THE PERIOD OF TRADE ASCENDENCY 71
penalty was to be the forfeiture of both the ship and its cargo. The eighteenth clause forbade certain “ enumerated ” articles—viz., sugar, tobacco, cotton - wool, indigo, ginger, fustic, or other dyeing woods, to be shipped to any country except England, or some other English plantation. The second clause prohibited foreigners from becoming merchants or factors in the Colonies. Governors were to be solemnly Sec. 2, sworn to do their utmost to put the Act into force ; and all ships loading in the colonies any of the enumerated goods were to give bonds that their destination was England or Sec. 19. Ireland. The Act of 1660 was strengthened three years 14 Car. ii. later by an enactment which made foreign-built ships to j’ scc ' be in all cases deemed alien. In the next year another is Car. ii. Act was passed , 1 which further obliged European goods to £ 7 ’ sec ' be first landed in England before being exported to the Colonies. Another Act, “ for regulating the plantation trade,” 22 and 23 imposed upon governors the duty of making annual returns Ç"* "■ c - of all ships lading any commodities in the Colony, and also of all Bonds taken. In 1672 a further Act was passed, render- 25 Car. ii. ing goods brought from one Colony to another liable to the ^ sec- same custom duties which they would have paid if brought to England.
The provisions of the Navigation Act with regard to the “ enumerated ” articles were of far-reaching importance. It is true that among the non-enumerated articles there remained some of the most important products of America. Grain of all sorts was always excluded from them, and hides and skins were not included until the time of George III. The fisheries —a most important industry in New England—had all the encouragement which freedom could give them, and the trade both in lumber and rum was fostered by England. It was doubtless true, as stated by Adam Smith , 2 that “ if the whole surplus produce of America, in grain of all sorts, in salt provisions and in fish, had been put into the enumeration and
1 Note language—“For the maintaining a greater kindnesse and correspondence ... it being the usage of other nations to keep their plantation trade to themselves.”
2 Wealth of Nations, Book IV., ch. J.