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quire into and examine the behaviour of the faid fir Francis Watson, from the time of his taking upon him the prefidentship of the council, in order to the fignification of our pleafure, whether the further fum of five hundred pounds per annum, from the death of the said duke of Albemerle, fhall be allowed to him, in confideration of his fervice, of our royal bounty.

And whereas we are willing, in the best manner, to provide for the fupport of our government of Jamaica, by fetting apart fufficient allowances to fuch as fhall be our general or commander-in-chief, refiding for the time being within the fame; our will and pleasure is, that, when it fhall happen that you fhall be abfent from that our ifland, one full moiety of your falary, and of all perquifites and emoluments whatsoever, which otherwife become due unto you, fhall, during your absence, be paid and fatisfied unto fuch governor and commander-in-chief who fhall be refident upon the place for the time being; which we do hereby allot unto him, for his better maintenance, and for the fupport of the dignity of that our government.

And whereas great prejudice may happen to our fervice, by the abfence of our governor or commander-in-chief, without fufficient caufe and efpecial leave from us; for prevention thereof, you are not, upon any pretence whatsoever, to come into England from your government, without having obtained leave for fo doing from us, under our fignet and fign manual, or by order in our privy council: but we do nevertheless hereby permit you, in cafe of fickness, to go to any of our plantations in Ame rica for the recovery of your health.

We do hereby empower you to confent to a law for the raising of money, in order to the better carrying on the folicitation of the public affairs in England, provided that fuch levy do not exceed three hundred pounds sterling yearly; but, in cafe you fhall not think fit to agree to fuch law, our pleasure is, that then the perfons defiring the fame may be permitted to make voluntary contributions for discharging the expences of their folicitations, provided fuch contributions do not exceed three hundred pounds fterling per annum.

And we do likewife think fit, that, when any complaint fhall be intended against you, notice be immediately given you thereof by the complainant

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complainant, with the charge against you in writing, to the end you may make timely preparation for your defence.

In case of any distress of any of our plantations, you fhall, upon application of the respective governor thereof unto you, affift them with what aid the condition and fafety of our ifland under your government can fpare.

Laftly, if any thing fhould happen that may be of advantage and fecurity to the faid island, and the other territories depending thereon, which is not herein or by our commiffion provided for, we do hereby allow unto you, with the advice and confent of the council, to take order for the prefent therein, giving us, by one of our principal fecretary's of ftate, and our committee for trade and foreign plantations, fpeedy notice, that fo you may receive our confirmation, if we thall approve the fame; provided always, that you do not, by colour of any power or authority, hereby given you, commence and declare war without our knowledge and particular commands.

By his majesty's command

SHREWSBURY.

AN

AN ADDRESS OF THE GRAND JURY OF JAMAICA

TO THE KIN G.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR MAJESTY,

WE,
E, the first grand jury at St. Jago de la Vega, this laft Tuesday in

November, 1690, for the body of this your majesty's island of Jamaica, in America, fince your majefty's happy acceffion to the throne, cannot forbear rendering our humble thanks to Almighty God for his ineftimable goodnefs and mercy, in that when, according to the weaknefs of our human understanding, all hopes of enjoying any longer our religion, laws, and liberties, were taken from us, he was pleafed, in our utmoft diftrefs, to fhew his miraculous power in raising your majefty to be the glorious inftrument of our deliverance from that Philiftine bondage, which had extended itself into these the remotest of your majesty's dominions; fo that the laws of your majefty's kingdom of England, and this ifland, which fhould have been our fwords and fpears for the defence of our natural rights and privileges, were not to be found amongft us; but our task-masters, with an abfolute arbitrary power, attended with a tyrannical oppreffion of all that durst adventure to be honest, in order to complete our ruin, would not allow us our freedom of electing our representa tives to make laws, but were refolved themfelves to be fmiths to forge them.

Under thefe circumftances, we might ftill have lain, had not your majefty, in your great wifdom, fent his excellency, the earl of Inchiquin, for our governor, who hath already, by his great experience, made fo large a progrefs in fettling our affairs, that we doubt not but he will in afhort time accomplish what is fo happily begun.

The confideration of the removal of all these afflictions, which, next to the divine providence, we muft acknowleage to be due to the extraordinary courage and admirable conduct wherewith God hath infpired your majefty, forceth from the bottom of our hearts an humble congratulation of your majefty's fucceffes at home, unfeigned thanks for your majesty's extraordinary care of these your dominions abroad, and inceffant prayers to the Almighty for the ever continuance and increase of your majesty's profperity and glory; not doubting that, as our Saviour hath made you his great apoftle for reftoring his church in this age, he will enable you to eftablish it upon him, the rock that neither the pope, with anti-christian principles, nor his difciples, with their fubtle delufions, thall ever impi Quily endeavour to prevail againit it.

AN

AN ADDRESS OF THE GRAND JURY OF JAMAICA

TO THE GOVERNOR.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY,

WE, the grand jury for the body of this their majesty's island, being thoroughly fenfible of their majefties fpecial favour and high wifdom, in selecting your excellency as a phyfician, every way fufficient for the extraordinary diftempers of this late miferable, but now happy, ifland, have thought ourselves obliged humbly and thankfully to acknowledge the progrefs your excellency has already made, towards fixing us in lafting foundations of peace and justice; and, where the administration is entirely just and happy, we may have leave to inftance, we gratefully own your excellency's goodnefs and care in removing from the feats of juftice the late arbitrary inftruments of our oppreffion, as well as filling them with magiftrates which now at last will only be a terror to the evil; and we are confident that the remaining precincts of this ifland, which, by reafon of the great variety and intricacy of their affairs, could not by your excellency (that is not by the greatest application imaginable) be yet fupplied, with affairs civil and military, will, in due time, join with us in an harmonious applaufe of your excellency's conduct and good government,

A SPEECH

A SPEECH OF THE EARL OF INCHIQUIN TO THE

ASSEMBLY

O F

JAMAICA.

GENTLEMEN,

INCE the king was pleafed to honour me with the truft of this

SINC

I

thought my duty to use my goe

it

promoting of his fervice, and the intereft of his fubjects here, which I take to be infeparable; therefore, finding at my arrival that, through the want of a due exercise of the law, and that, by the practice of fome turbulent fpirits, you were in fome distractions, I applied myself as early as I could to the repairing of the breaches they had caufed, and which laid you open to all the evils that could happen to a place and people for whom I know the king has a great value, and whose service and real advantages fhall be the chiefest of my study.

The first of those breaches was repaired by the law being restored tọ its due courfe, as foon as it could be; in the others, I have laboured as much as in me lay, but what progress I have made in it, will be best known among yourselves; I hope it wont appear to be inconfiderable, by letting the world see you lay afide all private piques and animofities, to promote the public and general good of the island.

I had not been here many days, when I found you had fuch degenerate neighbours as might reafonably give apprehenfions of ruin and deftruction to the fettlements near the fea-fide, and that you know affects the whole; but, when I think of giving them the protection they ought to have, I find a treasury exhausted, and a government greatly incumbered with debts, infomuch that it now lies under the greatest exigency that can be imagined; fome inftances you have of it, by these walls I receive you in, amongst many other things which fhall be offered to you

in due time.

But, gentlemen, fince, for your own prefervation, the general welfare, as well as the honour of the island, and their majefties immediate service, no cure can be had but from you in this diftemper, I will make no doubt of your taking those measures by which one may effectually be wrought, especially when you confider the difference between your condition, and that of their majesties subjects in other parts. Befides a great

deal

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