[Colonizing Granada and other Islands.]

BY THE KING.

A PROCLAMATION.

George R.

Whereas We have taken into Our Consideration, the great Benefit which will arise to the Commerce of Our Kingdoms and the Interests of Our Subjects, from the speedy Settlement of Our Islands of Grenada, the Grenadines, Dominica, St. Vincent, and Tobago. We do therefore think fit, with the Advice of Our Privy Council, to issue this Our Royal Proclamation to publish and declare to Our loving Subjects, that We have, with the Advice of Our said Privy Council, given the necessary Powers and Directions for an immediate Survey and Division into proper Parishes and Districts, of such of the said Islands as have not hitherto been so surveyed and divided, and for laying out such Lands in the said Islands, as are in Our Power to dispose of, into Allotments for Plantations of different Size and Extent, according as the Nature of the Land shall be more or less adapted to the Growth of Sugar, Coffee, Cocoa, Cotton, or other Articles of beneficial Culture, reserving to Us, Our Heirs, and Successors, such Parts of the said Islands as shall be necessary for erecting Fortifications thereon, and for all other military Purposes, for Glebes for Ministers, Allotments for Schoolmasters, for Woodlands, High Roads, and all other publick Purposes; and also reserving such Lands in Our Islands of Dominica and St. Vincent, as, at the Time of the Surrender of those Islands, were and still are in the Possession of the French Inhabitants of those Islands, which Lands, it is Our Will and Pleasure should be granted to such of the said Inhabitants as shall be inclined to accept the same, upon Leases for Terms absolute, or for renewable Terms, upon certain Conditions and under proper Restrictions. 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.

And whereas We have thought fit to declare to Our Parliament at the Opening of the present Session, Our Gracious Intention of reserving for the publick Use, whatever Sums shall be produced by the Sale of any of the Lands belonging to Us in the Islands of the West Indies, which were ceded to Us by the late Treaty; We do further publish and declare, that when these Allotments, or a sufficient Part of them, shall have been laid out, the same shall be set up to Sale by Auction, at a Price per Acre, to be fixed thereon by Commissioners appointed for that Purpose, under Our Great Seal of Great Britain, who shall give publick Notice of the Time and Place of such Sale.

And We do hereby further publish and declare, that the Lands so set up to Sale by Auction, shall not be sold, but upon the following Terms, and under the following Conditions and Reservations, that is to say,

That each Purchaser shall immediately pay into the Hands of such Person as We shall appoint to receive the same, Twenty per Cent. of the whole Purchase-Money.

That the Remainder of the Purchase-Money shall be paid by different Installments, viz. Ten per Cent. within the First Year after the Purchase, Ten per Cent. more within the Second Year after such Purchase, and Twenty per Cent. within every successive Year, until the Whole is paid.

That each Purchaser of Lands which have been cleared and improved, shall, within the Space of Three Months from the Date of the Grant, settle and constantly keep upon the Lot purchased, One White Man or Two White Women for every Hundred Acres contained in the said Lot; and, in Default thereof, shall be subject to the Payment of Twenty Pounds per Annum for every White Woman, and Forty Pounds for every White Man, that shall be wanting to compleat the Number.

That the Purchaser of uncleared Lands shall clear and cultivate One Acre in every Twenty in each Year, until Half the Land so purchased shall be cleared; and, in Default thereof, shall pay Five Pounds per Annum for every Acre not cleared, pursuant to such Condition; and such Purchaser shall also be obliged to settle and constantly keep upon the Lot so purchased, One White Man or Two White Women for every Hundred Acres, as the same shall be cleared.

That each Purchaser shall, besides the Purchase-Money, be subject to the Payment of an Annual Quit-Rent to Us, Our Heirs, and Successors, of Six-pence per Acre, under the Penalty of Five Pounds per Acre upon Non-payment thereof; such Quit-Rents, in the Case of the Purchase of cleared Lands, to commence from the Date of the Grant; and the first Payment to be made at the Expiration of the First Year; and in Case of the Purchase of the uncleared Lands, such Quit-Rents to commence at the Expiration of Twelve Months from the Time each Acre is cleared.

