^^o A. D. 1703. 



in gold Lt 28,229, total L3, 299,633 : 17:8; being on an average, 

 per annum L549,938 : 19 : 7j *. 



1 704 By a law, made about the beginning of this year, for the public 



regiftering of all deeds, conveyances, and wills, in any honours, manors, 

 lands, tenements, or hereditaments, within the weft riding of the coun- 

 ty of York, a memorial of all deeds and conveyances, and of all wills 

 and devifes in writing, whereby any honours, manors, &c. in the faid 

 weft riding, may be in any way affeded in law or equity, may, at the 

 eledion of the party or parties concerned, be regiftered, as is herein af- 

 ter direded. And that, after fuch regifter, every fubfequent deed or 

 conveyance of the honours, manors, &c. fo regiftered, or any part there- 

 of, ftiall be adjudged fraudulent and void, unlefs a memorial thereof 

 ftiall alio be regiftered ; and the like of wills, &c. The regifter's office 

 to be kept at Wakefield. This ad: not to extend to copy-hold eftates, 

 nor to leafes at rack-rent, nor to any leafe not exceeding 2 1 years. 



The very good reafons afligned for this law, in its preamble, were, 

 that this weft riding is the principal place in the north for the cloth 

 manufadture : and that moft of the traders therein are freeholders, and 

 have frequent occafions to borrow money upon their eftates for manag- 

 ing their trade ; but, for want of a regifter, find it difiicult to give fe- 

 curity to the fatisfadion of the lenders, although the fecurity they ofter 

 be really good, by means whereof their trade is very much obftruded, 

 and many flimilies ruined. [2, 3 Arm. c. 4.] 



What pity it is, that fuch a regifter could not be rendered pradicable 

 all over England, fince thereby undoubtedly many frauds might effec- 

 tually be prevented, and this too, without expofing gentlemen's cir- 

 cumftances farther than the nature of fuch regifters abfolutely require. 



N. B. By an ad [5 Ann. c. 18] for enrolment of bargains and fales 

 in the weft riding, feveral additional provifions were made for enrolling 

 all bargains, fales, &c. needlefs herein to be particularized. 



The former part of the year 1704 feemed at firft to portend much 

 hazard to the liberties and commerce of the greatcft part of Chriften- 

 dom : France was in adual pofl"eftion of the whole Spanifta monarchy ; 

 the German empire powerfully invaded on the fide of Bavaria by the 

 French, where, as well as in Italy, their fuperiority gave them great 



* Along with the account given by Mr. Andcr- Total value at the prices of bullion rated by Da- 



fon, I here lay before the reader the following of- venant Li, 366,730 : 5 :o. 



ficial accounts. Agreeable to the account made up by Doftor 



According to the account made up by the ac- Davcnant, inTpeftor-gcneral of the cuftoms, alfo 



countatit of the EalVIndia company for the houfe for the houfe of commons, the Eail-India goods, 



of commons, the bullion carried to India (partly re-exported from England in the four years from 



from Cadiz) from 25th December 1698 to 231!! Chrillmas 1698 to Chriftmas 1702, amounted to 



December 1703, being five years, was, L2,538,933 : 1 1 : \o\. If the re-exportation of 



In filver, 5,160,225 ounces, the year 1703 was in the fame proportion, it was 



at 5/ per ounce, - Ll, 290,056 5 o more than double the value of the bullion exported 



In gold almoft 19,170 oun- by the company, and ftrongly fupports what is 



ces at L4 per ounce, 76,680 o o urged by the advocates for the India trade. M. 



