Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/610

 486 PHILLIPS INSTfiUCriONS. 1787 Publick worship. Women to be brought from the Emancipar tion. Grants of land to emancipated convicts. Conditions and reserva- tions. Grants to be recorded. order among the inhabitantfi of tbe new settlement, and that you do take such stepa for the due celebration of publick worship as circumstances will permit And whereas, as from the great disproportion of female oouTricts to those of the males who are pat under your superintendence, it appears advisable that a further. number of the former should be introduced into the new intended settlement, you are, whenever the Sirius or the tender shall touch at any of the islands in thoeo seas, to instruct their commanders to take on board any of the women who may be disposed to accompany them to the said settle- ment. You will, however, take especial care that the officers who may happen to be employed upon this service do not on any account exercise any compulsive measures or make use of falla- cious pretences for bringing away any of the said women from the places of their present residence. And whereas We have by our Commission bearing date [2 ApriL 1787] given and granted unto you full power and authori^ to emancipate and discharge from their servitude any of the convicts under your superintendence who shall for their good conduct and a disposition to industry be deserving of favor : It is our will and pleasure that in every such case you do issue your warrant to the Surveyor of Lands to make surveys of and mark out in lots such lands upon thq said territory as may be necessary for their use, and when that shall be done, that you do pass grants thereof with all convenient speed to any of the said convici» so emancipated, in such proportions and under such conditions and acknowledgements as shall hereafter be specified, viz.. To every male shall be granted thirty acres of land, and in case he shall be married twenty acres more, and for every child who may be with ^ them at the settlement at the time of making the said grant a further quantity of ten acres, free of all fees, taxes, quit-rents or other acknow- ledgements whatsoever, for the space of ten years, Provided that the person to whom the said land shall have been granted shall reside within the same and proceed to the cultivation and improve- ment thereof, reserving only to us such timber as may be growing or to grow hereafter upon the said land which may be fit for naval purposes and an annual quit-rent of after the expiration of the term or time before mentioned. You will cause copies of such grants as may be passed to be preserved, and make a regular return of the said grants to the Commis- sioners of our Treasury and the Lords of the Committee of our Privy Council for trade and plantations. And whereas it is likely to happen that the convicts who may after their emancipation, in consequence of this instruction, be put in possession of lands will not have the means of proceeding to their cultivation without the public aid : It is our will and plea- sure that you do cause every such person you may so emandpato Digitized by Google