338 A. D. 1626. 



' Before the Londoners and Hollanders failed thither, the Turks ufed 

 ^ to fhare with the Portuguefe in tliofe commodities which now the pro- 

 ' teftants trade for. Heretofore they paid at Lifton, Aleppo, or Alexan- 



* dria, 



' For every lb. weight of pepper, if; now it cofls us in India but 3^ 



* mace, 4/5 9^ 



* cloves, 4/5 -■ \od 



*■ nutmegs, 2/ . 4^ 



» indigo, 4/ ^ i/" 



* Perfian raw iilk, per pound 12/. now from the Perfian gulf under 8/ 



* And if we tranfport none of our corn, but only that of foreign na- 



* tions, carrying alfo fome of our tin, lead, and woollen cloths, to the 



* Perfian gulf, where they are beft vendible, there is no queflion but this 

 ' kingdom will be much enriched: for the Sound of Denmark, the Hanfe 

 ' towns, and France, will return us more money than we need to fend 



* into India.' 



King Charles by proclamation ordered that the medium allowance 

 for every failor fhould be 2q/'per month, which till now was but 14/) 

 by which means there will accrue to every ordinary failor 1 4/" (net 

 money) per month, befides an allowance out of it of a^d to a preacher, 

 2d to a barber, and dd per month to the cheft at Chatham : whereas 

 the ordinary men have now but c)/4 (net) per month, and no allowance 

 at all given to a preacher. Out of the furplufage of which (addition) 

 all officers wages were likewife refpedlively raifed ; and an allowance alfo 

 for a lieutenant and a corporal. 



' And whereas Qtieen Elizabeth for the encouragement of Ihip-build- 

 ' ing, gave a premium of 5/per ton for every fhip built above the bur- 



* den of one hundred tons, which was revived by King James ; King 



* Charles now allowed 5/ per ton for every iliip that ftiould be built of 



* 200 tons and upwards.' {Fcedera^ V. xviii, p. 679.] 



The author of the Golden fleece gives us a fketch of the fifhery on 

 the banks of Newfoundland, in which he fays, the ports of Devonfhire 

 annually employed 150 fliips, and carried (as at this day) their fi(h to 

 Spain and Italy. It feems in thofe days, that fifhery was grievoufly dif- 

 turbed by pirates, who had, in a few years before, pillaged them to the 

 damage of L40,coo, befides the lofs of 100 pieces of ordnance, and of 

 above 1500 mariners, to the great hinderance of navigation. In another 

 place he fays, that this fifliery maintained 8000 perfons for fix months 

 in Newfoundland, and fupported many thoufands of families at home, 

 as well their own families as thole employed in preparing nets, calks> 

 viduals, &.C. and in repairing the (hips for that voyage *. 



* The judicious Mr. Wood, the prefent fecre- (i. e. about 1618) England had above 200 fail of 

 iary of the board of cuftoms, in his FJfay on trade fliips employed in this iilhtry, and furniflted all 

 ^1718) thinks, that one hundred years before Europe with fifli. 



