INSTRUCTIONS TO Mr. HEATHCOTE, &

FROM THE

COUNCIL AND ASSEMBLY OF JAMAICA.

SIRS,

THE general fatisfaction this island hath received of you, by your generous foliciting our affairs at court, hath encouraged us to defire the continuance of your endeavours in the like nature for the future, in which you have already fo exceedingly fatisfied and obliged us.

You will herewith receive the copy of an act, which their majesties have been graciously pleased to promise their royal affent unto, entitled, An act for foliciting the affairs of this island in England, in the body of which, by the unanimous confent of us, the council and affembly of Jamaica, you have been chofen, and therein named, to be our folicitor at the court for obtaining, from time to time, fuch matters as shall occur for the benefit of this island in general.

And it is our request to you at prefent, that you folicit the confirming fuch laws as are herewith fent you, paffed here by their majefty's lieutenant-governor, the right honourable fir William Beefton, and fuch others as fhall be hereafter tranfmitted unto you.

That you endeavour to prevent the confirming of the laws passed here in the government of the late duke of Albemarle.

That, in the best manner you can, you will please to prefent our ad dreffes to their majefties.

That, as much as in you lies, you will encourage a trade for Scotland that we may have white people from thence, as alfo cloathing and provifions neceffary for them, and alfo a trade with Wales may be obtained for white people, provifions, and liquors.

That

That you ufe fuch measures, as to you fhall feem expedient, for the fending us fervants and freemen, efpecially tradefmen, and remind their majefties of one hundred men the king was pleased to promife fir William Beefton, upon his coming to this government.

And that you fend copies for the encouraging the importation of white people into all countries that you fhall think fervants and others may be obtained from, whether home-bred or foreigners.

That you endeavour to procure as many merchant-men yearly as poffibly you can, whereby the product of this ifland may be better remitted home, for the encouragement and increase of their majefties customs, and the planting intereft of this ifland.

That you get two or three fmall light frigates, that can go into fhoal water, and can follow the enemies barqua luengos, to cruize to and from the island, to prevent the many depredations and robberies daily committed about the coafts of this ifland; and that the commiffioners of the navy fend timely fupplies of provifions, ammunition, and ftores, for the frigates and fortifications; and that there be alfo fupplies of men for the frigates, feafaring men running away, and fome dying; and to lay before the commiffioners the great inconveniencies of preffing out of merchantmen abroad, by which means many are laid up and loft.

That what frigates are fent hither may be under the direction and command of the governor refiding here, and no other perfon in America, otherwise their majefties fervice will be obftructed for want of a good correfpondence and fit directions.

That you endeavour to prevent the paffing again the additional act upon fugars, if the parliament fhould have thoughts of reviving that, or any other of the like nature.

That you oppose the contrivance of the royal company's planting of indigo at Gambo, and those coafts; which, if it fhould obtain, would prove much to the difcouragement of this ifland in planting, trade, and Thipping; and that, if the company's patent be confirmed, you folicit their majefties that they fend hither yearly three thoufand negroes, to be fold to the planters of the country, before the Spaniards be fupplied with

any, the affiento now picking out all the choice negroes that are imported, and leaving to the planters only the refufe, which muft of neceflity ruin them and difpeople the country.

That you folicit the parliament to hinder the feizure of any ship or veffel that fhall bring from Scotland or Ireland any commodities, though prohibited in the acts of navigation and trade, as cloathing, candles, &c.

That you discover to the lords the great difhonour done to their majefties, and the inconveniencies that happen to the rest of their majesties plantations, by New England, New-York, Carolina, Providence, &c. entertaining and encouraging pirates; whereby all profligate fellows flock thither, to be encouraged and fitted out for the Red and South Seas, where they daily commit piracies and murders; and, although an act has paffed here to pardon debtors, and fome fort of offenders, yet treason and murder is therein excepted.

That you also get fome fettled order to be made by the navy board, the better to secure the payment of the bills charged hence for the fitting, provifions, and careening, their majefties fhips of war; elfe nobody will furnish them, and the ships will be unserviceable.

And humbly to put their majefties in mind of one thousand pounds the king was pleafed to promife our governor towards the reparation and building their majefteis forts here, we having already almost expended our all for the fecurity and defence of this ifland.

We fend you thefe heads, as general inftructions for you, to folicit for this ifland, and pray to note private and peculiar complaints be folicited for er against any private or particular perfons of this ifland, but that all solicitations be made in their proper places for the public good of this ifland.

And, that there may never want a fupply of able and proper perfons to folicit our public affairs in England, we have agreed here, that yourselves, whom you believe to be moft proper in cafe of the death, abfence, or refufal, of either or any one of you, fhall choose fuch others as may be fitting and proper for fuch folicitations.

And, upon any emergent occafions that may happen here, and where

thefe

thefe inftructions do not fully direct you, we defire you to follow fuch as fhall be given by the honourable Samuel Bernard and Nicolas Low, James Bradshaw, William Hutchinfon, Thomas Clarke, James Banifter, and Modyford Freeman, efquires.

We pray you to reprefent to their lordships of the committee of trade and plantations, how detrimental it will be to their majefties and their fubjects to make any new fettlements in any part whatsoever, when those already fettled are too large for the people, whereby every place becomes fo weak that they may become a prey to the enemy.

That you take care, as much as in you lies, fo to prevail with their lordfhips that our council may not be made more numerous than hitherto has been, our people being decreased; and, if it fhould be done notwithftanding, you make it your endeavour that no lefs than half the number be a quorum.

Paffed the council,

ANDREW LANGLE, Speaker..

EDWARD BROUGHTON, Clerk to Council.

Hh2

A SHORT

A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE

AFFAIRS OF JAMAICA,

IN RELATION TO THE ASSEMBLY

CALLED BY THE

DUKE OF ALBEMARLE, IN 1688;

WITH REASONS WHY THE LAWS MADE BY THAT ASSEMBLY SHOULD NOT PASS,

THE late duke of Albemarle, at his firft arrival in Jamaica, called an affembly, which was duly elected; but Needham, one of his advifers, having and truly charged words fpoken in the affembly by one of the members, viz. Salus populi fuprema lex, and the faid affembly justifying and protecting the faid member, they were diffolved, and that member was taken into custody, and forced to enter into four thoufand pounds recognizance, and was afterwards indicted and fined fix hundred pounds for the faid words; whereas his prefent majefty, being informed, was pleafed to vacate that unjuft fentence. After the diffolution of the faid affembly, the judges and most of the principal officers in the faid ifland, were dif placed, without any cause affigned; and particularly the provoft-marhal, whofe office is to make all the returns for the affembly, and one Waite an indigent perfon put in his place; one father Churchill, a Romish prieft, being a bufy man in thefe regulations: and colonel Molesworth was forced to give a hundred thoufand pounds fecurity to appear and render himfelf in England, wherein feven of the principal inhabitants were bound, who thereby became obnoxious to the duke and his advisers: but that bond was afterwards vacated by the late king.

That a new affembly was called by the duke, and the freedom of the election for members to ferve in the faid affembly was then violated, by making troopers, fervants, feamen, and difinterested perfons, freeholders, and carrying them from place to place to vote, and putting the names ot feveral perfons to papers of elections, and by imprisoning divers confi❤

derable