Clockwork.There are many other things which may be and are daily improved amongst us; asClockwork, wherein we sell nothing but Art and Labour, the Materials thereof being of small value; I have seenWatchesandClocksof great Prizes made for the Courts of Foreign Princes.
Paper-Mills.Paper-Millsare a Benefit to the Nation, as they make that Commodity from things of themselves worth little; so are arePowder-MillsPowder-Mills.; also ArtificersArtificers., who bring advantage to the Nation by supplying it with things which must otherwise be had from abroad for its own use, as also with others proper to be sent thither for Sales, and when Exported are more or less profitable as the labour of the Subject adds to their value; In like manner things are cheaper to us when we pay only for the first Materials whereof they are made, the rest being work done at home is divided amongst our selves, so that on the whole it appears to be the great Interest ofEnglandto advance its Manufactures,Methods to improve our Manufactures.and this I humbly conceive may be done these several ways.
By imploying the Poor.1. By providing Work-houses for the Poor, and making good Laws both to force and encourage them to work; but designing to speak larger to this before I close this Tract shall referr the Reader to it.
By freeing the Manufactures from Customs.2. By discharging all Customs payable on them at their Exportation, and also on the Materials used in making them at their Importation; for as the one would encourage the Merchant to send more abroad, so the other would enable the Manufacturers to afford them cheaper at home, and 'tis strange that a Nation whose Wealth depends on Manufactures, and whose Interest it is to outdo all others (especially in the Woollen) by underselling them in Foreign Markets, should load either with Taxes.
Logwood.Here I cannot but mention that ofLogwood, a Commodity much used inDying, which pays Five Poundsper TunCustom in, and draws back Three Pounds Fifteen Shillings when shipt out, by which means theDyersinHollanduse it so much cheaper than ours;Dying and dressing our Woollen Manufactures at home.now if it was Imported Custom Free, and paid Twenty five Shillingsper Tunat its Export, theDyersthere would use it so much dearer than ours here, and I think it would be well worth Inquiry, whither a Prohibition either total or in part of Shipping out our Manufactures thither and to the Northern Kingdoms undyed or undrest might not be made, I am sure it would be of great Advantage to this Kingdom if it might be done without running into greater Inconveniencies, which for my part I do not foresee, theDutchdiscourage their being brought in dyed or drest, that they may thereby give Employments to their own People, and increase their Navigation by the consumption of great quantities of Dye-stuff, and the same reasons should prevail with us to dye and dress them here, But this deserves the consideration of a Committee of Parliament to hear what may be said both for and against it.
By not importing things manufactur'd.3. By discouraging the Importation of Commodities already manufactured either from our own Plantations or other Places, such as clay'd and refinedSugars, wroughtSilks,Calicoes,Brandy,Glass,Earthen Ware,Irish Frizes,Tann'd Leather,Gloves,Lace, &c. and instead thereof we should encourage bringing in the Materials whereof they are made, to be wrought up here; this may be done by Laws, and also by being in love with our Home Manufactures, and bringing their Wearing into Fashion.
By freeing the Manufactures from Excises.4. By freeing the Manufactures from burthensome Excises, which do much discourage small Stocks, who are not able to carry on their Trades and make Provision for such great Payments; theDistillershave long groaned under them, and I fear theGlass-makersnow will, especially those in and aboutLondon, who have another load by the Duty of Coals, besides the Swarms of Officers to which we lay open the Houses of those Men who deserve all the Encouragement we can give them, and ought to have things made as easie to them as may be; had the like Methods been used to our Wollen and Leather (as was intended) we might have repented it at Leisure; Taxes when laid on our Manufactures ought to be raised by such easie Methods as shall give least trouble to the Makers: Trade ought to be handled gently, and he that considers the Expences of this Nation at Five Poundsper Headcomes to Forty Millions, and the Lands ofEnglandbut to Twelve, will imagine easie Methods may be found out to raise a greater Tax annually then we pay, without loading either Land or Trade as now we do, a Scheme whereof may be easily drawn up.
By not exporting Materials till Manufactured.5. By prohibiting as much as may be the Exportation of things to the Plantations fit to be manufactured there till they are first done here, thus 'tvvas betterShooesvvere Transported to the Plantations thanLeather, so things made ofIron, thanIronit self, this vvould employ our People, and add to the value of vvhat vve ship out.
