16 4 HISTORY OF THE [book vr„ 
to that of the mother-country. Their different or¬ 
ders of judicature are exactly like those of England; 
and their legislatures, in general, respectively con¬ 
sist of three distinct branches, (i. e.) a governor re¬ 
presenting the crown, a council or upper house, 
and a body of delegates representing the people at 
large. The two first are necessarily imperfect, be¬ 
cause they ate not independent; but the members 
of the last are more fairly and equally chosen by 
their constituents, than those of the British House 
of Commons by the people of Great Britain. Of 
the powers and privileges claimed and exercised by 
these several branches respectively, in their own 
little system, and whence derived, I shall now 
briefly treat. And first of the 
GOVERNOR. 
Every chief governor in the British West Indies 
is appointed by letters patent under the great seal 
of Great Britain. lie receives through courtesy 
the title of excellency, and is vested with the fol¬ 
lowing powers : 
First, as captain-general and commander in 
chief, he has the actual command of all the land 
forces within his government, (except only when a 
general officer is employed on the staff), and he 
commissions all officers of the militia. He appoints 
the judges of all the different courts of common 
law, and even these gentlemen, in all the islands 
