A. D. 1733. 193 



laws, under forfeiture of fhip and cargo : with fundry penalties on per- 

 fons aiding in any clandeftine importation ; on perions obftruding 

 cuftom-houfe officers ; on cuftom-houfe officers conniving ; on fhip-maf- 

 ters fuffering fuch clandeiline importation. Moreover, on all fugars 

 and paneles imported into Great Britain, on which the duty has been 

 paid, if exported within one year after, all the duty fhall be repaid ; 

 and alfo two fhillings per hundred-weight on all refined fugars exported 

 from Great Britain, over and above the former allowances on exporta- 

 tion. Provifo, that nothing in this act fhall be conftrued to extend to 

 reftrain the importation of fugars of the growth or produce of the do- 

 minions of Spain or Portugal, from places from whence fuch fugars 

 might lawfully before have been imported. [6 Geo. II, c. 13.] 



By an ad of parliament, [6 Geo. II, c. 25] another million out of the 

 finking fund, was paid off the joint flock of South-fea annuities ; where- 

 by L6 : 7 : 6 per cent was paid to each proprietor, and written off from 

 each refpedtive account from the 29th of September 1733: the total 

 joint flock of Souih-fea annuities being Li 5,651,099: 17 : ^. 



The king having, by proclamation, prohibited the circulation of the 

 worn-out gold coins of twenty-five fhillings, and twenty-three fliillings, 

 commonly called broad pieces, and the halves and quarters thereof; he 

 alfo, for the eafe of his people, direded the receivers of taxes, and alfo 

 the officers of his mint, to receive them at L4 : i per ounce troy, during 

 one whole year to come : and that fuch of them as fhould be lo brought 

 to the mint fhould be coined into the current gold coins of the king- 

 dom. And it being apprehended, that the advantage of fo good an al- 

 lowance as L4 : I per ounce might tempt evil-minded perfons to coun- 

 terfeit them, another flatute made it high treafon to counterfeit any of 

 the gold coins, commonly called broad pieces, or knowingly to utter 

 fuch counterfeit old coins ; and L40 reward was allowed to fuch as 

 fliould difcover the counterfeiters thereof. [6 Geo. II, c. 26.] 



The royal African company of England was flill in a very bad con- 

 dition. For though the parhament had, every year fince 1730, grant- 

 ed them Lio,oco for the fupport of their forts and fidories on the 

 African coaft, yet conflantly continuing to be lofcrs by their trade for 

 negroes to America, as they had been for many years paft, they at 

 length refolved to confine themfelves to the purchafc of llaves on that 

 coiilt, and felling them again to private traders to America, (to all 

 whom the trade to Africa had been laid open by parliament, on grauc- 

 ing the annual L 10,000) and to employ their fervants in carrying on a 

 trade far up into the inland countries of Africa, for gold, elephants' 

 teeth, bees-wax, drugs, dying woods, &.c. Yet even that more con- 

 traded trade would not anlvver, fo as to make any dividend on lo fmall 

 a capital flock as about L20o,ooo. So far from it, that they were not 

 able to get clear of their debts and other incumbrances, even though 



Vol. III. B b 



