fees in fecret, but only upon the peril of the penalty of perjury. +

JURIES. The town council of each township take a lift of all perfons liable by law, and whom they fhall judge able and well qualified to ferve on juries, and lay the fame before a town meeting called for that purpose; and the names of all fuch perfons written on feparate pieces of paper, thall be put in a box to be delivered to the town clerk, to be by him kept under lock and key. When the precept or notification for returning of jurors is iffued, at a town meeting the box fhall be unlocked, and the town clerk fhall draw out fo many tickets, as there are jurors required, to be returned as jurors; fuch as in the judgment of the town meeting are unable to ferve at that time, their names fhall be returned into the box and others drawn in their stead; the names of the perfons returned to serve, fhall be put in another box from time to time, until all the tickets be drawn as aforefaid; then they fhall be returned into the firft, to be drawn from time to time as aforefaid. The town council fhall once a year lay before a town. meeting fuch other perfons as may from time to time. become qualified, to be put in the box. If by reafon of challenge or otherways there are not a fufficient number of good and lawful men to make up the jury, the jury fhall be filled up by the sheriff or his deputy de talibus circumftantibus.

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. The general affembly in their May feffions, chufe for each town fo many justices of the peace as they may find requifite, to be commiffioned by the governor of the colony under the seal of the colony; their power extends all over the county. A justice may join perfons in marriage, take the ac

This does not feem to be a facred or folemn oath, and may be illuftrated by the ftory of two profligate thieves; one of them had ftolen fomething, and told his friend of it: well, fays his friend, but did any body fee you? No: then fays his friend, it is yours as much as if you had bought it with your money.

knowledgment

knowledgment of a deed or other inftrument, take de pofitions out of court, the adverse party being notified. Two or more juftices may hear, try, and adjudge all manner of debts, trefpaffes, and other actions, not exceeding five pounds currency; titles of lands are excepted, and fuch other actions as are excepted by any particular law of the colony. Three or more justices of the peace may try all perfons fufpected of thieving to the value of ten pounds currency. Appeals in civil cafes are allowed to the inferior court of common pleas, and in criminal cafes to the court of the general feffions of the peace: the judgment of which court, on all appeals from the juftices court, is final.

SESSIONS OF THE PEACE. In each county are held twice a year, a court of general feffions of the peace, five juftices of the county making a quorum, impowered to hear and determine all manner of matters and things relating to the confervation of the peace, the punishment of offenders, and all pleas of the crown (capital crimes excepted) are therein cognizable. Any perfon aggrieved at the fentence of this court, may appeal to the next fuperior court of judicature, court of affize and general goal delivery.

INFERIOR COURTS OF COMMON PLEAS, are held twice a year in each county; three juftices of the faid court are a quorum: they have cognizance of all civil actions arifing or happening within the county, and tryable at common law, of what nature, kind, or quality soever: but no action not exceeding five pounds currency, is brought into any of these courts, unless where any man's freehold is concerned, or by way of appeal from any juftices court. Liberty of appeal from thefe inferior courts of common pleas, is allowed to the next fuperior court of judicature, &c.

SUPERIOR COURT OF JUDICATURE, Courts of affize and general goal delivery, are holden twice a year in each county; three judges are a quorum: they have cognizance of all pleas, real, perfonal, or mixt, as alfo

pleas

pleas of the crown, and caufes criminal, and matters relating to the confervation of the peace, punishment of offenders, and generally of all other matters, as fully and amply to all intents and purposes whatsoever, as the court of common pleas, king's bench, or exchequer in his majesty's kingdom of England have, or ought to have, and are impowered to give judgment therein, and to award execution thereon, and make fuch neceffary rules of practice, as the judges fhall from time to time fee needful; but no caufe, matter, or thing (writs of error, capital crimes, &c. excepted) are brought into this court by an original writ or process, but by appeals from the inferior courts of common pleas.

APPEALS TO HIS MAJESTY IN COUNCIL are allowed, where the matter or thing in controversy is the value of three hundred pounds new tenor, unless from judgment obtain'd upon a bond, which has no other condition but for the payment of a fum or fums of money. They appeal to the king in council not only on perfonal, but also in real actions.

