INCONVENIENCIES to the English Nation which have ensued the Act of Navigation , in reference to the Growths of Norway , as was proved before the Honourable the Committee of Parliament upon Saturday April 4. 1668.

1. BEfore the Act , the Trade of Norway was generally driven by the English in barter of our Growths and Manufactures ; whereas now it is driven in Dollars , and the Treasure of the Nation : and those Growths and Manufactures of England which are exported into Norway are rarely exported but by Norwegians .

2. The prices of the Growths of Norway were become near double , untill about a week since .

3. Our own Timber is much wasted by reason of the dearness and scarcity of Norway-Timber .

4. We have not built one Ship for that Trade since the Act , nor never shall so long as it stands in force , because a forein Ship may be built for half the price , and be more free for Trade : whereas the Norwegian hath doubled his Shipping since the Act , and built them twice as big as before And hath encreased his Mariners from 600 to above 6000. : whereby the English in a short time must necessarily be excluded the Trade of Norway , unless he drive it by Danes in Danish Bottoms .

5. The English Mariners are now almost wholly laid aside , the Trade of Norway being generally driven by the English in Norway Bottoms , and those sailed by Norwegians .

6. The English are wholly left to the King of Denmark's disposing , without redress , when-ever he pleases to impose any farther Abuses upon them then are contained in the Proposalls The Abuse● complained of in the Proposalls were : The Engl. since the year 1646 , & by the Treary made with his Majesty 1660 , paid ⅘ of a Dollar Custome per Last for the Growths of Norway , ( except the Town of Bergen : ) since the late War they pay for Custome for Timber a Dollar and half , & for other Growths a Dollar and ⅘ , others 2 Dollars ⅖ , and others 3 Dollars : and in measuring the Lastage , the same Ships which before the late War had their Measures adjusted , are now raised 35 & 40 Lasts . .

7. It is the Interest of the King of Denmark to make the Trade of Norway insupportable to the English , for thereby his Subjects will monopolize the Trade .

8. The Shipping for the Newcastle and Sunderland Trade , which have been lost since the beginning of the last War , are not near repaired by the Prizes taken in the War ; and before the War the Nation did consume the Coals returned by the Shipping of this Trade : and therefore if this Shipping be now divided into the Newcastle and Norway Trade , when we have much more occasion for Coals then before the War , it cannot reasonably be expected but the prices of Coals will be as uncertain and dear as during the War .

9. All the Shipping of Norway , and in the English Merchants hands for that Trade , will not supply one third part of our Markets with the Growths of Norway .

10. By the Act for Re-building the City , it is to be built in 3 years , and the Breast-Summer , Story-posts , outward Window-cases , lower Floors , and Roofs of every House , are to be of Oaken Timber ; so as allowing 20 Loads of Oak to perform what the Act enjoyns in every House , and 12000 Houses to be built , this will amount to 240000 Loads of Oak to be expended in this thing onely , besides what must be spent in Back-houses , publick Halls and Churches , Posts , Rails , Balconies , &c. Quaere where in England such quantities of Oaken Timber can be found . But if they could , and be thus converted , it is demonstrable , the King of Denmark and the Dutch may build 3 men of War , and of equal dimensions , as cheap as the King of England shall doe one , and in less time . And how the Sovereignty of the Seas can be preserved , how the Nation secured , and how Navigation maintained upon these terms , the English not being permitted to buy and trade in any forein Bottom , is not imaginable . Besides , the City is to be re-built in little more then 2 years , and yet we are denied ⅔ of the most necessary Commodity in order to it .

ADVANTAGES which in reason will accrue to the English Nation , by Repealing the Act for Navigation , so far as it relates to the Growths of Norway , upon the Conditions mentioned in the Proposalls .

1. THE English will be incouraged in this Trade , being enabled to drive it upon better terms then any other Nation .

2. It will not be in the power of the King of Denmark much to prejudice us , though he should ruine his Subjects by it , for the Reasons in the Proposalls .

3. Our Markets will be supplied in abundance and at low Rates , whereby

4. The City will save above 500000 pound in Building , and may be rebuilt in half the time it otherwaies can be The pri●es when this Pap●r was given in were , Timber 58 s . per Load , Deals 7 l. 10 s . a Hundred , which before the Act were 28 s . per Load , and 4. l. 8. s . a Hundred : so allowing 12000 Houses to be built , and 18 Load of Timber and 400 Deals to a House , this will amount to 468000 , besid●s the Timber to be used in Back-houses , pub●ick Halls and Churches . But if the Newc●stl●-Fleet be divided into this Trade , C●als will bear a double price , from whence Brick and Lime will necessarily bear a proportionable Rate . .

