Great Britain. Sovereign

“ America from the Violence, Injustice, and Tyranny of those daring Rebels who have assumed to themselves the Exercise of Arbitrary Power, to open the Eyes of those who have been deluded by specious Falshoods, into Acts of Treason and Rebellion, to turn the Hearts of the Authors of these Calamities, and finally to restore Our People in those distracted Provinces and Colonies to the happy Condition of being free Subjects of a free State ”

“ Whereas frequent Robberies and Piracies have been, and are daily committed by great numbers of Pirates and Privateers as well on the Seas as on the Land of and in America, which hath occasioned a great prejudice and obstruction to the Trade and Commerce as well of Our Subjects, as of the Subjects of Our Allies, and hath given a great Scandal and Disturbance to Our Government in those Parts. ”

“ We, taking into Our most serious Consideration the just and necessary Hostilities in which We are engaged, and the unnatural Rebellion carrying on in some of Our Provinces and Colonies in North America, and putting Our Trust in Almighty God, that he will vouchsafe a special Blessing on Our Arms both by Sea and Land, have resolved, and do, by and with the Advice of Our Privy Council, hereby command, That a Publick Fast and Humiliation be observed throughout that Part of Our Kingdom of Great Britain called Scotland, on Thursday the Third Day of February next ”

“ The Charge of Piracy, Cruelty, and Barbarity against Our Ships of War, is equally unjust and unbecoming; and We have all such Proceedings so much in Abhorrence, that, if any Practices of that Nature had been made appear to us, We should have taken effectual Care to put a Stop to them, and to have punished the Offenders in the severest Manner.
We being therefore indispensibly obliged to take up Arms, and entirely relying on the Help of Almighty God, who knows the Uprightness of Our Intentions, have thought fit to declare, and do hereby declare War against the French King ”

“ Since then the Satisfaction we have demanded is not given, We must, though most reluctantly, do Ourselves that Justice which We cannot otherwise obtain: We must consider the States General as Parties in the Injury which they will not repair, as Sharers in the Aggression which they refuse to punish, and must act accordingly. ”

“ Those who shall transport themselves as aforesaid shall have land set forth unto them, according to the proportion of twenty Acres, besides Lakes and Rivers, for every Male of twelve years old and upwards, and ten Acres for every other Male or Female, in some convenient place of the said Island; and in case any whole Plantation, That is to say, the Governours and greatest part of the people shall remove themselves, they shall be preferred in respect of the place of their sitting down, that it may be near some good Harbour commodious for Commerce and Navigation. ”

“ The Kings most Excellent Majesty being watchful for the publick good of his loving Subjects, and taking notice of the great and unusual resort of Rogues, Vagabonds, Beggers, and other idle Persons of all Ages and Sexes, from all parts of the Nation to the Cities of London and Westminster and the Suburbs of the same, where they make it their trade to beg and live idlely, and to get their living by Begging, Stealing, and other wicked and lewd practises, to the great offence of Almighty God, and to the dishonour of His Majesties Royal Government ”

“ Fourthly, That a Chief Flag Officer returning home from Jamaica, or elsewhere, shall have no Share of the Prizes taken by the Ships or Vessels left behind to act under another Command: Fifthly, That if a Flag Officer is sent to command in the Out-ports of this Kingdom, he shall have no Share of the Prizes taken by Ships or Vessels which have sailed from that Port by Order from the Admiralty: Sixthly, That when more Flag Officers than One serve together, the Eighth Part of the Prizes taken by any Ships or Vessels of the Fleet or Squadron, shall be divided in the following Proportions ”

“ But We are too sensible of the common Interests of both Countries not to remember, in the Midst of such a Contest, that the only Point to be aimed at by Us, is to raise a Disposition in the Councils of the Republic to return to our ancient Union, by giving Us that Satisfaction for the past, and Security for the future, which We shall be as ready to receive as They can be to offer, and to the Attainment of which We shall direct all Our Operations. ”

“ And We do hereby further publish and declare, that the Allotments for Plantations in Our Islands of Grenada, the Grenadines, Tobago, and St. Vincent, shall contain to Three Hundred Acres, with some few Allotments in each Island of Five Hundred Acres; and that the Allotments in Our Island of Dominica, which is represented to be not so well adapted to the Cultivation of Sugar, and which from its Situation requires in Policy to be well peopled with White Inhabitants, shall be in general from Fifty to One Hundred Acres. ”

“ By all which means the forreigne Plantations of Our Subjects remain unfortified, and are in apparant danger to be ruined, the Planters are grieved and discouraged, the Colonies of other Nations do flourish, the wealth of Our Kingdoms is exhausted, the immoderate use of a vain and needlesse weed is continued, the health of Our Subjects is much impaired, and their manners in danger to be depraved. ”