A COURT OF CHANCERY or delegates not long fince was erected; but on their iniquitous proceedings in difpenfing with all laws, no man's property was fafe; it was therefore difcontinued.

THE ORDINARY FOR PROBATE OF WILLS, and granting adminiftration, is in the refpective town councils, with appeals to the court of governor and affiftants.

THE COURT OF VICE ADMIRALTY confifts of the fame individual officers or perfons that officiate in Maffachufetts-Bay, or by deputations from them.

THE JUSTICIARY COURT OF ADMIRALTY is much of the fame nature with that of Maffachusetts-Bay, with an addition of the governor and fome of the council of the neighbouring province of Maffachusetts-Bay.

Their present taxes of all kinds are very inconfiderable; the intereft of their publick loans generally defrays all VOL. II. charges

H

charges of government and other needfuls both of the colony and particular towns.

NAVIGATION. Newport of Rhode-Inland is their principal trading town at prefent; lies in 41 d. 35 m. N. lat. it is of eafy and fhort accefs, being near the ocean, but for that reafon not fo well fituated for home confumption. Providence is about 30 miles farther up Narraganfet-bay inland, therefore in a few years it must be their principal place of trade. For the fafety and conveniency of failing into the harbour of Newport, in fummer 1749 was erected a light-house in Beaver-tail at a publick colony charge.

LIGHT-HOUSE.

The diameter at the bafe is 24 feet, and at the top 13 feet. The height from the ground to the top of the cornice is 58 feet, round which is a gallery, and within that stands the lanthorn, which is about 11 feet high, and 8 feet diameter.

The ground the light-house stands on is about 12 feet above the furface of the fea at high water,

The following are the bearings (by the compass) of feveral remarkable places from the light-house, viz. Point Judith Block-Ifland. N. W. point S. E. point

Ditto

Whale rock

Brenton's reaf

Seal rock

S. W.

3 Deg. S.

S. W.
S. W. b. S. 5

8

W.
E. S. E.

9

4

E.

7

E. N. E.

4

E. N. E.

S. point of Rhode-Island

. Watch house on Castle-hill

Brenton's point

Fort on Goat-Island

S. eastermost of the Dumplins

Kettle bottom rock

Anchoring place between

the town of Newport and N. E. b. E.
Coafter's harbour

N. B. There

N. B. There is a small funken rock lies off due S. and at the distance of about 200 yards from the light-house. The entrances and clearances of veffels in the collection of Newport for the last year of the late French and Spanifh war; and for the first year of the prefent peace. From 25 March 1747, to 25 March 1748. Ships Snows Brigs Sloops Schooners

Entred in 2

Total 56

Cleared out 4

5

33

71

5

118

From 25 March 1748, to 25 March 1749.1

Entred in 2

2 I I

30

37 4

49

9o 83

Total 75

160

Cleared out 8 The veffels ufed here are generally brigantines and floops. Their trade in time of war confifts much in privateering; this laft war they had bad fuccefs; not much trade with Europe; much used to fmuggling of contraband and uncuftomed goods; they export for the Weft-India islands, horfes, live ftock of feveral kinds, butter, cheese, lumber, and rum of their own diftilling: their trade seems to be upon the decline; they import or rather carry to Bofton, fugar, molaffes, and other WeftIndia inland produce, a few negroes from Guinea, and logwood from the bay of Honduras.

Ever fince 1710, their most beneficial business has been banking or negociating a bafe fraudulent paper money currency, which is fo contrived, that amongst themselves it comes out at about 2 and half per cent. per ann. interest and lend it to the neighbouring colonies at 10 per cent. † a most barefaced cheat. The interest of these publick iniquitous frauds, one quarter goes to the feveral townships to defray their charges, the other three quarters are

war;

I fhall only mention their emiffion 1744, of a publick paper money credit of 160,000 1. O. T. upon pretext (as the preamble expreffes it) of the prefent Spanish war, and of an impending French but was fhared amongst themselves by way of loan at 4 per ct. per ann. intereft, for the first ten years, and after the expiration of those ten years, the principal to be paid off gradually in ten years more without any interest.

H 2