Whereas We have taken into Our Consideration, the great Benefit which
will arise to the Commerce of Our Kingdoms and the Interests of Our
Subjects, from the speedy Settlement of Our Islands of Grenada, the
Grenadines, Dominica, St. Vincent, and Tobago. We do therefore think
fit, with the Advice of Our Privy Council, to issue this Our Royal
Proclamation to publish and declare to Our loving Subjects, that We
have, with the Advice of Our said Privy Council, given the necessary
Powers and Directions for an immediate Survey and Division into
proper Parishes and Districts, of such of the said Islands as have
not hitherto been so surveyed and divided, and for laying out such
Lands in the said Islands, as are in Our Power to dispose of, into
Allotments for Plantations of different Size and Extent, according as
the Nature of the Land shall be more or less adapted to the Growth of
Sugar, Coffee, Cocoa, Cotton, or other Articles of beneficial Culture,
reserving to Us, Our Heirs, and Successors, such Parts of the said
Islands as shall be necessary for erecting Fortifications thereon, and
for all other military Purposes, for Glebes for Ministers, Allotments
for Schoolmasters, for Woodlands, High Roads, and all other publick
Purposes; and also reserving such Lands in Our Islands of Dominica and
St. Vincent, as, at the Time of the Surrender of those Islands, were
and still are in the Possession of the French Inhabitants of those
Islands, which Lands, it is Our Will and Pleasure should be granted to
such of the said Inhabitants as shall be inclined to accept the same,
upon Leases for Terms absolute, or for renewable Terms, upon certain
Conditions and under proper Restrictions. And We do hereby further
publish and declare, that the Allotments for Plantations in Our Islands
of Grenada, the Grenadines, Tobago, and St. Vincent, shall contain to
Three Hundred Acres, with some few Allotments in each Island of Five
Hundred Acres; and that the Allotments in Our Island of Dominica, which
is represented to be not so well adapted to the Cultivation of Sugar,
and which from its Situation requires in Policy to be well peopled with
White Inhabitants, shall be in general from Fifty to One Hundred Acres.
And whereas We have thought fit to declare to Our Parliament at the
Opening of the present Session, Our Gracious Intention of reserving for
the publick Use, whatever Sums shall be produced by the Sale of any of
the Lands belonging to Us in the Islands of the West Indies, which were
ceded to Us by the late Treaty; We do further publish and declare, that
when these Allotments, or a sufficient Part of them, shall have been
laid out, the same shall be set up to Sale by Auction, at a Price per
Acre, to be fixed thereon by Commissioners appointed for that Purpose,
under Our Great Seal of Great Britain, who shall give publick Notice of
the Time and Place of such Sale.
And We do hereby further publish and declare, that the Lands so set up
to Sale by Auction, shall not be sold, but upon the following Terms,
and under the following Conditions and Reservations, that is to say,
That each Purchaser shall immediately pay into the Hands of such Person
as We shall appoint to receive the same, Twenty per Cent. of the whole
Purchase-Money.
That the Remainder of the Purchase-Money shall be paid by different
Installments, viz. Ten per Cent. within the First Year after the
Purchase, Ten per Cent. more within the Second Year after such
Purchase, and Twenty per Cent. within every successive Year, until the
Whole is paid.
That each Purchaser of Lands which have been cleared and improved,
shall, within the Space of Three Months from the Date of the Grant,
settle and constantly keep upon the Lot purchased, One White Man or Two
White Women for every Hundred Acres contained in the said Lot; and, in
Default thereof, shall be subject to the Payment of Twenty Pounds per
Annum for every White Woman, and Forty Pounds for every White Man, that
shall be wanting to compleat the Number.
That the Purchaser of uncleared Lands shall clear and cultivate One
Acre in every Twenty in each Year, until Half the Land so purchased
shall be cleared; and, in Default thereof, shall pay Five Pounds per
Annum for every Acre not cleared, pursuant to such Condition; and such
Purchaser shall also be obliged to settle and constantly keep upon the
Lot so purchased, One White Man or Two White Women for every Hundred
Acres, as the same shall be cleared.
