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The Clerk's Office of the Supreme Court has always been held as an Appendage to that of the Secretary of the Province.

There is also in each County an Inferior Court of Common Pleas, which has the Cognizance of all actions real, personal & mixed, where the matter in demand is above £5. in value.-The practice of these Courts is a mixture between the Kings Bench and fommon Pleas at Westminster.-Their Errors are corrected in the first Instance by Writ of Error brought into the Supreme Court; and the Judges hold their offices during pleasure.—The Clerks of these Courts also hold their offices during pleasure and are appointed by the Governor, except the Clerk of Albany who is appointed under the King's Mandate.

Besides these Courts the Justices of peace are by Act of Assembly empowered to try all causes to the amount of £5. Currency, (except where the Crown is concerned or where the Title of Lands shall come into Ques ion ;-and Actions of Slander) but the parties may either of them demand a jury of Six Men.—If wrong is done to either party, the person injured may have a Certiorari from the Supreme Court, tho' the remedy is very inadequate.

The Courts of Criminal Jurisdiction are Correspondent to those in England. The Supreme Court exercises it in the City of New York, as the King's Bench does at Westminster.—The Judges when they go the Circuit have a Commission of Oyer and Terminer and General Goal Delivery; and there are Courts of Sessions held by the Justices of the peace; the powers of which and their proceedings correspond with the like Courts in England.-The Office of Clerk of the Sessions, is invariably connected with that of the Clerk of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas in the respective Counties.

By acts of the Provincial Legislature the Justices of the Peace have an extraordinary Jurisdiction with respect to some offences by which any three Justices, (one being of the Quorum) where the offender does not find Bail in 48 Hours after being in the Custody of the Constable, may try the party without any jury, for any offence under the Degree of Grand Larceny; and inflict any punishment for these small offences at their Discretion,

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so that it exceeds [qy? extends] not to Life or Limb.-And any three Justices of the Peace (one being of the Quorum) and Five Freeholders have power without a Grand or Petty Jury to proceed against and try in a Summary Way, Slaves offending in certain cases, and punish them even with death.

The Duty of His Majesty's Attorney General of the Province is similar to the Duty of that Officer in England, and the Master of the Crown Office: He is appointed by the Crown during Pleasure, and His Majesty has no Sollicitor General nor Council in the Province, to assist the Attorney General upon any Occasion.

There are two other Courts in the Province. The Court of Admiralty which proceeds after the Course of the Civil Law in matters within its Jurisdiction, which has been so enlarged by divers Statutes as to include almost every breach of the Acts of Trade. From this Court an appeal lies to a Superior Court of Admiralty, lately Established in North America by Statute; before this Establishment an appeal only lay to the High Court of Admiralty of England.

The Prerogative Court concerns itself only in the Probate of wills and in matters relating to the Administration of the Estates of Intestates and in granting Licences of Marriage. The Governor is properly the Judge of this Court but it has been usual for him to act in general by a Delegate.

The Provice is at present divided into fourteen Counties, viztThe City and County of New York-The County of AlbanyRichmond (which comprehends the whole of Staten Island) Kings, Queens & Suffolk (which include the whole of Nassau or Long Island) Westchester, Dutches, Ulster, Orange, Cumberland, Gloucester, Charlotte and Tryon.-For each of these Counties a Sheriff and one or more Coroners are appointed by the Governor who hold their offices during pleasure.

As to the Military power of the Province, the Governor for the time being is the Captain General and Commander in Chief and appoints all the Provincial Military officers during pleasure.

Question No. 7.

What is the Trade of the Province, the Number of shipping belonging thereto, their Tonnage, and the number of seafaring

Men with respect to the Increase and Diminution within ten years

past?

Trade of the
Province.

Answer.

The Province carries on a considerable Trade with the British Settlements on the Continent of North America, supplying some of them with the produce of the Colony, others with British Manufactures and West India goods. The Trade to the British West Indies is extensive they having a constant demand for provisions and Lumber of all kinds, which articles are the natural produce of this Province.

The returns from the American Ports and West India Islands, are made in such produce and manufactures of the Provinces and Islands, as best suit the Trade and consumption of this ColonyThere are also fitted out from the Port of New York several Whaling and Fishing Vessels.

Number of
Vessels &

The above together with the Trade of Great Britain, Quantity of Ireland, Affrica and the foreign ports in Europe and the West Indias as stated in the Answers to Questions No. 8 and No. 9, include the whole Trade of the Province

Tonnage &
Number of

Seafaring
Men.

