decide the caufe, unless their ambaffador or conful be there prefent;-of late our judges, without the know- ' ledge of their ambaffador, have condemned, imprisoned, and taken prefents from the English nation, which is a great wrong done to them.

LVIII. Also, whereas in the Imperial capitulations it is ordered, that the customers shall not take any custom for fuch gold and dollars as by the English nation fhall be brought in or carried out of our Imperial dominions; and that the merchants are to give only three per cent. for the custom of their goods, and no more; the customers notwithstanding do pretend to take custom for their chequeens and dollars; and to take more cuftom than their due for their raw filks which they buy; and of the goods which they land at Scanderoon, to carry up to Aleppo, they demand fix per cent.; which unjuft exactions have been heretofore rectified and redreffed with an exprefs hatterfheriffe. But being now again informed that the faid English merchants are as before wronged, by reafon that the customers do value and eftimate the goods of the English merchants more than they are worth; and though the customers are to have but three per cent. yet by an over valuation of the goods they take from them fix per cent. And the fervants of the cuftomhouse, under pretence of fmall duties and expences, wrongfully take great fums of money from them; and a greater number of waiters being put aboard the Englifh fhips than heretofore have been used, the charges thereof are a great expence to the merchants and masters of fhips that fuftain it. To all which we being requested for a redress, do command, that when the customers do fet great values upon their goods, the merchant offering to them according to the rate of three per cent. in fpecie, of the fame goods, the cuf tomers fhall not refuse, but accept the fame. And being defired by the English ambaffador that the above specified abuses and injuries fhould be rectified, we do command, that contrary to the Imperial capitulations,

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the English merchants be, neither in the foregoing particulars, nor in any other manner, troubled, nor their privileges unjustly infringed.

The ambaffador of the King of Great Britain, Sir Heneage Finch, Knight, Earl of Winchelfea, Viscount Maidfton, Baron Fitzherbert of Eaftwell, lord of the royal manor of Wye, and lieutenant of the county of Kent and city of Canterbury, whofe end may it terminate with bliss, did arrive with his prefents, and with all fincerity and affection was accompanied with letters amply expreffing the good friendship and correfpondence; and that above-faid ambaffador hath prefented the capitulations that they might be renewed according to the canon. And, that fome articles of great confideration, which were before in the capitulations, may be more punctually obferved, the said ambassador did defire that they might be again renewed, and more plainly expreffed in the Imperial capitulations. His requeft was graciously accepted; one of which points is this.

LIX. That the gallies, and other veffels of the Imperial fleet, departing the dominions of the Grand Signior, and meeting on the fea with the fhips of England, they fhall in no wife give them moleftation, nor detain them in their voyage, nor take from them any thing whatsoever; but ought always to fhew to one another good friendship, without doing the leaft damage. And it being thus declared in the Imperial capitulations, beyes and captains, who fail upon the feas, and thofe of Algier, Tunis, and Tripoli, meeting English fhips which fail from one port to another, ought not to take from them any money or goods, upon pretence that their fhips tranfport enemies goods, and thereupon fearch them, and with this colour inoleft and detain them from profecution of their voyage; fo that only at the mouth of the castles, and in the ports where the fearchers belonging to the customs ufually come aboard, their goods fhall be examined,

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but on the fea they fhall be liable to no farther fearch or inquifition.

LX. And contrary to the articles of the Imperial capitulations, the goods of the English nation ought to receive no moleftation, having once paid the custom, nor fhall the cuftomers deny to give the tefchere, or certificate, that the custom is paid for; upon complaint hereof, we ftrictly command, that the aforefaid customers do not defer, immediately upon demand, to give the tefchere or certificate.

LXI. And, the custom being once paid of any fort of merchandize not fold in that port, which is to be transported to another fcale, entire credit fhall be given to the tefchere, and a second custom fhall not be fo much as farther pretended.

