to proceed accordingly in Reference to Our said Province; Our Will and Pleasure is, that you do use your best Endeavours to apprehend all Persons whatever who may have been guilty of Piracy within your Government, or who having committed such Crimes at other Places, may come within your Jurisdiction; and until We shall think proper to direct the like Commission to be established for Our Government of Quebec, You are to send such Pirates, with what Proofs of their Guilt You can procure or collect, to our Governor of New York to be tried and punished under the Authority of the Commission established for those Parts.

    67.  And whereas you will receive from Our Commissioners for executing the Office of High Admiral of Great Britain and of Our Plantations, a Commission constituting you Vice Admiral of Our said Province; You are hereby required and directed carefully to put into Execution the several Powers thereby granted to you.

    68.  Whereas great Inconveniences have happened heretofore by Merchant Ships and other Vessels in the Plantations wearing the Colours borne by Our Ships of War, under Pretence of Commissions granted to them by the Governors of the said Plantations, and, by trading under those Colours, not only amongst Our own Subjects, but also those of other Princes and States, and committing divers Irregularitys, they may very much dishonor Our Service; For preventing thereof You are to oblige the Commanders of all such Ships, to which you shall grant Commissions, to wear no other Colours than such as are described in an Order of Council of the seventh of January 1730, in relation to Colours to be worn by all Ships and Vessels, except Our Ships of War.

    69.  And whereas there have been great Irregularitys in the manner of granting Commissions in the Plantations to private Ships of War, You are to govern yourself, whenever there shall be Occasion, according to the Commissions and Instructions granted in this Kingdom; But you are not to grant Commissions of Marque or Reprizal against any Prince or State, or their Subjects, in Amity with Us, to any Person whatsoever, without Our special Command.

    70.  Whereas We have been informed that, during the time of War, Our Enemies have frequently got Intelligence of the State of Our Plantations by Letters from private Persons to their Correspondents in Great Britain, taken on board Ships coming from the Plantations, which has been of dangerous Consequence; Our Will and Pleasure therefore is, that you signify to all Merchants, Planters and Others, that they be very cautious, in time of War, whenever that shall happen, in giving any Accounts by Letters of War, whenever that shall happen, in giving any Accounts by Letters of the public State and Condition of Our Province under your Government; And you are further to give Directions to all Masters of Ships, or other Persons to whom you may entrust your Letters, that they put such Letters into a Bag, with a sufficient weight to sink the same immediately in Case of imminent danger from the Enemy; And you are also to let the Merchants and Planters

know, how greatly it is for their Interest that their Letters should not fall into the Hands of the Enemy, and therefore that they should give like Orders to Masters of Ships in relation to their Letters; And you are further to advise all Masters of Ships, that they do sink all Letters, in case of Danger, in the Manner before mentioned.

    71.  And whereas, in Time of War, the Merchants and Planters in Our Plantations in America did correspond and trade with Our Enemies, and carry Intelligence to them, to the great Prejudice and Hazard of Our said Plantations; You are therefore by all possible Methods to endeavour to hinder such Trade and Correspondence in Time of War.

    72.  And You are to report to Us, by Our Commissioners for Trade and Plantations—
    What is the Nature of the Soil and Climate of the Province under your Government. If it differs in these Circumstances for Our other Northern Colonies, in what that Difference consists? And what beneficial Articles of Commerce the different Parts of it are capable of producing?
    What rivers there are, and of what Extent and Convenience to the Planters?
    What are the principal Harbours; how situated, of what Extend; and what is the Depth of Water, and Nature of the Anchorage in each of them?
    What Quantity of Land is now under actual Improvement and Settlement? What are the chief Articles of Produce and Culture; the annual amount of the Quantity of each; and upon what Terms and Conditions the Inhabitants hold their Lands, either of Cultivation, Rent, or Personal Service?
    What is the Quantity, Nature and Property of the Land uncultivated; how much of it is capable of Culture; and what part thereof is private Property?
    What is the Number of Inhabitants, Whites and Blacks, distinguishing each? What Number of the Former is capable of bearing Arms, and what Number of the Latter is annually necessary to be supply'd in proportion to the Land cultivated?
    What was the Nature, Form and Constitution of the Civil Government; what Judicatures were there established, and under what Regulations did the French Inhabitants carry on their Commerce?

    73.  You are from time to time to send unto Us, by Our Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, as aforesaid, an Account of the Increase and Decrease of the Inhabitants, Whites and Blacks, and also an Account of all Persons born, christened and buried.