“ And We do hereby command Our own Subjects, and advertise all other Persons, of what Nation soever, not to transport or carry any Soldiers, Arms, Powder, Ammunition, or other Contraband Goods, to any of the Territories, Lands, Plantations, or Countries of the said French King; Declaring, that whatsoever Ship or Vessel shall be met withal, transporting or carrying any Soldiers, Arms, Powder, Ammunition, or any other Contraband Goods, to any of the Territories, Lands, Plantations, or Countries of the said French King, the same, being taken, shall be condemned as good and lawful Prize. ”

“ We have therefore thought fit by Letters Patents under Our Great Seale, to Incorporate a certaine number of choice and selected persons, who have either served as Apprentices, or have otherwise practised that Art by the space of seven yeers, to whom and whose Servants, Apprentices, and such others as shall be by them admitted into that Societie for their skill and honest conversation, Wee intend to appropriat the said Art, and to restraine all others from taking that benefit which in no right belongeth unto them. ”

“ That the Inhabitants do Rind the Trees, and Ingross and Incroach upon Fishing Ship-Rooms, and destroy several of the Stages, Flakes and Cook-Rooms, and that the Fishing Admirals are negligent in their Duty of putting the said Act in Execution, and of keeping Journals of the Fishery, and that the said Fishing Admirals, being Traders themselves, are partial in their Determination of Differences, and that the Masters of Fishing-Ships, and of By-Boats, do neglect to produce Certificates of their Compliments of Green Men or Fresh Men, contrary to the said Act ”

“ Whereas We by an Order in Council [2] of the Two and twentieth day of March, One thousand six hundred sixty four, [115] have dispenced for some time with certain Clauses in the late Acts of Parliament for Encouraging and Increasing of Shipping and Navigation, and for the Encouragement of Trade; and therein also Declared, That when We should think fit to determine that Dispensation, We would by Our Royal Proclamation give Six moneths notice thereof, to the end no Merchant, or other Person therein concerned should be surprised. ”

“ But that the French King should Invade Our Charibbee Islands, and possess himself of Our Territories of the Province of New-York and of Hudson's-Bay in a Hostile manner, seizing Our Forts, burning Our Subjects Houses, and enriching his People with the Spoil of their Goods and Merchandizes, detaining some of Our Subjects under the Hardship of Imprisonment, causing others to be inhumanely kill'd, and driving the rest to Sea in a Small Vessel, without Food and Necessaries to support them, are Actions not becoming even an Enemy ”

“ The consequences whereof would be the disturbance of that quiet, which those Our Subjects in America doe yet injoy under Our Government, and instead of Peace, to introduce amongst them the like Oppressions, Bloodshed, Rapine, Disorders and Confusion in Church and State, as they have brought already into some parts of this Our Kingdome, and would have gone farther on, if the Goodnesse of Almighty God, giving strength to Our Forces, and successe to Our Enterprises, had not given a stop to their Malitious and Rebellious attempts. ”

“ And if any Person or Persons shall discover either of the said Persons who acted as, or called themselves, or were called by their said Accomplices, the Head-Sheriff or the Captain, so that they, or either of them, may be apprehended and brought to Punishment, such Discoverer shall have and receive, as a Reward for such Discovery, upon Conviction of either of the said Persons, the further Sum of Five Hundred pounds, over and above the Sum of Five Hundred Pounds herein before promised, for the discovery and apprehending any of the other common Offenders, abovementioned ”

“ And whereas there are remaining in Our Kingdom, divers of the Subjects of the French King, We do hereby Declare Our Royal Intention to be, That all the French Subjects who shall demean themselves dutifully towards Us, shall be safe in their Persons and Effects. ”

“ For repressing therefore of all such excesses and for preventing of future inconvenience, Our Soveraigne Lord the King, by the advice of the Lords and others of His Privie Councell hath resolved to reduce the venting, selling and uttering of Tobacco into some good order, and that none but men of sufficiency, and such as shall bring certificate of their meetnesse, shall hereafter sell or utter any Tobacco by retaile. ”

“ And whereas Our Merchants working upon the necessities of the Planters, have from time to time bought their Tobacco at low and small prices, thereby occasioning the said Planters to grow negligent and carelesse of the well ordering their Tobacco, by means whereof much unserviceable Tobacco hath from Our said Colonies been imported hither, and hath [83] been sophisticated, mixed and stamped with rotten fruits, stalks of Tobacco, and other corrupt ingredients, and afterwards sold and uttered to Our people. ”