50 INTRODUCTION. 



mighty should be devoutly and duly served according to the rites of the church 

 of England, and to give all possible encouragement to trade and traders, " par- 

 ticularly to the Royal African Company in England ;" w^hich company w^as 

 expressly desired by the queen, " to take especial care that the colony should 

 have a constant and sufficient supply of merchantable negroes, at moderate rates." 

 No commodities w^ere allowed to be imported into the colonies, or exported 

 thence, but in vessels built in England, or in some one of her colonies, and navi- 

 gated by British crews. The colonies were prohibited from exporting to any 

 other country than England, and imposts were established by the royal government. 



In 1703, the assembly, justly complaining of the misapplication of the colonial 

 revenue, insisted upon the establishment of a treasury. Governor Combury 

 refused to comply with this demand, saying to the assembly that " they talked 

 of their rights," but he knew of " no rights they had as an assembly but such as 

 the queen was pleased to allow." But the governor was nevertheless dependent 

 upon the assembly for supplies, and that body, unmoved equally by executive 

 influence and prerogative, became continually more democratic. 



The judiciary of the colony consisted of such inferior courts as those held by 

 justices of the peace, courts of sessions, and courts of common pleas, and the 

 supreme court, which was as it now is, a court of general, civil and criminal 

 jurisdiction. In 1712, governor Hunter, by the advice of his council, and with- 

 out the consent of the assembly, and for the purpose of increasing the royal 

 power, erected a court of chancery, assumed to himself the powers of chan- 

 cellor, and appointed the requisite number of masters, with an examiner, regis- 

 ter and clerks. 



The effect of this institution was to increase the power of the crown, and to 

 diminish tl^at of the assembly. That body thereupon protested against the esta- 

 blishment of the court, as an act of royal usurpation ; but the lords of trade who 

 then had superintendence over the affairs of the colony, affirmed her majesty's 

 right to institute as many courts as she thought proper. The controversy on this 

 subject formed one of the grounds of the division of parties until the revolution. 



