Whitehall 7th. January 1762.
Govr. of Jamaica
Sir,
His Majesty, having found it necessary to declare War against the King of Spain, was pleased, in a Council, held, on Saturday last at St. James's, for that purpose, to sign the inclosed Declaration, & to order, that the same should be published on Monday the 4th. Inst., by the Heralds at Arms, in the usual Places, & with the accustomed Formalities, which has been accordingly done. You will find the just and indispensable Reasons, which have forced the King to take this Measure, so fully set forth in the above Declaration of War, that I am only to signify to you His Majesty's Pleasure, that You do cause the Same to be proclaimed in the Island of Jamaica, under your Government, in order that the King's Subjects, having this Notice, may take Care to prevent any Mischief, which otherwise, they might suffer from the Enemy, and to do their Duty, in their several Stations, to distress & annoy the Subjects of Spain; And His Majestys wound have you be very rigorous & severe, in preventing any Provisions, Ammunition, or Stores, of any Kind, from being carried to Them, and You are to use all proper Methods, that may be most effectual for that Purpose.
I am &c.
Egremont
P.S. His Majty. has been pleased to order Letters of Marque, or Commissions to Privateers, to be granted in the usual Manner.
Memdm. a like Letter was wrote to the following Governors, Barbados Island, Leeward Islands, Bermuda Island, Bahama Islands, Guadalupe Island, Dominique Island, Newfoundland Do., Cape Breton Do., Quebec Trois Rivieres Montreal Place & Country, Connecticut Rhode Island Colony, Virginia Colony & Dominion, Senegal Places, Goree Isalnd, Belleiste Do., Gibraltar Town & Garrison, Nova Scotia New Hampshire Massachusets Bay New York New Jersey Maryland Pensylvania No. Carolina South Carolina Georgia Province.