That in Case of Failure in the Payment of the Purchase-Money in the Manner above directed, the Purchaser shall forfeit all Right to the Lands purchased.

That no Person shall purchase at any publick Sale more than Five Hundred Acres of cleared or uncleared Lands, in the Islands of Grenada, and the Grenadines, Tobago, and St. Vincent's, and in the Island of Dominica the Quantity shall be restrained to Three Hundred Acres; and in Order to enforce this necessary and essential Regulation, that a Condition shall be inserted in every Grant, to be made in Consequence of such Purchase, that in Case any Purchase shall be made contrary thereto, so that the Property of the Purchaser in the Islands where the Lands lie, shall thereby amount to more than the above Quantity respectively, the same shall be void, the Money paid thereon forfeited, and the consequential Grant of no Effect.

That all and every Purchaser of Lands, upon the foregoing Terms and Conditions, shall immediately, upon the Payment of the first Twenty per Cent. of the Purchase-Money, receive a Bill of Sale, signed by the said Commissioners, which shall entitle such Purchasers to a Grant of the said Lands, under the Seal of the Islands, containing the aforementioned Conditions and Reservations: Which said Purchase, and Grant in Consequence thereof, duly registered in the proper Offices, shall be good and valid in Law against Us, Our Heirs and Successors, unless the same shall be revoked: And We do hereby declare the same revocable by Our Commissioners of Our Treasury, or Our High Treasurer for the Time being, within Twelve Months from the Date thereof; in which Case such Purchase and Grant shall become void and of no Effect; and upon Notice of such Revocation, the said Commissioners shall return to such Purchaser the Money paid upon the Purchase, with legal Interest thereon, and reasonable Allowance for any Improvements made on the said Lands.

And whereas the Establishing Towns in proper Situations, within the said Islands, will conduce greatly to the Convenience of the Inhabitants, and the Benefit of Trade and Commerce; We have therefore thought fit, with the Advice of Our Privy Council, to direct a proper District in every Parish in each Island, to be laid out for that Purpose, into Lots for Tenements of different Size and Extent; and each Town-Lot to have a proportionate Allotment of Land contiguous to such Town, for a small Field or Pasture, allowing one Acre for every ten Foot in Front of the Town-Lot to which it is to be annexed; but no Field-Lot to exceed the Quantity of Six Acres.

And We do hereby further publish and declare, that such of these Town and Pasture-Lots, in each Island, as consist of Lands, which have been already cleared and improved, shall be set up to Sale by publick Auction, at a Price per Foot in Front of each Town-Lot, and a Price per Acre of the Field-Lot, to be fixed upon such Lot, by the said Commissioners, in like Manner as upon the Allotments for Plantations.

And We do further publish and declare, that the Lots, so set up to Sale by Auction, shall not be sold but upon the following Terms and Conditions; that is to say,

That the Purchase-Money, shall be paid in the same Proportion, by the like Installments and upon the same Conditions as are required in the Case of the Purchase of Allotments for Plantations.

That each Tenement shall be charged with the Payment of an Annual Ground-Rent to Us, Our Heirs, and Successors, of One Penny per Foot in Front, and Sixpence per Acre, for each Acre of the Field annexed to such Tenement; the said Rents to commence at the Expiration of one Year from the Date of the Purchase, and the Purchaser to be liable to the same Penalties, in Case of Failure of the Payment of the Purchase-Money, and the Ground-Rent and Quit-Rent, as We have already required in respect to the Purchase of Allotments for Plantations.

