Precautions were taken for fitting out the Fleet; the ConiImand of which was given to Sir George Byng.

While the maritime Preparations were thus carrying on with all imaginable Application, the like Measures were taken to put all Things in a good Pofture at Land: The Officers were order'd to their Posts, and General Officers fent to proper Places to be at hand to draw the Troops together, and to put all the Regiments into a Condition to march at as fhort Warning as poffible. Lieutenant General Wills, Major General Stanwix, and fome others, were order'd into the North; Lieutenant General Carpenter into Scotland, and Lieutenant General Wade into the West.

Things being in this Pofture, Congratulations began to come to the King on the Difcovery of this Design: Monfieur Bonet, the King of Pruffia's Refident here, by exprefs Order from his Mafter, defiring an Audience to felicitate his Majesty upon this Account: Nor may' we forget the Addrefs of the Convocation which was now affembled It was prefented by the Arch-bishop of Canterbury, the other Bifhops of that Province, the Prolocutor and Clergy of the Lower House of Convocation, all in a Body, and is as follows.

To the King's most excellent Majefty.

The humble Addrefs of the Arch-bishop, Bishops, and Clergy, of the Province of Canterbury, in Convocation' affembled.

May it please your Majefty,

WE your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal Subjects, the

Arch-bishop, Bishops, and Clergy, of the Province of Canterbury, in Convocation affembled, do moft heartily congratulate your Majesty upon your fafe Return to your Kingdom; and with all Humility acknowledge the Senfe we have of that Quiet and Tranquillity which we enjoy'd during your Abfence, by the prudent Care aud Adminiflration of his Royal Highness' the Prince of Wales, under your Majefiy, and who, next to your facred Majefty, is the greatest Hope and Support of our Church and Realm.

It is with unspeakable Grief that we hear of a new Design, form'd by a reflefs and implacable Party among us, against your Majefty's Perfon and Government, and to fubvert both the Religion and Liberties of our Country. Your Majefty had good Reafon to hope, what we all were willing to believe, that the ill Success of their late Rebellion, would, if not have

brought

brought them to a Senfe of their Duty, yet at least have deterr'd them from venturing fo foon upon another Attempt, in open Violation of it. But fince they have prefum'd again to endea vour to disturb the Repofe of your Majefty and your Kingdoms, by a new and most defperate Design against both; since not content to involve us, as before, in an inteftine War, they have animated and fir'd up a foreign Power to invade your Dominions, and to ruin the flourishing Eftate of their own native Country: We efteem it our Duty again to declare our Abhorrence of their Proceedings; and to affure your Majefty, that we will make it our Endeavours, in our feveral Places, to raife in the Minds of all your People a juft Senfe of the Danger, and a Deteftation of the Wickedness of their Enterprize: That we will exhort them (as they are both in Dury and Interest oblig'd) to maintain your Majefty's rightful and lawful Authority over us; and to exert their utmost Force and Power to fupprefs any future Rebellion that may happen to be rais'd among us, and to fupport the happy Settlement of the Crow in your Royal Family, as the best and fureft Means to fecure the Religi on, Laws, and Liberties, of our Country.

We have feen in the late Declarations of fome of thefe Men, who nevertheless call themselves by the Name of Proteftants, what we must look for, should a Popish Prince ever fit upon the Throne of thefe Kingdoms. Whilft they allow us no better a Character than that of Schifmaticks and Hereticks; of Men cut off from the Communion of Chrift's Church, and all the Hopes of Salvation; what can be expected from profefs'd Papifts, who account no better of them, (however they may flatter themselves) than they do of us, but that both they and we fhall be utterly deftroy'd by them?

To you therefore, Great Sir, under God, we flee for Succour and Support. Our Safety is bound up in yours. While you fit fecure upon your Throne, the Church of England can never want a powerful and ready Defender. And therefore, for our. own, our Country's, and our Religion's fake, we must never ceafe to implore the divine Protection over you, that God would effectually give you the Hearts of your Subjects, and defeat the Defigns of your Enemies and continue the Crown of this Proteftant Realm, in your Proteftant Family, 'till Time shall be no more.

I

:

His Majefty's most gracious Answer.

My Lords and the rest of the Clergy,

Thank you very kindly for this dutiful and affectionate Addrefs.

I promise my felf, that you will make it your Care to give all under your Charge, the fame Senfe of their Duty, which you your felves have fo fully express'd.

And as I hope, by the Bleffing of God, to defeat the Defigns of our Enemies; fo you may depend that the Church of Eng land fhall always have my Favour and Protection.

WEST INDIES.

New-England.