LXII. In Aleppo, Cairo, and other parts of the Imperial dominions, the English merchants and their fervants may freely and frankly trade, and for all their goods and merchandize pay only three per cent. according to the former cuftom, and the Imperial capitulations, whether the goods be brought by fea or by land. And though the customers and farmers, upon the arrival of the goods at the fcale, to give moleftation and trouble to the English nation, pretend that the goods of the growth and manufacture of England ought only to pay three per cent. but goods brought from Venice and other places are obliged to pay more, and with this colour and pretence occafion fuits and troubles to the English; wherefore in this point let the Imperial capitulations be obferved as in former times, and our officers ought in no wife to permit the contrary hereunto.

LXIII. An Englishman becoming indebted, or having made himself pledge for another, who is either failed, or run away; the debt ought to be demanded of the debtor; and if the creditor have no hoget, that fuch

fuch an one according to the law hath made himself pledge and fecurity, the debt fhall not be demanded of the other; which article is already declared in the capitulations.

LXIV. Whereas fometimes an Englishman living in a country, to free himself from a debt, draws a bill of exchange upon another Englishman who hath no effects of his in his hands; and the person to whom the money is payable, being a man of power and authority, brings his bill, and, contrary to the law, and the capitulations, demands and forces payment of the bill. In which cafe the merchant accepting the bill, fhall be obliged to fatisfy it; but not accepting of it, he fhall be liable to no farther trouble.

LXV. And the interpreters of the ambassador of England being free, by the articles declared in the ancient capitulations, of all Angaria, or taxes; by virtue alfo of this prefent article, when any of the faid interpreters die, their goods or eftate fhall not be fubject to the custom, but shall be divided amongst the creditors and heirs.

LXVI. And, the King of England being a true friend to this our happy Port, to his ambaffador who refides here, ten fervants, of what nation foever, fhall be allowed, free from harach or taxes, or molestation of any man.

LXVII. An Englishman turning Mahometan, and having goods or estate in his hands belonging to his English principals, thofe goods or estate fhall be delivered into the hands of the ambassador or conful, thať they may convey and make them good to the truę

owners,

The late ambaffador of the King of England, who refided in our High Port, being dead, Sir John Finch, Knight, a prudent man, and one of the council of foreign trade, is appointed to fucceed him in the charge

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of the embaffy: and, notice being given to our noble prefence, that the faid ambaffador was arrived with the Royal letters and the ufual prefents, they were acceptable to us. And the aforefaid ambaffador having made known to us, that in the capitulations already granted, there were feveral expreffions fo full of ambiguity, that they needed further explication; and to this end having requested of us, in the behalf of the King his mafter, that the capitulations might be renewed, and that fuch explications and additional articles as were neceffary might be added to them; the request of the faid ambaffador being made known to us, we have confented to it: and we do command, and be it commanded, that the additions defired be added to the former capitulations; of which one is,

I. THE nifani fheriff (that is) the Imperial com→ mand, upon which was put the hatterfheriff (that is) the hand of the Emperor Sultan Ibrahim Han (whose foul reft in glory) in the year 1053, which command declares, that anciently the Englifh fhips that came to Scanderoon did pay for every cloth of London, for the custom of Scanderoon, forty para's; and for a piece of kerfey, fix para's; and for every bundle of coneyfkins, fix para's; and for tin and lead, for every quintal of Damafcus or Cantaro, fifty-feven para's and a half for cuftom: which goods afterwards arriving in Aleppo, did pay for the custom of Aleppo, for every cloth of London, eight para's; for a piece of kerfey, eight para's and one-fixth; for every bundle of coneyfkins, eight para's and one-fixth; for tin and lead, for every battman of Aleppo, one para for cuftom. And the faid nation buying goods and tranfporting them, for what they bought in Aleppo and exported, did pay for raw cloth of linen or chilis, for cordovans, for hora fani hindi, for every bale of each, two dollars and a half; and for every bale of cotton-yarn, a dollar and a quarter; and for a bale of gauls, a quarter of a dollar; and for every bale of filk, ten ofmani (of which fourteen makes a dollar); for rhubarb, and fuch like drugs,

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