Page:Englishhistorica36londuoft.djvu/530

 522 TRADING WITH THE ENEMY AND October The statute anticipates it by laying down the rule that prize goods of which the importing is forbidden are not, except in special cases, to be landed in England, but are to be exported to any foreign market. About the execution and results of this act, it is fortunately not here necessary to speak. It was repealed by the parliament of James II in 1685, 1 and its place filled by a heavy, though not a prohibitive tariff on French linen, calicoes, silks, brandy, and other spirits : 2 a change of policy similar to that which we shall notice as happening ten years later. In 1686 the restrictions laid by the French on importing East India goods hampered the English still further. Three years later the revolution and the war brought a new opportunity for the whig commercial policy, and soon after the English declara- tion of war a bill was introduced in the house of commons for prohibiting all trade with France. The principal obstacle to its passing was the fear that the Dutch might derive an unfair advantage from allowing the English to cut off their French trade, while not themselves doing likewise ; but the conclusion of a treaty with the Dutch in August 1689 did away with this fear. 3 A week after the treaty was signed, the bill, in one day, was passed in an amended form by the lords, was accepted by the commons, and received the royal assent. 4 Like the pro- clamations which preceded it, it had a mercantilist preamble. It imposed strong penalties for the importing of French goods and ordered the destruction of any such goods that were seized, and the forfeiture of the offending ships. In order to reduce the profits of smuggling a maximum price was set on the red wines already in stock in England, and, after a time-limit of a little less than a year, this maximum was to be reduced, so that neither the hoarder nor the secret importer could openly make a profit from selling red wine. The whole enactment was for three years. During the parliamentary discussions there had been differences of opinion on a good many points of machinery and detail. A partial exemption had been granted, on their petition, to some English distillers who had been for some time established in Catalonia. 5 One of the original clauses, providing that the Crown might grant further exemptions, had been struck out by the commons. An amendment had been inserted, but had 1 1 Jac. II, c. 6 {Statutes of the Realm, vi. 10). 2 1 Jac. II, c. 5 (ibid. vi. 7). 3 See ante, xxxv. 545-50. and the parliamentary proceedings are to be found in the Commons' Journals, especially 7/17 August ; Lords' Journals, especially 9/19 August ; House of Lords Papers, 1689-90, pp. 250 f . 5 The prolongation of this exemption was provided for in the unsuccessful bill of 1689/90 for permitting the use of captured salt by the navy (House of Lords Papers, 1689-90, p. 422). For the capture by the French of two ships laden with the goods of these distillers, see Cal. of State Papers, Bom., 13/23 June and 28 June/8 July 1692.
 * The statute is 1 William and Mary, sess. 1, c. 34 {Statutes of the Eealm, vi. 98),