first meeting with the provincial affembly was August 22, 1746. The legislature, and fome municipal laws of New- Their legiflature confifts of three negatives; the enacting ftile is," Be it enacted by his excellency the governor, council, and general affembly." The three negatives are, 1. The governor, ftiled governor in chief, vice admiral, and cancellor of the pro: vince of New-Jersey. 2. The council nominated by the king, their complement is twelve, as it generally is in all our colonies. The governor and council are a court of error and chancery. 3. The house of reprefentatives in this province, they are particularly called the affembly; though in propriety the governor, council, and house of representatives of the people, met in a legislative capacity, are the general affembly of a province or colony. This houfe of reprefentatives or affembly confifts of 24 members, whereof 20 are reprefentatives of counties, the other 4 from the cities, fo called, of Perth-Amboy and Burlington, * I cannot account for fuch improprieties in our colonies; thus is Virginia, the house of reprefentatives, is very improperly called the houfe of burgeffes, becaufe Virginia is reprefented by counties. In the province of North-Carolina adjoining to Virginia, they are guilty of the fame impropriety. The The new counties of Morris county, and Trent county, hitherto do not fend reprefentatives. All the acts of the affembly of New-Jerfey must have the royal affent. The house of reprefentatives is no court of judicature, but have the privilege of enquiring into the male adminiftration of the courts of juftice. The magna charta or fundamental conftitution of the province of New-Jersey, confifts of three fubfequent fets of conceffions from the proprietors, and of the perpetual instructions for all fucceffive crown governors as agreed upon 1702 at the proprietors refignation of the government to the crown. Thefe are reckoned of a higher nature, than the acts of their affemblies, and are termed by the affembly, the laws of conceffions. The first conceffions were 1664, from lord Berkley and Sir George Carteret, joint proprietors of New-Jerfey by affignment from the duke of York. The fecond conceffions 1672 were from the faid proprietors jointly; the third conceffions were only for the Eaft Jerfey by Sir George Carteret 1674, upon the duke of York's grant ing him a divifional grant, thefe were only additional and explanatory of the first conceffions, The bounty lands to the first fettlers called head-lands, being fo many acres per head of fettlers at one half penny fterl per ann. per acre quit-rent. The quit-rents of the Jerfies began March 25, 1670; the whole arrears of quit-rents from the beginning to 747, did not exceed 15000l. The bounty by the firft conceffions was only for heads imported in the first four years, but by fubfequent conceffions, it was continued to January 13, 1685. In other patents to purchasers the quit-rents were various as per agreement, v. g. in Newark there are fome patents at fix pençe fterl, per ann, per 100 acres. The fundamental law of conceffions is, that all vas cant lands are to be purchased only by the governor and council in the name of the proprietors; and all U 2 Claims claims to lands otherways than by warrant of furvey, by the survey of a stated furveyor, and patent from the governor and council are deemed void. There have been only two remarkable times of purchase from the Indians 1664 under governor Nichols, prior to the acts of conceffions; and 1672 under governor Carteret, but fubfequent and contrary to the first conceffions. Several tracts of land have from time to time been purchased of the Indians by the general proprietors. By act of affembly 1683, no perfon to contract for, or accept of deeds of lands from the Indians, but in the name of the proprietors. In the revolution times, as they were called, in NewJersey from 1698 to 1703, all rules of property were flighted, many riots and much diforder enfued, and by remonftrances to king William all established rules of property were endeavoured to be everted, and Indian purchases established, but in vain. Upon the refignation of the government to the crown, and by an act of affembly 1703, declaring all pretences by Indian purchases only, to be penal, (penalty 40s. per acre) criminal, and void; and by an act 1713, a penalty is impofed of 20s. for every tree cut by any perfon upon lands which are not his own property; order was reftored to the great improvement of New-Jerfey, and which was enjoyed till 1745, when Indian purchates were fet up again. Several actions of ejectment being brought by the council of general proprietors against the tenants, fo called, in poffeffion of the Elizabeth rights, as holding only by a groundless right of title by Indian deeds; anno 1746 the Elizabeth men petition the general affembly, that a way may be made for their relief in the province, or that they may have liberty of application to the head and fountain of juftice. Upon this enfued a fuit in their provincial chancery, as before related. Some articles in the conceffions were, that the general affembly fhall raife and pay the governor's falary and all all charges of government; and that the quit-rents fhall be paid to the proprietors free of all charges, no quitrents to be applied for that purpose. To prevent interfering claims and fraudulent fales, there are only two deputy furveyors in a county, under a general furveyor of the province, and all furveys are to be recorded as approved of by the furveyor general. Titles of land are to be tried only in the fupreme court of judicature. Courts of judicature. The feveral courts of judicature are nearly of the fame constitution with the courts in the colonies already related. There is a fupreme court (in New-England they are called fuperior courts) for the Eaft-Jersey divifion held at the city of Amboy two terms yearly, the third Tuesday in March, and fecond Tuesday in August, each of these with only eight days continuance. The fupreme court for the Weft Jersey divifion is held at Burlington first Tuesday in November, and second Tuesday in May, under the fame regulations. . There are in each county once a year, a court for tryal of caufes brought to iffue in the fupreme court; those for Weft-Jersey are in the fpring, thofe for Eaft-Jersey are in the end of autumn. In each county there are courts of quarter feffions, and county courts for holding pleas; in New-England they are called inferior courts for common pleas. Produce, manufactures, trade, and navigation of New-Jersey, New-Jersey is a good corn country: it raises more wheat than any one of our colonies; but their wheat and flour is moftly fhipped off from New-York and Penfylvania; they raife fome hemp and flax. They have not wrought their copper ore mine for fome time. They manufacture fome iron ore into pigs and bars. In the province of New-Jerfey there are three customhoufe diftricts, whereof two are in Weft-Jersey on Delaware liver; Salem (this includes Cohanzey) about 9 miles below Newcastle, and Burlington about 20 miles above Philadelphia; thefe, as we have already observed, are of no confideration, fcarce deferving the name of preventive creeks; the third is in Eaft-Jerfey at PerthAmboy. The 12 months accounts of entries and clearances at the port of Perth-Amboy, from June 24, 1750, to June 24, 1751, ftand thus, Entered inwards. Cleared outwards. 2 38 Brigantines & Shallops 2 both foreign and coafting voyages included. I fhall only mention some of the most confiderable articles of their exports and imports in that time. Bread 168,500 wt. Beef and pork 314 barrels 17,941 bush. Sugar 2,089 ct. wt. Exported. Imported. Flour 6424 bar. Moloffes 31,600 gal. Grain Pitch, tar, and turpent. }437 bar. Wines Salt 123 pipes 12,759 bush. Hemp 14,000 wt. Some firkins butter, fome hams, beer, flax-feed, bar-iron, fome lumber. Some miscellanies on various subjects. The copper ore of the Jerfies is very good, but the mine has not been wrought for fome years, the diffi culty |