bishop of London may take place in that our ifland, as far as conveniently may be, we do think fit that you give all countenance and encouragement, in the execution, of the fame, excepting only the collating to benefice, granting licenfes for marriages, and probate of wills, which we have referved to you our governor, and the commander-in-chief for the time being; and we do further direct, that no fchoolmafter be henceforward permitted to come from England and to keep fchool in that our island, without the licenfe of the faid bifhop of London; and that no other perfon, now being in Jamaica, or that fhall come from other parts, be admitted to keep School without your license first had; and you are to take efpecial care that a table of marriages, eftablished by the canons of the church of England, be hung up in every orthodox church and duly obferved; and you are to endeavour, to get a law palled in the aflembly for the ftrict op. fervation of the said table.

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You are to fupprefs the engroffing of commodities, tending to the judice of that freedom which commerce and trade ought to have, and to fettle fuch orders and regulations therein, with the advice of the council, as may be moít acceptable to the generality of the inhabitants.

You are to give all due encouragement to merchants who fhall bring trade unto our faid ifland, or any way contribute to the advantage thereof, and efpecially to the royal African company of England; and, as we are willing to recommend unto the faid company that the faid ifland 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 agree

ment.

And we do hereby ftrictly charge and require you, that, upon due information exhibited before you, or any of our judges or courts of justice within your government, against any perfon or perfons who have or fhall be concerned in any interloping fhip, or in any negroes or goods imported contrary to our charter granted to the royal African company, or againft fuch as fhall be aiding and affifting to any interloper or their accomplices, or fhall in any manner whatfoever bring any negroes into any part of your government, or purchafe any other than fuch as are imported and brought in by our royal African company, their factors or affigns, you do, in all fuch cafes, take efpccial care that fuch contemners of our roval

charter and commands be feverely punished, by fine, imprisonment, or fuch other penalties as the quality of their offence may require.

We do hereby command and enjoin you carefully to observe all the articles contained in the late treaty for the compofing of differences, rettraining of depredations, and the establishing of peace in America, concluded at Madrid the 18th of July, 1670, with the crown of Spain, an authentic copy whereof you fhall herewith receive.

And in cafe any private injury or damage fhould happen or be done to any of our fubjects in thofe parts, by any of the fubjects of the king of Spain, or of any other prince or ftate in amity with us, you fhall take care to give us an account thereof, with all convenient speed, by one of our principal fecretary's of ftate, or the lords of our committee for trade and plantations, and not to permit or encourage reparation thereof to be fought by any other way than what is directed and agreed on by the faid articles of Madrid or treaties.

And you are particularly not to grant commiffions of war, or reprisals to any perfon whatfoever, against the fubjects of any prince or ftate in amity with us, without our efpecial command.

Our will and pleasure is, that appeals be permitted to be made, in case of error, from the courts in Jamaica unto the governor and council in civil causes; at the hearing of which appeals any three or more of the judges of the fupreme court are to be prefent, to inform and affift the court, provided the fum or value appealed for do exceed three hundred pounds fterling, and fecurity be firft duly given by the apellant to answer fuch charges as fhall be awarded, in cafe the first fentence be affirmed; and if either party fhall not reft fatisfied with the judgment of the governor and council, that then they may appeal unto us in council, provided the fum or value so appealed for exceed five hundred pounds; and that fuch appeal be made within one fortnight after fentence, and good fecurity be given by the appellant that they will effectually profecute the fame, and answer the condemnation, as alfo pay fuch cofts and damages as shall be awarded by us, in cafe the fentence of our governor and council be aformed, fo as execution be not fufpended by reafon of any fuch appeal

unto us.

You are also to permit appeals unto us in council, in all cafes of fines impofed

impofed for misdemeanors, provided the fines fo impofed amount to or exceed the value of two hundred pounds, the appellant firft giving good fecurity that he will effectually profecute the fame, and anfwer the condemnation, if the fentence by which fuch fine is impofed in Jamaica fhall be affirmed.

You fhall endeavour to get a law passed for the restraining of any inhuman feverity, which by ill masters or overfeers may be used towards their chriftian fervants or other. And you are alfo, with the affiftance of the council and affembly, to find out the best means to facilitate the converfion of negroes to the chriftian religion.

You are to recommend to the council and affembly the raifing of stocks, and building of public workhoufes in convenient places, for the employing of poor and indigent people.

And whereas we are informed that a donation, formerly made in St. Andrew's parish, in that our island, has been diverted from the intended ufe, our will and pleasure is, that you make enquiry concerning the fame, and take care that the faid donation be rightly applied.

You shall cause a furvey to be taken of all the confiderable landing places and harbours in the faid ifland, and, with the advice of our faid council, erect in any of them fuch fortifications as thall be neceffary for the fecurity and advantage of the faid ifland, which fhall be done at the public charge, not doubting the chearful concurrence of the inhabitants thereunto, for the common fecurity and benefit they will receive thereby.

