A. D. 1659 ers thither, and of the reputation of English cloth, calling their cloth by the name of Drap de Londres. By the Pyrenean peace, Spain yielded up to France fo much territory, and fo many strong fortreffes in the Netherlands, and on the fide of Catalonia, Burgundy, and Lorraine, as made the fcale of France ftill much more preponderate: the enumeration of which countries and fortreffes may be seen in all the accounts of that peace; which indeed was a very unfortunate one for Spain, and much altered the balance of power in refpect of those two nations, and, in some measure, therefore, affected the fafety of the rest of Europe. 66 The island of Barbadoes was by this time become rich and populous. For, in a pamphlet, entitled, Trade Revived, printed in the year 1659, the author, treating of the value of our American plantations, defcribes "Barbadoes as having given to many men of low degree exceeding vaft fortunes, equal to noblemen.-That upwards of one hundred fail of ships "there yearly find employment, by carrying goods and paffengers thither, and bringing "thence other commodities; whereby feamen are bred, and cuftom increased; our commo"dities vended, and many thousands employed therein, and in refining our fugar at home, "which we formerly had from other countries. And all this out of that very small, dry, and "rocky island." By this account it appears, that our other Caribbee ifles had scarcely as yet engaged into fugar planting. This also seems to be the first account of sugar refining in England, though it was probably of an earlier date in fome other countries:-for which fee the year 1503. Dr. Charles D'Avenant, who was Inspector General of the Customs of England at the time he wrote a treatise, entitled, New Dialogues on the then prefent Pofture of Affairs, printed in the year 1711, in octavo, gives us therein, in p. 71, &c. the entire coinage of England for a complete century of years, taken from the registers of the Royal Mint, viz. from 1558 to 1659. "Yet," adds the Doctor, very properly, "all this money was not co-exifting in this year "1659. For Queen Elizabeth not only called in and recoined all the debafed filver coin of "the three preceding reigns, but, by varying the ftandard, there were fresh fabrications oc"cafioned, fo that the fame bullion was coined over and over." And this able author conjectures, "that in the year 1600, our whole gold and filver coin together did not exceed four ** mil A. D. 1659 millions; and that at the time he wrote" in the year 1711, "there might be twelve mil"lions of gold and filver coin in being." This very curious account is well worth our obfervation: and, as our commerce is allowed by all men to be very confiderably increased since the faid year 1711, being the space of fifty-one years, I conceive, we may reasonably conclude, that the prefent gold and filver coin of Great Britain, actually exifting, cannot be lefs than fixteen millions: although it be not fo eafy to determine the near proportion between the quantity of the gold to the filver coin. Having nothing further to add of the times preceding the restoration of King Charles II. we must do the Rump Parliament and Cromwell, with all their faults, the juftice to remark, by way of recapitulation, that they certainly made feveral very good and fuccessful regulations and laws for the improvement and increafe of England's commerce and shipping; moft of which were adopted and legally enacted by the Parliament immediately after the Reftoration; which plainly evinced the public sense of their utility, viz. I. The reduction of the legal intereft of money from eight to fix per cent. greatly to the advantage both of the landed and trading interefts. II. Their establishing the firft general Navigation Act; by which, not only the trade to and from our American plantations was fecured to ourfelves alone, but likewife our mercantile fhipping was confiderably increased, as was also the number of our failors, and of all trades depending on fhipping. III. Tenures by Knight's-fervice, Wardships, and all other kinds of fervile tenures, were for ever abolished in England. IV. All kinds of monopolies were likewife abolished. V. Their granting full liberty of confcience to all peaceable people, inviting multitudes of fuch to return with their families and fortunes from New England, Holland, Germany, &c. whither they had been driven by Laud's unchriftian and mad perfecution, &c. and hereby not only the number of induftrious people were increased, which is the most solid wealth of any nation, but likewife new manufactures were introduced, and the old ones improved and increafed. This fifth article was not however adopted in the first transports of the zealous royalifts; nor was it legally enacted till the acceffion of King William and Queen Mary; when the nation's eyes were fully opened, to fee the prejudice and folly, as well as wickedness, of denying that freedom of confcience to others, which we ourselves would think we had a right to in fimilar circumftances. VI. Scotland's vaffalage was abolished by them, and better orders were established in that country for providing for their poor, for punishing vagrants, and for fuppreffing of robberies, than had been before in ufe. But this laft mentioned benefit to Scotland, was far from being confirmed after the Reftoration, though fo reafonable and beneficial. The first four articles, however, were wifely confirmed by the legal government, as what the nation could not have been eafy without, having before fo fully experienced their beneficial and most falutary effects. 