THe Bill , as it now stands , Enacts , that a Duty of Ten per Cent . ad Valorem , shall be paid to the Company , for all Goods Exported , for the Maintainance of Forts and Castles .

Which Duty of 10 per Cent . is very unreasonable , and a great deal too much , and that upon these two Accounts :

First , It will fall the heaviest on the Plantations , which can least bear that Tax , and are most to be regarded , that Duty being so great , will render the Negroes the dearer to them .

Secondly , It is very unreasonable , to pay the Company so great a Duty , where they are at no Charge to maintain Forts or Castles , and at the Places where most of the Negroes are purchased ; viz. from River Vultus to Angola , and to Cape Goodhope , which is about 4000 Miles Sea-coast , there is not one Fort nor Castle , nor any thing like one , nor will the Negroes permit any to be built : Nor is there any Necessity for them , for by long Experience we have always found the Negroes to use kindly , and treat honestly and civilly , all Persons that come to trade with them , nor ever prejudice any , unless they are cheated and abused ; and since the Company are at no Charge to maintain Forts nor Castles , it will be a very heavy Tax on the Plantations , to pay a Duty , only to maintain the African Company in their Trade to other Places .

The Bill also Enacts several unusual Oaths to be taken before any Ship can be permitted to sail from England , one of which Oaths is , that the Master of the Ship shall swear , that the Manifest or Particular by him given in , and signed to , to the best of his Knowledge or Belief doth contain , specifie and express all the Goods , Wares and Merchandize , which are laden , or intended to be laden , or put on board the Ship .

This Oath is both unreasonable and impossible to be made , without great danger of Perjury ; and that upon these two Accounts .

1. It is unreasonable , in regard the Masters business is only to give a Manifest or Content of the Marks and Numbers of every Parcel of Goods loaden on board his Ship ; for it cannot be supposed the Master should know what sort of Goods the Merchant packs up , much less to swear to it .

2. It is impossible for a Master to swear what any Merchant intends to load on board his Ship , his Duty being only to take them on board when sent , and at his clearing at Custom-house , to give an Account of the Marks and Numbers of each Parcel , and by whom shipt , yet all this is to be done under the penalty of Forfeiture of Ship and Goods , and the danger of Perjury into the Bargain .

The Bill also Enacts , that the Master and one of the Owners shall enter into Bonds , in the penalty of the Value of Ship and Goods , that the Ship shall sail directly from England to the Coast of Africa , and from thence directly to the Plantations , or to England .

This Bond is very unreasonable , and destructive to the Trade it self , and that upon three Accounts :

( 1. ) It will discourage and lessen the Trade , few Merchants that are worth any thing , will willingly enter into such Bonds , where the Penalties are so great , and the Conditions so hard to be performed , ( always answerable for anothers Actions ) for suppose the Master never so honest , yet his Men may mutiny and run away with the Ship , as they did two years ago with one of the Companies Ships , called the Hanibal , which Ship in her roving took another Ship , called the Eagle , and carried her to Braseel ; the Hanibal also met another Ship , called the William , who was never heard of since ; the Master may dye , as often they do in those Voyages , then the Care and Charge of the Ship falls on some other Persons ; and to be bound to make Good all their Digressions and Miscarriages , will be very hard , this being to punish a Man for a Crime he did not commit , nor could any ways prevent .

( 2. ) It is very unreasonable and severe , that after the Adventurer hath by the former Misfortunes lost both Ship and Goods , he should be forced to lose as much more , and pay so severely for his Industry .

( 3. ) This being bound to sail directly to the Coast of Africa , is very destructive to that Trade , and that upon two Accounts :

First , Several Commodities not being to be had in England , without which the Trade to Africa for Negroes cannot be carried on , viz. Cowries , Black and White Bafts , Brawles , and some painted Callicoes , those being the Goods most proper to purchase Negroes , so that the greatest part of this Mischief will fall upon the Plantations .

Secondly , This restraining the Liberty to procure Goods proper for the Negro Trade , is contrary to any Law now in force , and will put the Trader under the greatest Disadvantages and Difficulties , and at the same time make it easie and advantagious to the Scotch , Dutch and French , who will hereby be enabled to beat us quite out , and give them the whole Advantage of that profitable Trade with the Spanish West-Indies , which they can by no other way attain to . Wherefore such a Liberty , whereon so much depends , can never be the Interest of this Nation to restrain ; no Law having as yet prohibited such Liberty of Trade , and is therefore humbly hoped no New Law may be made , which is attended with such ill Consequences .

The Result of these Considerations must terminate in these two Points : First , It will be too dangerous , troublesome and hazardous , to engage in this Trade : And then , Secondly , Shall conclude it will be better to lay it aside , and let our Ships lye by the Walls , than be perpetually in danger of being ruined .

By this means the Plantations will suffer for want of Negroes to carry on their Work ; there is not a Negroe but makes as much Commodity in a Year , either Sugar , Tobacco , Indigo , &c. as will load one Tun of Shipping , the Increase of which Product will largely increase the Consumption of the English Woollen Manufacture , Incourage Navigation , and Augment the Revenue of the Crown .

A great Quantity of the Product of our Plantation Commodities , will enable the English Merchant to make large Exportations to Forreign Markets , and put them into a Capacity to undersell all other Nations which vye with us in the same Commodities , which will not only discourage their Plantations , but encourage our own .

The Planters humbly Hope , the Care of the Plantations Interest and Welfare , will be of greater Moment to your Lordships than any Company with a Joynt-Stock can pretend to .