifdictions, courts, offices, and officers, powers; authorities, fees, and privileges, granted or fettled within our faid itland, to the end you may receive our fpecial directions therein. You are likewife, with the advice and confent of the council, to regulate all falaries or fees belonging to the place, or paid upon emergencies, that they be within the bounds of moderation, and that no exaction be made on any occafion whatfoever.

And we do hereby require and command you, that no man's life, member, or freehold, or goods, be taken away or harmed under your govern ment, but by established and known laws not repugeant to, but as much as conveniently may be agreeable to, the laws of our kingdom of England.

You shall adminifter the oaths of allegiance to the members and officers of the council and aflembly, all judges and juftices, and all other officers that had any office in the ifland by virtue of any patent under our great feal of England or our feal of Jamaica, and you are to permit a liberty of confcience to all perfons, fo they be contented with a quiet and peaceable enjoyment of it, not giving offence or fcandal to the government.

You fhall take care that all planters and christian fervants be well and fitly provided with arms, and that they be inlifted under officers, and, as often as fhall be thought fit, mustered and trained, whereby they may be in a better readiness for the defence of our faid ifland and territories under your command; and you are to ufe your utmost endeavours that each planter do keep tuch a number of white fervants as by law is directed, and that they appear in arms at all fuch times as they fhall be required. And you are to take efpecial care that neither the frequency nor unreasonablenefs of remote marches, mufters, and trainings, be a neceffary impediment to the affairs of the planters. You fhall take an inventory of all arms, amunition, and ftores, remaining in any of our magazines or garrifons in our

faid

faid ifland under your command, and fend an account of them forthwith after your arrival, and thenceforward yearly, unto us and the lords of the council appointed a committee for trade and foreign plantations. You fhall likewife demand an account from the commander-in-chief how the arms, amunition, and stores, fent from our office of ordnance in this our kingdom, or bought with any public money, have been employed; and whether any of them, and how many, have been fold, spent, loft, decayed, or difpofed of, to whom and to what ufes; and, for your informa tion herein, you fhall herewith receive an account of what hath fince the month of December, 1676, been iflued out of, or fent from, the faid office of our ordnance.

And, that we be the better informed of the trade of our faid iftand, you are to take especial care that due entries be made in all parts thereof of all goods and commodities, their fpecies and quantity, imported or exported, with the names, burthens, and guns, of all fhips coming and going from the faid ifland, which the naval officer is to furnifh you withal; and you are to tranfmit the fame unto us, and to the lords of our privy council appointed a committee for trade and foreign plantations, quarterly, and duplicates thereof by the next conveyance.

And our will and pleasure is, that no minifter be preferred to any ec clefiaftical benefice without a certificate from the right reverend the bifhop of London of his being conforming to the doctrine and difcipline of the church of England, and alfo our ple afure is, that you give order forthwith, if the fame be not already done, that every minifter within your government be one of the veftry in his refpective parish, and that no veftry be held without him, except in cafe of ficknefs, or that after notice of a veftry fummoned he abfent himfelf. And you are to enquire whether there be any minifters within the government that preach and adminifter the facraments without being in due orders, whercof you are to give an account to the bishop of London; and you are to endea◄ vour, with the affiftance of the council, that good and fufficient ftipends and allowances be made and ascertained unto the minifters of every parifh within your government; and, to the end the ecclefiaftical jurifdiction of the faid bishop of London may take place in that our ifland, as far as may be convenient, we do think fit that you give all countenance and encouragement to the exercife of the fame, excepting only electing to benefices, granting licenfestor marriages, and probate of wills, which we have reserved unto you our governor and the commander-in-chief for the time

B b

time being; and that no perfon be permitted to come from England and to keep school within our faid ifland without the licence of the faid bihop; and that no other perfon being now in Jamaica, or that fhall come from other parts, be admitted to keep school without your licence firft had. You are to take efpecial care that a table of marriages, established by the canons of the church of England, be hung up in every church, and duly obferved; and you are to endeavour to get a law paffed in the aflembly for the strict obfervation of the faid table. You are to carry over a fufficient number of books of homilies, and books of the twenty-nine articles of the church of England, to be difpofed of to every church, and you arc to take care that they be duly kept and ufed therein.

pre

You are to fupprefs the engroffing of commodities tending to the judice of that freedom which commerce and trade ought to have, and tø fettle fuch orders and regulations therein, with the advice of the council, as may be most acceptable to the generality of the inhabitants. You are to give all due encouragement and invitation to merchants and others who fhall bring trade unto our faid ifland, or any way contribute to their advantage, and particularly to the African company of England; and, as we are willing to recommend unto the faid company that the faid island may have a conftant and fufficient fupply of merchantable negroes, at moderate rates in money or commodities, fo you are to take care that payment be duly made, and within a competent time, according to their agreements. And whereas we are informed that permiffion is granted from Spain for the fhipping of that kingdom to come to that illand of Jamaica, to buy negroes, which trade will probably be of confiderable advantage to our fubjects, and particularly to the royal African company, our will and pleafure is, that, for the encouragement of this defign, you take efpecial care that fuch fhips and perfons as fhall come to that our ifland be civilly treated, and receive all fitting encouragement in this defign of buying negroes, provided they do nothing contrary to the act of navigation or the laws eftablished in that our island. And, that the faid perfons may have free admiffion of bringing either money or goods of the product of any of the faid countries, we do require, that no other duties or impofitions be exacted or demanded for the blacks or goods, more than the law doth appoint; and you are likewife. upon the coming or departure of any fhip to or from our faid ifland, to buy or carry away fuch negroes, to order them to be convoyed by our frigates as far as you thall find conducing to their fecurity, and encourage

ment