And We do further publish and declare, that the Reservations, which We have directed to be made for Town and Pasture-Lots of uncleared Lands, shall be granted in Fee Simple by Our Governor in Chief, under the Seal of the Islands, to any Persons, who will give such Security as Our Commissioners shall approve, for building on such Town-Lots within a reasonable Time, to be fixed by Our said Commissioners; and also for Inclosing, Fencing, and properly Clearing for Pasture, the Fields that shall be granted with such Tenement.

And We do further publish and declare, that We have directed that no more than one Town-Lot be granted to any one Person, and that no more than Six Acres of Pasture-Land be annexed to such Town-Lot, whatever Number of Feet in Front it shall consist of.

That each Grantee shall be obliged, under proper Penalties, to the Payment of an Annual Ground-Rent to Us, Our Heirs, and Successors, of One Penny per Foot in Front of the Town-Lot for a Tenement, and Sixpence per Acre for each Acre of the Pasture-Lot; the first Payment to be made within two Years from the Date of the Grant.

And in order the more effectually to conduce to the Peopling Our said Islands with industrious White Inhabitants, upon which their Strength and Security do essentially depend; We have thought fit, with the Advice of Our said Council, to direct a Quantity of Land, not exceeding Eight Hundred Acres, to be reserved in such Parts of every Parish in each Island respectively, as are not adapted for Sugar Plantations, for the Accommodation of poor Settlers, to be divided into Lots, of not less than Ten, not more than Thirty Acres each; And we do hereby further publish and declare, that the said Allotments are to be granted in Fee Simple, under the Seal of Our said Islands, to such poor Protestants as shall apply for the same, in Proportion to their respective Abilities to cultivate the said Lands; and subject to the following Conditions; that is to say,

That each Grantee shall, at the Expiration of four Years from the Date of the Grant, pay a Quit-Rent to Us, Our Heirs, and Successors, of Six-pence per Acre, for every Acre then cleared, and a Penalty of Two Shillings per Acre, for every Acre of Land uncleared; which said Penalty of Two Shillings per Acre shall be reduced to Six-pence per Acre, as the Land shall be cleared; and in Case of Failure of such Rent and Penalty, the Grantee shall be subject to the further Penalty of the Payment of Five Pounds for every Acre, for which such Quit-Rent shall not be paid.

That each Grantee shall enter upon and occupy the Land within Three Months from the Date of the Grant; and shall continue to occupy and improve the same, for Twelve successive Months, from the Time of such first Settlement.

That the Lands shall, for the Space of Seven Years, be unalienable by Sale, nor shall the same be let, set or assigned over during the same Term, otherwise than to the Use and Benefit of any Child or Children of such original Settler, without especial licence in Writing first had and obtained, from the Chief Governor or Commander in Chief of Our said Islands for the Time being; and in Case of Failure or Default in either of the two last mentioned Conditions, the Grant to be void.

And We do hereby further publish and declare, that all Grants made of the said Allotments for poor Settlers, as also all Grants made of Town and Pasture Lots of cleared and uncleared Lands, shall be absolute and final.

That in all Grants to be made of Allotments for Plantations and Town and Pasture Lots, and of Lands for poor Settlers, there shall be a Reservation to Us, Our Heirs, and Successors of all Mines of Gold and Silver.

And We do further publish and declare, that the first Sale of Lands shall be in the Month of June next, if the Surveys can be made so soon; due Notice of which, as also of the Place of Sale, will be given by Our Commissioners appointed as aforesaid, for the Disposal of the said Lands.

Given at Our Court at St. James's, the Twenty-sixth Day of March, One thousand seven hundred and sixty-four, in the Fourth Year of Our Reign.

God Save the King.

A printed copy is noted in Crawford's "Handlist of Proclamations" as being in the Society of Antiquaries, but it could not be found by the present editor, who used the "London Gazette" as the source of his transcript. Entered on Patent Rolls, and in Crown Office Docquet Book, vol. 12; entered in Privy Council Register, III Geo., vol. 3, p. 342. Printed in "London Gazette" March 27, 1764.