That each Purchaser shall, besides the Purchase-Money, be subject to
the Payment of an Annual Quit-Rent to Us, Our Heirs, and Successors,
of Six-pence per Acre, under the Penalty of Five Pounds per Acre upon
Non-payment thereof; such Quit-Rents, in the Case of the Purchase of
cleared Lands, to commence from the Date of the Grant; and the first
Payment to be made at the Expiration of the First Year; and in Case of
the Purchase of the uncleared Lands, such Quit-Rents to commence at the
Expiration of Twelve Months from the Time each Acre is cleared.
That in Case of Failure in the Payment of the Purchase-Money in the
Manner above directed, the Purchaser shall forfeit all Right to the
Lands purchased.
That no Person shall purchase at any publick Sale more than Five
Hundred Acres of cleared or uncleared Lands, in the Islands of Grenada,
and the Grenadines, Tobago, and St. Vincent's, and in the Island of
Dominica the Quantity shall be restrained to Three Hundred Acres; and
in Order to enforce this necessary and essential Regulation, that a
Condition shall be inserted in every Grant, to be made in Consequence
of such Purchase, that in Case any Purchase shall be made contrary
thereto, so that the Property of the Purchaser in the Islands where
the Lands lie, shall thereby amount to more than the above Quantity
respectively, the same shall be void, the Money paid thereon
forfeited, and the consequential Grant of no Effect.
That all and every Purchaser of Lands, upon the foregoing Terms and
Conditions, shall immediately, upon the Payment of the first Twenty
per Cent. of the Purchase-Money, receive a Bill of Sale, signed by the
said Commissioners, which shall entitle such Purchasers to a Grant
of the said Lands, under the Seal of the Islands, containing the
aforementioned Conditions and Reservations: Which said Purchase, and
Grant in Consequence thereof, duly registered in the proper Offices,
shall be good and valid in Law against Us, Our Heirs and Successors,
unless the same shall be revoked: And We do hereby declare the same
revocable by Our Commissioners of Our Treasury, or Our High Treasurer
for the Time being, within Twelve Months from the Date thereof; in
which Case such Purchase and Grant shall become void and of no Effect;
and upon Notice of such Revocation, the said Commissioners shall return
to such Purchaser the Money paid upon the Purchase, with legal Interest
thereon, and reasonable Allowance for any Improvements made on the said
Lands.
And whereas the Establishing Towns in proper Situations, within
the said Islands, will conduce greatly to the Convenience of the
Inhabitants, and the Benefit of Trade and Commerce; We have therefore
thought fit, with the Advice of Our Privy Council, to direct a proper
District in every Parish in each Island, to be laid out for that
Purpose, into Lots for Tenements of different Size and Extent; and
each Town-Lot to have a proportionate Allotment of Land contiguous to
such Town, for a small Field or Pasture, allowing one Acre for every
ten Foot in Front of the Town-Lot to which it is to be annexed; but no
Field-Lot to exceed the Quantity of Six Acres.
And We do hereby further publish and declare, that such of these Town
and Pasture-Lots, in each Island, as consist of Lands, which have
been already cleared and improved, shall be set up to Sale by publick
Auction, at a Price per Foot in Front of each Town-Lot, and a Price
per Acre of the Field-Lot, to be fixed upon such Lot, by the said
Commissioners, in like Manner as upon the Allotments for Plantations.
And We do further publish and declare, that the Lots, so set up to
Sale by Auction, shall not be sold but upon the following Terms and
Conditions; that is to say,
That the Purchase-Money, shall be paid in the same Proportion, by the
like Installments and upon the same Conditions as are required in the
Case of the Purchase of Allotments for Plantations.
That each Tenement shall be charged with the Payment of an Annual
Ground-Rent to Us, Our Heirs, and Successors, of One Penny per Foot
in Front, and Sixpence per Acre, for each Acre of the Field annexed
to such Tenement; the said Rents to commence at the Expiration of one
Year from the Date of the Purchase, and the Purchaser to be liable
to the same Penalties, in Case of Failure of the Payment of the
Purchase-Money, and the Ground-Rent and Quit-Rent, as We have already
required in respect to the Purchase of Allotments for Plantations.
