to the rites of the Romish church, as far as the laws of Great Britain permit. months. His Britannic Majefty further agrees, that the French in- Liberty to the habitants, or others, who had been the fubjects of the moft fubjects to retire French king's Christian King in Canada, may retire with all fafety and freedom from Canada within the space wherever they shall think proper, and may fell their eftates, pro- of eighteen vided it be to fubjects of his Britannic Majefty, and bring away their effects, as well as their perfons, without being reftrained in their emigration, under any pretence whatsoever, except that of debts, or of criminal profecutions; the term limited for this emigration fhall be fixed to the space of eighteen months, to be computed from the day of the exchange of the ratification of the present treaty. NUMBER Government of NUMBER VIII. BY THE KIN G. A PROCLAMATION. GEORGE R.. WHER HEREAS we have taken into our royal confideration the extensive and valuable acquifitions in America, fecured to our crown by the late definitive treaty of peace concluded at Paris the tenth day of February laft; and being defirous that all our loving fubjects, as well of our kingdoms as of our colonies in America,. may avail themselves, with all convenient speed, of the great benefits and advantages which must accrue therefrom to their commerce, manufactures, and navigation, we have thought fit, with the advice of our privy council, to iffue this our royal proclamation, hereby to publish and declare to all our loving fubjects, that we have, with the advice of our faid privy council, granted our letters patent under our great feal of Great Britain, to erect within the countries and islands ceded and confirmed to us by the faid treaty, four diftinct and separate governments, ftiled and called by the names of Quebec, Eaft Florida, West Florida, and Grenada, and limited and bounded as follows, viz.. First, The government of Quebec, bounded on the Labrador coast by the river St. John, and from thence by a line drawn from the head of that river, through the lake St. John, to the south end of the lake Nipiffim; from whence the faid line, croffing the river St. Lawrence and the lake Champlain in forty-five degrees of north latitude, paffes along the high lands, which divide the rivers that empty themselves into the faid river St. Lawrence from those which fall into the fea; and also along the north coaft of the Baye des Chaleurs, and the coaft of the gulf of St. Lawrence to Cape Rofieres, and from thence croffing the mouth of the river St. Lawrence by the west end of the island of Anticofti, terminates at the aforefaid river St. John. Secondly, Eaft Florida. Secondly, The government of Eaft Florida, bounded to the weft- Government of ward by the gulf of Mexico and the Apalachicola river; to the northward, by a line drawn from that part of the said river where the Catahouchee and Flint rivers meet, to the fource of St. Mary's river, and by the course of the faid river to the Atlantic Ocean; and to the east and fouth by the Atlantic Ocean and the gulf of Florida, including all the islands within fix leagues of the feacoaft. Thirdly, The government of West Florida, bounded to the fouth- Welt Florida, ward by the gulf of Mexico, including all islands within fix leagues of the coaft from the river Apalachicola to lake Pontchartrain; to the weftward by the faid lake, the lake Maurepas, and the river Miffifippy; to the northward, by a line drawn east from that part of the river Miffifippy which lies in thirty-one degrees of north latitude, to the river Apalachicola, or Catahouchee; and to the eastward by the faid river. Fourthly, The government of Grenada, comprehending the Grenada. island of that name, together with the Grenadines, and the islands of Dominica, St. Vincent, and Tobago. the land. government And to the end that the open and free fishery of our fubjects Enlargement of may be extended to, and carried on upon, the coaft of Labrador of Newfoundand the adjacent islands, we have thought fit, with the advice of our faid privy council, to put all that coaft, from the river St. John's to Hudfon's Streights, together with the islands of Anticofti and Madelaine, and all fmaller islands lying upon the faid coaft, under the care and infpection of our governour of Newfoundland. the government We have also, with the advice of our privy council, thought Enlargement of fit to annex the islands of St. John and Cape Breton, or Ifle Royale, of Nova Scotia. with the leffer iflands adjacent thereto, to our government of Nova Scotia, Georgia. We have also, with the advice of our privy council aforefaid, Enlargement of annexed to our province of Georgia all the lands lying between the rivers Attamaha and St. Mary's. And ་ governours of affemblies. And whereas it will greatly contribute to the speedy fettling our faid new governments, that our loving fubjects fhould be informed