HE Government having fome Time ago appointed Samuel Shute, Efq; to be Governor of New-England, we had in January laft an Account of his Arrival at Bofton, where he was receiv'd by the People of that Country with all the Duty to the Crown, and Respect to his own Perfon, that could be expected or defir'd, as appears from the Addreffes to him upon his Arrival; which nevertheless being but Things of Courfe, and having nothing in them but matter of Form, we will not fill up these Pages with them; But his Speech to the General Affembly of his Majefty's Province of the MaffachufetsBay, at their Meeting on the 7th of November laft, at Bofton in New-England, being Matter of Hiftory, deferves to be inferted, and is as follows.

Gentlemen,

IS Majefty having been pleas'd to appoint me his Governor of New-England, I am by the good Providence of God arriv'd here, with the firmest Refolution to study the true Interests of this Province, and to promote them to the utmost of my Power.

You have always been diftinguish'd by a due Regard to Religion and Virtue; to advance which, fhall be my first and principal Care; and I defire your Affiftance in it.

It is my Lot to enter upon the Government at a Time when your Commerce (a very important Article of a People's Happinefs) is under a great Difcouragement by a univerfal Want of Money, which is the Medium of Trade.

I must therefore recommend it to you, as a Matter worthy your greatest Application, to find out fome effectual Measures to fupply this Want, and thereby to restore Trade to a flourishing Condition; in which you shall have my best Endeavours, and hearty Concurrence,

I hope I shall find no Parties or Divifions amongst you, but that the only Contention shall be, who shall best approve his Loyalty to his King, and Love to his Country: Such a Harmony will make you very happy, and me very eafy.

It is a great Honour and Pleasure to me, that I ferve the best of Kings; and I affure you, his Majefty's just and mild Adminiftration at Home, fhall be the Rule of my Government here, as far as I am capable to imitate fo great and perfect an Example. It is alfo my unspeakable Felicity, and yours, that I arrive here when his Majefty hath entirely defeated the monftrous and unnatural Rebellion which hath been rais'd in Great Britain: So that now his Majefty's Perfon and Govern ment, their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, with the whole Royal Family, are fecur'd, and in them the Proteftant Religion, and the Happiness of us and our Pofterity.

Gentlemen,

His Majefty has commanded me to acquaint you, That there is no Province in America, under the Crown of Great Britain, except this, where ftated Salaries are not fettled upon their Captain-General and Governor, and Lieutenant Governor. I was alfo to recommend to you the Building of a House for the Governor; but I am prevented from it, by your having provided a very good One; for which I return you my Thanks.

I am farther to obferve to you, that notwithstanding there was an Act pass'd in England in her late Majefty's Reign, for encouraging the Importation of Naval Stores; and another for the Prefervation of White and other Pine Trees, growing in her Majesty's Colonies of America; yet, nevertheless, his Majefty hath been inform'd, that great Spoils are daily committed in his Woods in the Province of Main, and other Parts of the Maffachufets, by cutting down, and putting to private Ufe, fuch Trees as are or may be proper for his Majefty's Royal Navy. I am therefore charg'd to acquaint you, that it is his Majesty's Will and Pleasure, that the faid Acts, and every Claufe, Article, and Provifo therein, be strictly and duly comply'd with: And if any Thing farther might be done by this Government, to enforce thofe Acts of Parliament, and to fecure his Majesty's Mafts and Timber, I most earnestly recommend it to your Confideration; as alfo the refitting the Fort of Pemaquid, or the Building of fome Fort near that Place, that be a greater Security to your Frontiers. Gentlemen

may

Gentlemen,

You have always been fo confpicuous for your Loyalty, that I make no Doubt of your ready Compliance in thefe Mat

ters.

Gentlemen of the Houfe of Representatives,

I fall depend on your Care to make the neceffary Supplies for the Support and Defence of the Province, in allArticles: And give me Leave to conclude, by promising you, That my own private Interest shall never interfere with the publick; which I hope may engage you to enable me to maintain that Station with Dignity, which his Majefty has been pleas'd to honour me with.

Samuel Shute.

A

JAMAICA.

Bout the fame Time, viz. in January laft, there came Addreffes from Jamaica, to the King, full of Expreffions of Dury, and of Promises to prevent, for the Future, fuch Diffenfions and Breaches among themselves, as they had of late fcandaloufly fallen into, and which the Government had very much refented; These Addreffes being fign'd by the chief Perfons of the Ifland, and giving us fome Light into the prefent State and Condition of that Colony, may in fome Measure be neceffary to the Publick, particularly inasmuch as they fpeak of Animofities and Divifions among themselves; we therefore infert them as follows.

To the King's most excellent Majesty.

The most humble Addrefs of the Merchants and other Inhabitants of the Town of Kingftan in the Island of Jamaica.

Moft Gracious Sovereign,

WE

7 E your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal Subjects, the Merchants and other Inhabitants of the Town of Kingfton, in the Island of Jamaica, humbly prefume to address your Majefty, to affure you of our fready Zeal and Loyalty to your facred Perfon and Government. And as we have abjur'd the Pretender, and affociated against him, so we do daily more and more deteft and abhor all Attempts which have

been