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SAMUEL BERNARD, ESQUIRE'S, SPEECH

TO HIS EXCELLENCY COLONEL MOLESWORTH

ON HIS APPROVING THE

ASSEMBLY'S CHOICE OF HIM FOR THEIR SPEAKER.

May it please your honour,

THE approbation thefe gentlemen give to the paft affembly, and the fame you are pleased to pay to the former governors, makes me their speaker.

This being the first time, fince his majefty's happy acceffion to the crown, that we have met in a body, I efteemed it our obligation thus publicly to make profeffion of our duty and loyalty to his majefty before your honour's reprefentation, and that our joys cannot be expreffed for his peaceful poffeffion of the throne of his royal progenitors; maugre fome clouds which fince rofe, but were foon diffipated by the divine bleffing, on his arms, tỏ convince those that are not both obftinately and wilfully blind of the truth of that scripture, that faith, by him kings reign, that though the fun fet, yet might no obfcurity follow, but what tended to the further illuttration of of his glory, and his being the more immediately under the protection of heaven.

The late fevere accident of the rebellion of our flaves might easily make us infer the occafion of our calling, as well to redress the past as obviate any further evils of that nature, the reasonablenefs of it is but too apparent; I cannot but hope for a hearty union in all to do our own butinefs; we know that our lives and fortunes, and of thofe that is most dear unto us, are all concerned, and fuch intereft feldom fails to fpeak the truth plainly to us; and indeed in this cafe I may fafely fay, falus populi ought to be, if not prima et fuprema lex, which if well confidered we fhall eafily evade the character fixed on those that provide not for their families. We need not doubt your concurrence, you are fo well known to us all, and have for fo many years given fnch continued proofs of your candour,

candour, we may expect all things from you that conduce to his majesty's fervice, and the good of this ifland.

Laftly, fir, 1 am in the name of these gentlemen to crave the preferva. tion of their ufual priviledges, freedom of debate, and access to your perfon, to prevent mifconftructions; and to your former private favours add this public one, your pardon of me, their fpeaker, whose brevity ought to have compounded for his ill oratory.

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COLONEL MOLESWORTH'S SPEECH

TO THE

ASSEMBLY OF JAMAICA.

GENTLEMEN,

TH HE chief occafion of my calling you together at this time is, to advife with you in a matter that is certainly of very high importance unto us, and therefore it was no fooner in my power fo to do, than I refolved on it: It is how to fecure ourselves and estates (by fome better provision than any hitherto made) against the barbarous treachery of our own flaves, to keep them in due order and fubjection, as to render them truly ferviceable unto us, and us fafe with them; in cafe of any fudden infurrection, to be provided with fuch ready means for their reducing as may not only ferve to effect it speedily, but difcourage all others from joining with them or attempting the like by their example; the methods whereof are referred to you.

It is but too well known unto moft of you, what abundance of trouble and charge a few of thefe defperate villains have lately given us, befides the bloody mischiefs committed on many poor families, which, though far fhort of what common fame hath rendered it, yet might have been much more, had their courage been equal to their agility of body and the opportunities they had for it. But God Almighty was pleased to restrain them, whofe goodness we can never fufficiently acknowledge,

in it.

I fhall not need to tell you what endeavours were ufed by the govern ment for the fuppreffing that unhappy rebellion, under the difadvantageous circumftances of no money, and crippled power over the militia, they were too notorious to want defence, and not enough fuccefsful to merit praife; though, God be thanked, there are great hopes that we fhall never more be troubled with that enemy.

What I have more particularly to recommend to you is, that take care to repay the money borrowed and expended upon that occation: you would

To

To gratify the fervices of fuch poor men as to their extreme detriment have been commanded out in parties, without any pay or other confideration than what depends upon you: To reinftate fuch others in their fettlements as have been driven from them, and confider how to fecure them there for the future, in cafe of like accidents: To pay the little fcores your parties have run into the poorer fort of planters for provifions, when they could not be otherwite fupplied: To confirm the rewards promised by the council, and order performance where it is due: To enlarge the of ficers power over the militia at all fuch times: And, further, to provide a certain fund for the anfwering all fuch emergencies as may hereafter happen.

I have ordered the receiver-general to have all his accounts ready for your perufal, that you may fee the ftate of the revenue, and be entirely Tatisfied that the monies appointed for the forts have been duly applied, according to the direction of the act. The fortifications themfelves thew it as well as the accounts declare it.

The captain of the fort hath order alfo to inform you, if you defire it, how he is provided with all forts of stores and ammunition, whereof I doubt not but he will give you fuch an account as you will be very well pleased with.

And now, gentlemen, being met together, I have one thing more to recommend to you by fpecial direction from his majesty's command, which still is for our advantage; that you will prepare an act for the afcertaining the fervitude of the rebels lately fent from England for ten years, according to the confideration of their pardons, and take care to prevent all clandeftine releasements or buying out of their time; to the end that their punishments, after fo great a mitigation, may yet in fome measure be aniwerable to their crimes.

It behoves us alfo to confider that the act for governing our flaves hath not paffed the royal affent, as the reft of our body of laws have done, though we have hitherto been permitted the use of it; yet hath it been poftponed for no other reafon than because his majefty and council do not think the penalties therein mentioned to be fufficient for the wanton and wilful effufion of human blood, and therefore you are to think of fome other expedient.

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You will do well alfo to confider the folicitors fhall be supplied their charges borne, and the clerks paid, when the laws you now make thall be fent home for the royal confirmation; befides intervening accidents that require a conftant ftock in their hands, as other plantations have, the whereof you may regulate as you think fit.

I know you all to be too wife for me to think you into any thing I would have you do, and I believe you too prudent to be talked out of what you ought to do, and do not at all doubt but that there are fome who would be glad to fee or make divitions amongst us (there feems to have been pains taken for it), but good patriots know how to govern themselves on fuch occafions, and wifdom is ever to be juftified by her children.

Let it fuffice that I can fay for myfelf, I neither defire or expect any thing from you, that I have been known amongst you twenty years, that I am one of you, and that my intereft ftands upon the fame foundation with yours; and therefore can have no defign in what I now offer, but wherein I must be equally concerned with you in the event.

Gentlemen, and brother planters, I have now put a fair opportunity into your hands of doing yourfelves good; if you make a right use of it, I fhall be very glad of the part I bear with you in it, but, if you fall into wrong measures, to the fruftrating of the happy occafion now offered, it will rife up in judgment against you, together with all the ad confequences that may happen to attend it.

After you fhall have proceeded to a full refolution of the matter recommended unto you, and fhall have any further to propofe from yourfelves, I fhall readily entertain it as far as may be confiftent with my duty.

I fay let his prerogative and royal order be ever facred to you, and then you need but tell me what you would have me to do, &c.

Mr.

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