most excellent Majestie by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and Commons in this present Parlyament assembled and by authoritie of the same That from and after the first day of September which shall bee in the yeare of our Lord One thousand six hundred seaventy and three If any Shipp or Vessell which by Law may trade in any of your Majesties Plantations shall come to any of them to shipp and take on board any of the aforesaid Commodities, and that Bond shall not be first given with one sufficient Surety to bring the same to England or Wales or the Towne of Berwicke upon Tweede and to noe other place, and there to unloade and putt the same on shoare (the danger of the Seas onely excepted) that there shall be answered and paid to your Majestie your Heires and Successors for soe much of the said Commodities as shall be laded and putt on board such Shipp or Vessell these following Rates and Dutyes, That is to say

For Sugar White the hundred Weight containing one hundred and twelve pounds five shillings;

And Browne Sugar and Muscavadoes the hundred weight containing one hundred and twelve pounds one shilling [and] six pence;

For Tobacco the pound one penny;

For Cotton-wooll the pound one halfe-penny;

For Indicoe the pound, two pence;

For Ginger the hundred weight containing one hundred and twelve pounds one shilling;

For Logwood the hundred Weight containing one hundred and twelve pounds, five pounds;

For Fusticke and all other Dying-wood the hundred Weight containing one hundred and twelve pounds six pence;

And alsoe for every pound of Cacao-nutts one penny, to be leavyed, collected and paid at such places, and to such Collectors and other Officers as shall be appointed in the respective Plantations to collect, leavy and receive the same before the ladeing thereof, and under such Penalties both to the Officers and upon the Goods as for non-payment of, or defrauding his Majestie of his Customes in England.

6. An Act for preventing Frauds and regulating Abuses in the Plantation Trade'1

1696

Whereas notwithstanding divers Acts made for the Encouragement of the Navigation of this Kingdome and for the better secureing and regulating the Plantation Trade more especially one Act of Parliament made in the Twelfth yeare of the Reigne of the late King Charles the Second intituled An Act for increasing of Shipping and Navigation another Act made in the Fifteenth yeare of the Reigne of His said late Majesty intituled An Act for the Incouragement of Trade another Act made in the Two and twentieth and Three and twentieth yeares of His said late Majesties Reigne intituled An Act to prevent the planting of Tobacco in England and for regulating the Plantation Trade another Act made in Twenty-fifth yeare of the Reigne of His said late Majesty intituled An Act for the Incouragement of the Greenland and Eastland Trades and for the better secureing the Plantation Trades great Abuses are daily committed to the prejudice of the English Navigation and the losse of a great part of the Plantation Trade to this Kingdome by the Artifice and Cunning of ill disposed Persons. For Remedy thereof for the future bee itt enacted and itt is hereby enacted and ordained by the Kings most Excellent Majesty by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and Commons in Parliament assembled and by the Authority of the same That after the Five and twentieth Day of March One thousand six hundred ninety eight noe Goods or Merchandizes whatsoever shall bee imported into or exported out of any Colony or Plantation to His Majesty in Asia Africa or America belonging or in his Possession or which may hereafter belong unto or bee in the Possession of His Majesty His Heires or Successors or shall bee

1 Statutes of the Realm, vol. 7, pp. 103-107.

laden in or carried from any One Port or Place in the said Colonies or Plantations to any other Port or Place in the same, the Kingdome of England Dominion of Wales or Towne of Berwick upon Tweed in any Shipp or Bottome but what is or shall bee of the Built of England or of the Biult of Ireland or the said Colonies or Plantations and wholly owned by the People thereof or any of them and navigated with the Masters and Three Fourths of the Mariners of the said Places onely (except such Shipps onely as are or shall be taken Prize and Condemnation thereof made in one of the Courts of Admiralty in England Ireland or the said Colonies or Plantations [to bee navigated by the Master and Three Fourths of the Mariners English or of the said Plantations as aforesaid and whereof the Property doth belong to English Men1] And alsoe except for the space of Three Yeares such Foreigne built Shipps as shall bee employed by the Commissioners of His Majesties Navy for the tyme being or upon Contract with them in bringing onely Masts Timber and other Navall Stores for the Kings Service from His Majesties Colonies or Plantations to this Kingdome to bee navigated as aforesaid. and whereof the Property doth belong to English Men) under paine of Forfeiture of Shipp and Goods one third part whereof to bee to the use of His Majesty His Heires and Successors one third part to the Governor of the said Colonies or Plantations and the other third part to the Person who shall informe and sue for the same by Bill Plaint or Information in any of His Majesties Courts of Record att Westminister or in any Court in His Majesties Plantations where such Offence shall bee committed.

