A. D. 1625. 335 



ginia regularly met by authority of the crown, to enad laws, with the 

 confent of the king's governor and council, the laft having ever fince 

 aded feparately as an upper houfe : but the dernier refort in all law 

 proceedings is in the aflembly. A patent-office was now alfo eftablifh- 

 ed, not only for offices in Virginia, but for difpofing of vacated grants 

 of new lands, on the eafy terms of 2/flerling per annum quit-rent to 

 the crown for ever, for each hundred acres to be granted. And this 

 encouraged many perfons of fubftance to go from England and fettle 

 there, whereby the country foon became populous ; and the Indians 

 decreafing even faller than the Englifh increafed, thereby the later have 

 enjoyed peace and tranquillity. 



King Charles appointed commiffioners for inquiring into and remov- 

 ing the caufes of the low price of wool, and of the exportation there- 

 of; as alfo for regulating the making of cloth, fluffs, &,c. ; concerning 

 the fifhery alfo ; and the hemp, flax, and corn trade of Eaftland ; the 

 Eafl-India trade ; the bringing in of bullion ; the linen cloth trade, 

 8cc. exadly in the form of the late king's proclamations for thofe ends, 

 as already noted. [Fcedera, V. xviii, p. 81. J 



We find now the firft authentic record of copper coins being ufed in 

 England by royal authority ; the king reciting, that whereas his late 

 royal father took order, that inftead of unwarranted farthing tokens, 

 till then ufed by vintners, chandlers, tapflers, and other retailers, to the 

 lofs of his loving fubjeds, there fliould be others made by his own war- 

 rant *, under his own royal name and infcription, and a conftant re- 

 change fettled, whereby the fubjed might have the lawful ufe of them, 

 with much eafe and without lofs. Which copper money having fince 

 had general circulation through our kingdoms of England and Ireland, 

 has brought a general benefit. We do therefor hereby command, that 

 no ftrthing or other tokens fhall be made or ufed but thofe of our royal 

 father, by his letters-patent, and of us, by like letters-patent, granted 

 this fame year to the duchefs dowager of Richmond and Lenox, and 

 Sir Francis Crane, for which they are to pay us one hundred marks per 

 annum for feventeen years. The faid copper farthings (or farthing 

 tokens) to have thereon, on one fide, two fceptres crofling under a 

 crown ; on the other fide, a harp crowned, with the king's name and 



* This warrant does not appear (See above un- mann't prufatio ad Anderfoni Dlplomata, p. 66, 



der the year l6cg). It was probably foon after not.f.'\ 



the time that King James was fo earned for an Ruddiman, immediately after the paffage now 



union of the two kingdoms; for Ruddiman (quot- quoted, fays, that James I -coined copper moiiey 



ing a manufcript work of Thomas Craig upon the in England. So it may be confidered as cer- 



propofed union) obferves, that one of the objec- tain, that there was copper money in England 



tions made by the Scots to the uuion was, that, as before the reign of Charles, as the accuracy and 



the Englidi had no copper money, if the money integrity of Ruddiman are fufficient to eflablifli the 



of Scotland was thenceforth to be regulated en- truth of it j and he may have fsca the copper 



tirely by the Engllih (landard, the poor muft fuffer pieces of James's coio, though not to be found 



greatly by the want of copper inoney. \_Ruddl- novT. M. 



t. 