    74.  Whereas it is absolutely necessary, that We be exactly informed of the State of Defence of all Our Plantations in America, as well in relation to the Stores of War that are in each Plantation, as to the Forts and Fortifications there; and what more may be necessary to be built for the Defence and Security of the same; You are as soon as possible to prepare an Account

thereof with relation to Our said Province in the most particular manner; And You are therein to express the present State of the Arms, Ammunition and other Stores of War, belonging to the said Province, either in public Magazines, or in the Hands of private Persons; together with the State of all Places, either already fortified, or that you judge necessary to be fortified for the Security of Our said Province; And you are to transmit the said Accounts of Our Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, as also a Duplicate thereof to Our Master General or principal Officers of Our Ordnance; Which Accounts are to express the Particulars of Ordnance, Carriages, Balls, Powder, and other Sorts of Arms and Ammunition in Our public Stores, and so from time to time of what shall be sent you, or bought with the public Money, and to specify the Time of the Disposal, and the Occasion thereof: And You are half yearly to transmit a general Account of the State of the Fortifications and Warlike Stores, specify'd in the manner above mentioned.

    75.  You are from time to time to give an Account, what Strength your Neighbours have by Sea and Land, and of the Condition of their Plantations, and what Correspondence You keep with them.

    76.  And in case of any Distress of any other of Our Plantations, You shall, upon Application of the respective Governors thereof unto you, assist them with what Aid the Condition and Safety of Our Province under Your Government can spare.

    77.  If anything shall happen, which may be of Advantage or Security to Our Province under your Government, which is not herein, or by your Commission provided for, We do hereby allow unto you, with the Advice and Consent of Our Council, to take Order for the present therein, giving unto Our Commissioners for Trade and Plantations speedy Notice thereof, in order to be laid before Us, that you may receive Our Ratification, if We shall approve the same:—provided always, that you do not, by Colour of any Power or Authority hereby given you, commence or declare War without Our Knowledge and particular Commands therein.

    78.  And whereas We have, by the second Article of these Our Instructions to you, directed and appointed that your chief Residence shall be at Quebec; you are nevertheless frequently to visit the other parts of your Government, in order to inspect the Management of all public Affairs, and thereby the better to take Care, that the Government be so administered, that no disorderly Practices may grown up contrary to Our Service and the Welfare of Our Subjects.

    79.  And whereas great Prejudice may happen to Our Service, and the Security of the Province, by your Absence form those Parts, You are not, upon any Pretence whatsoever, to come into Europe, without having first obtained Leave for so doing from Us under Our Sign Manual and Signet, or by Our Order in Our Privy Council; Yet nevertheless in case of Sickness, You may go to South Carolina, or any other of Our Southern Plantations,

and there stay for such Space as the Recovery of your Health may absolutely require.

    80.  And whereas We have thought fit by Our Commission to direct, that in case of your Death or Absence, and the Death or Absence of Our Lieutenant Governors of Montreal and Trois Rivieres, and in Case there be at that time no Person within Our said Province, commissionated or appointed by Us to be Commander in Chief, that the Eldest Councillor, who shall be at the time of your Death or Absence, or at the Death or Absence of Our Lieutenant Governors, as aforesaid, residing with Our said Province under your Government, shall take upon him the Administration of Government, and execute Our said COmmission and Instructions, and the several Powers and Authorities therein directed; It is nevertheless Our express Will and Pleasure, that in such Case the said President shall forbear to pass any act or Acts, but what are immediately necessary for the Peace and Welfare of the said Province, without Our particular Order for that purpose; And that he shall not remove or suspend any of the Members of Our Council, nor any Judges , Justices of the Peace, or other Officers Civil or Military, without the Advice and Consent of at least Seven of the Members of Our said Council, nor even then without good and sufficient Reasons for the same, which the said President is to transmit, signed by himself and the rest of Our said Council, to Our Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, by the first Opportunity in order to be laid before Us.

    81.  And whereas We are willing in the best manner to provide for the Support of the Government of Our Province aforesaid, of which You are Governor, by setting apart sufficient Allowances to such as shall be Our Governor or Commander in Chief, residing for the time being within the same; Our Will and Pleasure is, that when it shall happen that you are absent from Our said Province, One full Moiety of the Salary, and all Perquisites and Emoluments whatsoever, which would otherwise become due unto You, shall, during the time of your Absence, be paid and satisfied unto Our Commander in Chief, who shall be resident within Our said Province for the Time bring; which We do hereby order and allot unto him for his Maintenance, and for the better Support of the Dignity of that Our Government.

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