V. And for the more effectuall preventing of Frauds and regulating Abuses in the Plantation Trade in America Bee itt further enacted by the Authority [aforesaid"] That all Shipps comeing into or goeing out of any of the said Plantations and

1 Annexed to the Original Act in a separate Schedule.

2 Interlined on the Roll.

ladeing or unladeing any Goods or Commodities whether the same bee His Majesties Shipps of Warr or Merchants Shipps and the Masters and Commanders thereof and their Ladings shall bee subject and lyable to the same Rules Visitations Searches Penalties and Forfeitures as to the entring lading or dischargeing their respective Shipps and Ladings as Shipps and their Ladings and the Commanders and Masters of Shipps are subject and lyable unto in this Kingdome by vertue of an Act of Parliament made in the Fourteenth Yeare of the Reigne of King Charles the Second intituled An Act for preventing Frauds and regulating Abuses in His Majesties Customes And that the Officers for collecting and manageing His Majesties Revenue and inspecting the Plantation Trade in any of the said Plantations shall have the same Powers and Authorities for visiting and searching of Shipps and takeing their Entries and for seizing and secureing or bringing on Shoare any of the Goods prohibited to bee imported or exported into or out of any the said Plantacons or for which any Duties are payable or ought to have beene paid by any of the before menčoned Acts as are provided for the Officers of the Customes in England by the said last mentioned Act made in the Fourteenth Yeare of the Reigne of King Charles the Second and alsoe to enter Houses or Warehouses to search for and seize any such Goods And that all the Warfingers and Owners of Keys and Wharfes or any Lightermen Bargemen Watermen Porters or other Persons assisting in the Conveyance Concealement or Rescue of any of the said Goods or in the hindering or resistance of any of the said Officers in the performance of their Duty and the Boates Barges Lithters or other Vessells imployed in the Conveyance of such Goods shall bee subject to the like Paines and Penalties as are provided by the same Act made in the Fourteenth Yeare of the Reigne of King Charles the Second in relation to prohibited or uncustomed Goods in this Kingdome And that the like Assistance shall bee given to the said Officers in the Execution of their Office as by the said last mentioned Act is provided for the Officers in England And alsoe that the said Officers shall bee subject to the same Penalties

and Forfeitures for any Corruptions Frauds Connivances or Concealements in violation of any the before mentioned Lawes as any Officers of the Customes in England are lyable to by vertue of the said last mentioned Act And also that in case any Officer or Officers in the Plantations shall bee sued or molested for any thing done in the Execution of their Office the said Officer shall and may plead the Generall Issue and shall give this or other Custome Acts in Evidence and the Judge to allow thereof, have and enjoy the like Priviledges and Advantages as are allowed by Law to the Officers of His Majesties Customes in England.

VIII. And itt is further enacted and declared by the Authority aforesaid That all Lawes By-lawes Usages or Customes att this tyme or which hereafter shall bee in practice or endeavoured or pretended to bee in force or practice in any of the said Plantations which are in any wise repugnant to the before mentioned Lawes or any of them soe far as they doe relate to the said Plantations or any of them or which are wayes repugnant to this present Act or to any other Law hereafter to bee made in this Kingdome soe farr as such Law shall relate to and mention the said Plantations are illegall null and void to all Intents and Purposes whatsoever.

X. [And for the better executing the severall Acts of Parliament relating to the Plantation Trade bee itt enacted by the Authority aforesaid That the Lord Treasurer Commissioners of the Treasury and the Commissioners of the Customes in England for the tyme being shall and may constitute and appoint such and soe many Officers of the Customes in any City Towne River Port Harbour or Creeke of or belonging to any of the Islands Tracts of Land and Proprieties when and as often as to them shall seeme needfull1] Bee itt further also enacted That upon any Actions Suites and Informations that shall be brought commenced or entred in the said Plantations upon any Law or