I.

YOU are to Sign no Warrant for the taking up of any Goods or Merchan­dize before the Mer­chant hath made due Entrie under his hand with you, or paid the Duty of Excise: all which Enteries you are to keep upon a File in the Office of Excise, and to [Page 2]keep a Register Book of those Entires, fair written.

II. You are from the said Entries, to frame and keep an Accompt with every parti­cular Merchant in a fair leadger book in the way of Debtor and Creditor, making him Debtor for what he imports, and Creditor for what he sells and transports again.

III. You are to admit of no Certificate for any goods, coming from any Port of Eng­land, or Wales, but what is signed by the Of­ficers for the Excise; besides the Certificate, signed by the Officers for the Customes and Excise.

IV. You are strictly to hold the Shop­keeper, and Consumptioner that imports any goods of his own Trade, to the Rule of the Act, viz. not to suffer him to take away his goods being duly entred, until veiwed by the sworn Officers, and the Excise paid, ac­cording to the fifteenth Article.

V. You are according to the twenty fifth Article, forthwith to appoint Officers to take view of all Merchants goods resting in their Ware-houses, Cellers, &c. and to see what goods they have remaining upon their hands, and to compare the returns made by those Officers, with the particular accompts of the Merchants in your book, and for all that [Page 3]is not duly discharged in your book, by Sale, Certificate of Expostation, allowance for leakadge defects, waste accidents, and the like, and is not upon their hands; you are forth­with to require Excise for the same, and then you are to adjust his accompt unto that day, and to transfer the ressat upon a new ac­compt.

VI. You are strictly to look after the shipping of all goods outwards, especially such as are to be sent from Port to Port, that you suffer none to pass without a Certificate from you directed to the Sub-Commissioners in the Port to which it goes, or to the Surveyor-General in the Port of London if sent thither, in which Certificate to be particularly express­ed, viz.

• 1. The name of the Ship or Vessel, carry­ing the same, and the Master there­of.
• 2. The true denomination and number of the Bales, Packs, Casks, or other Vessels, in which the said commodities are con­tained.
• 3. The net, weight, measure, or just contents and values of the several commodities expressed in words, and not in figures.
• 4. To express whether the duty of Excise be paid, and when or whether Bond be [Page 4]entred into for the delivering, and due entry of the goods in the Office of Excise in the Port, whither the goods are sent, and the time when, this to be particularly expressed, and not under those general words accustomarily used, viz. for which satisfaction is given.

VII. You are quarterly to send up an accompt of all fines and forfeitures by you levied, together with the receipts of all such in­formants, and other persons to whom the moi­ety of such fines, and forfeitures, shall be by you disposed of and given, deducting the necessary charges from the whole, according to the forty first Article of the said Act.

VIII. You are to keep due Register of all the judicial proceedings, entring into the same the proof made upon any information, and all other things necessary for the clearing of your proceedings, according to the Rule of the Act; and you are to enter in a book by it self all Affidavits, which shal be taken from time to time, by any person, either for the clearing and discharging of any accompts, for deliver­ing up any Bond; which Affidavits so taken are to be signed and subscribed by such person or persons as shall make the same accord­ingly.

IX. In all your warrants for the Com­mitment [Page 5]of any person to Prison, you are to certifie the cause, and your proceedings according to the Rule of the Act.

X. You are to close your accompt at the quarter, and forthwith to send the same, ob­serving such form in the keeping & making up your accompts as shall be prescribed to you by the Accomptant General appointed by the Commissioners for the Office of Excise London.

XI. You are to receive no monies due for Excise privately, the one without the cognizance of the other, but in the Office or place in which you sit for the receipt of the same, and you are to enter to accompt all monies received, precisely upon the same day you receive it.

XII. If any Vessel bound for London, from any other Port, touch at your Port, and there deliver or unload any of the goods men­tioned in any of their Certificates, you are required to certifie what of the said goods are landed with you, either on the back of the Certificate, or writing distinct, mentioning it to be part of such a Certificate.

XIII. You are enjoyned to send up Transcripts of all such Tickets and Certificates as have already come to your hands from any Port, Place, or Sub-Commissioner, since the [Page 6]25 of March 1654. and for the future, quar­terly to send up with your accompt, transcripts of all such Tickets and Certificates as shall hereafter come to your hands.

XIV. For the better prevention of coun­terfeit Tickets and Forgeries, you are from time to time, to send up your own names to­gether with the name of the Person or Persons imployed under you, or intrusted in your ab­sence, in a fair paper, all subscribed by you and them, each man writing his own name thereto severally, and when you make any change of subordinate Officers, you are to intimate the same in like manner as directed, which paper so subscribed is to remain in the Office here, to be compared with the Certificates here as often as received.

XV. The Office Seal to be affixed to every Cocquet and Certificate.

XVI. And lastly, you are to take special care, That you nor your Deputies Sign any Certificate, or let pass twice for one and the same parcel of Goods, that shall at any time be transported from your Port to any other Port or Place whatsoever.