INCONVENIENCIES to the English Nation which have ensued the Act of Navigation, in reference to the Growths of Norway, as was proved before the Honourable the Committee of Parliament upon Saturday April 4. 1668.  
1. BEfore the Act, the Trade of Norway was generally driven by the English in barter of our Growths and Manufactures; whereas now it is driven in Dollars, and the Treasure of the Nation: and those Growths and Manufactures of England which are exported into Norway are rarely exported but by Norwegians.  
2. The prices of the Growths of Norway were become near double, until about a week since.  
3. Our own Timber is much wasted by reason of the dearness and scarcity of Norway-Timber.  
4. We have not built one Ship for that Trade since the Act, nor never shall so long as it stands in force, because a foreign Ship may be built for half the price, and be more free for Trade: whereas the Norwegian hath doubled his Shipping since the Act, and built them twice as big as before 
And hath increased his Mariners from 600 to above 6000. : whereby the English in a short time must necessary be excluded the Trade of Norway, unless he drive it by Danes in Danish Bottoms.  
5. The English Mariners are now almost wholly laid aside, the Trade of Norway being generally driven by the English in Norway Bottoms, and those sailed by Norwegians.  
6. The English are wholly left to the King of Denmark's disposing, without redress, when-ever he pleases to impose any farther Abuses upon them then are contained in the proposals 
The Abuse● complained of in the proposals were: The Engl. since the year 1646,& by the Treary made with his Majesty 1660, paid ⅘ of a Dollar custom per Last for the Growths of Norway,( except the Town of Bergen:) since the late War they pay for custom for Timber a Dollar and half,& for other Growths a Dollar and ⅘, others 2 Dollars ⅖, and others 3 Dollars: and in measuring the Lastage, the same Ships which before the late War had their Measures adjusted, are now raised 35& 40 Lasts. .  
7. It is the Interest of the King of Denmark to make the Trade of Norway insupportable to the English, for thereby his Subjects will monopolise the Trade.  
8. The Shipping for the Newcastle and Sunderland Trade, which have been lost since the beginning of the last War, are not near repaired by the Prizes taken in the War; and before the War the Nation did consume the Coals returned by the Shipping of this Trade: and therefore if this Shipping be now divided into the Newcastle and Norway Trade, when we have much more occasion for Coals then before the War, it cannot reasonably be expected but the prices of Coals will be as uncertain and dear as during the War.  
9. All the Shipping of Norway, and in the English Merchants hands for that Trade, will not supply one third part of our Markets with the Growths of Norway.  
10. By the Act for Re-building the City, it is to be built in 3 years, and the Breast-Summer, Story-posts, outward Window-cases, lower Floors, and Roofs of every House, are to be of Oaken Timber; so as allowing 20 Loads of Oak to perform what the Act enjoins in every House, and 12000 Houses to be built, this will amount to 240000 Loads of Oak to be expended in this thing onely, besides what must be spent in Back-houses, public Halls and Churches, Posts, Rails, Balconies, &c. Quaere where in England such quantities of Oaken Timber can be found. But if they could, and be thus converted, it is demonstrable, the King of Denmark and the Dutch may build 3 men of War, and of equal dimensions, as cheap as the King of England shall do one, and in less time. And how the Sovereignty of the Seas can be preserved, how the Nation secured, and how Navigation maintained upon these terms, the English not being permitted to buy and trade in any foreign Bottom, is not imaginable. Besides, the City is to be re-built in little more then 2 years, and yet we are denied ⅔ of the most necessary Commodity in order to it.   

