said colonies, and of the people and inhabitants thereof, as near as may be, agreeable to the laws of England, and under such regulations and restrictions as are used in other colonies; and in the mean time, and until such assemblies can be called as aforesaid, all persons inhabiting in, or resorting to, our said 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 seal to the governors of our said colonies respectively, to erect and constitute, with the advice of our said councils respectively, courts of judicature and public justice within our said colonies, for the hearing and determining all causes 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 persons who may think themselves aggrieved by the sentence of such courts, in all civil cases, to appeal, under the usual limitations and restrictions, to us, in our privy council.

[Governors of the three new continental colonies may grant land therein.]

And . . . we do hereby command and impower our governors of our said three new colonies, and other our governors of our several provinces on the continent of North America, to grant, without fee or reward, to such reduced officers as have served in North America during the late war, and are actually residing there, and shall personally apply for the same, the following quantities of land, subject, at the expiration of ten years, to the same quit rents as other lands are subject to in the province within which they are granted, as also subject to the same conditions of cultivation and improvement, viz.

To every person having the rank of a field officer, 5000 acres. To every captain, 3000 acres.

To every subaltern or staff officer, 2000 acres.

To every non-commission officer, 200 acres.

To every private man 50 acres.

We do likewise authorise and require the governors and commanders in chief of all our said colonies upon the continent of North America to grant the like quantities of land, and upon the same conditions, to such 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 personally apply to our respective governors for such grants.

And whereas it is just and reasonable, and essential to our interest, and the security of our colonies, that the several nations or tribes of Indians, with whom we are connected, and who live under our protection, should not be molested or disturbed in the possession of such parts of our dominions and territories as, not having been ceded to, or purchased by us, are reserved to them, or any of them, as their hunting grounds; we do . . . declare it to be our royal will and pleasure, that no governor, or commander in chief, in any of our colonies of Quebec, East Florida, or West Florida, do presume, upon any pretence whatever, to grant warrants of survey, or pass any patents for lands beyond the bounds of their respective governments, as described in their commissions; as also that no governor or commander in chief of our other colonies or plantations in America, do presume for the present, and until our further pleasure be known, to grant warrant of survey, or pass patents for any lands beyond the heads or sources of any of the rivers which fall into the Atlantic Ocean from the west or north-west; or upon any lands whatever, which not having been ceded to, or purchased by us, as aforesaid, are reserved to the said Indians, or any of them.

And we do further declare it to be our royal will and pleasure, for the present, as aforesaid, to reserve under our sovereignty, protection, and dominion, for the use of the said Indians, all the land and territories not included within the limits of our said three new governments, or within the limits of the territory granted to the Hudson's Bay company; as also all the land and territories lying to the westward of the sources of the rivers which fall into the sea from the west and north-west as aforesaid . . .

[Persons who have inadvertently settled upon such reserved lands to remove. No sale of Indian lands to be allowed, except to the Crown. The Indian trade to be free to English subjects, under licence from the governor or commander in chief of some colony. Fugitives from justice, taking refuge in this reserved territory, to be apprehended and returned.]

No. 32. Sugar Act

April 5, 1764

ALTHOUGH the Seven Years' war had left Great Britain with a heavy debt, the expense of protecting the English possessions in America seemed likely to increase rather than diminish. The direct advantages of the expulsion of the French had accrued mainly to the colonies, and it seemed proper to the ministry that a revenue should be raised in America for the support of the military establishment there. In connection with the plan for a colonial army, it was the desire to provide stronger support for the representatives of the crown, and to put an end to the widespread violation of the acts of trade. "February 23, 1763, Charles Townshend became first lord of trade, with the administration of the colonies, and he inaugurated, with the support of the ministry, the new system of colonial government. It was announced by authority, that there were to be no more requisitions from the king to the colonial assemblies for supplies, but that the colonies were to be taxed by act of Parliament. Colonial governors and judges were to be paid by the Crown; they were to be supported by a standing army of twenty regiments; and all the expenses of this force were to be paid by parliamentary taxation" (Johnston). Grenville, who succeeded Bute in April as prime minister, was committed to this policy, and in May the Lords of Trade were called upon to submit a plan of colonial taxation. The duties prescribed by the Molasses Act of 1733 [No. 28] were prohibitory, and the statute itself had remained inoperative. To provide in part for the intended revenue, the act of April 5, 1764, known as the Sugar Act, was now passed, imposing duties upon certain colonial imports and exports. The Molasses Act was also made perpetual, but with a reduction by one-half of the duty on molasses and sugar. The extracts following give the important sections of the act, omitting technical and administrative provisions.

