ion, of Our said Province, whom you shall esteem the best qualifyed for that Trust.

8. And whereas by Our Commission You are impower'd, in Case of the Death or Absence of any of Our Council of the said Province, to fill up the Vacancies in Our said Council to the number of seven, and no more; you are from time to time to send to Our Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, in order to be laid before Us, the Name or Names and Qualities of any Member or Members by you put into Our said Council by the first conveniency after your so doing.

9. And in the Choice and nomination of the Members of Our said Council, as also of the Chief Officers, Judges, Assistant Justices and Sheriffs; You are always to take Care, that they be men of good Life, well affected to Our Government, of good Estates, and of Abilities suitable to their Employments.

10. You are neither to augment nor diminish the Number of Our said Council, as it is already establish'd, nor to suspend any of the Members thereof without good and sufficient Cause, nor without the Consent of the Majority of the said Council signified in Council, after due Examination of the Charge against such Councillor and his answer thereunto. And in Case of Suspension of any of them, You are to cause your Reasons, for so doing, together with the Charges and proofs against the said Persons, and their Answers thereunto, to be duly entred upon the Council Books; and forthwith to transmit Copies thereof, to Our Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, in Order to be laid before us. Nevertheless if it should happen, that you should have Reasons for suspending any Councillor not fit to be communicated to the Council, you may in that Case suspend such Person without their Consent; but you are thereupon immediately to send to Our Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, in Order to be laid before Us, an Account

of your proceedings therein, with your Reasons at large for such Suspension, as also for not communicating the same to the Council, and Duplicates thereof by the next Opportunity.

11. And whereas We are sensible, that effectual Care ought to be taken to oblige the Members of Our Council to a due Attendance therein, in Order to prevent the many inconveniences that may happen for want of a Quorum of the Council to transact Business, as Occasion may require; It is Our Will & Pleasure, that, if any of the Members of Our said Council residing in the said Province shall hereafter absent themselves, from Our Said Province, and continue absent above the Space of twelve months together, without leave from you or from Our Governor or Commander in Chief of the said Province for the time being, first obtain❜d under your or his Hand and Seal, or shall remain absent for the Space of two Years successively, without Our Leave given them under Our Royal Sign Manual, their place or places in Our said Council shall immediately thereupon become void; and that if any of the Members of Our said Council residing in our said Province shall hereafter willfully absent themselves from the Council Board when duly summon'd without a just and lawfull Cause, and shall persist therein after Admonition, you suspend the said Councillors, so absenting themselves, till Our further pleasure be known, giving timely notice thereof to Our Commissioners for Trade and plantations, in Order to be laid before Us; And We do hereby Will and require you, that this Our pleasure be signified to the several Members of Our Council aforesaid, and that it be enter'd in the Council Books of Our said Province as a standing Rule.

12. And Our Will and Pleasure is, that with all convenient Speed you call together one general Assembly for the enacting of Laws for the joint and mutual Good of the whole province; that the first meeting of

the said general Assembly be at Perth Amboy in East New Jersey, in case the last was at Burlington; And that all future General Assemblies do meet and sit at one or the other of these Places alternately, or otherwise as You, with the Advice of Our foresaid Council, shall think fit in Case of extraordinary Necessity to appoint them.

13. Our Will & Pleasure is, and you are accordingly to make the same Known in the most publick Manner, that the Method of choosing Representatives for the future shall be, as follows; Viz two by the Inhabitants Householders of the City or Town of Perth Amboy in East New Jersey, and two by the Freeholders of each of the Five Counties in the said Division of East New Jersey; Two by the Inhabitants Householders of the city or Town of Burlington in West New Jersey, and two by the Freeholders of each of the five Counties in the said Division of West New Jersey; which Persons, so to be chosen, make up together the Number of twenty four Representatives. And it is Our further Will & Pleasure, that no Person shall be capable of being elected a Representative by the Freeholders of either Division, as aforesaid, or afterwards of sitting in general Assembly, who shall not have one thousand Acres of Land an Estate of Freehold in his own Right within the Division for which he shall be chosen, or have a personal Estate in Money, Goods or Chattels to value of five hundred pounds sterling and all Inhabitants of Our said Province being so qualifyed, as aforesaid, are hereby declared capable of being elected accordingly.

14. You are to choose in the passing of Laws, that the Stile of enacting the same be by the Governor, Council and Assembly and no other; You are also, as much as possible, to observe in the passing of all Laws, that whatever may be requisite upon each different matter be accordingly provided for by a

different Law, without Intermixing in one and 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, altered, continued revived or repeated by general Words, but that the Title and Date of such Act so suspended, alter'd, continued, revived or repealed be particularly mentioned and expressed in the enacting part.

15. And whereas several Laws have formerly been enacted in several of Our Plantations in America, for so short a time, that the Assent or refusal of Our Royal predecessors cou'd 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 herein after mention'd. And you shall not reenact 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, upon a full Representation by you to be made to Our Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, in order to be laid before Us, of the reason and necessity for passing such Law, nor give your Assent to any Law for repealing any other Act pass'd in Your Government, whether the same is or has not received Our Royal Approbation, unless You take care that there be a Clause inserted therein suspending and deferring the Execution thereof until Our Pleasure be known concerning the same.

16. And whereas great Mischiefs do arise by the Frequent passing Bills of an unusual and extraordinary Nature and Importance in Our Plantations, which Bills remain in force there from the time of enacting

until Our Pleasure be signified to the contrary; 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 Shiping of this Kingdom any Ways affected, until you shall have first transmitted to Our Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, in order to be laid before 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 beforementioned, that there be a Clause inserted therein, suspending and deferring the Execution thereof untill Our Pleasure shall be known concerning the same.

17. You are also to take Care, that no private Act, whereby the property of private Persons may be affected, be passed, in which there is not a saving of the Right of Us, Our Heirs and Successors, all Bodies Politick or corporate, and of all other Persons, except such as are mentioned in the said Act and those claiming by, from and under them; And further you shall take Care, that no such private Act be passed without a Clause suspending the Execution thereof, until the same shall have Our Royal Approbation. It is likewise Our Will and Pleasure, that you do not give your Assent to any private Act, until Proof be made before you in Council (and entred in the Council Books,) that publick notification was made of the Parties Intention to apply for such Act in the several Parish Churches, where the premises in Question lye, for three Sundays at least successively, before any such Act shall be brought into the Assembly; and that a Certificate under your hand be transmitted with and annexed to every such private Act, signifying that the same has passed through all the forms above mention'd.