Page:History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce (Volume 2).djvu/493

 muslins, China-ware, diamonds, and other merchandise have been imported in their ships and smuggled on shore," they "offer a reward to any person who shall make a discovery of such offence of one-half of what the Company shall recover and receive over and above all other rewards the parties are entitled to by law."

But these illicit practices appear at one time to have been carried on not merely in London and at the ports to which the ships of the Company traded in India and China, but at places in England, Scotland, and Ireland their ships had no business to be; for the Court of Directors passed a standing order wherein it was declared that within six weeks of the clearance of the cargoes of the homeward-bound ships, the commander and officers were required to attend a joint committee of private trade and shipping, to whom it was referred to make strict inquiry into the reasons of any deviations made on the passage to London, or during any portion of the voyage, and the committee were enjoined with all convenient speed to report their opinion to the Court. The Directors further "resolved unanimously" that, as these illicit practices were shown to have occurred, and were "frequently carried on" at foreign ports, as well as at out-ports in England, Ireland, and Scotland, to which the ships proceeded "contrary to the orders and instructions given to the commanders," or by "means of vessels which meet the Company's ships at sea, and there deliver goods to, and receive goods from them," stringent measures should be adopted to detect the delinquents. It was