O'Callaghan's Documents relative to the Colonial History of New York (1853), III, 34-36.
For the significance of this first permanent "Colonial Department," cf. American History and Government, § 95.
1. You shall informe yourselves by the best wayes and meanes you can of the state and condicion of all Forraigne Plantacons, and by what co[m]missions or authorities they are and have bene governed and disposed of; and are to procure either from such persons as have any graunts thereof from the Croun, or from the records themselves, the copies of all such commissions or graunts, to be transcribed and registered in a booke provided for that purpose, that you may be the better able to understand judge and administer such affaires, as by your commission and instruccions are intrusted to your care and management.
2. You shall forthwith write letters to evrie of our Governors for the time being of all our English Plantacions and to evrie such person or persons who by any Letters Pattents from us or any of our predcesors doe claime or exercise a right of governement in any of the said plantacions in which letteres you are to informe them of our gratious care and provision in their behalfe both in erecting a General Councill of Trade wherein their concernments are mingled and provided for with the rest of our dominions and especially of this particular Councell which is applyed only to the inspeccion care and conduct of Forraigne Plantacions.
3. You are in the said letters to require the said Governors and persons above mesioned, to send unto you in writeing with the advise of the Councell of evrie of the said plantacions respectively, perticuler and exact accompt of the state of their affaires; of the nature and constitucoin of their lawes and governement and in what modell and frame they move and are disposed; what numbers of men; what fortifications and other strengths and defences are upon the place, and how furnished and provided for.
4. You are to order and settle such a continuall correspondencie that you may be able, as often as you are required thereunto, to give up to us an accompt of the Government of each Colonie; of their complaints, their wants, their abundance; of their severall growths and commodities; of every shipp trading there and its ladeing and whither consigned; and what the proceeds of that place have beene in the late yeares; that thereby the intrinsick value and the true condicion of each part and of the whole may be thoroughly understood; whereby a more steady judgement and ballance may be made for the better ordering and disposing of trade and of the proceede and improvements of the Plantacions; that soe each place within it selfe, and all of them being collected into one viewe and management here, may be regulated and ordered upon common and equall ground and principles.
5. You are to applie your selves to all prudentiall meanes for the rendering those dominions usefull to England and England helpfull to them, and for the bringing the severall Colonies and Plantacions, within themselves, into a more certaine civill and uniforme goverenment and for the better ordering and distributeing of publique justice among them.
6. You are to enquire diligently into the severall governments and Councells of Colonies Plantacions and distant Dominions, belonging to other Princes or States, and to examine by what conduct and pollicies they governe or benefit them; and you are to consult and provide that if such councells be good wholsome and practiceable, they may be applied to the use of our Plantacions; or if they tend or were designed to the prejudice or disadvantage thereof or of any of our subjects or of trade or commerce, how they may be ballanced or turned back upon them.