CHARACTERS. 



393 



these causes, and other good con- 

 siderations us thereunto moving, 

 we hereby make known, that after 

 having deliberated these affairs in 

 our council, present our dear bro- 

 thers, and other great officers of 

 the state, members of the same ; 

 we, of our certain knowledge, full 

 power, and authority royal, have 

 made and issued this present edict, 

 viz. 



" Whereas it is well known to 

 all the world, that the first Ger- 

 man settlements made in the island 

 of Britain, were by colonies of 

 people, subjects to our renowned 

 ducal ancestors, and drawn from 

 their dominions, under the con- 

 duct of Hengist, Horsa, Hella, 

 Uffa, Cerdicus, Ida, and others ; 

 and that the said colonies have 

 flourished under the protection of 

 our august house, for ages past j 

 have never been emancipated there- 

 from ; and yet have hitherto yield- 

 ed little profit to the same : and 

 whereas we ourself have in the 

 last war fought for and defended 

 the said colonies, against the power 

 of France, and thereby enabled 

 them to make conquests from the 

 said power in America; for which 

 we have not yet received adequate 

 compensation : and whereas it is 

 just and expedient that a revenue 

 should be raised from the said co- 

 lonies in Britain, t(nvaids our in- 

 deumification ; and that those who 

 are descendants of our aiicient 

 subjects, and thence stil! oue us 

 due obedience, sliould contribute 

 to the replenishing of our royal 

 coffers, (as they nmst have done 

 had their ance.-tois remained in 

 tlie tenitorie.s now to us appei tain- 

 ing) : we do therefore hereby or- 

 (hiin and command, that, from and 

 after the date of those presents. 



there shall be levied, and paid to 

 our officers of the customs, on all 

 goods, wares, and merchandises, 

 and on all grain and other produce 

 of the earth, expoited from the 

 said island of Britain, and on all 

 goods of whatever kind imported 

 into the same, a duty of four and 

 a half per cent, ad valorem, for 

 the use of us and our successors. 

 And that the said duty may more 

 effectually be collected, we do 

 hereby ordain, that all ships or 

 vessels bound from Great Britain 

 to any other part of the world, or 

 from any other part of the world 

 to Great Britain, shall in their 

 respective voyages touch at our 

 port of Koningsberg, there to be 

 unladen, seaiched, and charged 

 with the said duties. 



" And whereas there hath been 

 from time to time discovered in 

 the said island of Gieat Britain, 

 by our colonists there, many mines 

 or beds of jrott-stone ; and sundry 

 subjects of our ancient dominion, 

 skilful in converting the said stone 

 into metal, have in time past trans- 

 ported themselves thither, carrying 

 with them and eonmiunicating that 

 art ; and the inhabitajits of the 

 said island, presuming that they 

 liad a natural right to make the 

 best use they could of the natural 

 pio;!uctions of tlieir country, for 

 their own benefit, have not only 

 built furnaces for smelting the 

 said stone into iron, but have 

 erected jdating-forges, slitting- 

 mills, and steel-furnaces, for the 

 more convenient manufacturing 

 of tlie same ; thereby endangering 

 a diminution of the said manufac- 

 ture in our ancient dominion ; we 

 (1(1 therefore hereby farther orchiin, 

 That, from and after the date here- 

 of, no mill or other engine for 



slitting 



