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.

To the third the said Company say,

It is true, That the Company understanding that the Spaniards were Treating with the Dutch West-India Company to furnish them yearly with a number of Negroes, for preventing of that Bargain to the Hollanders (which must inevitably have brought a great inconveniency upon the Plantations, by the competition with the Hollanders for the procuring of Negroes) and to bring a considerable return in ready money into this Kingdom, and hoping thereby in time to introduce a Trade into the Spanish West-Indies, did contract with them for the delivery of a certain number of Negroes yearly (though at a low rate, yet such as would have brought yearly into this Kingdom in pieces of Eight 100000 l. Sterling,) on purpose to keep the Trade from the Dutch: But they never delivered to the Spaniards more then 1200 Negroes, nor are they obliged to deliver them any more, because they have broken their Articles with the Company. And notwithstanding that Agree∣ment, the Company furnished the Plantations with 6000 Negroes and upwards every year; which were more than they would buy of the Company, who were forced to keep many of them on their hands until they perished: And it seems very strange the Planters should complain of the Companies selling Negroes to the Spaniards, when as they them∣selves sold many of the Negroes they bought of the Companies Factors to the Spaniards; Nor do the Spaniards, as they alledge, imploy their Negroes to make the same Commodities as our Plantations do furnish: For it's well known they use them chiefly in their Silver-Mines, and Do∣mestick-Service.