1660 On the third of May 1660, a final peace was concluded at the monastery of Oliva, in Polish Pruffia, between John Cafimir, King of Poland, and his confederates, the Emperor Leopold, and Frederic William, Elector of Brandenburg, on the one part, and Charles XI. King of 3 Sweden, A. D. 1660 Sweden, on the other part; King Louis XIV. King of France, being guarantee. Wherein all that is effentially neceffary for us to obferve, is, the great additional weight thrown into the scale of Sweden, by Poland's yielding up or confirming to her, for ever, the large, fair, and fruitful province of Livonia; most of which, however, had been long before conquered and poffeffed by Sweden. On the other hand, Sweden yielded up to Poland the cities and forts fhe held in Polish Pruffia.-The Emperor ceded to Holftein all that he held in that dutchy, and the Elector of Brandenburgh yielded to Sweden all that he had held in western Pomerania. : We are now again returned to the legal conftitution of England, of King, Lords, and Commons, by the restoration of King Charles the Second, on the twenty-ninth of May, in this year 1660 and the first act of Parliament, relating to our fubject, is that of this twelfth year of the faid King, cap. iv. entitled, "A Subfidy granted to him of Tonnage and Poundage, “and other fums of money, payable upon merchandize exported and imported:" the preamble to which act runs thus, viz. 66 66 "The Commons affembled in Parliament, repofing truft and confidence in your Majefty, "in and for the guarding and defending of the feas, against all perfons intending, or that "shall intend, the difturbance of your faid Commons, in the intercourfe of trade, and the invading of this your realm; for the better defraying the neceffary expences thereof, which "cannot otherwise be effected without great charge to your Majefty, do, by and with the "advice and confent of the Lords," the Bishops were not yet re-inftated, " in this your pre"in "fent Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the fame, to the intent aforefaid, give "and grant unto you, our fupreme liege Lord and Sovereign, one fubfidy, called tonnage ; "that is to fay, of every ton of wine, of the growth of France,-that fhall come into the port of London,-by way of merchandize, by your natural-born fubjects, four pounds ten fhillings, and by ftrangers and aliens, fix pounds,and into the out-ports, three pounds by natural born fubjects; and by aliens, four pounds ten fhillings.-And, for every but or "pipe of Mufcadels, Malmfeys, Gites, Tents, Alicants, Baftards, Sacks, Canarics, Malagas, "Madeiras," the first time this wine is mentioned by that name," and other wines whatfoever, commonly called fweet wines, of the growth of the Levant, Spain, and Portugal, or any of them, or of the islands belonging to them, or elsewhere, that fhall come into the port of London, brought by English fubjects, two pounds five fhillings, and by aliens, "three pounds;—and into the out-ports, by English subjects, one pound ten fhillings,—and "by aliens, two pounds five fhillings;-alfo for Rhenifh wines, by natural-born subjects, one pound per annum, and by aliens, one pound five fhillings, -as in a book of rates herein-after referred to:-and alfo one other fubfidy, called poundage, i. c. of all manner of "goods and merchandize exported or imported, either by denizens or aliens, twelve-pence "for every twenty fhillings, as in the book of rates valued, or ad valorem: and for English "product or manufacture, exported by aliens, twelve-pence more for every twenty fhillings "over and above the first twenty fhillings: excepting, however, all manner of woollen cloths, "commonly called old draperies,-and all wines which fhall have paid the above-named ton"nage,—and alfo fifh, brought by Englishmen,-and all fresh fish and beftial, imported,"and all other goods mentioned to be custom free in the faid book of rates." 66 No mention is as yet made in this new book of rates of tea, coffee, or chocolate, though they are all mentioned in an act of Parliament of this fame year. VOL. II. A. D. 1660 By an act of this fame year, cap. xxv. for felling of wines by retail, &c. the following prices were fixed, viz. I. Spanish and fweet wines not above one fhilling and fix-pence per quart: III. Rhenish wines not above twelve-pence per quart: penalty five pounds. "And we do hereby grant to our faid liege Lord and Sovereign another fubfidy, i, e. on "every piece of fhort woollen cloth exported by Englishmen, called broad cloths, not exceeding twenty-eight yards in length and fixty-four pounds weight, the fum of three fhillings and "four-pence, and proportionably if of greater length or weight: and of leffer lengths and "weight, exported by Englishmen, alfo three fhillings and four-pence, and by aliens fix fhillings and eight-pence.-English merchants fhipping goods, &c. in foreign fhips from England, fhall pay double duties, as if they were foreigners. But herrings and other fea fish exported, fhall be duty free. And it is hereby enacted, that no rates fhall be imposed on Englishmen without the authority of Parliament. No King's collectors, &c. shall take more fees than was customary in the fourth year of the late King James. 66 66 66 Other goods, when at certain prices, may be exported, viz. gunpowder, when not exceeding five pounds the barrel: wheat, two pounds per quarter: rye, beans, and peas, one pound four fhillings; barley and malt, twenty fhillings per quarter: oats, fixteen fhillings; beef, per barrel, five pounds; pork, fix pounds ten fhillings; bacon, per pound, fix-pence; butter, the barrel, four pounds ten fhillings; cheefe, the hundred, one pound ten fhillings; candles, the dozen pounds, five fhillings. I. "Provided always, that his Majefty may, by proclamation, at any time when he fhall "fee cause so to do, and for fuch time as fhall be therein expreffed, prohibit the tranfporta"tion of gunpowder, or any fort of arms or ammunition. 