[24] The following is a summary of the legislation of the colony of Virginia; details will be found in Appendix A:-- 1710, Duty Act: proposed duty of L5. 1723, " " prohibitive (?). 1727, " " " 1732, " " 5%. 1736, " " " 1740, " " additional duty of 5%. 1754, " " " " 5%. 1755, " " " " 10% (Repealed, 1760). 1757, " " " " 10% (Repealed, 1761). 1759, " " 20% on colonial slaves. 1766, " " additional duty of 10% (Disallowed?). 1769, " " " " " " 1772, " " L5 on colonial slaves. Petition of Burgesses _vs._ Slave-trade. 1776, Arraignment of the king in the adopted Frame of Government. 1778, Importation prohibited. [25] _Letters of Governor Spotswood_, in _Va. Hist. Soc. Coll._, New Ser., I. 52. [26] Hening, _Statutes at Large of Virginia_, IV. 118, 182. [27] _Ibid._, IV. 317, 394; V. 28, 160, 318; VI. 217, 353; VII. 281; VIII. 190, 336, 532. [28] _Ibid._, V. 92; VI. 417, 419, 461, 466. [29] _Ibid._, VII. 69, 81. [30] _Ibid._, VII. 363, 383. [31] _Ibid._, VIII. 237, 337. [32] _Miscellaneous Papers, 1672-1865_, in _Va. Hist. Soc. Coll._, New Ser., VI. 14; Tucker, _Blackstone's Commentaries_, I. Part II. App., 51. [33] Hening, _Statutes_, IX. 112. [34] Importation by sea or by land was prohibited, with a penalty of L1000 for illegal importation and L500 for buying or selling. The Negro was freed, if illegally brought in. This law was revised somewhat in 1785. Cf. Hening, _Statutes_, IX. 471; XII. 182. [35] The following is a summary of the legislation of the colony of Maryland; details will be found in Appendix A:-- 1695, Duty Act: 10_s._ 1704, " " 20_s._ 1715, " " " 1717, " " additional duty of 40_s._ (?). 1754, " " " " 10_s._, total 50_s._ 1756, " " " " 20_s._ " 40_s._ (?). 1763, " " " " L2 " L4. 1771, " " " " L5 " L9. 1783, Importation prohibited. [36] _Compleat Coll. Laws of Maryland_ (ed. 1727), p. 191; Bacon, _Laws of Maryland at Large_, 1728, ch. 8. [37] Bacon, _Laws_, 1754, ch. 9, 14. [38] _Ibid._, 1763, ch. 28. [39] _Laws of Maryland since 1763_: 1771, ch. 7. Cf. _Ibid._: 1777, sess. Feb.-Apr., ch. 18. [40] _Ibid._: 1783, sess. Apr.-June, ch. 23. [41] "The last importation of slaves into Maryland was, as I am credibly informed, in the year 1769": William Eddis, _Letters from America_ (London, 1792), p. 65, note. The number of slaves in Maryland has been estimated as follows:--