of our paternal care for the fecurity of the liberty and properties of those who are and fhall become inhabitants thereof; we have thought fit to publish and declare, by this our proclamation, that we have, in the letters patent under our great feal of Great Britain, Power to the by which the faid governments are conftituted, given exprefs power the new govern- and direction to our governours of our faid colonies refpectively, that ments to fum- fo foon as the state and circumftance of the faid colonies will admit mon general affemblies. thereof, they fhall, with the advice and confent of the members. of our council, fummon and call general affemblies within the faid governments refpectively, in fuch manner and form as is used and directed in thofe colonies and provinces in America which are Power to make under our immediate government; and we have alfo given power to confent of fuch the faid governours, with the confent of our faid council, aid the representatives of the people, fo to be fummoned as aforefaid, to make, conftitute, and ordain laws, ftatutes, and ordinances for the public peace, welfare, and good government of our faid colonies, and of the people and inhabitants thereof, as near as may be, agreeable to the laws of England, and under fuch regulations and restrictions as are used in other colonies; and in the mean time, and England fhall be until fuch affemblies can be called as aforefaid, all perfons inhabiting in, or reforting to, our faid colonies, may confide in our royal protection for the enjoyment of the benefit of the laws of our realm of England; for which purpose we have given power under our great feal to the governours of our faid colonies refpectively, to erect and conftitute, with the advice of our faid councils respectively, courts of judicature and public justice within our faid colonies, for the hearing and determining all caufes, as well criminal as civil, according to law and equity, and, as near as may be, agreeable to the laws of England, with liberty to all perfons who may think themselves aggrieved by the fentence of fuck courts, in all civil cafes, to appeal, under the ufual limitations and restrictions, to us in our privy council. The laws of obferved in the mean time. Power to grant lands. We have alfo thought fit, with the advice of our privy council as aforesaid, to give unto the governours and councils of our faid three new colonies upon the continent full power and authority to fettle and agree with the inhabitants of our faid new colonies, or any other person who fhall refort thereto, for fuch lands, tenements, and hereditaments as are now, or hereafter fhall be, in our 2 power power to difpofe of, and them to grant to any fuch perfon or perfons, upon fuch terms and under fuch moderate quit-rents, fervices, and acknowledgements as have been appointed and fettled in other colonies, and under fuch other conditions as fhall appear to us to be neceffary and expedient for the advantage of the grantees, and the improvement and fettlement of our faid colonies. And whereas we are defirous, upon all occafions, to teftify our Lands to be royal fenfe and approbation of the conduct and bravery of the uced officers granted to reofficers and foldiers of our armies, and to reward the fame, we do and foldiers. hereby command and impower our governours of our faid three new colonies, and other our governours of our feveral provinces on the continent of North America, to grant, without fee or reward, to fuch reduced officers and foldiers as have ferved in North America during the late war, and are actually refiding there, and fhall perfonally apply for the fame, the following quantities of land, fubject at the expiration of ten years, to the fame quit-rents as other lands are fubject to in the province within which they are granted, as also subject to the fame conditions of cultivation and improvement, viz. To every perfon having the rank of a field officer, 5000 acres. To every fubaltern or ftaff officer, 2000 acres. To every non-commiffioned officer, 200 acres. To every private man, 50 acres. We do likewise authorize and require the governours and commanders in chief of all our faid colonies upon the continent of North America to grant the like quantities of land, and upon the fame conditions, to fuch reduced officers of our navy of like rank as served on board our ships of war in North America at the times of the reduction of Louisbourg and Quebec in the late war, and who shall perfonally apply to our refpective governours for fuch grants. And whereas it is juft and reafonable, and effential to our interest, and the fecurity of our colonies, that the feveral nations or tribes of Indians, with whom we are connected, and who live under our protection, fhould not, be molefted or difturbed in the poffeffion of fuch parts of our dominions and territories as, not M having And likewife to reduced officers of the navy. |