Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1692-1694. 431

Treasury I send you inclosed the reports from the Comm^rs of
the Customes upon the extract of Colonel Copley's Proposal

concerning Bonds to be taken from Shipps trading to Mary-
land, as also upon the draught of Instructions for the Princi-
pall Comissioners for Prizes; and likewise M^r Knight's Report
upon the Petition of the Assembly of Maryland touching the
12^d p hoggshead for 25 shipps that left that Province in the
year 1690: All which their Lordshipps desire you to lay
before the Lords of the Committee of Trade and Plantations.
I am
Sir,
Your most humble servant
Hen: Guy.
Treasury Chambers
1^st December 1692.

P. R. O.

Maryland
B. I. Vol. 2.

B. G.

May it please your Lordshipps,
In obedience to your Ldpps commands signified to us by
M^r Guy in his Letter of the 21^st of September last incloseing
an extract of a Proposall made by Col: Copley Governor of
Maryland in these words viz^t
To avoyd false Traders it will be convenient that all Mas-
ters of shipps tradeing from England thither give Bonds in
their severall Ports before they come out to pay all dutyes and
customes, and to bring certificates hither of their haveing
given Bonds And to give a Bond here to carry my receipts,
of their respective certificates to the respective Ports, the mis-
chicfc of their giving Bonds here, often happens to be thus,
The Masters can give noe other security than two Planters,
who generally prove to be insolvent when there is occasion to
sue their Bonds, and false Certificates are often produced here
by false Traders.
Wee doe humbly acquaint your Ldpps that as the Acts of
Trade and Navigation stand every shipp going from England
to any of their Majesties Plantations is obliged to give bond
with one sufficient surety to the chiefe Officers of the Custome
House of such Port or Place from whence she shall sett sayle
to the value of £1000. if the shipp be of less burthen then 100
Tonne and of £2000. if of a greater burthen, That in case the
said shipp or vessell shall load any of the enumerated Planta-
tion comoditys at any of the said Plantations, That the same
shall be brought to some Port of England, Wales or Berwick
and be there unloaden and put on shoare, the danger of the
seas excepted. And for all shipps comeing from any other
Port or Place to any of the said Plantations, the Governor
thereof is before the said shipp or vessell be permitted to load
on Board any of the said Cofnoditys to take Bond in like

p. 12