Whereas we are given to understand, that there are feveral offices within our faid island, granted under the great feal of England, and that our fervice is very much prejudiced by reafon of the ablence of the patentees, and by their appointing deputies not fitly qualified to officiate in their stead, you are therefore, upon your arrival in Jamaica, to infpect the faid offices, and to enquire into the capacity and behaviour of the perfons now exerciting them, and to report thereupon unto us, and to our committee of trade and plantations, what you think it to be done or altered in relation thereunto; and you thall, upon mifbehaviour of any of the faid patentees, or their deputies, fufpend them from the execution of their places, till you fhall have represented the whole matter unto

1

and received our directions therein, appointing in the mean time fit perfons to execute the faid places; and you are to confider of a law like unto that in Ireland for abfentees, that the inconveniencies arifing thereby may be avoided.

You are likewife to propose an act to be paffed in the affembly, whereby the creditors of perfons becoming bankrupts in England, and having citates in Jamaica, may be relieved and fatisfied for the dents owing to them. It having been reprefented unto us, by the petition of Thomas Daniel, mafter of the thip St. Jago de la Victon, that the laid hip, with all her lading, hath been feized and confifcated in Jamaica, upon pretence of having traded contrary to acts of trade and navigation, our will and pleafure is, that the petitioner be admitted to appeal from the fentence given in Jamaica, against the faid fhip and her lading, to our governor and commander-in-chief and council, who are to give judgment in the cause according to right; after which, if the petitioner fhall defire to appeal from the judgment of our faid governor or commander-in-chief and council, unto us and our privy council, you are to admit him thereunto: In which cafe, you are to give order that authentic copies of the records and proceedings in the faid cafe be tranfmitted unto us, with fuch information as thall be taken therein, upon oath; and we, being further pleafed to remit to the petitioner fuch part of the fhip and lading as, by the schedule given in Jamaica, is accruing unto us, and we do hereby remit the fame; you are to take care that the two other thirds of the lading, accruing to the governor and council, be fecured in the hands of our receiver-general in Jamaica, until the determination of the faid appeal; and, in the mean time, you are to cause the said ship to be delivered to the petitioner or his procurator or attorney, upon his giving fecurity for the value of the two-third parts of the faid fhip, accruing to the governor and informer as aforefaid.

Whereas it has been reprefented unto us, that feveral of our fubjects are kept in flavery, and barbaroufly used at Mexico, La Vera Cruz, and other parts of the Spanish Weft-Indies, you are, upon your arrival in Jamica, to fend to the governors of those places, and to demand of them fu h of our fubjects as are detained there, and to use your utmost endeayours that they be tet at liberty.

We do hereby authorise you to forbear, if you fhall think fit, the

taking

taking advantage of any penalty or forfeitures against any of the profnt planters or inhabitants of our faid ifland, for not manting or planting of their lands, according to the time heretofore limited or appointed them from the fame, until you fhall have reprefented the true ftate of that affair unto us, by one of our principal fecretary's of ftate, or the lords of our committee for trade and foreign plantations; which you are accordingly to do, with all speed, in order to receive our further commands and directions therein,

Our will and pleasure is, that all fervants that fhall come or be tranfported to our faid island, shall serve their respective mafters for the term of four years, from the time of their landing, and every perfon that fhall transport or carry fervants thither thall, for every perfon fo carried or tranfported, have fet out to him, upon the landing and employment of the faid fervant, thirty acres of land; to have and to hold, unto him the faid mafter his heirs and affigns, for ever; and the faid fervants fhall, at the end of the faid term, have thirty acres of land fet out and affigned to every of them respectively, to have and to hold to them and every of them their heirs and affigns for ever.

Our will and pleafure is, that you take unto yourself, as governor, two thousand pounds fterling per annum, out of the revenue arifing within our faid ifland of Jamaica, from the day of your arrival, and during your refidence there; as alfo what fhall be due to you out of the faid revenue, after the rate of one thousand pounds per annum, from the date of your commiffion, to the day of your arrival; and that you cause to be paid to our trufty and well-beloved fir Francis Watfon, knight, if the fame be not already done, fuch fums as hath been due or accrued to him as prefident of the council, after the rate of five hundred pounds per annum, from the day of the death of the duke of Albemarle to the day of arrival in Jamaica; and that you cause to be paid out of the faid revenue, unto the chief-justice, one hundred and twenty pounds per annum, and to the other judges, as alfo to the marfhal; and clerks of the af fembly, and other officers, the feveral allowances belonging unto them: To the captain that commands the fort there, fix fhillings per diem, and to the gunners matrolles what has been formerly paid.

your

And we do further direct you, upon your arrival in that our island, to

enquire