Whereas the trade to and fishing at Newfound Land ... : manuscript copy

Whereas The trade to and fishing
at NewfoundLand is a Benificial Trade
to this Kingdome not only in
the Imploying Great Numbers of Seamen
and Shipps and reporting and Consuming
Great Quantities of provisions and Manufactures
of this Realme whereby many Tradesmen
and poore Artificers are kept at
worke but also in bringing into this
Nation by returnes of the Effects
of the said ffishery from other
Countryes great Quantities of Wine Oyle
plate Iron Wool and Sundry other
vseful Comodities to the increase of

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His Majesties Revenue and the Encouragement
of Trade and Nauigation And Whereas
his Late Majestie King Charles the
Second by Letters Patents bearing Date
at Westminster the Twenty Seventh Day
of January in the twenty Seauenth ^ ^yeare
of his said Majesties Reigne vpon
the humble Peticion of the Merchants
Owners and Masters of the Shipps
and Inhabitants of the Westerne ports
of this Kingdome Adventureing to
NewfoundLand in ffishing Voyages and after
dve consideration had of the Best
wayse and Meanes of regulating Secureing

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and Improveing the ffishing Trade at
NewfoundLand did then grant ordaine Ratifie
and Confirme Certaine Powers Rules and
Orders for the better Government of
the said ffishing Trade, as by
the said Letters patents relation being
therevnton had may Appeare Bee it
Enacted by the Kings Most Excellent
Majestie by and with the Advise
and Consent of the Lords Spirituall
and Temporall and Commons in this
present Parliament Assembled and by the
Authority of the Same That the
said Letters patents Granted by the

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said King Charles the Second bearing
date the said Twenty Seauenth Day
of January in the said twenty
seauenth yeare of his said Majesties
Reigne for Regulateing the Newfoundland ffishery
and all and euery the Clauses
powers and Dirrections penalties forfeitures Matters
and things whatsoeuer therein Contained (except
what is hereafter by this Act
otherwise altered explained or provided for)
are and shall bee and Continue ^ ^{in force} as
^ ^if the same were herein and hereby
perticularly writed and Mencioned And bee
it further Enacted by the Authority

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aforesaid that it shall and may
be lawfull for all his Majesties
subjects of this ^ ^his Realme of England
Dominion of Wales and Towne of
Berwick vpon Tweed Tradeing or that
shall Trade to Newfoundland and the
Seas Riuers Leakes Creekes Harbours or
Roades in or about Newfoundland or
any of the Islands adjoyning thereto
to haue vse and Enjoy the
ffree Trade and Traffic and shall
and may freely Traffique and vse
the Trade and Art of Merchandize
and shall peaceably haue vse and

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Enjoy the freedom of takeing Baile
and ffishing in any of the
Riuers Leakes Creekes Harbors or Roads
in or about or into and or
from Newfoundland and those Seas, or
any of the Islands Adjoyning thereto
with liberty to goe on shore there
in any part of the Newfoundland
or the said Islands for the
Cureing Salting Drying and husbanding of
their ffish and making of Oyle
and for the cutting of all
wood and Trees for the Building
and makeing of Stages Rooms Traynffatts

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Hurdles, Shipsboots[?] and other Necessaries for
themselues and their Servants Seamen and
ffisehrmen and all things which may
bee vsefull in Advantagious to their
ffishing Trade as ffully and ffreely
as att any time heretofore hath
been vsed and Enjoyed there by
any of the Subjects of his
Majestys Royal predecessors and that without ^ ^any
hinderance Interuption Denyall or Distirbance whatsoeuer
soe as they Submitt vnto and
observe the Rules and orders in
and by this Act prescribed and
ordained touching the same. And Bee

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it Further Enacted by the Authority
aforesaid That no : Ballast presstones or
any thing Else Hurtfull to the
harbous there shall be out to the
prejudice of the said Harbours but
that it shall be carried Ashore
and Laid where it may doe
noe annoyance And Bee it Enacted
by the authority aforesaid that noe
person whatsoeuer either ffisherman or Inhabitante
shall destroy Deface or worke any
detriment to any Stage Cook: roome
Stakes Spikes nayles or any other
thing thereto belonging whatsoeuer either at

