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 as, not having been ceded to, or purchased by us, are reserved to them, or any of them, as their hunting grounds; we do therefore, with the advice of our privy council, 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; and we do hereby strictly forbid, on pain of our displeasure, all our loving subjects from making any purchases or settlements whatever, or taking possession of any of the lands above reserved, without our especial leave and licence for that purpose first obtained.
And we do further strictly enjoin and require all persons whatever, who have either wilfully or inadvertently seated themselves upon any lands within the countries above described, or upon any other lands, which not having being ceded to, or purchased by us, are still reserved to the Indians as aforesaid, forthwith to remove themselves from such settlements.
And whereas great frauds and abuses have been committed in the purchasing land of the Indians, to the great prejudice of our interests, and to the great dissatisfaction of the said Indians; in order therefore to prevent such irregularities for the future, and to the end that the Indians may be convinced of our justice and determined resolution to remove all reasonable cause of discontent, we do, with the advice of our privy council, strictly enjoin and require, that no private person do presume to make any purchase from the said Indians of any lands reserved to the said Indians within those parts of our colonies where we have thought proper to allow settlement; but that if at any time any of the said Indians should be inclined to dispose of the said lands, the same shall be purchased only for us, in our name, at some public meeting or assembly of the said Indians, to be held for that purpose by the governor or commander in chief of our colony respectively within which they shall lie: and in case they shall lie within the limits of any proprietaries, conformable to such directions and instructions as we or they shall think proper to give for that purpose: and we do, by the advice of our privy council, declare and enjoin, that the trade with the said Indians shall be free and open to all our subjects whatever, provided that every person who may incline to trade with the said Indians, do take out a licence for carrying on such trade, from the governor or commander in chief of any of our colonies respectively, where such person shall reside, and also the security to observe such regulations as we shall at any time think fit, by ourselves or commissaries, to be appointed for this purpose, to direct and appoint for the benefit of the said trade: and we do hereby authorise, enjoin, and require the governors and commanders in chief of all our colonies respectively, as well those under our immediate government, as those under the government and direction of proprietaries, to grant such licences without fee or reward, taking especial care to insert therein a condition that such licence shall be void, and the security forfeited, in case the person to whom the same is granted, shall refuse or neglect to observe such regulations as we shall think proper to prescribe as aforesaid.
And we do further expressly enjoin and require all officers whatever, as well military as those employed in the management and direction of Indian affairs within the territories reserved, as aforesaid, for the use of the said Indians, to seize and apprehend all persons whatever, who standing charged with treasons, misprisions of treasons, murders, or other felonies or misdemeanours, shall fly from justice and take refuge in the said territory, and to send them under a proper guard to the colony where the crime was committed of which they shall stand accused, in order to take their trial for the same.
Given at our court at St. James's, the 7th of October 1763, in the third year of our reign.
GOD save the KING.
APPENDIX, No. II.
STATE of the KING's QUIT-RENTS in NORTH AMERICA.
| Consideration money paid to King for the lands. | The time the lands are exempted from quit-rent. | Quit-rents received. | Expence to the country for the support of the civil government of the colonies. | |
| Isl. of St. John | None | 20 years. | None | —— |
| £ s. d. | ||||
| Nova Scotia | None | 10 years. | And yet no quit-rents have been received, tho' the colony was established 22 years ago. | 707,320 19 7¼ |
| Canada | None | —— | —— | |
|
Massachussets Connecticut Rhode Island | None | Wholly exempt from quit-rents and all payments to the crown. | None | None |
| N. Hampshire | None | —— | None | None |
| New York | None | This colony was restored to the crown in the year 1693-4, and yet from that time very little quit-rents have been received. | —— | None |
|
New Jersey Pennsylvania Maryland | None | Wholly exemp from quit-rents and all payments to the crown. | None | None |
| Virginia | None | This colony was re-assumed by the crown in the year 1626; and yet for a great number of years, the quit-rents were not paid at all;—never with any regularity till within a very few years; and now from what is paid there is a deduction of at least 20 per cent. | —— | —— |
| N. & S. Carolina. | None | —— | —— | —— |
| Georgia | None | This colony was settled in the year 1735, and yet no quit-rents have been received. | None | 214,610 3 1½ |
| E. & W. Florida | None | 10 years. | None | 90,900 0 0 |
| But it is proposed to pay for the colony on the Ohio. | £10,460 7s. 3d. which is all the money the whole country (of which this is only a small part) cost government for the cession from the Six Nations. | The quit-rents to commence in twenty years from the time of the survey of each lot or plantation, and to be paid into the hands of such person as his Majesty shall appoint to receive the same, net and clear of all deductions whatsoever, for collections or otherwise. | All the expenses of the civil government of the colony, to be borne and paid by the propriators. |