[Concerning Passes for Ships.]
BY THE KING.
A PROCLAMATION
Requiring all Ships and Vessels, Trading from the Plantations in the way of the Algerines, to Furnish themselves with Passes.
George R.
Whereas pursuant to Treaties Concluded between Our Predecessors, and the Government of Algier,[1] several Passes have been Granted under the Hand and Seal of the High Admirals of Great Britain, or the Commissioners for Executing that Office of Our respective Dominions: And whereas Our Commissioners for Executing the Office of High Admiral, have humbly Represented unto Us, That they have reason to apprehend, that several of the said Passes of the Old Form have been Clandestinely altered, as well in their Dates as otherwise, which may be very Prejudicial to the Trading Ships of Our Subjects: For Preventing whereof We have thought fit, by the Advice of Our Privy Council, to Publish this Our Royal Proclamation, hereby Declaring, That all such Passes of the Old Form, which have been so Issued, shall not Continue in Force longer than the Thirtieth Day of July next. And We do hereby strictly Charge and Command all Our Loving Subjects, who are or shall be possessed of any such Passes, That they do, as soon as may be, return the same into the Office of Admiralty of Great Britain, in order to their being Cancelled. And whereas, pursuant to the late Treaty with Algier, it is absolutely necessary, That all Ships and Vessels belonging to Our Loving Subjects of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as Our Foreign Governments and Plantations, which shall have occasion to Trade to Portugal, the Canaries, Guinea, the Indies, into the Mediterranean, or elsewhere, in the way of the Cruizers of the aforesaid Government of Algier, should be furnished with Passes of the New Form, by or before the said Thirtieth Day of July next, lest by their being met with by the Ships of Algier, unfurnished with such Passes, they be Brought up, and the Ships and Goods Confiscated; We do hereby strictly Charge and Require the Owners and Masters of all Ships and Vessels of Our Loving Subjects Trading, as aforesaid, to take particular Care that they do timely furnish themselves with such Passes of the New Form accordingly.
Given at Our Court at St. James's, the Fourth Day of October, 1714. In the First Year of Our Reign.
God save the King.
London, Printed by John Baskett, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty, And by the Assigns of Thomas Newcomb, and Henry Hills, deceas'd. 1714.
1 p. folio. Copies in B. M., and Signet. Entered on Patent Rolls; entered in Privy Council Register, I Geo., vol. 1, p. 91. Printed in "London Gazette," October 4, 1714.
FOOTNOTE:
[1] Since the proclamation of April 1, 1676 (see p. 129, with note) the question of ship passes had been given frequent attention, but seldom directly concerned the American trade. On February 9, 1677, the Privy Council drew up a long set of regulations regarding the form and issuing of passes, with direct reference to the Plantations trade (printed in Acts of the Privy Council, i, 692-700) but the proclamation then ordered to be issued to explain these regulations, if published, has not been found. The treaty with Algiers of April 10, 1682, required that all English merchants should have a pass under the seal of the Lord High Admiral or his commissioners and a proclamation was issued April 13, 1683, to that effect. Further proclamations, containing reference to the treaties of 1682 and April 5, 1686, were issued on March 17, 1692 and June 9, 1700, to reinforce these provisions. On February 17, 1698, the Privy Council took action allowing the granting of passes in the Plantations (Acts of the Privy Council, ii, 318). Since certain passes for the trade with Algiers had been clandestinely altered, a proclamation was published on January 17, 1714, canceling all passes held twelve months from that date and requiring new ones to be issued (these proclamations are calendared in Lord Crawford's Tudor and Stuart Proclamations). In connection with the issuing of the above printed proclamation concerning passes for the Plantations trade, the Privy Council proposed to send a certain number of passes over to the governors of the colonies, there to be issued by them, but to this the government of Algiers objected (Acts of the Privy Council, ii, 682).