
Forasmuch as the Whale-fishing is a very considerable and profitable Trade, giveing imployments to great
numbers of Seamen and Shipping; And whereas neighbouring Nations doe yearely make great advantage
thereby, not onely supplying themselves with that sort of Oyle and Finns, but vending into other parts great
quantities thereof and particularly into this Kingdome, where the said Trade is in a manner quite decayed and lost; For
remedy thereof and encouragement of such as shall be willing to employ themselves and their Estates in this Trade
Bee it enacted by the Kings most excellent Majestie by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spirituall
and Temporall and Commons in this present Parliament assembled and by the authoritie of the same That it shall
and may be lawfull for all his Majestyes Subjects of this his Realme of England and Wales and Towne of Berwicke
upon Tweede and for every other person or persons of what Nation soever resideing and inhabiting here dureing
the time of such their Residence freely to trade into and from Greenland and those Seas, and there to take
Whales and all other sorts of Fish, and to import in this Kingdome all sorts of Oyle, Blubber and Finns thereof,
and to use and exercise all other Trade to and from Greenland and those parts.
II. 
And for the further encourageing of the said Trade Bee it enacted by the authoritie aforesaid That it shall be
lawfull for any person or persons Native or Forreigner to importe Train-oyle or Blubber of Greenland and parts
adjacent, and those Seas or of Newfoundland or of any other his Majestyes Colonies and Plantations made of Fish
or of any other Creature liveing in the Seas, and Whale finns caught in any Shipps or Vessells truely and properly
belonging to England or Wales or Towne of Berwicke upon Tweede and imported in such Shipps without paying
any Custome or other Duty for the same;
And for the Tunn of such Oyle taken by any Shipping belonging to any of his Majestyes Colonies and Plantations
and imported in such Shipping there shall be paid the summe of six shillings;
And for every Tunn of Whale-finns taken and imported in such Shipping the summe of fifty shillings.
And for the Tunn of such Oyle taken by the said shipping, but imported in shipping belonging to England
Wales or the Towne of Berwicke upon Tweede the summe of three shillings,.
And for every Tunn of Whale-fins taken and imported in such shipping the summe of five and twenty shillings,
And for the Tunne of all such Oyle and Blubber of Forreigne Fishing the summe of nine pounds,
And for every Tunne of Whale-finns of Forreigne Fishing the summe of eighteene pounds and noe more.
III. 
And in reguard there are at present great want of Harpinieres and Seamen skilled and exercised in the Trade
of Whale-fishing Bee it further enacted by the authoritie aforesaid That it shall and may be lawfull for any Shipp
or Vessell truely belonging to England Wales or the Towne of Berwicke upon Tweede, and whereof the Master
shall bee an English man and inhabiting within the places aforesaid from and after the first of May which shall
be in the yeare of our Lord One thousand six hundred seaventy and three and untill the five and twentyeth Day of
March which shall be in the yeare of our Lord One thousand six hundred eighty and three employed for the
catching of Whales dureing such Voyage to bee navigated with one moyety of the Harpinieres, and one
moyety of the rest of the Marriners onely English, and yet to pay noe further or other Custome for the Oyle,
Blubber or Finns caught and imported in such Shipp or Vessell, then if such Shipp or Vessell had beene
navigated with three fourths of the Marriners English, Any Law, Statute or Usage to the contrary in any wise
notwithstanding.
IV. 
Provided alwayes, and it is hereby further enacted by the authoritie aforesaid That noe English built Shipp
or other Shipp or Vessell belonging to England, Wales or the Towne of Berwicke upon Tweede importing
Whale oyle or Blubber or other Fish, Oyle or Whale-finns of Greenland or those Seas shall enjoy any benefitt
or priviledge by this Act unlesse such Shipp or Vessell did proceede on her Voyage for Greenland and those Seas
from England or Wales or the Towne of Berwicke upon Tweede, and was victualled for the said Voyage in some
of those places to be attested by the Collector of the Port where the said Shipp or Vessell was victualled.
V. 
