Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/434

 418 of thee kingdoms is that navigation-act, the rudiments of which were firt framed in 1650, with a narrow partial view: being intended to mortify the ugar ilands, which were diaffected to the parliament and till held out for Charles II, by topping the gainful trade which they then carried on with the Dutch ; and at the ame time to clip the wings of thoe our opulent and apiring neighbours. This prohibited all hips of foreign nations from trading with any Englih plantations without licence from the council of tate. In 1651 the prohibition was extended alo to the mother country; and no goods were uffered to be imported into England, or any of it's dependencies, in any other than Englih bottoms; or in the hips of that European nation of which the merchandize imported was the genuine growth or manufacture. At the retoration, the former proviions were continued, by tatute 12 Car. II. c. 18. with this very material improvement, that the mater and three fourths of the mariners hall alo be Englih ubjects.

laws have been made for the upply of the royal navy with eamen; for their regulation when on board; and to confer privileges and rewards on them during and after their ervice.

1., for their upply. The power of impreing men for the ea ervice by the king's commiion, has been a matter of ome dipute, and ubmitted to with great reluctance; though it hath very clearly and learnedly been hewn by ir Michael Foter, that the practice of impreing, and granting powers to the admiralty for that purpoe, is of very antient date, and hath been uniformly continued by a regular eries of precedents to the preent time: whence he concludes it to be part of the common law. The difficulty aries from hence, that no tatute has exprely declared this power to be in the crown, though many of them very trongly imply it. The tatute 2 Ric. II. c. 4. peaks Rh