262 November 1748. 



pulpit ; but inftead of this they get licences 

 from the governor, which impower any mi- 

 nifter to marry them. Now for fuch a li- 

 cence the governor receives about half a 

 guinea, and this collected throughout the 

 whole province, amounts to a confiderable 

 fum. 3. The governor figns all paflports, 

 and efpecially of fuch as gotofea; and this 

 gives him another means of fupplying his 

 expences. There are feveral other advan- 

 tages allowed to him, but as they are very 

 trifling, I (hall omit them. 



At the above aflembly the old laws are 

 reviewed and amended, and new ones are 

 made : and the regulation and circulation 

 of coin, together with all other affairs of 

 that kind are there determined. For it is 

 to be obferved that each Engli/h colony in 

 North America is independent of the other, 

 and that each has its proper laws and coin, 

 and mav be looked upon in feveral lights, 

 as a ftate by itfelf. From hence it hap^ 

 pens, that in time of war, things go on 

 very flowly and irregularly here : for not 

 only the fenfe of one province is fometimes 

 directly oppofite to that of another; but 

 frequently the views of the governor, and 

 thofe of the affembly of the fame province, 

 are quite different : fo that it is eafy to fee, 

 that, while the people are quarrelling about 



the 



