CDXLIX. Nicholas Ferrar. A Draft (and Copy) for a Petition
from the Commons
May, 1624
Ferrar Papers
Document in Magdalene College, Cambridge. Rough draft in Nicholas Ferrar's
autograph and a copy in Edward Collingwood's writing
List of Records No. 669
Spanish Tobacko.
Your Maties: moast humble Commons, taking into carefull consideration,
the greate wante of mony in this your Realm at this day; wherby Rents
are unpayde, Contracts broken, Bonds forfeited, Marketts and Fayres
much deserted, or unfrequented, the better sort impoverished, and the
meaner (for want of meanes in the better) not sett on worke; extending,
not onely to a generall Distemper amongst your Subiectℯ at home, but
to the hinderance alsoe of Trade, and Traffique abroade; (mony being
aswell the Mother as Daughter therof) And doubting, least the same
wante, may in fyne alsoe redounde to the preiudice of your Maty: in
Subsidies and other Dutys, graunted or to be graunted for the seruice
of your Maty; and necessary defence of yr Kingdoms: they haue thought
fitt, to present one prince to your Mate: princely regard one principall
cause of this want, amongst diuers others, wch the streightness of tyme,
doth exclude from exact ∥and full∥ consideration.
It is generally knowen, that the West Indies, are at this day almoast
the onely Fountayne, and Spayne as it were the Cesterne, from whence
Silver is deriued into all parts of Christendom.
The cause of the greate Importation of siluer from thence into this
Realme, hath beene for that Spayne having soe greate need of many
English Commodities and being not able to Counterballance them wth
their owne, they haue beene forced to make the acompt eeuen wth Mony.
But since this Weede of Tobacho hath growen into request, they haue
payde, us (as their Prouerb is) for all our Commodities wth Their Smoake:
And the vayne of there siluer to us ward, hath beene in a manner dried
upp, to the Loss of a Million and a halfe in mony in theese fifteene yeares
last past.
For uppon very full and exact examination, it hath very playnely and
undeniably appeared, that what by vndersale of our Natiue Commodities
to make ready mony ∥for∥ of their Tobacho, what by the mony itselfe
payde unto them for that weede, there hath beene lost ∥losse∥ to this
Kingdom of one hundred Thousand poundℯ euery yeare, which else
would haue returned in mony from thence. And a miserable kynde of
Trade hath been driuen wth that Nation, our Natiue Commodities being
undersolde, and the forreigne ouerbought, and the Treasure of mony
transformed into a Smoaking weed.
Your humble Commons therfore, moast instantly craue of your Maty,
that the Importation of Tobacho, may bee prohibited from all ∥other∥
partℯ other then save your Matℯ ∥owne∥ Dominions, according to the
Practize in like Cases in all other Nations, in fauour of the natiue Com-
modities, and of their Naturall People.
[Indorsed:] Petitions to Parliamt reɫ to Virginia.
