684 ■^' ^' 1696. 



taken by the governors of the regal colonies, previous to entering on 

 their refpedive governments. Another claufe in this ftatute has been 

 thought by the Trifh to bear fomewhat hard on them, viz. that whereas 

 fhips laden with fugars, tobacco, &c. of the Englifh plantations, have 

 fometimes been difcharged in feveral ports of Ireland, contrary to law, 

 tinder pretence that the faid fhips were driven thither by flrefs of wea- 

 ther or fome other calamity, it was now enafted, that on no pretence 

 whatever any kind of goods from the Englifli American plantations 

 fhould hereafter be put on fhore, either in the kingdoms of Ireland or 

 Scotland *, without being firft landed in England, and having alfo paid 

 the duties there, under forfeiture of fliip and cargo. The main hard- 

 fliip hereof, fay the Irifli, confifled in comprehending the unenumerat- 

 ed as well as the enumerated commodities, whereby alfo much money 

 goes from Ireland to foreign nations, which our own plantations might 

 . otherwife have had f . 



The parliament pafled an act [7, 8 Gi/l. Ill, c. 2S] for more effedual- 

 ly preventing the exportation of wool, and encouraging the importation 

 of It from Ireland : but as there have been, both before and after this 

 period, fo many laws made for effeding what relates to the former part 

 of this a6l, though all hitherto infufficient for keeping our wool to our- 

 felves, we think it fuperfluous to be particular thereon. The only ports 

 licenced for the importation of Irifh wool into England were White- 

 haven, Liverpool, Chefter, Briflol, Bridgewater, Minehead, Barnrtaple, 

 and Biddeford. 



It appears that the Greenland company, ellablifhed in the year 1693, 

 who had then fubfcribed L40,ooo as their original capital, had after- 

 ward increafed their fubfcription to L82,ooo, the completion whereof 

 was to be made at any time before the year 1703, becaufe, on account 

 of the fcarcity of feamen occalioned by the war with France, they could 

 not then employ fo much money in that trade. In the meantmie the 

 parliament enaded, that the company, for the encouragement of their 

 trade, during their term of 14 years, (which w^as to end in the year 

 1707) fnould be free of all duty, cuflom, or impolition whatever, for 

 any oil, blubber, or whale-fias, caught and imported by them. [7, 8 

 Gul. Ill, c. 2)'^7^ But the company were lo unfortunate, partly through 

 unlkiiful mana^^ement, and partly from real lofles, as to run out their 

 capital of L 8 2, 000 fome years before the expiration of their term, fo 

 that they broke up entirely. And by a ftatute for enlarging and en- 

 couraging the Greenland trade, that trade was entirely laid open as be- 

 fore, and all the queen's fubjedts were thereby to enjoy the fome privi- 

 leges as the company had done : yet their misfortunes deterred others 



* This claufe was rendered void as to Scotland by the vinion in the y«ar 1 707. A^ 

 •{- See the enumerated commodities under the year 1660. A> 



