An answer of the Company of Royal Adventurers of England trading into Africa to the petition and paper of certain heads and particulars thereunto relating and annexed exhibited to the Honourable House of Commons by Sir Paul Painter, Ferdinando Gorges, Henry Batson, Benjamin Skutt, and Thomas Knights on the behalf of themselves and others concerned in His Majesties plantations in America.

2. The said late erected Company are of late very much sunk in their Credits amongst Merchants, Owners of Shipping and Tradesmen, to many of whom they are very much indebted for Freight of their Ships and Goods, And being often demanded to pay the same Debts, they have refused, and still do refuse to pay the same, declaring they have no effects in their hands to enable them so to do; and so by consequence their Trade following their Credit, they are, and needs must be very un∣capable to afford the said Colonies any suitable supply of Negroes, and also mannage their Gold-Trade; Whereupon they have lately taken up an unknown way of granting their Licences to others of his Maje∣sties good Subjects to fetch Negroes from Guiny, exacting for the same two, three, four and five Hundred pounds a Ship; which said Summes of Money some have been inforced to give, or sit still, and suffer their Plantations to come to ruine, which is the most intollerable Grievance and Oppression that ever was imposed upon his Majesties Subjects planting in these parts, and trading to the same.

To the second the said Company say,

It's too true, That the Company is indebted to several persons, occasi∣oned by their great losses; viz. There was taken from them at Goree by de Ruyter the value of 100000 l. Sterling, at Cormentine 60000 l. Ster∣ling, at Sereleon 4000 l. Sterling, at Syrinam and S. Christophers 20000 l. Sterling. But these Losses could not have sunk the Companies Credit, had the Planters and Merchants, especially those of Barbados, complied with their obligations, who owe the Company 90000 l. Sterling, of which they of Barbados owe 60000 l. Sterling, which last debt is thrice as much as the Company owes to any besides their own Members. Yet the Company do not refuse to pay their debts, but pay interest to all their Creditors, and do discharge Principal and Interest as fast as their effects come in, which are coming daily. Nor have they only enough left to pay their debts, but likewise to carry on the Gold-Trade, and fur∣nish the Plantations yearly with as many Negroes as they shall have occasi∣on for, and that at moderate rates, hoping they will pay their old debts, and be more just and punctual in their payments in future.

But yet they acknowledge, because their Effects were abroad, they were forced rather then the Plantations should want a supply of Negroes for this time, to give Licenses to several persons to Trade to Guiney, and have taken of them towards the maintenance of Forts 3 l. per Ton, or 10 per Cent. on the Cargo, which is less then the Company pays in proportion upon their whole Trade; which is the course that hath been taken not only by the former Guiney Company, but by the East-India Company in their late united Stock: And the Company hath hither∣to been so careful to supply the Plantations, that in the time of the great

Contagion (when all people fled from the City) they did dispatch nine Ships to Guiney purposely to supply them with Negroes, and so have continued dispatching Ships successively all the time of the late War, so that there hath not been any want of Negroes in any of the Plantations.