ABSTRACT
Historical Sketch of tile cltiefFeatures ofthe Adlninistratioll and Fuundation of Laws, from tIle time of tile Pro]Jrietary Government to our own.
Tn E author of the' Memoirs of the first Settlenlcnt of Barbados' expressly states, that the Earl of Carlisle gave a conlnlission to Charles 'Volferstone to act as governor over the scttlt.~ment \vhich under his auspices a company of merchants proposed to effect in Barbados. This commission, which bore date the 29th of )Iarch 1628, ,,"as granted by virtue of a patent which the ~arl had recl'ived frollt the King on the 2nd of June 1627, and \vhich clnpo\vcrcd 'Volfcrstone to execute justice, decide controversic~, keep his l\Iajcsty-'s peace, and punish offenders accorJing to the nature of thl'il' ~everal offences, and according to the la\v of England I.
~lr. John S,vann \vas dir('ctt.~d by thc cOlnpany of Jllerchants ,vho undertook to fornl this scttlclllcnt, to bc appointed Lieutenant-Governor, and a convenient number of othCl' pCl'~ons, not exceeding t\venty, \"ere to be chosen by 'Volfcrstoneas his Council; \vith \vhich instructions he conlplied. Sir 'Villianl Tufton, ,,,ho 8uccccdcd 'Volfcl'stonc, held a scssion on the 23rd of F(~bruary, and by the advice of his Council 2 he Illude several lan's and divided the island into six pal'ishcs3 • Captain lIcnry IIu\vlcy superseded Sir 'Villiam Tufton, and at the first session on the 5th of July 1630 confit'med the formcr la\\"s. In a subscquent session he ordered, \vith the advice of his Council, that the courts of grand session should be held annually on T\velfth-day, Easter l\londay, the first of August, and the first day of November4 •
