Whitehall 16th. Sept 1757.
Sir,
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Govr: of the Leeward Islands
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Monsr. d'Abreu Envoy Extny. from His Catholick Majesty, having lately delivered divers Complaints of Violances & deperedations (particularly mentioned in the inclosed Paper) committed by His Majesty's Subjects in America against those of Spain, I am to inform You, that the King seeing with the highest disapprobation, the daily growth of such scandalous disorders, & having nothing more at Heart; than to stop the Progress of Practices, which if not repressed must involve His Majesty in odious disputes with all the neutral Powers of Europe, is determined to exert the full Authority of the Law in vindication of the justice of his Crown, & of the Honor of the British Nation; And in this view I am hereby to signify to You His Maty's Pleasure, that you do enforce with the utmost vigor the observance of the Additional Instruction of Octbr. the 5th. to all Privateers & employ uncommon Care & diligence effectually to prevent & if possible, to cut up by the Roots all Excesses & Enormities alledged to be committed in violation of the just Freedom of Navigation of His Catholick Majesty's Subjects, and Whereas with regard to all Spanish Vessels bound to a Port of Spain in America, the Case of Contraband cannot exist; it being self evident, that no effects whatever carried by a Nation to its own Ports, can in any case fall under that Decription: It is His Majesty's Pleasure, that you do give the strictest Order that no Spanish Ship under those Circumstances, be disturbed, or molested in their Navigation, & that in Case of outrages or Depredations, committed on the same, you do your utmost to discover all such violaters of Justice & disturbers of the Harmony subsisting between the Two Nations & to bring the same the condign & exemplary Punishment. |
I cannot conclude without acquainting you, that your Letter to the Board of Trade of the 27th. March, having been laid before the King; His Maty was pleased to approve the Measures you took, in Consequence of the Complaints from the Governors of Porto Rico, & St. Domingo, who, as appears by the Paper transmitted to You in this Letter, have expressed their Satisfaction at the Answers You returned to them, And as an Exemplification, under the Great Seal, of the Commission for trying Pirates, has been taken out, & sent to You, the King is persuaded you will not have lost any time, in proceeding, in the manner, you so properly proposed to the Tryals of Reddy & White, for their Piratical Behavior to the Spaniards.
I am &c.
WPitt.
Memdm. a like Letter (except the last Paragraph) was wrote to the following Governors of Jamaica, Barbadoes, Bermuda, Bahama Islands, Virginia, Massachusets Bay, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Hampshire, So. Carolina, No. Do., New Jersey, Georgia, New York, Connecticut Rhode Island Govr. & Company, Pensilvania Maryland Depty. Govr.
