350 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1694 97.

      Lib.  H. D. The humble Address of the Rt Honrble the Lords Spirituall

         P. 13 and Temporall and Commons in Parliamt Assembled.

               Die Veneris 13th Decembris. 1695.

             The Lords We the Lords Spirituall and Temporal, and Corn-

             & Commons  .

             address to mons in Parliamt Assembled having taken into our

             his Maty abt Consideration the State of the Trade of this King

            the Scotch Act.     dom Do find, that besides many other Disadvantages

                   and Difficulties it now lies under An Act of Par

             liamt that hath lately Received your Mats Royall Assent in

             yor Kingdom of Scotland for Erecting a Company Trading to

             Affrica, and the Indies is likely to bring many Great Prejudices

             and Mischeifs to all yor Majesties Subjects, that are Concern'd

             in the wealth or Trade of this Nation; and therefore in all

             Duty to Your Maty and the Care We ought to have of this

             Kingdom, We doe humbly Represent to Yor MatY that the sd

             Act does provide, that all Ships, Vessells, Merchandize, Goods,

             and other Effects whatsoever, belonging to that Company,

             Shall be ffree from all manner of Restraints, or Prohibitions,

             and of all Customs, Taxes, Sesses, Supplyes, or other Duties

             Imposed, or to be Imposed by Act of Parliamt or otherwise,

             for the Space of one and Twenty Years: And farther, That

             the sd Company, whole Members, Officers, Servants, or others

             belonging thereto shall be ffree both in their persons, Estates,

             and Goods, Employed in the sd Stock and Trade, from all

             manner of taxes, Sesses, Supplies, Excises, Quartering of

             Soldiers Transient or Local, or Levying of Soldiers, or other

             Impositions whatsoever, during the Space of one & Twenty

             years. By Reason of which great Advantages Granted to

             the Scotch East India Company, and the Duties and Difficul

             ties that lye upon that Trade in England, a great part of the

             Stock and Shipping of this Nation will be Carryed thither; and

             by this means Scotland be made a ffree Port for all East India

             Commodities; and Consequently those Severall places in

             Europe, which were Supplyed from England, will be ffurnished

             from thence, much Cheaper than Can be Done by the Eng

             lish; and therefore this Nation will loose the Bennifit of Sup

             plying fforreign Parts with those Commodities; which hath

             alwaies been a Great Article in the Ballance of our fforreign

             Trade, Moreover the sd Commodities will unavoidably be

             brought by the Scotch into Engi. by Stealth, both by Sea and

             Land, to the Vast Prejudice of the English Trade and Navi

             gation, and to the Great Detrimt of your Maty in Your Cus

             toms, And when once that Nation Shall have Settled them

             selves in Plantations in America, our Commerce in Tobacco,

             Sugar, Cotton, Wool, Skinns, Masts &ca will be Utterly Lost