•9 



24 A. D. 1623. 



Magazines of corn at Dantzick and Amfterdam have been found ex- 

 tremely ufeful and profitable to thofe two cities ; though perhaps they 

 might not anfwer Co well in England. At leaft fuch a Icheme as that 

 we have jufl been reciting mull undergo a ftrider examination, and 

 receive many improvements, before it could be reduced to practice in 

 our days. 



In this year Malynes (in his Centre of the circle of commerce, writ- 

 ten by way of anfwer to Miflelden's Circle of commerce) gives us the 

 prices of Eafl-India merchandize both there and here, viz. 



In India, Pepper per pound weight, 2{d. In England, 20^ or 8 to i 

 Cloves, - gd. - 5/^^' 6j to i 



Nutmegs, - 4^. - s/ov 9 to 1 



Mace, - 8^. - 6/ or 9 to i 



Indigo, - 1/2. - 5/or4-ftoi 



Rawfilk, - 8/. - 2c/'or 2y to I 



The Dutch Weft-India company now met with fo much good luck 

 in taking Spanifh prizes, that they rafhly made a dividend of 25 per cent 

 to their proprietors. Puffendorf juftly obferves, that they ruined them- 

 felves by making fuch large dividends, and by being more eager for 

 conquefts than for commerce. 



1624. — Though the great complaints againft monopolies had obliged 

 King James to revoke them all by proclamation in the year 1610, that 

 king and his minifters, ever in want of money, fuftered themfelves to 

 be drawn into new ones afterwards. But in the year 1624, much 

 louder complaints were made againft them than ever, which produced 

 an adt of parliament, ' whereby all monopolies, and all comrniflions, 

 grants, licences, and charters, formerly made or granted, or \vhich 

 ftiould hereafter be granted, either to perfons or corporations, for the 

 fole buying, felling, making, working, or ufing of any thing, were 

 made void. And alio the power to difpenfe with any others, or 

 to give leave to exercife or ufe any thing, againft the tenor or purport 

 of any law or ftatute ; or to compound with any others for any penal- 

 ty or forfeitures Umited by any ftatute : alfo, all proclamations, inhibi- 

 tions, reftraints, warrants of afliftance, or other matters whatever, any 

 way tending to inftitute, further, or countenance the fame, were de- 

 clared to be altogether contrary to the laws of this realm, void and 

 of none efFtct. All fuch monopolies were henceforth to be tried and 

 determined by the comnion law of this realm, and not otherwife. And 

 all perlons were difabled to ufe any monopoly ; and perfons aggrieved 

 thereby might recover triple damages and double cofts. Excepting 

 however patents wh/ch the king might ftill grant for 14 years and no 

 more, for new invented manufactures or arts, never praftifed before, 

 and not being mifchievous to the ftate, by raifmg the prices of com- 



