110 Assembly Proceedings, April — May 1666.

L. H.

Journal 1666

home, Wee shall gett a good supply of Cloathing Armes &
Ammunition for the next Crop, w^ch will bee uented before the
other American Plantaons can plant any Tob. This wee
thinke sufficient to satisfy reasonable men, but if this satisfy
not, wee are ready att a Conference to giue more reasons, then
can conueniently bee written att this time.
2. Did wee not see, th^t the greatest part of the world is to
little for the English merchants shipping & seamen: & soe

p. 73

much to little that they haue in a manner forced the King by
their the Dutch, to make roome for them to beene
of some weight. But th^t convincing cient security, yo^u
shall never want a Comodity worth fetching. But to
'tis not the shippings barely comming but their
importaon of goods, to Thows^d hogsheads of Tob. out
the Trade one yeare wee shall, wee m
turing goods hither to purchase & necessaries
for it. W^ch if wee wee shall neuer haue. And if wee
yeares Crop, now ready to syre shipping, then
to carry bee sent by those, whose subsistance
Trade Tob, when they know before hand, the can haue
none the next yeare following. If merchants trading this way
doe settle their Trades in other parts It will bee noe Calamity,
Since England can afford others th^t are not acquainted w^th the
wayes of grinding the face of the poore, used by some now :
w^ch hard usage hath reduced allready the poorer sort of poeple
of this Prouince, to a Condicon little better then that Pagan &
saluage manner of lyuing, w^ch yo^r selues seeme to feare from a
Cessaon.
3. The third reason is fownded uppon stealing his Maiesties
Customes by Seamen, & were not worth the answering, but th^t
perhaps some men might thinke there is more weight in it, to
sway a Mans iudgm^t agst a Cessaon from planting Tob. for a
yeare, then in truth it doth. Wherefore Wee will giue you not
graunt yo^u th^t seamen will not come for any other Comodity
but Tobacco, & therefore assure yo^u, That wee will not plant
soe much Tob, or soe long 'till it shall bee worth nothing to
them, nor us. And wee doe conceaue the Lower howse can-
nott in prudence thinke it fitt, to have the Province plant Tob,

p. 74

meerely to haue the Seamens company, euen now when the
Planter short our designe is to advance the price of Tob.
fetching. & th^t yo^rselues say, will inuite the when
there is none wee need them nott. men goe? Not to
Virginia because there American Plantaons because yo^r
selues say ptible as Tob. And wee haue demonstra-
making th^t perishable Drug Tob. must of neces-
sity stay here, & if p^rmitted his wants, & hauing nothing
to better furnished, Neyther doth ure of the ffree-