ined to English ships. This was a sufficient limitation of their
former freedom of trade to incense the planters in the West Indies
but, as a matter of greater importance to them, the king granted to
the Company of Royal Adventurers the exclusive trade to the western
coast of Africa, thus limiting their supply of Negro slaves to this
organization. The company therefore undertook this task, realizing
that in the Negro trade it would find by far its most lucrative
returns. Not only did the company supply the planters with slaves,
their greatest necessity, but in exchange for these it took sugar and
other plantation products which it carried to England. It was natural
that the company should endeavor to make a success of its business,
but, on the other hand, it was to be expected that the planters would
regard the company as a monopoly and a nuisance to be outwitted if
possible.

In 1660 Barbadoes was in much the same condition as is true of every
rapidly expanding new country. The settlers occupied as much land as
they could obtain and directed every effort toward its cultivation and
improvement. The growing of sugar had proved to be very profitable and
every planter saw his gains limited only by the lack of labor to
cultivate his lands. Every possible effort was therefore made to
obtain laborers and machinery. Although the planters had little ready
capital, they made purchases with a free hand, depending upon the
returns from their next year's crop to pay off their debts. As a
result, the planters were continually in debt to the merchants. The
merchants greatly desired that Barbadoes should be made as dependent
on England as possible in order that the constantly increasing amount
of money which the planters owed them might be better secured.
Moreover, they wished to prevent the planters from manipulating the
laws of the island in such a way as to hinder the effective collection
of debts.[3] The planters, on the other hand, appreciated very keenly
the ill effects upon themselves of the laws which were passed in
England for the regulation of commerce. They bitterly complained of
the enumerated article clause of the Navigation Act of 1660, which
provided that all sugars, indigo and cotton-wool should be carried
only to England. Already the planters were very greatly in debt to the
merchants and they saw in this new law the beginning of the
restrictions by which the merchants intended to throttle their trade.
Indeed it seem