as
selling the best slaves to the Spaniards at eighteen pounds per head,
while the planters paid as high as thirty pounds for those of inferior
grade. This, they declared, had so exasperated the planters that they
often refused to ship their sugar and other products to England in the
company's ships no matter what freight rates the factors offered.

In reply to the petition of Sir Paul Painter, Ellis Leighton, the
company's secretary, admitted that as a natural result of the
Anglo-Dutch war the price of slaves like all other products in
Barbadoes, had increased considerably. He denied that this increase
could be attributed to the sale of Negroes to the Spaniards since the
company had not disposed of more than 1,200 slaves to them. He
contended that the company had been thrown into a critical financial
condition, partly as the result of the losses incurred from DeRuyter
in Africa, but mostly by the constantly increasing debts which the
planters owed to the company. Notwithstanding these difficulties
Secretary Leighton maintained that since the formation of the company
Barbadoes had been supplied more adequately with slaves than at any
previous time. As for the planters' having refused to ship their goods
on the company's ships, he declared that this was nothing more than
they had consistently done since the formation of the company.[25]

In answer to the planters' representation of September 5, 1667, Sir
Ellis Leighton admitted that if Barbadoes alone was being considered,
a free trade to Guinea was preferable to any other, but since the
trade of the whole nation had to be given first consideration the idea
was pernicious. He asserted that the company was willing to furnish
the planters with all the Negroes they desired at the rates already
published, seventeen pounds per head, provided security was given for
payment in money or sugar; that instead of a lack of Negroes in
Barbadoes there had been so large a number left on the hands of the
factors that many had died; and that if the planters were sincere in
their complaints they would be willing to agree with the company on a
definite number of slaves which they would take annually.[26]

Since the importance of the Royal Company was by this time definitely
on the wane Sir Paul Painter succeeded in presenting his petition
regarding affairs in Barbadoes to the House of Commons, in September,
1667. Although the Royal Company was ordered to produce its charter no
further a