And We do further publish and declare, that the Reservations, which We
have directed to be made for Town and Pasture-Lots of uncleared Lands,
shall be granted in Fee Simple by Our Governor in Chief, under the Seal
of the Islands, to any Persons, who will give such Security as Our
Commissioners shall approve, for building on such Town-Lots within a
reasonable Time, to be fixed by Our said Commissioners; and also for
Inclosing, Fencing, and properly Clearing for Pasture, the Fields that
shall be granted with such Tenement.
And We do further publish and declare, that We have directed that no
more than one Town-Lot be granted to any one Person, and that no more
than Six Acres of Pasture-Land be annexed to such Town-Lot, whatever
Number of Feet in Front it shall consist of.
That each Grantee shall be obliged, under proper Penalties, to the
Payment of an Annual Ground-Rent to Us, Our Heirs, and Successors,
of One Penny per Foot in Front of the Town-Lot for a Tenement, and
Sixpence per Acre for each Acre of the Pasture-Lot; the first Payment
to be made within two Years from the Date of the Grant.
And in order the more effectually to conduce to the Peopling Our said
Islands with industrious White Inhabitants, upon which their Strength
and Security do essentially depend; We have thought fit, with the
Advice of Our said Council, to direct a Quantity of Land, not exceeding
Eight Hundred Acres, to be reserved in such Parts of every Parish in
each Island respectively, as are not adapted for Sugar Plantations,
for the Accommodation of poor Settlers, to be divided into Lots,
of not less than Ten, not more than Thirty Acres each; And we do
hereby further publish and declare, that the said Allotments are to
be granted in Fee Simple, under the Seal of Our said Islands, to such
poor Protestants as shall apply for the same, in Proportion to their
respective Abilities to cultivate the said Lands; and subject to the
following Conditions; that is to say,
That each Grantee shall, at the Expiration of four Years from the
Date of the Grant, pay a Quit-Rent to Us, Our Heirs, and Successors,
of Six-pence per Acre, for every Acre then cleared, and a Penalty of
Two Shillings per Acre, for every Acre of Land uncleared; which said
Penalty of Two Shillings per Acre shall be reduced to Six-pence per
Acre, as the Land shall be cleared; and in Case of Failure of such Rent
and Penalty, the Grantee shall be subject to the further Penalty of the
Payment of Five Pounds for every Acre, for which such Quit-Rent shall
not be paid.
That each Grantee shall enter upon and occupy the Land within Three
Months from the Date of the Grant; and shall continue to occupy and
improve the same, for Twelve successive Months, from the Time of such
first Settlement.
That the Lands shall, for the Space of Seven Years, be unalienable by
Sale, nor shall the same be let, set or assigned over during the same
Term, otherwise than to the Use and Benefit of any Child or Children of
such original Settler, without especial licence in Writing first had
and obtained, from the Chief Governor or Commander in Chief of Our said
Islands for the Time being; and in Case of Failure or Default in either
of the two last mentioned Conditions, the Grant to be void.
And We do hereby further publish and declare, that all Grants made of
the said Allotments for poor Settlers, as also all Grants made of Town
and Pasture Lots of cleared and uncleared Lands, shall be absolute and
final.
That in all Grants to be made of Allotments for Plantations and Town
and Pasture Lots, and of Lands for poor Settlers, there shall be a
Reservation to Us, Our Heirs, and Successors of all Mines of Gold and
Silver.
And We do further publish and declare, that the first Sale of Lands
shall be in the Month of June next, if the Surveys can be made so soon;
due Notice of which, as also of the Place of Sale, will be given by
Our Commissioners appointed as aforesaid, for the Disposal of the said
Lands.
Given at Our Court at St. James's, the Twenty-sixth Day of March,
One thousand seven hundred and sixty-four, in the Fourth Year of Our
Reign.