REFERENCES. Text in Pickering's Statutes at Large, XXVI., 33-52. The act is cited as 4 Geo. III., c. 15. On the act see especially Beer's Commercial Policy of England, chap. 8, and references there cited. An act for granting certain duties in the British colonies and plantations in America; for continuing, amending, and making perpetual... [the Molasses Act of 1733]...; for applying the produce of such duties, and of the duties to arise by virtue of the said act, towards defraying the expences of defending, protecting, and securing the said colonies and plantations; for explaining... [the Navigation Act of 1672] . . . ; and for altering and disallowing several drawbacks on exports from this kingdom, and more effectually preventing the clandestine conveyance of goods to and from the said colonies and plantations, and im

proving and securing the trade between the same and Great

Britain.

WHEREAS it is expedient that new provisions and regulations should be established for improving the revenue of this Kingdom, and for extending and securing the navigation and commerce between Great Britain and your Majesty's dominions in America, which, by the peace, have been so happily enlarged: and whereas it is just and necessary, that a revenue be raised, in your Majesty's said dominions in America, for defraying the expences of defending, protecting, and securing the same; . . . be it enacted . . ., That from and after [September 29, 1764,] . . . there shall be raised, levied, collected, and paid, unto his Majesty for and upon all white or clayed sugars of the produce or manufacture of any colony or plantation in America, not under the dominion of his Majesty . . . ; for and upon indico, and coffee of foreign produce or manufacture; for and upon all wines (except French wine;) for and upon all wrought silks, bengals, and stuffs, mixed with silk or herba, of the manufacture of Persia, China, or East India, and all callico painted, dyed, printed, or stained there; and for and upon all foreign linen cloth called Cambrick and French Lawns, which shall be imported or brought into any colony or plantation in America, which now is, or hereafter may be, under the dominion of his Majesty several rates and duties following; that is to say,

the

For every hundred weight avoirdupois of such foreign white or clayed sugars, one pound two shillings, over and above all other duties imposed by any former act of parliament.

For every pound weight avoirdupois of such foreign indico, six pence.

For every hundred weight avoirdupois of such foreign coffee, which shall be imported from any place except Great Britain, two pounds, nineteen shillings, and nine pence.

For every ton of wine of the growth of the Madeiras, or of any other island or place from whence such wine may be lawfully imported, and which shall be so imported from such islands or places, the sum of seven pounds.

For every ton of Portugal, Spanish, or any other wine (except French wine) imported from Great Britain, the sum of ten shillings.

For every pound weight avoirdupois of wrought silks, bengals, and stuffs, mixed with silk or herba, of the manufacture of Persia, China, or East India, imported from Great Britain, two shillings.

For every piece of callico painted, dyed, printed, or stained, in Persia, China, or East India, imported from Great Britain, two shillings and six pence.

For every piece of foreign linen cloth, called Cambrick, imported from Great Britain, three shillings.

For every piece of French lawn imported from Great Britain three shillings.

II. And it is hereby further enacted . . . That from and after ... [September 29, 1764] . . . there shall also be raised, levied, collected, and paid, unto his Majesty . . ., for and upon all coffee and pimento of the growth and produce of any British colony or plantation in America, which shall be there laden on board any British ship or vessel, to be carried out from thence or any other place whatsoever, except Great Britain, the several rates and duties following; that is to say,

III. For every hundred weight avoirdupois of such British coffee, seven shillings.

For every pound weight avoirdupois of such British pimento, one halfpenny. . .

[Sections V. and VI. continue the Molasses Act in force until Sept. 30, 1764, after which it is to be perpetual, subject to the changes in this present act.]

VI. And be it further enacted

,

., That in lieu and instead

of the rate and duty imposed by the said act upon melasses and syrups, there shall, from and after . . . [September 29, 1764] be raised, levied, collected, and paid, unto his Majesty for and upon every gallon of melasses or syrups, being the growth, produce, or manufacture, of any colony or plantation in America, not under the dominion of his Majesty . . ., which shall be imported or brought into any colony or plantation in America, which now is, or hereafter may be, under the dominion of his Majesty

*

*

the sum of three pence.

*

XI. And it is hereby further enacted .

*

That all the monies

which, from and after . . . [September 29, 1764]. . ., shall arise by the several rates and duties herein before granted; and