FOOTNOTE:
[1] This date was extended to July 1, 1710, according to a proclamation of December 21, 1718, printed on [p. 178]. On February 9, 1718, the Attorney-General was requested to interpret the meaning of several clauses in the above proclamation, and the Queries and Answers are printed in full in the Acts of the Privy Council, ii, 723.
[1718, December 21.]
[For Suppressing Pirates in West Indies.]
BY THE KING.
A PROCLAMATION
George R.
Whereas We did think fit, by and with the Advice of Our Privy-Council, to Issue Our Royal Proclamation, bearing Date the Fifth Day of September, One thousand seven hundred and seventeen, in the Fourth Year of Our Reign, therein taking Notice, That We had received Information, that several Persons, Subjects of Great Britain, had, since the Four and twentieth Day of June, in the Year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and fifteen, committed divers Piracies and Robberies upon the High Seas in the West-Indies, or adjoyning to Our Plantations, which had and might Occasion great Damage to the Merchants of Great Britain, and others, Trading into those Parts: And We did thereby Promise and Declare, That in case any the said Pirates should, on or before the Fifth Day of September, One thousand seven hundred and eighteen, Surrender him or themselves in manner as therein is directed, every such Pirate and Pirates, so Surrendring him or themselves, as aforesaid, should have Our Gracious Pardon of and for such his or their Piracy or Piracies, by him or them committed before the Fifth Day of January then next ensuing: And whereas several of the said Pirates, not having had timely Notice of Our said Proclamation, may not have Surrendred themselves within the time therein appointed, and by reason thereof are uncapable of Receiving the Benefit of Our Royal Mercy and Clemency intended thereby: And though We have appointed such a Force, as We judge sufficient for Suppressing the said Piracies, yet the more effectually to put an end to the same, We have thought fit, by and with the Advice of Our Privy-Council, to Issue this Our Royal Proclamation; And We do hereby Promise and Declare, That in case any the said Pirates shall, on or before the First Day of July, in the Year of Our Lord One thousand seven hundred and nineteen, Surrender him or themselves to One of Our Principal Secretaries of State in Great Britain or Ireland, or to any Governor or Deputy-Governor of any of Our Plantations or Dominions beyond the Seas, every such Pirate and Pirates, so Surrendring him or themselves, as aforesaid, shall have Our Gracious Pardon of and for such his or their Piracy or Piracies, by him or them Committed before such time as they shall have received Notice of this Our Royal Proclamation; which Pardon or Pardons We have Authorized and Commanded Our respective Governors to Grant accordingly. And We do hereby strictly Charge and Command all Our Admirals, Captains, and other Officers at Sea, and all Our Governors and Commanders of any Forts, Castles, or other Places in Our Plantations, and all others Our Officers Civil and Military, to Seize and Take such of the Pirates, who shall refuse or neglect to Surrender themselves accordingly. And We do hereby further Declare, That in case any Person or Persons, on or after the First Day of July, One thousand seven hundred and nineteen, shall Discover or Seize, or Cause or Procure to be Discovered or Seized, any One or more of the said Pirates, so Neglecting or Refusing to Surrender themselves, as aforesaid, so as they may be brought to Justice, and Convicted of the said Offence, such Person or Persons, so making such Discovery or Seizure, or Causing or Procuring such Discovery or Seizure to be made, shall Have and Receive as a Reward for the same, (viz.) For every Commander of any Pirate-Ship or Vessel the Sum of One hundred Pounds; For every Lieutenant, Master, Boatswain, Carpenter, and Gunner, the Sum of Forty Pounds; For every Inferior Officer the Sum of Thirty Pounds; And for every Private Man, the Sum of Twenty Pounds; And if any Person or Persons, belonging to, and being part of the Crew of any such Pirate-Ship or Vessel, shall, on or after the said First Day of July, One thousand seven hundred and nineteen, Seize and Deliver, or cause to be Seized and Delivered, any Commander or Commanders of such Pirate-Ship or Vessel, so as that he or they be brought to Justice, and Convicted of the said Offence, such Person or Persons, as a Reward for the same, shall Receive for every such Commander the Sum of Two hundred Pounds; which said Sums the Lord Treasurer, or the Commissioners of Our Treasury for the time being, are hereby Required and Directed to Pay accordingly.
Given at Our Court at St. James's, the Twenty first Day of December 1718. In the Fifth 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. 1718.
1 p. folio. Copies in P. C., and P. R. O. Entered on Patent Rolls; entered in Privy Council Register, I Geo., vol. 2, p. 206. Printed in "London Gazette," December 27, 1718.
[1722, July 19.]
[Concerning Passes for Ships.]
BY THE KING.
A PROCLAMATION
Requiring Passes formerly granted to Ships and Vessels trading in the Way of the Algerine Cruizers, to be returned into the Office of the Admiralty of Great Britain; and other Passes to be issued of a New Form.
George R.
Whereas by Our Royal Proclamation bearing Date the Fourth Day of October,[1] in the First Year of Our Reign, We did Charge and Require, that the Owners and Masters of all Ships and Vessels belonging to Our loving Subjects of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as Our Foreign Governments and Plantations, which should have Occasion to trade to Portugal, the Canaries, Guinea, the Indies, into the Mediterranean, or elsewhere, in the Way of the Cruizers of the Government of Algier, should be furnished with Passes of the Form thereby directed, by or before the Thirtieth Day of July, in the Year of Our Lord One thousand seven hundred and fifteen. And whereas Our Commissioners for Executing the Office of High Admiral of Great Britain and Ireland, have humbly represented unto Us, That it may have happened, that when such Ships or Vessels have either been taken in Time of War, or disposed of by Sale in Remote Parts, the Passes issued to them, as aforesaid, may have fallen into the Hands of Foreigners, or have been sold to them with the Ships or Vessels, the latter being directly contrary to the Bonds entred into by the Masters of such Ships and Vessels to return the aforesaid Passes, that so they may be Cancelled at the Admiralty-Office: And Our said Commissioners for Executing the Office of High Admiral of Great Britain and Ireland, having further represented unto Us, That they have been informed, that several Ships and Vessels, belonging to Foreign Princes or States, have by some Indirect Means procured and carried on their Trade with such Passes, as aforesaid; which Indirect Proceedings are not only Prejudical to Our Trading Subjects, and Our Revenue, but may occasion Misunderstandings between Us and the aforesaid Government of Algier: 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 issued before the Date of this Our Royal Proclamation, shall not continue in Force longer than for the Space of Twelve Months from the Date hereof (Excepting such as have been granted to such Ships or Vessels as are gone or going to the East-Indies, or to the South-Seas, or any other long Trading Voyages.) 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, within the Space of Twelve Months from the Date of this Our Royal Proclamation, as aforesaid, return the same (Excepting such as before excepted) into the Office of the Admiralty of Great Britain, in Order to their being Cancelled; and that they do furnish themselves with Passes of a New Form, under the Hands and Seals of Our Commissioners for Executing the Office of High Admiral of Great Britain and Ireland, in lieu thereof, for their several Ships and Vessels, according to the Treaties concluded between Us and the said Government of Algier, and Our Instructions given to Our said Commissioners for Executing the Office of High Admiral of Great Britain and Ireland touching the same.
Given at Our Court at Kensington the Nineteenth Day of July, in the Eighth 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. 1722.
1 p. folio. Copies in P. C., and P. R. O. Entered on Patent Rolls; entered in Privy Council Register, I Geo., vol. 4, p. 62. Printed in "London Gazette," July 24, 1722.