A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 519 



would not bring enough to pay the freight and duties, which were 

 very high. Freight was sometimes as high as 2 d to 3 d per pound, about 

 1620-25 ; in 1670, it was, on the magazine ships, three farthings per 

 pound, or if in cedar chests or casks, it was l d per pound, with " the 

 weight of the chests allowed." This was seven or eight times the 

 modern rates by sailing vessels. 



The Company derived income from the freight ; from a special 

 private impost usually of l d to 2 d per pound; from the profit on 

 household goods and liquors sent out ; from their share of tobacco 

 raised ; from vessels seized and condemned ; and from whale-oil, etc. 



The tobacco was made a monopoly in 1623, and it could be 

 imported into England only from Bermuda and Virginia, except a 

 definite limited amount from the West Indies. 



At first the King received 12 d duty per pound ; about 1623 it was 

 reduced to 9 d ; still later, in 1628, to 6 d , and still less subsequently. 

 But the Company, after 1658, imposed an additional duty, for them- 

 selves, of l d to 2 d per pound, in addition to their exorbitant freight 

 charges and large levies made in Bermuda for public expenses. 



The following extract from a letter sent by Mr. Perient Trott, of 

 London, to his agent in Bermuda, on the tobacco trade, April 15, 

 1663, shows the condition of the trade at that time: — 



" Tobacco is a miserable Comodity throut the world, more Burmoo- 

 das in England then will sell this two yeares. I pray take not a roll 

 for me but what is gallant both for cutt & color, as before I writ you, 

 and hope you have don soe, if noe such Tobacco be made take none 

 for mee, let others doe what they will, pray follow my order." 



The Bermuda Company was a sort of " Syndicate," as it would 

 now be called, and did not allow the Bermudians to trade with any 

 other ships, nor to send their tobacco to England on any other 

 vessels, except their own, unless there should be an overplus. Dur- 

 ing the Dutch war, in 1642-44, they sent out no ship in two years, 

 so that the colonists suffered great losses. These restrictions natur- 

 ally led to much illicit traffic and smuggling, in spite of the severe 

 penalties. In such operations the Bermudians soon became very 

 expert and venturesome. 



It is recorded that two vessels in November and December, 1669, 

 took about 40,000 pounds of " contraband tobacco" to New England, 

 and numerous other cases are recorded, as well as records of a num- 

 ber of vessels seized and confiscated on account of this traffic. The 

 Bermudians often carried the tobacco far out to sea in small boats 

 and put it aboard of vessels that had cleared. 



