546 DUTCH MISSIONS TO ENGLAND IN 1689 October sea-borne trade according to its own established maxims, before there was any further diplomatic discussion of these questions between them. With the Dutch the outbreak of war had been preceded by a period of commercial hostilities : from the autumn of 1688 the importation of most of the French products and manufactures was forbidden.^ The Dutch declaration of war on 26 February /9 March brought with it a list of contraband articles which might not be taken to the French .^ This has the rather unpractical distinction that Dutch subjects are not allowed to take naval stores, but neutral subjects, in consequence of the treaties with neutral states, are allowed to take them. In general the prize-courts were acting on the old principle ' Free Ships, Free Goods '.3 In England the restrictions put on trade were only slightly more severe. Before the declaration of war there had been in the spring a proclamation forbidding the importation of French wines, brandy, silks, linen, cloth, pepper, and so forth, and a time limit seven months ahead had been named after which no one was to sell these goods on pain of having them con- fiscated. After the declaration came a second proclamation forbidding the importing of any French goods whatsoever after an interval of only a week, on pain of confiscation, the informer getting half the value. In this proclamation there is a preamble which shows clearly how the ' jealousy of trade ' could be invoked in favour of their policy, although it was also intended to damage the enemy. It recites that England has for years received great damage by consuming French commodities and exporting English bullion and coin, and avows the protectionist purpose ' to increase and encourage our own manufacture '.* By the common law it was high treason to sell goods to the enemy with the intention of aiding him in carrying on the war ; to trade with him for private enrichment was a misdemeanour. The law, however, was none too clear.^ To make these prohibitions really effective it was necessary to have fresh legislation, with special penalties and a machinery for detection and prosecution. On the Dutch side this was equally the case, but there does not seem to have been any spontaneous movement. In the English house of commons a bill was introduced a little more than a month after the declaration of war, for prohibiting all commerce with » Placaets of 8/18 October 1688 {Groot Placcaetboek). * Ibid.
- Res. Stat. Oen., 25 November/4 December 1688, instructing admiralty colleges
to this effect.
- Proclamation of 25 April/5 May 1689 (Tudor and Stuart Proclamations) ; its
preparation resolved on by privy council 15/25 April (Privy Council Register). For a similar proclamation on the occasion of the second Dutch war see Tudor and Stuart Proclamations, 16/26 March 1664/5. • » See the opinions of the judges in House of Lords Paper s^ 1690-1, p. 447.
