The Lower House. 215

and other Perquisites which they make to themselves by ways
hardly justifiable and by laying Obligations on the Masters of
such Ships to take no Tobacco on ffreight but from such who
will consign to the Employers of such Masters especially when
they have so much Advantage by Plenty of ffreighters as to
force it thereby engrossing all the Consignments they can to
themselves and frustrating the publick and general Advantage
which Shipping ought to be to the Nation. Hence we pre-
sume it comes to pass they have made this Scruple about the
Size of the Hogsheads of this Province exceeding that of Vir-
ginia; we have enquired into their Gauge and find ours now
used exceeds but two Inches in Diameter of the Head being
equal in length: For justifying our Size we humbly offer this
this Reason to your Majesty that the Tobacco generally made
in Virginia is a more substantial thick Waxy Leaf and of Con-
sequence weighs heavier and contains greater Number of
Pounds in one Hogshead of their Size and their Tobacco then
in one of our Size filled with our Tobacco which is more light
and Chaffey in so much that they as we compute ordinarily
get three thousand two hundred Pounds of Tobacco carried
home as cheap as we get 2200 which one Reason being taken
into your Majesty's Royal Consideration we hope will induce
your Majesty to suffer us to hold the same Gauge which is so
trivial a Damage to the Stowage of Ships that we wonder any
should trouble your Majesty with it. But if any through
Greediness make their Hogshd of unreasonable Length (which
indeed is more likely to be of Prejudice in Stowage) we are
willing either to subject them to greater Penalty or the Com-
manders of Ships may make them pay an higher ffreight pro-
portionable or refuse to take or agree for the ffreight of them.
Now Dread Sovereign having as we think truly stated the
Case of the Trade of this Province your Majesty will discern
who bear the Burthen and consider that we cannot but justly
complain when we see our Hogsheads cropped and defaced
and the Tobacco by great Parcels taken out of the Cask which
should defend it and thrown into Holes and Corners and most
abominably detrimented in Quality so liable to Plunder and
Pillage and other Damage too many to particularize to your
Maty whereby it comes to pass to our too certain Experience
that our Tobacco comes very light Home and being consigned
to the Owners of the Ship by the Artifices aforesaid by whom
such Damage ought to be repaired and the Owner himself
tho' against that Damage should demand it we go altogether
without Redress being so far from the Spot and Scene where
such Abuses are acted this puts us upon making the Bill
against Cropping which yet proves but of small Effect to
restrain it.

L. H. J.