Trade Act 1672

V. Recital of 12 C. II. c.18. ? 18.

22 & 23 Car. II. c.26 ? 8.; If Bond shall not be given to bring Plantation Goods to England

And whereas by one Act passed in this present Parlyament in the twelfth yeare of your Majestyes Raigne entituled An Act for X1 encouragement of Shipping and Navigation, and by severall other Lawes passed since that time it is permitted to shipp, carry, convey and transport Sugar, Tobacco, Cotton-wooll, Indicoe, Ginger, Fusticke and all other Dying wood of the Growth, Production and Manufacture of any of your Majestyes Plantations in America, Asia or Africa from the places of their Growth Production and Manufacture to any other of your Majestyes Plantations in those Parts (Tangier onely excepted) and that without paying of Custome for the same either at the ladeing or unladeing of the said Commodityes by meanes whereof the Trade and Navigation in those Commodityes from one Plantation to another is greatly increased, and the Inhabitants of diverse of those Colonies not contenting themselves with being supplyed with those Commodities for their owne use free from all Customes (while the Subjects of this your Kingdome of England have paid great Customes and Impositions for what of them hath beene spent here) but contrary to the express Letter of the aforesaid Lawes have brought into diverse parts of Europe great quantities thereof, and doe alsoe [X2 dayly] vend great quantities thereof to the shipping of other Nations who bring them into diverse parts of Europe to the great hurt and diminution of your Majestyes Customes and of the Trade and Navigation of this your Kingdome; For the prevention thereof Wee your Majestyes Commons in Parliament [X2 assembled] doe pray that it may be enacted And bee it enacted by the King's 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

there shall be paid the following Duties.

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 [X2 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;

Penalty.

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.

Editorial Information

X1 Variant reading of the text noted in The Statutes of the Realm as follows: the O. [O. refers to a collection in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge]

X2 interlined on the Roll.