inst the injustice done to the colonies. "If,"
he says, "the Hollanders must not trade to Virginia how shall the
planters dispose of their tobacco? the English will not buy it, for
what the Hollander carried thence was a sort of tobacco, not desired
by any other people, nor used by us in England but merely to transport
for Holland. Will it not then perish on the planters' hands?... the
tobacco will not vend in England, the Hollanders will not fetch it
from England; what must become thereof? even flung to the
dunghil."[200]

The people of Virginia were reduced almost to despair. They made
desperate efforts to raise the price of their staple product.
Communications were entered into with Maryland and North Carolina to
restrict the planting of tobacco in order to relieve the
overproduction, but negotiations failed, giving rise to much
bitterness and contention.[201] Similar proposals were made by
Virginia from time to time, but the effort was never successful. In
1664, the whole tobacco crop of Virginia was worth less than L8.15s
for each person in the colony. In 1666 a large portion of the crop
could not be sold at any price and was left on the hands of the
planters.[202]

Moreover, the strict enforcement of the law placing all carrying trade
in the hands of Englishmen created a monopoly for the English ship
owners, and raised enormously not only the freight rates, but the cost
of all imported goods. The planter, while he found his income greatly
decreased by the low price of tobacco, was forced to pay more for all
manufactured goods. The cost of clothing rose until the colony was
almost in nakedness.

At this crisis an attempt was made to turn the energies of the people
to manufacture. The Assembly offered rewards for the best pieces of
linen and woolen cloth spun in the colony,[203] and put a bounty on
the manufacture of silk. A law was passed requiring each county to
erect tan-houses, while encouragement was given to a salt works on the
Eastern Shore. Bounties were also offered for ship-building. In 1666 a
bill was passed making it compulsory for the counties to enter upon
the manufacture of cloth. The reading of this act shows that the
Assembly understood fully the causes of the distress of the people. It
begins: "Whereas the present obstruction of trade and the nakedness of
the country doe sufficiently evidence the necessity of providing
supply of our wants by improving all means of raysing and promoteing
manuff