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to any penaltyes whatsoever for their soe doeing Provyded the
civill peace were preserved And that for the secureing the civill
peace and preventing all heats Feuds which were generally
observed to happen amongst such as differ in oppynions upon
Occasion of Reproachfull Nicknames and Reflecting upon
each Others Oppynions It might by the same Lawe be made
Penall to give any Offence in that kynde these were the
condicons proposed by such as were willing to goe and be the
first planters of this Provynce and without the complying with
these condicons in all probability This Provynce had never
beene planted. To these condicons my ffather agreed and
accordingly soone after the first planteing of this Provynce
these conditions by the unanimous consent of all who were
concerned were passed into a Lawe and the Inhabitants of
this Provynce have found such effects from this Lawe and
from the strict observance of it as well in relation to their
Quiett as in Relation to the farther peopleing of this Provynce
That they looke on it as that whereon alone depends the
preservation of their Peace Their Propertyes and their Libertyes
This beeinge the true state of the case of this Provynce it is
easy to Iudge what consequencyes might ensue upon any
scrutinyes which should be made In Order to the satisfyeing
theis particular Inquiryes./
To the 16: 17 & 21: I cann give no particular answer only
in Generall All the Planters in Generall affects the style of
Marchants because they all sell Tobacco And their cheife
Estates consists in the numbers of Their Servants who serve
generally but for five or six yeares and then become Planters
and call themselves Merchants but generally they are poore
Their comodity (which is only Tobacco) not selling for more
then One Penny p pound weight. Touching the numbers of
Masters or Servants I cann give no probable guess nor of the
numbers Imported for any tyme certayne only those that doe
come are generally English or Irish and very rarely any one of
any other Nation./
To the: 22: No certayne Answer cann be given here. Nor
is any certayne Answer to be given of the number of Vessels
Tradeing Thither the same beeinge very uncertayne as also
their Burthens only that there are not any of the Built of this
Provynce and generally all vessells comeing thither (except
some few small Vessells which sometymes come from New
England or some Other of our English platacons) come from
England and retorne thither againe soe that the only certayne
course to knowe numbers Qualityes and Burthens Is by an
Enquiry at the sever all Ports of England where entryes are
made of them./
To the 23: &: 24: I Answer that the greatest Obstruction
of the Trade of this Provynce is what the late Acts of Parlia-
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