By securing the Foreign Trade.6. By defending the Merchants in their Trades who export the Manufactures, and making it as easie to them as may be; To this end good Conveys should be allowed, and good Cruisers maintain'd to preserve their Ships, it being certain that what-ever is diminish'd out of the Merchants Stock doth so far disable him in Trade, and then consequently lessen his Exports and Imports;CourtsofMerchantsshould be also erected for the speedy deciding all differences relating to Sea Affairs,Counrts of Merchants.which are better ended by those who understand them, than they are inWestminster-Hall, where all things are tried by the Nice Rules of Law, to whom after much Attendance and Expence they are often referred by the Judges, by this means they would see short ends to their differences, and not be detained at home to attend long Issues; but there can be no general Rules given for theseCourts, which must be settled according as they best suit the convenience of every Trading City.
I am of opinion that the Trade of this Kingdom might be secured with no greater Expence to the Government than now 'tis at, but then better Methods must be taken, and Men employed whose Interests it is to see them put in Execution: When we first began this War the Nation had many Difficulties to cope with, theFrenchseemed to vye with us at Sea, whilst their Armies outnumber'd ours at Land, but now blessed be God the Scale is turned, we force their Garrisons and storm their Castles whilst they look on unable to relieve, and at the same time ourNavy-Royalblocks up theirs, whilst our smaller Fleets Bombard their Sea-Port Towns, we not only ride Admirals in theBritishSeas but also in theMediterranean, and yet do now suffer more Loss in our Navigation than formerly we did; TheFrenchare come to a new way of fighting, they set out no Fleet, but their Privateers swarm and cover the Sea like Locusts, they hang on our Trade like Horse-Leeches, and draw from it more Blood than it is well able to spare, whilst we still go on as we did, without new Methods to countermine them; TheFrenchKing breeds up a Nursery ofSeamenat our Charge, whilst his Subjects are made Rich by our Losses; the Act for Cruisers was well design'd had it been as well put in Execution, the Parliament thereby shewed what might secure our Trade, but left things so discretionary to the Managers, that the Merchant knows not when he receives the Benefit thereof, or how to complain if he doth not, and by this means is in a worse Condition than he was before the making that Law, adventuring larger because he thinks he Trades securer; I confess for my own part I value nothing that cannot be reduced to a certainty in its practice, things seem difficult to those who do not understand them, if we are to Besiege a Town we make use of Soldiers, if to storm a Castle, Engineers, if to build a Ship,Carpenters, and so in lesser things, and yet Gentlemen are thought fit to sit at Helm, and steer the Ship wherein is Embarqu'd the Treasure of our Trade, who are altogether unskill'd therein, on whose good Conduct the Nation's Weale or Woe depends; Thus things do fall into Confusion, whilst Men undertake what they do not understand and set the Nation in a flame, whilst they injudiciously guide the Chariot of the Sun; This makes Foreign Commodities dear, and advances the Prizes of Materials used in our Manufactures, so that as Trade grows worse Expences grow greater, and at the same time no Body is a Gainer, The Merchant pays such high Fraights and Insurances, that he gets little by Trade tho' he sells his Imports for great Prizes; and yet the Insurers complain they lose by underwriting, and therefore advance theirPremios, which is a new advance on Trade; and the Owners of Ships get nothing by their Fraights, because they pay great Wages to theSaylors, and meet with such Delays both at home and abroad that the length of time eats up all their Profits, so that Fraights must rather rise than fall; nor do theSaylorsget, who generally brought home more Money to their Families in the time of Peace at three Years end when they served for Twenty-four Shillingsper Monththan they now do at Fifty, one lost Voyage bringing them more behind-hand than two good ones put them forward; Now if Heads well verst in Trade were set at work, Methods might be thought on to secure all with little Charge to the Government, and hereby the Kingdom might flourish, and be supplyed by the Merchant with Commodities cheaper, whilst the Insurers underwrote for lessPremio, Fraights let on lower terms, the Wages of Mariners fallen, and All got more than now they do; our Numbers of Seamen might then be increased, and every Ship that goes abroad be a Nursery for the Fleet at home; Privateering, which is now become a Trade amongst theFrench, must then necessarily sink all concerned therein, its own Weight and Charge would crush it did we prevent their taking Prizes; and no doubt the Merchants ofEnglandwould not oppose such Regulations in their Trades as they saw were to their Advantage, or refuse to be at some Charge when they saw those Payments saved Money in their Pockets, and that the management of things was put into the Hands of Persons engaged in the common Interest of Trade with themselves: This seems to me of great Importance in our Manufactures, when the foreign Materials shall be furnished cheaper to the Maker; besides if Trade were well secured the War would scarce be felt, Losses by Sea discourage the City, and the ill Consequences thereof reach the Country, whereby both suffer more than by all the Taxes they pay towards carrying it on.
