Directions granted or appointed you by this Present Commission and the Instructions and authorities herewith given you, or by such further Powers Instructions and Authorities as shall at any time hereafter be granted or appointed you under our Signet and sign Manual or by Our Order in our Privy Council and according to such reasonable Laws and Statutes as now are in force or hereafter shall be made and agreed upon by you with the Advice and consent of Our Council & the Assembly of Our said Province under your Government in such Manner and Form as is hereafter expressed.

And OUR WILL & PLEASURE is, that you the said Lewis Morris, after the Publication of these Our Letters Patents, do in the first Place take the Oaths appointed to be taken by an Act passed in the First Year of Our late Royall Father's Reign Entil? An Act for the further Security of His Majesty's Person and Government, and the Succession of the Crown in the Heirs of the late Princess Sophia being Protestants, And for Extinguishing the Hopes of the Pretended Prince of Wales & his open and secret Abettors: As also that you make and subscribe the Declaration mention'd in the Act of Parliament made in the 25th Year of the Reign of King Charles the Second Entituled an Act for preventing Dangers which may happen from Popish Recusants and likewise that you take the usual Oath for the due Execution of the Office and Trust of Our Captain Gen! & Governor in chief in and over our said Province of Nova Cæsarea or New Jersey as well with regard to the due and impartial Administration of Justice as otherwise, and further that you take the Oath required to be taken by Governors of Plantations to do their utmost that the several Laws relating to Trade and the Plantations be observ'd. . . .

And we do hereby give and grant unto you full Power and Authority to Suspend any of the Members of Our said Council, from sitting voting and Assisting therein if you shall find just cause for so doing.

And if it shall at any time happen that by the Death departure out of our said Province or Suspension of any of Our said Councillors or otherwise there shall be a Vacancy in Our said Council (any three whereof We do hereby appoint to be a Quorum) OUR WILL & PLEASURE is that you Signify the same unto Us by the first Opportunity that We may under Our Signet and Sign Manual constitute and appoint others in their Stead. . .

And we do hereby give & grant unto You full Power and Authority with the Advice and Consent of Our said Council from time to time as

need shall require to Summon and call General Assemblies of the said Freeholders and Planters within your Government in manner and form as shall be directed in Our Instructions which shall be given You together with this Our Commission. . . .

And You . . . with the Consent of Our said Council and Assembly or a Major Part of them respectively shall have full Power and Authority to make constitute and ordain Laws Statutes and Ordinances for the Publick Peace Welfare and Good Government of Our said Province and of the People and Inhabitants thereof and such others as shall resort thereto and for the Benefit of Us Our Heirs and Successors which said Laws Statutes & Ordinances are not to be repugnant but as near as may be agreable to the Laws and Statutes of this Our Kingdom of Great Britain Provided that all such Laws, Statutes and Ordinances of what Nature or duration soever be within three Months or sooner after the making thereof transmitted unto Us under Our Seal of Nova Cæsaria or New-Jersey for Our Approbation or disallowance of the same, As also Duplicates thereof by the next Conveyance.

And in Case any or all of the said Laws, Statutes and Ordinances (being not before confirm'd by Us) shall at any time be disallowed and not approved and so Signify'd by Us Our Heirs and Successors under Our or their Privy Council unto you... or to the Commander in Chief of our said Province for the time being then such and so many of the said Laws Statutes and Ordinances as shall be so disallowed & not approved shall from thenceforth cease determine and become utterly void and of none Effect anything to the contrary thereof notwithstanding.

And to the end that nothing may be passed or done by Our said Council or Assembly to the Prejudice of Us Our Heirs & Successors We will and Ordain that You . . . shall have and enjoy a Negative Voice in the making and passing of all Laws Statutes & Ordinances as aforesaid.

And you shall and may likewise from time to time as you shall Judge it necessary adjourn prorogue and dissolve all General Assemblys as aforesaid.

And we do further by these Presents give and grant unto you full Power & Authority with the Advice and Consent of Our said Council to erect constitute and establish such and so many Courts of Judicature and Publick Justice within Our said Province under your Government as you and they shall think fit and necessary for the hearing and determining of all Causes as well Criminal as Civil according to Law

and Equity and for awarding of Execution thereupon with all reasonable & necessary Powers Authorities, Fees and Privileges belonging thereto As also to appoint and Commissionate fit Persons in the several parts of your Government to Administer the Oaths mentioned. . . .

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And We do hereby give and grant unto you full Power and Authority where you shall see Cause or shall Judge any Offender or Offenders in Criminal Matters or for any Fines or Forfeitures due unto Us fit Objects of Our Mercy to pardon all such Offenders and to remit all such Offences Fines and Forfeitures, Treason and Willful Murder alone excepted in which Cases you shall likewise have Power upon extraordinary Occasions to grant Reprieves to the Offenders until and to the Intent Our Royal Pleasure may be known therein.

We do by these Presents Authorize and Impower you to Collate any Person or Persons to any Churches Chappels or other Ecclesiastical Benefices within Our said Province as any of them shall happen to be void.

