444 A. D. 1 65 1. 



our own people had not fliipping enough to import from all parts what- 

 ever they wanted, they were neverthelefs by this law debarred from re- 

 ceiving new fupplies of merchandize from other nations, who only 

 could, and till then did, import them. Thofe complaints were however 

 over-ruled by the government, who forefaw that this ad; would in the 

 end prove the great means of preferving our plantation trade intirely to 

 ourfelves, would increafe our fhipping and failors, and would draw the 

 profit of freights to ourfelves*. 



In this fame year a project was laid before the Englifli commonwealth 

 for obtaining of the court of Spain the pre-emption of all Spanifh wool. 

 The projeclor obferved, that this propofed pre-emption would totally 

 diilblve the woollen manufacture of Holland, which, by means of that 

 wool, hath of late years mightily increafed, to the deflrudion of the vent 

 of all fine cloths of Englifli manufadure in Holland, France, and the 

 Eaft country; and hath drawn from us confiderable numbers of weavers, 

 dyers, and clothworkers, now fettled at Leyden and other towns in Hol- 

 land ; by whole help they have very much improved their ikill in cloth, 

 and have inade in that one province, one year with another, 24,000 to 

 26,000 cloths yearly. That the Dutch have of late years bought and 

 exported from Bifcay four fifth parts, at leafl, of all their wools, and 

 have fold there proportionably of their own country fi:ufFs and fayes. 

 That the French have alfo confiderable quantities of wool from Bifcay, 

 which they work up into cloth at Rouen and other parts. The projed- 

 or propofed a joint flock to be raifed for engroffing all the Spanifh 

 wool, whereby to compel the French alfo, who had already prohibited 

 our cloths, and alfo the Dutch and all other nations, to take of us all the 

 cloths they had need of. But this projed did not take places and was 

 indeed a piece of fine-fpun theory fcarcely reducible to pradice. [Thur- 

 be, V. i, />. 201.] 



Although the Portuguefe firfl, and after them the Englifh, had, in 

 their voyages to Eafl-India, vifited the harbours and country about the 

 Cape of Good Hope, with an intent to make a fcttlement there ; yet 

 neither of thofe two nations had hitherto had courage enough effedual- 

 ly to fettle amongfi: fo barbarous a people as the Hottentots were, who 

 had formerly killed a number of Portuguefe on fome fuch attempt. 

 Neither indeed were there found any good harbours for the fecurity of 

 fliipping in thofe tempeftuous feas. But the Dutch having more perfe- 

 verance, and obferving the country to be fruitful, and that its fituation 



• The advantages of incrcafing the number of 4 Hen. VII, c. 10]; in 154,1 [32 Hin. VHI, c, 



homc-biiilt vtdcls and native feanicn were under- 14]; and in 1593, when Q_Meen Elizabeth reftrid- 



ftood fo long ago as the year I 38 1, as appears by td certain privileges to goods carried in Englillu 



an aft of parliament, 5 Ric. II, c. 3. The fame veflels. King James I, in his commiirion ot in» 



meafure of policy has been frequently refumed, quiry in 1622, direfted the attention of the com- 



(though, indeed, not perfevered in) particularly in miliioners to the fame objeft. ^^Faiicra, V. xvii, 



the year 1,440, when it was propofed by the com- p. 414.] And Charles I alfo confirmed and re- 



raons, but rejefted by King Henry VI; in the vived the laws in favour of Engliih (hipping. [i%i- 



years 1485 and 14B9 \^Ads I Hen. VII, c. 8; dera, A^. xix, />. 119.] M. 