By lowering the Interest of Money.7. By falling the Interest of Money; this would very much quicken Trade, and indeed is the true Measure of it, the Merchant would be better able to cope with Competitors abroad in the Manufactures when his Interest did not eat so deep as now it doth, and the Maker would be enabled to sell them cheaper at Home; if Interest were fallen 'twould make all Trades flourish, for whilst we stand not on the same Terms with our Neighbours herein we must expect to be undersold every where by them; theDutchpay but Threeper Cent, and are thereby enabled to Trade so much lower than we can; the truth is 'tis a shame Money should yield more by being put to Interest than 'twould do if laid out either in Land or Trade; the first doth not clear Fourper Cent, the latter will not bring the Borrower Five for all his Pains and Industry when the Userer is paid, whilst the other runs little Risque, and is a Drone in theCommon-Wealth; as for Orphans and Widdows, (which is the main Objection against it) let their Expences be lessened suitable to its Fall, and for all other People, let them employ their Money in Trade if they think 'twill yield more; And here I judge it not amiss to mention Banks and Lumbards,Banks & Lombards.which I take to be so many Shops to let out Money, for which they receive such Security, and for such time, as stands most for the conveniency of Trade, and therefore the more the better, because every one will endeavour to underdo another.
By rectifying the Currant Coin.8. By rectifying the Currant Coin of this Kingdom, which is now so debased that Men rather truck than sell for Money, not knowing whither the next Man they deal with will take what they just before received for their Goods; this makes Payments precarious, andTradeuneasie, mony rising and falling on Men's Hands daily, so that now nothing is more uncertain than that which should be the Rule of certainty in the value of all other things.
I do not think it convenient to advance our Coyn, but let Bullion be of the same value when coined as it was before, else we have not the true worth of the Commodity we sell for it, but are deceived by the Stamp, which may be counterfeited by theDutchand other Nations for the profit of the Overplus, besides it will seem ridiculous for a Man to give Twenty Shillings worth of Silver for Eighteen Shillings of the same specie, only because it is medall'd; this will necessarily be followed by the advance of Silver suitable, the consequence whereof will be the selling our Manufactures abroad cheaper, as we receive less Bullion for them, and the whole Profit redound to the King ofSpain, whoseIndiesby the advance of his Bullion will be worth more than they were before; nor will this hinder its being carry'd abroad, perhaps it may keep our Coin at home, but not our Silver, which will be still carried out in Specie; not that I am of their Opinions who think the advance of Money would raise the price of Foreign Commodities among us, our own Experience shews it will not, we buy and sell as much for Twenty Shillings in Farthings as for so much Silver Coin; nor will their comparison with thePortugal Tradehold here, for when that King advanced the value both of Peeces ofEights, and also of his own Coin, the Importer was obliged to advance the Price of his Goods, because Silver was the Specie wherein he was to make Returns, which he received not as it was worth in Coin but in value by the Ounce, whereas had he laid it out in Commodities the Case had been otherwise, I make a great difference between Money as it is the Medium ofTrade, and as it is the Commodity we make returns in; there are better Reasons than this why Coin should be kept up to its true value.