ADVANTAGES which in reason will accrue to the English Nation, by Repealing the Act for Navigation, so far as it relates to the Growths of Norway, upon the Conditions mentioned in the proposals.  
1. THE English will be encouraged in this Trade, being enabled to drive it upon better terms then any other Nation.  
2. It will not be in the power of the King of Denmark much to prejudice us, though he should ruin his Subjects by it, for the Reasons in the proposals.  
3. Our Markets will be supplied in abundance and at low Rates, whereby  
4. The City will save above 500000 pound in Building, and may be rebuilt in half the time it otherways can be 
The pri●es when this Pap●r was given in were, Timber 58 s. per Load, Deals 7 l. 10 s. a Hundred, which before the Act were 28 s. per Load, and 4. l. 8. s. a Hundred: so allowing 12000 Houses to be built, and 18 Load of Timber and 400 Deals to a House, this will amount to 468000, besid●s the Timber to be used in Back-houses, pub●ick Halls and Churches. But if the Newc●stl●-Fleet be divided into this Trade, C●als will bear a double price, from whence Brick and Lime will necessary bear a proportionable Rate. .  
5. Our own Timber upon all occasions will be preserved, when Norway-Timber may be bought cheaper then our own.  
6. We shall be enabled to build Ships for this and the Fishing-Trade as well as the Dutch or any other Nation.  
7. As the Norwegian by reason of the Act( whereby the King of Denmark hath reaped more Benefit then all his Predecessors ever did by all the Trade and Treaties they made with any Nation, and all by the loss and prejudice of the English) hath been enabled to build and increase his Shipping; so the Repealing of the Act will disable him for the future, whereby the English Merchant may drive the Trade of Norway upon the account of our own Manufactures. In the time of Oliver the English Merchant was under-hand permitted to drive this Trade in foreign Bottoms, whereby the Norwegian was enforced to sell the Shipping he had built for this Trade.  
8. The Treasure of the Nation exported by the English and Norwegian will be much preserved in it.  
9. We may better expect the Growths of Norway, imported by any other Nation, will be returned for our Manufactures, then from Norwegians.  
The reason conceived why these things are not more known, is, because of the paucity of the Norway-Traders; and that, as the case stands with them, if they complain, and be not relieved, it will be in the power of the King of Denmark to oppress them, and not in the power of the King of England to relieve them.   

Certain QUAERES resolved by the Norway Merchants.  
1. THat when these Ships in the English Merchants hands for the Trade of Norway be spent, if the Act of Navigation continue in force, there will not be one Ship left in the English hands fit for that Trade.  
This being so, and the Act continuing in force, it cannot be expected but that all Navigation must necessary sink, and the English be left to the sole disposing of the King of Denmark, whose Interest will be so much more improved, by how much he imposes upon the English.  
2. When the Ships in the English hands be spent, a Norwegian may import the Growths of Norway cheaper by 30 in the Hundred, then an English-man can in a Ship not built for that Trade.  
This being so, the English Merchant will be utterly uncapable of employing any English Mariners in this Trade, unless he intends to undo himself in it. Though Timber in Queen Eliz. Reign were fourfold more then now it is, and there were not the tenth part of the use of it as now; and though the Act 1 Eliz. 13. did under Penalties prohibit the importation of foreign Growths by her Subjects in any Ships but English-built; yet Firr-Timber, Rafts, Deal-boards, &c. were excepted.  
3. That in the Timber-Fleet now or lately in the River there was not one Ship English-built, or sailed by English: and that in one week after it was reported and believed the Trade for Timber would be made free,( at least for some time) the price of Deals fell above 30 s. in a hundred, which otherwise they would not have done: and if the Merchant were assured the Trade would be free, he would sell them 20 s. a hundred cheaper, whereby the Nation will save above 8000 pound in this Fleet, which otherwise would have been exported by foreigners.   

REASONS humbly offered to the Parliament, that the Duties to be paid by Strangers who import Timber for Rebuilding the City of London should be employed toward the re-building the Churches, and relief of the hospitals of Christ and S. Bartholomew.  
1. IT is not the City of London now standing, but the desolate City in its ruins, which pays this money; and therefore most reasonable that this desolate City should enjoy the benefit.  
2. Though the Law enjoins the person and Parish to repair the Church, yet no Law compels either to build the Church; but if it did, it were Summum jus to exact it from those Citizens who suffer under so great a Calamity as the late dreadful Fire.  
3. It will be no diminution to the King's Revenue; for it is not petitioned but the King shall enjoy the Customs paid by the English and Norwegian as before.  
4. The King will be annually threefold a greater saver by the prices of Norway-Timber in building and repairing his Navy and Palaces, when the Act permits the Importation of Timber, then his Customs for Timber have yet amounted to yearly.  
5. It will no ways conduce to the Honour of the King to have his Revenue increased by those of his suffering Subjects onely, who labour under so great a judgement as the late Fire, and are endeavouring so good a Work as the merchandizing the City.  
6. The Piety and Zeal of our ancestors, heretofore so eminent in building Churches, is not so prevalent in the minds of the men of this present Age.  
7. It will be Scandalous to the Christian World, if in merchandizing the City, no care or provision be made for the Churches.  
8. It will be destructive to the City when re-built, if the means for Education of the poorer sort of the Youth of the City be suppressed; and the King and Nation will suffer so much, by how much S. Bartholomew's will be disabled to relieve sick and wounded persons.