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the end of the Voyage when
he hath done and is to
depart that Cuntry or to any
such stages as he shall fall
into at his Coming into the
Country but that he or they
content themselues with such stage or
stages ^ ^only as are needfull for them
and that for repairing of such
stages as he or they take
the same shall be done with Timber
fetch out of the woods
and not by the ruining and
breaking downe ^ ^of other stages vpon paine

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And bee it
Enacted by the authority aforesaid ^ ^That according
to antient Cvstome euery Ship or
ffisherman that first entreth the harbour
in behalfe of Ship shall bee
Admirall dureing the Season wherein for
the Time being he shall reserue
only soe much Beach or fflakes
or both as are needfull for
the Number of Boats which hee
shall vse with an overpluse only
for one Boat more then hee
needs as a priuiledge for his first
coming and that euery Ship coming

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after doe content himselfe with what
he shall haue necessary vse for
without keeping or Deteining any more
to the prejudice of others next
coming. And that any that are
possessed of seuerall places in seuerall
harbors with intent to keepe them
all before they resolue vpon which
of them to choose be bound
to resolue or send Advice to
such after comers in those places
as shall expect his resolution and
that within Dayes if
the weather shall soe serue that the

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after comers may Likewise Choose their
places and soe none receiue prejudice
by others Delay and that the
Admiralls of the respectiue Harbours doe
proportion the room to the seuall
Shipps in the Harbours they ffish
in according to the number of
Boats they keepe And be it
Enacted by the authority aforesaid that
noe ffisherman or Inhabitant in Newfoundland
doe or shall take vp or
possess any of the Stages Cook
roomes and Beaches or places for
takeing bait or ffishing before the

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Arrivall of the ffishermen out of
England and that they bee all
provided for Excepting to the said
Inhabitants such Stages as they are
rightfully possessed of before the makeing
of this Act and that noe
person bee Deemed or taken to
be an Inhabitant there but such
as haue their ffamilies there resident
with them And Bee it Further
Enacted by the Authority aforesaid that
noe Master or owner of any
ffishing Shipp doe Transport or Carry
any Seaman or ffishermen or other

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persons in his Shipp To Newfoundland
other then such as truly belong
to his or their or other
Shipps Company and such as are
engaged in the Voyage and haue
share or shared or hire of
the said Shipp or such as
intend to settle there with their
ffamilies And other then such as
shall bee Servants to ffisher men
Inhabitants there and Actually receiue wages
from them being Servants as aforesaid
shall not be interesed in the
profitts of the ffishing Voyage And

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Bee it further Enacted by the
Authority aforesaid that noe Master or
owner of any ffishing Shipp doe
transport or carry in any one
Shipp for A ffishing Voyage more
then     persons to one hundred
Tunns Burthen of the said Ship and
soe proportionably for all Shipps of
a greater or Lesser Burthen And bee
it further Enacted by the authority
aforesaid that the Masters and Owners
of all ffishing Shipps tradeing out
of England Wales or Berwick aforesaid
to Newfoundland According to the Number

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of men in their respectiue Shipps
doe provide in England Wales or
Berwick victualls and other necessarys vsed
in the ffishing Craft (except Salt)
for the whole Voyage or ffishing
Season for themselves and Compnayes And
bee it further Enacted by the
authority aforesaid That the Admiralls of and
in euery port and harbour in
Newfoundland for the time being ^ ^bee and
are hereby Authorized and required to
preserue peace and good Goverment amongst
Seamen and ffishermen in their

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respectiue Harbours as well as on the
Shore to see the rules and
orders concerning the regulation of the
ffishery duely putt in Execution And
bee it further Enacted by the
Authority aforesaide that the said Admiralls
doe yearly keepe Journalls of their
proceedings there and at their returne
in England deliuer Copies of them
with an account of the Number of
their Shipps Boats Stages Trynfatts and
of the Seamen belonging to and
employed in their respectiue Harbours vnto
his Majesties Councell for Trade and plantations

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