And for the more easie calling it in when the Parliament shall see fit, I think 'twere best to cry down all clipt Money at once, only to be received for six Months by the King in his Taxes, who may send it into theMint, and if the Computation be allowed that we have about six Millions of Coined Silver Money in the Kingdom, suppose four of it to be clipt, the Taxes ofCustoms,Excise,Aids, &c. which we pay in six Months will require near that Summ; and if there remain Two Millions unclipt, it will serve the ordinary Expence till so much new Money can come abroad, at the end of which time let all the rest be called in by the same Method; This will bring forth the Broad Money, which is now hoarded up, and during this Scarcity both the King's occasions and those ofTradewill be very much answer'd byGoldandBankNotes; and for better preserving our new-coined Money, let none for the future exceed Shillings, or at most Half Crowns, and those be made broad and thin, with the Ring on the Extent of theCircumference, which will prevent both Clipping and Drilling, and if the Stamp be not deep 'twill prevent casting.
As for theIronandCounterfeit-Money, (which is supposed to be about a Million) it must be lost to those who have it; and I suppose a Tax of about Fifteen Hundred Thousand Pounds will make good the other.
By discouraging Stockjobbing.9. By discouragingStockjobbing; This hath been the Bane of many good Manufacturies, which began well, and might have been carry'd on to Advantage if the Promoters had not fallen off to selling Parts, and slighted the first Design, winding themselves out at Advantage, and leaving the Management to those they decoyed in, who understood nothing of the thing, whereby all fell to the Ground; This may be prevented (I mean so far as concerns Corporations) by Laws framed for that end, or by Clauses in their Charters.
By taking away Priviledged Places.10. By taking away all Priviledged Places, and making it easier for Creditors to recover of their Debtors; Men now betake themselves to Sanctuary, and spend what they have at defiance with those to whom they owe it; on the other side if Laws were made for the more equal Distribution of the Estates of those who fall to decay, with a Reserve of some part thereof to themselves on a fair Discovery, and a force on the minor part of the Credits to agree with what Composition should be made by the major, so many People would not then be necessitated to such Methods, or be ruined by lying in Goals, as now there are, but be enabled to put themselves again into ways for a future Maintenance; Misfortunes may and often do befal industrious Men, whoseTradeshave been very beneficial to the Nation, and to such a due Regard ought to be had; but for those who design under the shelter of a Protection or Priviledge to spend all they have, and thereby cheat their Creditors, no Law can be too severe.
By preventing Exportation of Wool.11. By strengthening the Laws against Exportation of Wool by such practicable Methods as may prevent its being done; and such may be thought on; for when a Nation's Interest doth so much depend thereon, no Care can be too great, or Methods laid too deep; Laws concerningTradewhose sole Strength are Penalties (and especially such as end in Death) rarely reach the thing aimed at; but practicable Methods, whereby one thing answers another, and all conspire to carry on the same Design, hanging like so many Links in a Chain, that you cannot reach the one without stepping over the other, these are more likely to prevent Mischiefs; Its one thing to punish People when a Fact is done, and another to prevent the doing it by putting them as it were under an impossibility; now where the Welfare of the Kingdom lies so much at Stake, certainly it cannot be thought grievous to compel a submission to good Methods, though they may seem troublesom at first.
Thus there have been severe Laws made against carrying the Plantation Commodities directly thence to ForeignMarkets, and stealing theCustomswhen brought home, and what effect these have had we all know, thousands of Hogsheads ofTobaccobeing yearly Ship'd toSpain,Scotland, andIreland, both fromNew-England, and other Places; whereas Sound and Practicable Methods may and are ready to be laid down to prevent both, with few Officers, and fewer Penalties.
