A S I NFL UENCED B Y LEGISLA TION. 79 



always ready to encourage the production 

 and exportation to England of raw mate- 

 rials for manufacture. Thus, in 1764, Par- 

 liament granted a bounty of eight pounds 

 per ton on all rough flax imported into 

 England from the American Colonies. 

 This, taking into account the value of 

 money at that time, is considerably more 

 than the present duty imposed by our gov- 

 ernment on imports of dressed flax. In 

 1771 the bounty was decreased to six 

 pounds per ton, and it remained at that 

 figure until commercial intercourse was in- 

 terrupted by the Revolution. 1 In 1703 a 

 similar bounty of six pounds per ton was 

 allowed on the importation of hemp ; and 

 the Assembly of Pennsylvania, in 1730, 

 increased this by an additional bounty of 

 three half-pence per pound. 2 



Massachusetts gave early attention to 

 flax culture. In 1639 it was enacted in 

 Plymouth, 



"That every householder within the Governmen 1 

 shall sovve one rodd of ground square at least with 



1 The Linen Trade, p. 369. 2 i Bishop, p. 336. 



