exclusive right of deposit for the cloths imported from England. This
monopoly for Zealand being naturally not very palatable to Amsterdam and
other cities of Holland, the States-General had at last authorized the
merchant-adventurers engaged in this traffic to deposit their goods in
any city of the United Provinces. The course of trade had been to
import the raw cloth from England, to dress and dye it in the
Netherlands, and then to re-export it to England. Latterly, however,
some dyers and clothiers emigrating from the provinces to that country,
had obtained a monopoly from James for practising their art in his
dominions. In consequence of this arrangement the exportation of undyed
cloths had been forbidden. This prohibition had caused irritation both
in the kingdom and the republic, had necessarily deranged the natural
course of trade and manufacture, and had now prevented for the time any
conclusion of an alliance offensive and defensive between the countries,
even if political sentiment had made such a league possible. The States-
General had recourse to the usual expedient by which bad legislation on
one side was countervailed by equally bad legislation on the other. The
exportation of undyed English cloths being forbidden by England, the
importation of dyed English cloths was now prohibited by the Netherlands.
The international cloth trade stopped. This embargo became at last so
detestable to all parties that concession was made by the crown for a
limited export of raw cloths. The concession was soon widened by custom
into a general exportation, the royal Government looking through its
fingers at the open infraction of its own laws, while the natural laws of
trade before long re-established the old equilibrium. Meantime the ill-
feeling produced by this dissension delayed any cordial political
arrangement between the countries.

On the 5th of February the Spanish commissioners came for the first time
before the States-General, assembled to the number of a hundred and