The ill consequences of sending our Wool.And that we may better see the Mischiefs which attend the carrying abroad ourWoolunwrought to other Nations, let us consider the Consequences thereof in what is Shipp'd toFrance, whoseWoolbeing very course of its self, and fit only forRuggsand ordinaryCloth, is by mixture with ours and Irish used in the making of many sorts of prettyStuffsandDruggats, whereby the Sales of ourWoollenManufactures are lessened both there and in other places whither we export them, and by this means every Pack ofWoolsent thither works up two besides it self, being chiefly combed and combingWool, which makes Woofe for theFrench Wool, and the Pinions thereof serve with theirLinnento make courseDruggatslike ourLinsey-Woolsey, but theLinnenbeing spun fine and coloured is not easily discerned, also the finest shortEnglish Woolbeing mix'd with the lowestSpanishmakes a middling sort ofBroad Cloth, and being woven onWorsted Chainsmakes their bestDruggats, neither of which could be done with theFrench Woolonly, unless in Conjunction with ours orIrish,Spanish Woolis too fine and too short forWorsted Stuffs, and unfit for Combing, so that without one of those two sorts there cannot be a piece of fineWorsted Stuffor middleBroad Clothmade, no otherWoolbutEnglishorIrishwill mix well withSpanishforCloth, being originally of the same kind, raised from a Stock ofEnglish Sheep, the difference in fineness coming from the nature of the Land whereon they feed; of this we have Examples in our own Nation, where we find thatLemster Woolis the finest, next, part ofShropshireandStaffordshire, part ofGlocester-shire,Wilts,Dorset, andHampshire, part ofSussex, and part ofKent,Somerset,Devon, andCornwall, these are most proper forCloth, some small part forWorsted;Sussex,Surry,Middlesex,Hartfordshire, and some other Counties produceWoolmuch courser and cheaper; But thenBarkshire,Buckingham,Warwick,Oxon,Leicester,Nottingham,Northampton,Lincoln, and part ofKentcalledRumny-Marsh, theWoolin most of these Connties is so proper forWorsted, that all the World exceptIrelandcannot compare with it, therefore requires our greater Care to prevent its Exportation, and more especially fromIreland, whence it is often Exported to our Neighbouring Nations, and sold as cheap as inEngland.
By making Bonds and Bills Assignable.12. By makingBondsandBillsassignable, and being Assigned and Transferred from one to another, the Assignee to be capable in his own Name to Prosecute the Debtor whoseBondorBillit is, without using the Name of the Assignor, or anyLetter of Attorneyfrom him to require or recover the same; by this means young Men of small Stocks and Credits may on sale of their Goods and takingBillsfor Payment return to Market again, and purchase with thoseBillssuch Commodities as they want to carry on theirTrades; this also will produce a great Punctuality amongst Traders, for all Men to keep up the Reputation of theirBillswill endeavour to be exact in their Payments, that so they may be currant, and freely accepted in Commerce, every One's Credit will then be esteemed according as he is punctual in the payment of hisBills; Besides, this Punctuality will produce another good effect, thoseBillswill be bought up by mony'd Men for the Advantage of their discount, and it will by degrees lessen the Extortion of Usurers.
By confining to a method in Trade.13. By prohibiting Persons from following several Trades at once,viz.The Merchant from being a Shopkeeper or Retailer, and the Shopkeeper from being a Merchant or Adventurer at the same time; hereby each Trade would be better managed, and with more Advantage to both, for whilst the Merchant employs his Stock abroad in Exporting the Commodities of the Kingdom, and supplying it with others, the Retailer would keep his at home, ready to buy up those Imports, and disperse them into the Country, and both would go on unanimously in their Trades, because neither would interfere in the others Business.
My managing Treaties of Peace to the Advantage of Trade.14. By taking Care that in all Treaties of Peace and other Negotiations with Foreign Princes a due Regard be had to our Trade and Manufactures; that our Merchants be respected, and not affronted by the Governments among whom they reside; that all things be made easie to them, and both their Liberties and Properties secured; that our Manufactures be not prohibited, or burthened with unreasonable Taxes, which is the same in effect; that speedy Justice be done in recovering Debts contracted amongst the Natives, and punishing Abuses put on our Factories by them; These are pressures our Trade hath long groaned under, whereby the Merchants abroad and Manufacturers at home have been much discouraged, and theEnglishNation hath been forced to truckle under theFrenchin Foreign Parts (especially inPortugal, and the Islands belonging to it) only because that King sooner resented Injuries done to his Traders, and took more Care to demand Reparation, than our last Reigns have done; but blessed be God we have now both Power and Opportunity to do the same, and there is no cause to doubt His Majesty's Royal Inclinations to make use of both for the Good of his Merchants when things are duely represented to him.
Liberty of Conscience.I should in the last place have addedLiberty of Conscience, but that being already settled by Law I need not mention it, only this, that it were to be wisht some way might be found out to make Methods of Trade more easie to theQuakersthan now they are;The Quakers in respect to Oaths.I am apt to think that he who appears in the Face of a Court to give Evidence on his word if he be a Man of Couscience looks on himself equally obliged to speak the Truth as if he was sworn, and nothing will deter a dishonest Man like she fear of punishment.
