BOOK II. CHAP. VIII. 147 



Eafl: quarter of the town, and veftcd in the crown, for the fervice 

 of his majelly's Ihips; and in 1741 the yard and wharf were greatly 

 enhirged by an a6l of afl'embly, palled for that purpole. Here 

 the men of war are careened and refitted ; but the greater part of 

 the naval Itores are kept m proper ware-houfes at Greenwich. 

 The hofpital for tlie feamen is a large, airy, and well-contrived 

 building. The church is afmall, but neat ftruilure, with an organ, 

 a tower, and cupola. The captain of the fort has of late vears 

 been appointed by the governor's warrant, upon the nomination 

 of the miniftry. His ialary is only 109/. los. per annum; but 

 the profits of this port make it far more confiderable. By the re- 

 venue-law, pafled in 1728, a provifion is made of 547/. 10 s. per 

 annum for twelve matrofles and gunners, who are required to be 

 inhabitants of the town, and continually refident in it. The 

 holding thefe employments is an cxcufe from fervice as peace- 

 officers, jury-men, or in the militia; and for this reafon, the in- 

 habitants make ftrong intercll: to obtain warrants of appointment 

 to thefe merely nominal commiflions, for they gladly rclinquifli 

 their claim to the falary, which of courfe becomes a perquiiite to 

 the captain. A practice, very detrimental to trade, was formerly 

 in ule here; I mean the demand of a gratuity from the mafters of 

 vefllels, importing bullion from foreign parts, for leave to pafs the 

 fort: this, with exadions of the like nature from the governors, 

 naval otiicers, &c. became fo grievous, that thefe foreigners at 

 length declared it to be the principal reafon of their abandoning 

 all further trade at this port, and of their refort to the French at 

 Plifpaniola, where they are faid to have met with a more favourable 

 reception, aiid to have made up their aflbrtments full as cheap. 

 Rapacious sfts commonly begin at the top in thefe diflant govern- 

 ments, and fo defcend ta the loweft underftrappers. 



It was unpleafing to fee the intereft of a colony thus made a (\- 

 crifice to the bafell principle; and more fo, that the injured people 

 either had not, or were not able to exert, a fuitable remedy. But 

 fuch as a governor is, fuch will be the fubordinate minifters wf'thin 

 his jurifdiction. The captain of the fort takes charge of all the 

 powder brought into the magazine purfuant to the tonnage-a£t, 

 and accounts, upon oath, for its wafte and expenditure, to the 



U 2 council 