22 & 23 Car. II. c.26 ? 8.; If Bond shall not be given to bring Plantation Goods to England
And whereas by one Act passed in this present Parlyament in the twelfth yeare of your Majestyes Raigne
entituled An Act for  encouragement of Shipping and Navigation, and by severall other Lawes passed since that
time it is permitted to shipp, carry, convey and transport Sugar, Tobacco, Cotton-wooll, Indicoe, Ginger, Fusticke
and all other Dying wood of the Growth, Production and Manufacture of any of your Majestyes Plantations in
America, Asia or Africa from the places of their Growth Production and Manufacture to any other of your
Majestyes Plantations in those Parts (Tangier onely excepted) and that without paying of Custome for the same
either at the ladeing or unladeing of the said Commodityes by meanes whereof the Trade and Navigation in
those Commodityes from one Plantation to another is greatly increased, and the Inhabitants of diverse of those
Colonies not contenting themselves with being supplyed with those Commodities for their owne use free from
all Customes (while the Subjects of this your Kingdome of England have paid great Customes and Impositions
for what of them hath beene spent here) but contrary to the express Letter of the aforesaid Lawes have brought
into diverse parts of Europe great quantities thereof, and doe alsoe dayly vend great quantities thereof to the
shipping of other Nations who bring them into diverse parts of Europe to the great hurt and diminution of your
Majestyes Customes and of the Trade and Navigation of this your Kingdome; For the prevention thereof Wee
your Majestyes Commons in Parliament assembled doe pray that it may be enacted And bee it enacted by the
King's most excellent Majestie by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and
Commons in this present Parlyament assembled and by authoritie of the same That from and after the first day
of September which shall bee in the yeare of our Lord One thousand six hundred seaventy and three If any
Shipp or Vessell which by Law may trade in any of your Majesties Plantations shall come to any of them to
shipp and take on board any of the aforesaid Commodities, and that Bond shall not be first given with one
sufficient Surety to bring the same to England or Wales or the Towne of Berwicke upon Tweede and to noe other
place, and there to unloade and putt the same on shoare (the danger of the Seas onely excepted) that there
shall be answered and paid to your Majestie your Heires and Successors for soe much of the said Commodities
as shall be laded and putt on board such Shipp or Vessell these following Rates and Dutyes, That is to say
there shall be paid the following Duties.
For Sugar White the hundred Weight containing one hundred and twelve pounds five shillings;
And Browne Sugar and Muscavadoes the hundred weight containing one hundred and twelve pounds one shilling
and six pence;
For Tobacco the pound one penny;
For Cotton-wooll the pound one halfe-penny;
For Indicoe the pound, two pence;
For Ginger the hundred weight containing one hundred and twelve pounds one shilling;
For Logwood the hundred Weight containing one hundred and twelve pounds, five pounds;
For Fusticke and all other Dying-wood the hundred Weight containing one hundred and twelve pounds
six pence;
Penalty.
And alsoe for every pound of Cacao-nutts one penny, to be leavyed, collected and paid at such places, and to
such Collectors and other Officers as shall be appointed in the respective Plantations to collect, leavy and receive
the same before the ladeing thereof, and under such Penalties both to the Officers and upon the Goods as for
non-payment of, or defrauding his Majestie of his Customes in England.
VI. 
And for the better collection of the severall Rates and Dutyes aforesaid imposed by this Act, Bee it enacted
and it is hereby further enacted by the authoritie aforesaid That this whole busines shall bee ordered and
mannaged, and the severall Dutyes hereby imposed shall be caused to be leavyed by the Commissioners of the
Customes in England, now and for the time being by and under the authoritie and directions of the Lord
Treasurer of England or Commissioners of the Treasury for the Time, being.
VII. 
And in case any person or persons lyable by this Law to pay any of the Duties aforementioned, shall not
have moneyes wherewith to answere and pay the same Bee it further enacted by the authoritie aforesaid That
the Officers appointed to collect the same shall accept instead of such moneyes such a proporation of the Commodities
to be shipped as shall amount to the Value thereof according to the currant Rate of the said Commodities in
such Plantation respectively.
VIII. 
 For encouragement of the Eastland Trade Bee it enacted by the Kings most excellent Majestie by and with the
advice and consent of the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and Commons in this present Parlyament assembled
and by the authority of the same That it shall and may be lawfull to and for every Person and persons Native
or Forreigner from and after the first day of May which shall be in the yeare of our Lord One thousand six
hundred seaventy and three at all times to have free liberty to trade into and from Sweden, Denmarke and
Norway; Any thing in the Charter of the Governour, Assistants and Fellowship of Merchants of Eastland, or
any other Charter, Grant, Act or any thing else heretofore made or done, or hereafter to be done to the
contrary in any wise notwithstanding.
IX. 
And it is hereby further enacted by the authoritie aforesaid That whatsoever person or persons Subjects of this
Realme shall desire to be admitted into the said Fellowshipp of Merchants of Eastland, That every such person
shall bee admitted into the said Fellowshipp paying for his Admission the summe of forty shillings and noe more.