A. D. 1634. 381 



vated fine fugar and tobacco plantations in it. Tiiey have plenty of 

 logwood and cattle ; and its town, of the fame name, is well fortified, 

 and inhabited by rich merchants. The Dutch alfo poflefs Bonaire and 

 Aruba, iflands near it, and fubjed to its governor. They alfo pofTels 

 Saba and Euftatia, and part of St. Martins, all inconfiderable iflands near 

 St. Chriflophers. 



King James having in the year 1605 incorporated the gardeners of 

 London and within fix miles of it, King Charles now confirmed that 

 charter. \Fcedrra, V. xix, p. 582.] 



We find that the company of merchant-advennirers of England had 

 in this finne year interefi; enough, probably by the aid of their com- 

 mon purfe, to get the king to iflue a proclamation, flridly prohibiting 

 all perfons from exporting any white cloths, coloured cloths, cloths 

 drefled and dyed out of the whites, Spanifli cloths, bayes, kerfies, per- 

 petuanos, ftockings, or any other Englifh woollen commodities, to anv 

 part either of Germany or of the feventeen provinces of the Nether- 

 lands, fave only to the mart and fi:aple towns of the faid fellowfiiip of 

 merchant-adventurers for the time being. This proclamation farther 

 fubjoins : ' and to the end that the faid trade may be hereafter redii- 



* ced and continued in an orderly and well governed courfe, we do 

 ' hereby declare our royal pleafure to be, that the faid fellowfliip of 

 ' merchant-adventurers fliall admit to the freedom of their faid trade 



* all fuch of our iubjeds dwelling in our city of London, and exercifed 



* in the profellion of merchandize, and no fliopkeepers (except they 

 ' give over their fliops), as fhall defire the fame, for a fine of L50 

 ' apiece, and thofe of the outports for L25 apiece ; and that the fons 

 ' and fervants of fuch as ftiall be fo admitted fliall pay at their admif- 

 ' fion twenty nobles (i. e. L6 : 13 : 4) apiece. Lafi:ly, that none fi^all 



* trade to the faid countries of Germany and the Netherlands in any of 



* the fpecies of woollen goods above named, but only fuch as are free 



* of the faid fellowfhip.' [Fasdera, V. xix, p. 583.] 



And in a fmall treatife, intitled. Free trade, publiflied by J. Parker 

 in 1648, a provifo is added (not in the Fcederd), viz. provided the Lon- 

 don merchants make themfelves free by midfummer 1635, and thofe 

 of the outports by Michaelmas 1635 ; but if they fuffered thofe times to 

 lapfe, they were to pay double the refpective fums. Parker and others, 

 who were opponents of this company, allege, that in this and preceding 

 reigns, the company conftantly made handfome prefents of annual new 

 year's gifts to the minifl;ers of ftate for the continuance of their inte- 

 refi: ; as for inftance, in 1623, to the lord-treafurer two hundred gold 

 pieces of twenty-two ihillings each, and a piece of plate ; other prefents 

 alfo were then made to the duke of Buckingham, the archbifliop of 

 Canterbury, the lord keeper, the lord prefident, the fecretaries of fiat^. 



&G. 