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So that the increase of shipping in that period of Ten years is 232 Vessels and of the Tonnage or Burthen 9,618 Tons-And the Decrease of men 178. A less number of Hands being employed on board of Vessels in peace, than they sail with in time of War.

Question No. 8.

What Quantity or sorts of British Manufactures do the Inhabitants annually take from hence, What Goods and Commodities are exported from thence to Great Britain, and what is the annual Amount at an Average?

Imports from
Great Britain.

Answer.

More than Eleven Twelfths of the Inhabitants of this

Province both in the necessary and ornamental parts of their Dress

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are cloathed in British Manufactures, except Linen from Ireland and Hats and Shoes manufactured here. The same proportion of Houses are in like manner furnished with British Manufactures, except Cabinet & Joiner's Work, which is Generally made here.

When the number of Inhabitants are considered a better idea may be formed of the Quantity and variety of sorts of British Manufactures used in this Province, than can be done by enumerating the names under which they are imported.

Besides the Articles necessary for cloathing and Furniture, there are imported from Great Britain, large Quantities of all kinds of East India Goods.-Grocery of all sorts (except Sugars, Coffee, and Ginger) Ironmongery, Arms, Gunpowder, Lead, Tin, Sheet Copper, Drugs, Brimstone, Grindstones, Coals, Chalk, Sail Cloth, Cordage, Paints, Malt Liquors & Cheese.-There are indeed few articles the British Market affords, but what are in some proportion imported here, except such as are among our Staple Commodities, particularly mentioned in the Answer to No. 11.

If the Brokers in Great Britain employed as shippers of goods were for one year obliged to give in the value of the Goods when they apply for Cockets, the exact amount of what the Inhabitants of each Province in America take from thence would be easily ascertained. In this Country it is not possible to make such a calculation with any Degree of Precision, for as the Amount of Goods never appears in the Cockets, no Judgment can be formed of their Value from the Quantity or Number of pieces.—Silks for Instance come out from 25s to 2 shillings per yard, and in general the other Articles differ in the same proportion from the first cost of the highest to that of the lowest in quality.

cles imported

from Great

Britain.

Value of arti. When no particular stop is put upon Trade with Great Britain, it is generally estimated here that the Annual Imports from thence into this Colony, amount on an average to Five Hundred Thousand Pounds Sterling.

Exports to
Great Britain.

The Goods exported from hence to Great Britain that are the produce of this Colony, are chiefly pot and pearl ashes, Pig and Bar Iron, Peltries, Beeswax, Masts and Spars, with Timber and Lumber of all kinds:-And of the produce of the West

Indies and Honduras Bay, Log Wood and other Dye woods and Stuffs, arsaparilla, Mahogany, Cotton, Ginger & Pimento with some Raw Hides—And Tar, Pitch & Turpentine, the produce of Nortarolina.

Value thereof.

The Annual Amount of the Exports to Great Britain on an Average, is One Hundred & Thirty Thousand pounds Sterling exclusive of the Cost of Ships built here for the Merchants in England to the Amount of Thirty Thousand pounds Sterling annually.

Question No. 9

What Trade has the Province under your Government with any Foreign Plantations, or any part of Europe besides Great Britain; how is that Trade carried on, what Commodities do the People under your Government send to or receive from Foreign Plantations, and what is the annual Amount thereof at an Average?

Trade with Foreign Plantations &ca

Answer

A considerable Trade is carried on from this Province to the Foreign West India Islands, Surrinam and Honduras Bay. Provisions and Lumber are the principal Articles with which they are supplied from hence. The returns are generally in Sugar, Molasses, Dye Woods, Mahogany, Hides, Silver, and Bills of Exchange.

With Africa There are a few vessels employed annually in the Affrican Trade, their Outward Cargoes are chiefly Rum and some British Manufactures.-The high price and ready sale they meet with for their Slaves in the West Indies induce them always to dispose of their cargoes among the Islands.

Madeira &

To Madeira & Teneriffe the Trade from hence is Teneriffe considerable. The outward Cargoes are composed of Wheat, Indian Corn, Flour, Provisions in General, Lumber and Beeswax. The returns are made in Wines, the greatest rart of which are carried directly from Madeira to the British and Foreign West India Islands, there sold and West India Cargoe purchased with which the Vessel returns.

Spanish & other Foreign

When Grain is Scarce in Europe there is also a very Ports in Eu- considerable Trade from hence to the Spanish ports in ward of Cape the Bay of Biscay and to other Foreign poris in Europe

rope. South

Finnistre.

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