A.D.I 635. 587 



Tills duty was repeated annually till 1639, and was valued at 

 L200,ooo per annum (fays the author of the Royal treafury of England, 

 publifhed in odavo in 1625.) 



And bya later commiflion in this fameyear the king excufed thofe towns 

 and counties which, by their fituation, could not fit out the (hips above 

 fpecified wherewith they were charged, provided they paid their quotas 

 in money. By a fubfequent commiflion he direded the officers of his 

 navy to receive the quotas of money, and therewith to rig out, vidua!, 

 and man, from the king's yards and docks, a like fhip, or fliips. [Fi^dera, 

 V. xix, p. 697.] So that, after ifluing a proclamation for rellraining all 

 but his own fubjeds from lilliing on his coafts without his licence, he 

 fent out a great fleet (in the year 1636) which attacked and difperfed 

 the Dutch fifliing fliips, fome of which they funk, and compelled the 

 rell to retire into the Englifli harbours for fhelter : whereupon the Dutch 

 agreed to pay King Charles L30,ooo * for perraiflion to continue their 

 fifliing for that fummer ; which, Rulhworth, [Co/kciions , V. ii,/>. 322] fays, 

 was adually paid, and the Dutch moreover tefl:ified a willingnefs to pay 

 a future yearly tribute for the like liberty. Yet De Witt in his Intereft 

 of Holland (ipeaking of the bad curing of the herrings caught by the 

 Englifli fifliing company, whereby they were rejeded at Dantzic in the 

 years 1637 and 1638, and which brought that company to nothing) 

 acrimonioufly fubjoins thus ; ' whereupon the EnglilTi changed their 



* former claim upon the whole fifliery for that of demanding the tenth 



* herring: which the diUgent and frugal Hollauders reputed no lefs than 

 ' to fiili for, and pay tribute to, a flothful and prodigal people, for a 

 ' mere pp lage along the coafls of England.' 



King Charles direded a fpecial commiflion for making the river Wey 

 navigable from Guildford to the river Thames at Weybridge. It feems 

 that river had been formerly navigable ; for this record obferves that 

 it is now become unfit for carrying barges, boats, or vefl^els of any bur- 

 den, for tranfporting commodities to and from Guildford : and the com- 

 miflioners were thereby authorifed to furvey the river, and to inquire by 

 what means it had become unfit for carrying barges, &c. [F^edera, F. 

 xix,/*, 686.] 



In Richlieu's Political teflanient we find that France even then 

 abounded with the finefl: and beft of manufadures : fuch Hays he) as 

 the ferges of Chalons and of Chartres, which have fuperfeded thole of 

 Milan. The Turks prefer the French draps de fceau of Rouen be- 

 fore all others, next to thofe of s enice, which are made of Spaniiii wool. 

 Such fine plufhes are made at Tours, that they are fent into Spain, Italy, 

 &c. ; alfo fine plain taffeties. Red, purple, and fpotted velvets, finer tnan 

 at Genoa. France is the only place for filk ferges. Mohair (^camblet) 



* Not 30,000 florin?, as Rapia has it. 



3 C 2 