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And We do hereby give and grant unto you by your Self or by your Caps & Commanders by you to be Authorized full Power and Authority to Levy Arm Muster Command and Employ all persons whatsoever residing within Our said Province of Nova Cæsaria or New Jersey under your Government and as Occasion shall serve to March from one Place to another or to embark them for the resisting and withstanding of all Enemies Pirates Rebels both at Sea and Land and to Transport such Forces to any of Our Plantations in America (if necessity shall require for the Defence of the same against the Invasion or Attempts of any of Our Enemies and such Enemies Pirates and Rebels, if there shall be Occasion to pursue & prosecute in or out of the Limits of Our said Province and Plantations or any of them and if it shall so please God them to vanquish apprehend and take and being taken either according to Law to put to Death or keep and preserve alive at your Discretion and to Execute Martial Law in time of Invasion or other times when by Law it may be Executed and to do and Execute all and every other thing and things which to Our Cap! General and Gov! in Chief doth or ought of Right to belong.

Provided Nevertheless that all disorders and Misdeameanours committed on Shore by any Cap! Commander Lieu! Master Officer Seaman Soldier or other Person whatsoever belonging to any of Our Ships of War or other Vessels acting by immediate Commission or Warrant from Our said Commiss" for Executing the Office of Our High Admiral or

from Our High Admiral of Great Britain for the time being under the Seal of Our Admiralty may be tryed and punished according to the Laws of the Place where any such Disorders Offences and Misdemeanors shall be committed on Shore...

Instructions to our Trusty and Wellbeloved Lewis Morris Esq! Our Capt General and Governor in chief in and over Our Province of Nova Cæsarea or New Jersey in America Given at

First With these Our In[s]tructions you will receive Our Commiss under Our Great Seal of Great Britain, constituting you Our Capt? General & Governor in chief in & over Our Province of New Jersey, You are therefore with all convenient speed to repair to Our said Province and being there arrived you are to take upon you the Execution of the Place and Trust We have reposed in you and forthwith to call together the following persons, whom We do by these Presents constitute & appoint members of Our Council in and for that Province. . . .

3 You are forthwith to communicate unto Our said Council, such and so many of these Our Instructions, wherein their Advice & Consent are required, as likewise all such others from time to time as you shall find convenient for Our Service to be imparted to them.

4 You are to permit the Members of Our said Council to have and enjoy Freedom of debate and Vote in all Affairs of publick Concern that may be debated in Council. . . .

8 And in the choice & Nomination of the Members of Our said Council, as also of the Chief Officers, Judges, Assistants, Justices and Sheriffs, you are always to take care that they be men of good Life and well affected to Our Government, of good Estates & Abilities & not necessitious People.

9 You are neither to augment nor diminish the Number of Our said Council, as it is already established, nor to suspend any of the members thereof without Good and sufficient Cause, nor without the Consent of the Majority of the said Council. . . .

12. And Our Will & Pleasure is that with all convenient speed you call together one Gen! Assembly for the enacting of Laws for the joint and mutual Good of the whole Province.

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14. You are to observe in the passing of Laws that the Stile of Enacting the same be by the Govern! Council & Assembly and no other; you are also as much as possible to observe in the passing of all Laws that what ever may be requisite upon each different matter be accordingly

provided for, by a different Law, without intermixing in one & the same Act such things, as have no proper Relation to each other and you are more especially to take Care that no Clause or Clauses be inserted in or annexed to any Act, which shall be foreign to what the Title of such respective Act imports, and that no perpetual Clause be made part of any temporary Law, and that no Act whatsoever be suspended, alter'd, continued, revived or repealed by Gen' Words, but that the Title and Date of such Act so suspended alter'd, continued, revived or repeal'd be particularly mention'd and expressed in the enacting part. . . .

17. It is Our express Will & Pleasure that no Law for rais any Imposition on Wines or other strong Licquors, be made to continue for less than one whole Year, and that all other Laws made for the Supply & Support of the Governm! shall be indefinite and without Limitation, except the same be for a Temporary Service, and wheh shall expire and have their full effect within the time therein prefixt.

18. And whereas several Laws have formerly been enacted for so short a time that the Assent or Refusal of Our Royal Predecessors could not be had thereupon before the time for which such Laws were enacted did expire, you shall not for the future give your Assent to any Law that shall be enacted for a less time than two Years (except in the Cases mention'd in the foregoing Article). And you shall not re-enact any Law to which the Assent of Us or Our Royal Predecessors has once been refused without Express Leave for that Purpose first obtained from Us. . . .

20. . . . We do hereby will and require you not to pass or give your Consent hereafter to any Bill or Bills in the Assembly of Our said Province of unusual and extraordinary Nature and importance, wherein Our Prerogative, or the Property of Our Subjects may be prejudiced, or the Trade or Shipping of this Kingdom any ways affected, until you shall have first transmitted to Us the Draught of such a Bill or Bills and shall have receiv'd Our Royal Pleasure thereupon unless you take care in the passing of any Bill of such Nature as before mention'd that there be a Clause inserted therein, suspending & deferring the Execution thereof until Our Pleasure shall be known concerning the same : And it is Our express Will & Pleasure that no Duty shall be laid in the Province under Your Government upon British Shipping or upon the Product or Manufacture of Great Britain, And that you do not upon Pain of Our highest Displeasure give your Assent to any Law whatsoever, wherein the Natives or Inhabitants of New Jersey are put on a more Advantageous footing than those of this Kingdom..