66 "And be it further enacted, that, over and above the rates herein before-mentioned, there "fhall be paid to your Majesty, on every ton of wine, of the growth of France, Germany, Portugal, or Madeira, brought into the port of London, or elsewhere, three pounds with"in nine months after importing. And of every ton of all other wines, four pounds. The importer to give fecurity for payment. Yet if any of those wines fhall be re-exported with"in twelve months after, then the aforefaid additional duty fhall be returned. And the importer, paying ready money, fhall be allowed ten per cent. difcount. 66 66 66 II. "Provided, that the prizage of wines, or prize wines, fhall pay no tonnage, customs, nor fubfidy, in virtue of this act, nor of any thing therein contained." Although, in the preface to this work, it is declared, that it was not our intent to take notice of any duties, customs, or taxes, or the alterations of them, enacted from time to time; yet the above-recited famous act of Parliament having fixed the tonnage and fubfidy on wines, and the poundage on divers other kinds of merchandize and provifions; referring to a new book of rates, which, though altered fince this time, in many points, has however been, in general, a guide for the rates or duties of many other kinds of merchandize; and as, moreover, the ground of granting the ancient duties of tonnage and poundage, are in this act explained: we thought it proper to give the fubftance of the faid law, by way of pattern or precedent. By this fame law the linen of France was too much favoured: for their fine dowlas was to pay only one halfpenny per ell; whilft fine linen of Flanders was to pay three-pence per ell duty. We A. D. 1660 We have feen the former reductions of the national or legal intereft of money, in England, at different periods of time, occafioned from a proportionable increase of money and commerce; and we have fhewn the rational grounds of and for those reductions, fo far as hereafter to fave our readers the trouble of more copioufly enlarging on this fubje&t. The laft reduction was from eight to fix per cent. but as it was enacted by an illegal or ufurped power, in the year 1651, the legal Parliament, at the reftoration, could not confiftently take direct notice of it, by way of confirmation; although, in effect, they do it by the preamble to the act, cap. xiii. that none fhall take above fix pounds for the loan of an hundred pounds for a year; which expreffes itself in the following manner : "And whereas, in fresh memory, the like fall from eight to fix in the hundred, by a late conftant practice, hath found the like fuccefs, to the general contentment of this nation, as ❝is visible by several improvements. And whereas nevertheless it is the endeavour of fome "at prefent to reduce it back again in practice to the allowance of the ftatute ftill in force," i. e. to eight per cent. " to the great difcouragement of ingenuity and induftry in the huf"bandry, trade, and commerce of this nation:-be it therefore enacted, that from and after "the twenty-ninth of September 1660, none fhall take above fix pounds per cent. as above, "and that all bonds and affurances whatever, made after the time aforefaid, for payment of any principal money to be lent or covenanted to be performed, upon or for any usury, whereupon there fhall be referved or taken above the rate of fix pounds in the hundred, "fhall be utterly void.-And the taker of any higher intereft or ufury, fhall forfeit, for every "fuch offence, the treble value of the money fo lent, &c. Two things are worth remarking on this act, viz. Firft, That the word ufury was ftill the legal term for the lawful intereft of money. Secondly, That this act does not take the leaft notice of the unlawfulness, in point of religion or confcience, or the fin of taking ufury or intereft for the loan of money, as had been expreffed in the two preceding legal acts for the reduction of it. Upon this reduction, Sir Jofiah Child remarks, as he also did in treating on the two former reductions : 66 “I. That in about twenty years after the like reduction by the Rump Parliament, in 1651, "notwithstanding the long civil wars and the great complaints of the deadnefs of trade, there are more men to be found upon the exchange now," (i. e. about 1688; as he first published his Brief Obfervations concerning Trade and Intereft of Money, in a fmall quarto pamphlet, in that year 1688, to which he made a short addition in the fame year: fo, by degrees, his judicious writings on commerce have swelled to a reasonable octavo book:) "worth ten thou fand pounds than were then worth one thousand pounds.-And that five hundred pounds "fixty years before, with a daughter, was esteemed a larger portion than two thousand pounds " in his time. "II. That gentlewomen, in those days, esteemed themselves well clothed in a ferge gown, "which a chambermaid now would be ashamed to be seen in.-That, befide the great increase "of rich clothes, plate, jewels, and houfhold furniture, there were one hundred coaches. "now," i. e. about the year 1688, "to one kept formerly." All which, and much more, he folely afcribes to the abatement of intereft, which he calls the caufa caufans of all the other causes of the riches of the Dutch, as well as of ourselves, increased to fix times what it then was. Hereby alfo," fays he, "we are enabled to pay a greater tax in one year than our forefathers could in twenty.” "I can," fays be, "my |