A. D. 1552. Ill 



' commerce of the Hanfe towns was reduced to the port of London 

 • alone ; their other comptoirs, viz. Novogrod. Bergen, and Bruges, be- 

 ' ing ahnoft deferted and very Httle frequented by them.' 



This is the fubftance of the whole bufinels during the reign of Ed- 

 ward VI, of reverfing the privileges of the Steelyard merchants, taken 

 from our hiftories, but more particularly from J. Wheeler's treatife of 

 commerce, in 410, anno 1601 ; and as he was then fecietary to the 

 merchant-adventurers company, it is probably in the main a true ac- 

 count, and is furely an u("eful part of commercial hiftory. Wheeler 

 adds, that by reverfing their privileges, our own merchants-adventurers 

 this fime year {hipped off 40,000 cloths for Flanders. Rapin, in his hiftory 

 of England, obferves, that the regent of Flanders, as well as the city of 

 Hamburgh, earneftly folicited to have the Steelyard merchants re-inftat- 

 ed, but to no purpofe. 



A project was laid before the miniftry for opening Hull and South- 

 ampton as free ports or mart towns ; but it was not put in execution. In- 

 deed thefe two ports feem extremely well (ituated for fuch a fcheme, if 

 at all pradiicable. 



By a ftatute for promoting tillage, and preventing the increafe of in- 

 clofures for pafture [5, 6 Edw. VI, c. 5.] among fundry kinds of 

 lands excepted out of the prohibitory a6t, are thofe fet with faffron and 

 with hops. ' 



Three fhips from Briftol failed to Afafi and Santa Cruz in South Bar- 

 bary, with linen and woollen cloth, coral, amber, and jett ; and their 

 returns were fugar, dates, almonds, and melafles. Hakluyt obferves, 

 that till the preceding year 1551, England had no mercantile corre- 

 fpondence with Barbary. [Vbyoges, V. ii, pp. 7, 8, 9.] 



By an act palled this year \c. 5.] none but fuch as can fpend ico 

 merks of yearly rent, or elfe are worth icoo merks, or be the fons of- 

 dukes, marquifles, earls, vifcounts, or barons, of the realm, ftiall have or 

 keep in their houfes any vefTel of wine exceeding ten gallons, on for- 

 feiture of Lio. 



II) None ftiall keep a tavern for retailing wines, unlefs licenced ; and 

 that only in cities, towns-corporate, burghs, port-towns, or market 

 towns ; or in the to\Vns of Gravefend, Sittingborn, Tuxford, and Bag- 

 fhot, on forfeiture of Lio. And there ftiall be only two taverns for re- 

 tailing wine in every city or town, except in London, which may have 

 forty taverns ; York, eight taverns ; Norwich, four ; Weftminfter, three ; 

 Briftol, fix; Lincoln, three; Hull, four; Shrewihury, three; Exeter, 

 four ; Saliftiury, three ; Gloucefter, four ; Weft Chefter, four ; Here- 

 ford, three ; Worcefter, three ; Southampton, three ; Canterbury, four; 

 Tpfwich, three; Winchefter, three; Oxford, three; Cambridge, four ; 

 Colchefter, three ; Newcaftle upon Tyne, four. By this limitation, it 

 may be thought that a pretty near guefs maybe made at the magnitude 



