712 



FARxMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 12 



'^^ants at)(l miseries which do daily happen viilo it 

 I'y the sole dependency vpon tob'o. have at lentjth 

 resolved and enacted, anti be it by the auihoritie 

 albresaid enacted as the onely way to procure the 

 said quoine and prevent the further miseries, That 

 all peeces of eight in Spanish money be valued 

 and taken in payment, att the rate of sixe shil- 

 lings and all other Spanish silver quoines propor- 

 tionably which shall be brought into the collony: 

 And whereas it is conceived that the said quoine 

 will not continue with vs vnless we have a leger 

 quoine. Therefore serious consideration had of the 

 many wayes tending to that effect, It was at 

 lenffth generally allowed, That a quoine of copper 

 would be the most beneficial to, and with most 

 ease procured by the collony. And that after pro- 

 clamation made by the Governour and Council 

 that all person or persons within this collony whe- 

 tlier merchants or others do desist or leave off' 

 tradeing lor tob'o. vpon the penaltie and forfeiture 

 of the thing so bought or sold, The one moyetie 

 whereof shall be and come to the informer, and 

 the other to the benefit of the state." — p. 308. 



In 1647 the former law compelling the planting 

 of two acres of corn per head, being found insuf- 

 ficient, was again strengthened by additional 

 guards and penalties. 



The next act prohibits the exportation of corn, 

 and fimits the price of all sold m the colony. Such 

 restrictions would necessarily operate to discourage 

 the production, more than could be counteracted by 

 all the enactments to compel planting. 



"VVIiereas the great scarcity of come is like to 

 produce much want and misery to divers of the 

 inhabitants, vnles timely prevention be made by 

 prohibiting of exportation of corne, and agamst 

 hoarding and ingrossinge thereof, to the intent to 

 exact vpon theire poore neighbours by extream 

 and vnreasonable rates to the vtter vndoing of 

 whole ff'amilies: Bee it therefore enacted by this 

 Grand Assembly that no person for this ensueing 

 yeer shall exporte any manner of English or In- 

 dian graine or corne out of the jymitts of the col- 

 lony, in which act all strangers as well as inhabi- 

 tants are included ; Add tor preventing of all 

 hoardinsx and ingrossing of corne. It is alone en- 

 acted. That noe person or persons whatsoever 

 shall sell, bartjaine, barter or exchange any Indian 

 corne either directly or indirectly above the rate or 

 valew of one hundred pounds of tobacco per bar- 

 rail, vpon the penalty of five hundred pounds of 

 tob'o. for every barrell of corne that shall be ex- 

 ported as aforesaid. The moyetie of which fine 

 and forfeiture shall be and come to the King's Ma- 

 jestie and the other halfe to the informer." — p. 347. 



The taking of fees by attorneys, and the pro- 

 fession itself, were not put down by the former 

 act ; and therefore the following was added : 



'<^It is thought fitt that vnto the act forbidding 

 mercenary attorneys,* It bee added that they shall 

 not take any recompence either directly or indi- 

 rectly. And that it be further enacted. That in 

 case the courts shall perceive that in any case 

 either pit. or defendant by his weakeness shall be 

 like to loose his cause, that they themselves may 

 either open the cause in such case of weakness or 



* Act VII of Nov. 1645. 



shall appoint some fiit man out of the people to 

 plead the cause, and allow him satislaction requi- 

 site, and not to allow any other attorneys in pri- 

 vate causes betwixt man and man in the coun- 

 try."— p. 349. 



In the same year, (1647,) was revived a former 

 act, forbidding the Ifgal recovery of any " wine 

 or strong water debts." 



At the session of 1656, efforts to encourage 

 silk culture by law, which had been so early 

 adopted as the policy of the government, were 

 again made, by the following acts. 



"Whereas by experience silke will be the most 

 profitable commoditie for the country (if well 

 managed) and as the greatest conducementtherc- 

 vnto required, is provision of Mullberry trees, Be 

 it enacted and confirmed by this present Grand 

 jJssemblij that everie proprietor of land within the 

 collony of Virginia shall for everie one hundred 

 acres of land holden in ffee, plant vpon the said 

 land tenn mullberry trees, at twelve foote distance 

 each from other, and secure them by weeding, 

 and a sufficient ffence, from cattell, hearses, &c. 

 between this and the last of December, 1658, and 

 for everie tree that shall be wanting, or vntended 

 in manner aforesaid of the said proportion at the 

 said last of December, 1658, he the said proprie- 

 tor that shall be soe delinquent shall pay tenne 

 pounds of tobacco," &c. — p. 420. 



'•That George the Armenian for his encourage- 

 ment in the trade of silke and to stay in the country 

 to follow the same have four thousand pounds of 

 tobacco allowed him by the Assembly." — p. 425. 



At the next session (1657 — 8) the following ad- 

 ditional regulations were enacted, to encourage 

 silk and other products. 



"For the better encouragement of the inhabi- 

 tants for the makeing of staple commodities in this 

 collonie. Bee it enacted by this present Grand As- 

 sembly that what person or persons soever shall at 

 any time hereafter make in this collonie so much 

 silke, flax, hopps or any other staple comoditie 

 (except tobacco) as is worth two hundred pounds 

 sterling, or English wheate to the value of five 

 hundred pounds sterling in one yeare and exporte 

 the same or cause the same to be exported, or 

 shall first make two tunne of wine raized out of a 

 vineyard made in this collonie shall have given 

 him by this countrey for an encouragement ten 

 thousand pounds of Virginia tobacco. 



Wheate valued at five shillings per bushell. 



Silke at twenty shillings per pound. 



fflax at six pence per pound. 



Hopps at twenty shillings per hundred. 

 What other staple comodities ?hall be raised to 

 be valued by the Assembly." — p. 469. 



At the same session, the following act was 

 passed. 



" Whereas it is generally supposed, That the 

 makeing of silk will much conduce to the good 

 of this collony, Bee it therefore enacted by the au- 

 ihoritie aforesaid that what person soever shall 

 first make one hundred pounds of wound silke in 

 one yeare within this collony shall for hie so doe- 



