6 Assembly Proceedings, April 26-June 3, 1715.

U. H. J.

for the Encouragement of the Tob^o Trade Which provides
abundantly more for the relief thereof And answers all the
Ends of the Virginia Law, I am now of opinion you will not
employ much of your time about that particular

The great Condescension of the Crown in parting with so
considerable a Branch of the Revenue in your favour by pass-

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ing an Act for the encouraging of the Tob^o Trade and the
immediate Benefitt and Advantage you will reap from it, It
will be demonstrated by the Act itself which I shall send down
to your House for your Perusal

Gentlemen — I am inclinable to impute the decay of the
Revenue here more to Accident in Trade than to any Inten-
tion of the Good People of this Province to defraud the
Crown, but what was at first only the Accident of Trade is
now grown up to a pernicious Custom by which the Revenue
is greatly impaired as will evidently appear by a Law made in
an Assembly of the 30th April 1679

To that Law I am referred by my Instructions which I shall
communicate to you for your Information

True It is that the Circumstances of Trade are much
altered since that time, and as it would be of evil Consequence,
to reduce your Cask to the former Weight so It is very in-
jurious to the Crown If a due regard & proportion be not had
to its Rights, It is therefore expected on his Majesty's behalf
that you will reform those Abuses. The Inhabitants of this
Province with a commendable Industry use their best En-
deavours to Cultivate the Growth of Tobo And there still remain
many spacious Tracts of this fertile Soil, especially on the
Eastern Shoar which are not so agreeable to the nature of
that profitable Plant, but excellently well adapted to the making
of Hemp what of this kind has been hitherto only raised for
an Home Consumption in the opinion of the Mariners equalls
the best that grows in Europe

An Improvement of this Manufacture is worthy your mature

p. 7

Consideration; you have already great Encouragemt from
the Crown for Importation, you are certain of a market in
England for your Produce and have a Sufficient Quantity of
Land as I am informed to supply Great Brittain with Cord-
age forever.

The want of Seamen to navigate your vessels is a mighty
obstacle to the Trade of this Province and since the Humour
of the Generality of the people is such that they will not send
their Children to Sea, if some method were found of disposing
annually of a certain number of the youth maintained by the
several Countys It would in few years be of considerable use