Wh. The same is reasonably and mutually to be expected; and I make no question but my Lord Protector will order right to be done therein.
Gr. Eric. The Queen’s subjects have received great losses under colour of contraband goods, when the same hath not been proved.
Wh. And many of our allies have been found to colour our enemies’ goods to the damage of England; but these matters will be proper for an examination elsewhere.
They proceeded to the particular articles.
1. This, Eric said, was equal.
2. He made the same objections as the Queen had done, and Whitelocke gave the same answers; and Eric said that this article depended upon our treaty with the Dutch.
3. Eric desired an explanation of the words “omnibus in locis quibus hactenus commercium exercebatur,”—whether that were not intended to include the English plantations in America, because traffic thither, without special license, was prohibited by our Commonwealth; and he said it would be unequal for the English to have the full traffic in the Queen’s dominions, and her subjects not to have the like in our Commonwealth. Whitelocke answered, that the English desired no traffic in any of the Queen’s dominions out of Europe, and therefore it was equal not to consent to their traffic in America; and that the opinion of the Council of State in England had been made known to Mr. Lagerfeldt in England, in this point; which paper Whitelocke then showed, and the Grave urged many other arguments, but Whitelocke kept himself to the paper of the Council.
Eric said, those transactions of Lagerfeldt were remitted to Whitelocke’s Embassy. Whitelocke said, that whatever his instructions might warrant, yet it would not become him to do anything contrary to that wherein the Council of State had declared their judgement. The same answer Whitelocke gave him concerning the herring-fishing, which Eric much insisted upon; and as to the pre-emption of the commodities of Sweden, mentioned in the Council’s paper, which Whitelocke showed him, Eric said that could not be, because those commodities were of very great value, and belonged to several private persons; and he demanded of Whitelocke if he thought England would be contented to give a pre-emption of all their cloth.
Whitelocke said, the cloth of England was likewise of very great value, and there would hardly be found one stock to buy it all, and there were several staples in other countries to vent it at; and he said he thought the best way would be, first to agree upon the general amity and commerce between the two nations, and afterwards, if Sweden held it fit, when they sent an ambassador to England, or otherwise, to propound anything concerning the fishing for herrings or the traffic in America, or touching a staple at Narva, Revel, or Gothenburg (which Eric likewise discoursed of at large), that the Protector would give a fair and just answer.
4. Eric made the same objections that the Queen had done, and had the same answers.