5. Our own Timber upon all occasions will be preserved , when Norway-Timber may be bought cheaper then our own .

6. We shall be enabled to build Ships for this and the Fishing-Trade as well as the Dutch or any other Nation .

7. As the Norwegian by reason of the Act ( whereby the King of Denmark hath reaped more Benefit then all his Predecessors ever did by all the Trade and Treaties they made with any Nation , and all by the loss and prejudice of the English ) hath been enabled to build and encrease his Shipping ; so the Repealing of the Act will disable him for the future , whereby the English Merchant may drive the Trade of Norway upon the account of our own Manufactures . In the time of Oliver the English Merchant was under-hand permitted to drive this Trade in forein Bottoms , whereby the Norwegian was enforced to sell the Shipping he had built for this Trade .

8. The Treasure of the Nation exported by the English and Norwegian will be much preserved in it .

9. We may better expect the Growths of Norway , imported by any other Nation , will be returned for our Manufactures , then from Norwegians .

The reason conceived why these things are not more known , is , because of the paucity of the Norway-Traders ; and that , as the case stands with them , if they complain , and be not relieved , it will be in the power of the King of Denmark to oppress them , and not in the power of the King of England to relieve them .

Certain QUAERES resolved by the Norway Merchants .

1. THat when these Ships in the English Merchants hands for the Trade of Norway be spent , if the Act of Navigation continue in force , there will not be one Ship left in the English hands fit for that Trade .

This being so , and the Act continuing in force , it cannot be expected but that all Navigation must necessarily sink , and the English be left to the sole disposing of the King of Denmark , whose Interest will be so much more improved , by how much he imposes upon the English .

2. When the Ships in the English hands be spent , a Norwegian may import the Growths of Norway cheaper by 30 in the Hundred , then an English-man can in a Ship not built for that Trade .

This being so , the English Merchant will be utterly uncapable of imploying any English Mariners in this Trade , unless he intends to undoe himself in it . Though Timber in Queen Eliz . Reign were fourfold more then now it is , and there were not the tenth part of the use of it as now ; and though the Act 1 Eliz . 13. did under Penalties prohibit the importation of forein Growths by her Subjects in any Ships but English-built ; yet Firr-Timber , Rafts , Deal-boards , &c. were excepted .

3. That in the Timber-Fleet now or lately in the River there was not one Ship English-built , or sailed by English : and that in one week after it was reported and believed the Trade for Timber would be made free , ( at least for some time ) the price of Deals fell above 30 s . in a hundred , which otherwise they would not have done : and if the Merchant were assured the Trade would be free , he would sell them 20 s . a hundred cheaper , whereby the Nation will save above 8000 pound in this Fleet , which otherwise would have been exported by Foreiners .

REASONS humbly offered to the Parliament , that the Duties to be paid by Strangers who import Timber for Rebuilding the City of London should be imployed toward the re-building the Churches , and relief of the Hospitalls of Christ and S. Bartholomew .

1. IT is not the City of London now standing , but the desolate City in its Ruines , which pays this mony ; and therefore most reasonable that this desolate City should enjoy the benefit .

2. Though the Law enjoyns the Parson and Parish to repair the Church , yet no Law compells either to build the Church ; but if it did , it were Summum jus to exact it from those Citizens who suffer under so great a Calamity as the late dreadfull Fire .

3. It will be no diminution to the King's Revenue ; for it is not petitioned but the King shall enjoy the Customs paid by the English and Norwegian as before .

4. The King will be annually threefold a greater saver by the prices of Norway-Timber in building and repairing his Navy and Palaces , when the Act permits the Importation of Timber , then his Customs for Timber have yet amounted to yearly .

5. It will no waies conduce to the Honour of the King to have his Revenue increased by those of his suffering Subjects onely , who labour under so great a Judgment as the late Fire , and are endeavouring so good a Work as the Re-edifying the City .

6. The Piety and Zeal of our Auncestors , heretofore so eminent in building Churches , is not so prevalent in the minds of the men of this present Age .

7. It will be Scandalous to the Christian World , if in Re-edifying the City , no care or provision be made for the Churches .

8. It will be destructive to the City when re-built , if the means for Education of the poorer sort of the Youth of the City be suppressed ; and the King and Nation will suffer so much , by how much S. Bartholomew's will be disabled to relieve sick and wounded persons .