of that province, under some general rules and restrictions to which all the provinces must be subject in general.[1]
A plan drawn up by Lord Barrington has been some time under consideration for quartering the troops. This matter will be fully discussed here, but as it is possible that in the end His Majesty may leave it in great measure to your prudence and judgment, you will lose no time to consider this point fully. In the meantime it is His Majesty's desire, that in any changes of the present disposition you have occasion to make, regard be had to make the military as little burdensome to the inhabitants as possible, by disposing them preferably among the young colonies, where in many respects they must be considered as advantageous, rather than in His Majesty's more settled colonies, except where they are desired, or in your opinion wanted.
The third article is that of the greatest consequence, and therefore merits the most particular and mature consideration.
The forming an American fund to support the exigencies of Government in the same manner as is done in Ireland, is what is so highly reasonable that it must take place sooner or later.[2] The most obvious manner of laying a foundation for such a fund seems to be by taking proper care of the quit-rents, and by turning the grants of lands to real benefit, which might tend to increase rather than diminish the powers of Government in so distant a country.
You must be sensible that very great abuses have taken place in both respects which cry aloud for redress.
Proper regulations for these purposes might be a means of preventing Indian disturbances in future, which now in great measure arise from individuals possessing themselves of their lands without the knowledge of Government.
It is far however from His Majesty's intention that any rigour should be exercised in respect of quit-rents long due, but nothing can be more reasonable than that the proprietors of large tracts of land (which ought by the terms of the respective grants to have been cultivated long since) should either pay their quit-rents punctually for the time to come, or relinquish their grant in favour of those who will.
As to the manner of making out grants of land for the- ↑ By the arrangements sanctioned by Lord Hilltborough, under the Proclamation of 1763, the power to regulate the Indian trade was centralized in the Government of Great Britain, and was to be exercised by the agents of the Crown on the spot. It was proposed to appoint two superintendents of Indian trade—one for the Northern, one for the Southern Districts; and the appointments were subsequently made.
- ↑ The hereditary revenue in Ireland was sufficient for defraying the ordinary expenses of Government, without having recourse to annual votes of supply. See Ch. IX. infra.