The Importation of Materials to be manufactured will encourage Trade.Nor will the prohibiting things already manufactured be any way a hindrance to Foreign Trade, but rather an Incouragement; more Ships will be fraighted, and moreSaylorsimployed by the Importation of Materials, besides the great Advantage to the Nation in the ballance of its Trade, which must then be returned inBullionby so much more as they cost less abroad than the others; and this will enable us to afford a greater Consumption of Foreign Commodities spent on our Palates, such asWines,Fruit, and the like, all which fill our Ships, and are fit Subjects forTradewhen the Profits of a Nation enable it to bear their Expence.
Navigation.And thus I have run through the several Parts of ourInland Trade, the Profit whereof depends on our Product and Manufactures; Before I proceed to ourOutlandorForeign TradeI shall speak something of Navigation, which is theMediumbetween both; This is carried on by Ships andSaylors, the former are the Sea Waggons, whereby we transport and carry Commodities from one Market to another, and the latter are the Waggoners which drive or manage them; these are a sort of merry unthinking People, who make all Men rich save themselves, have often more Money than is their own, but seldom so much as they know how to spend, generally brave in their Undertakings, they go through any kind of Labour in their own way with a great deal of chearfulness, are undaunted by Storms and Tempests, the Sea being as it were their Element, and are allowed by all to be the best Navigators in the World; they are our Wealth in Peace, and our Defence in War, and ought to be more encouraged than they are in both, but especially in the latter, which might be done if better Methods were used to engage them in that Service, and better Treatment when there; Now I should think if a List were taken of all theSaylersinEngland,Manning our Ships of War.and a Law made for every Person who enters himself on that Imploy at the Age of Years to have his Name registred, with the place of his Abode, and be obliged to appear on Summons left at his House, and no Man to be forced into the King's Service till he had been at Sea three Years, nor to stay therein above three Years without his free consent, and then to be permitted to take a Merchant's Imploy for so much longer, and during his being in the King's Service good Provision to be made for his Family at home, and a Maintenance for them in case of his death or being disabled, This would encourage them to come willingly into the Service, which they look on now to be a Slavery whereto they are bound for their Lives, whilst their Families starve at home;Pressing Saylors.This and the manner of pressing them discourages many, and hinders very much the making ofSaylors, People not caring to put their Hands to an Oar lest the next day they should be halled away to the Fleet, though they understand nothing of the Sea; I do not think too much Care can be taken for the well manning our Men of War, but I would have it also done with able Seamen, and not with such who will only stand in the way, and are useless when most wanted, and this must not be done by pressing, but by practicable Methods which shall draw every Man to take his turn at Helm; I takeEmbargoesto be no helps towards it,Embargoes.for manySaylorsdo then lie hid, who would appear to serve in Merchant's Ships, and might be easily met with at return of their Voyages; by this means in a short time there would be a double set of Mariners, enough both for the Service of the Fleet and Trade, the latter would every year breed more; let the Commanders of Merchants Ships on Arrival give in Lists of theSaylorsthey have brought home, for whose appearance their Wages should be Bail, and then those whose turn it is to serve in the Fleet should after due time allowed for finishing their Voyages be sent thither, and a penalty on every Master of a Ship who carry'd a Saylor to Sea after his three Years Prodict was expired; such Laws and Time would bring things into regular Methods.
Inconvenience of pressing Saylors from Ships on their Voyages.This would also prevent great Mischiefs and Inconveniencies which arise from pressing Saylors our of Merchants Ships whilst on their Voyages, many of them being thereby lost at Sea, and others detained in theWest-Indies, to the great Discouragement of Trade; whereas better ways might be found out of supply the Men of War abroad, all Merchants Ships bound to the places where they are might have a proportionable Number of Sailors deliver'd them by the Admiralty to be carried outGratisfor their Use and Service; and this would prevent another Mischief too often practised abroad, where Captains of Men of War press Saylors from one Merchants Ship only that they may make profit by selling them to another.
Short Voyages breed Saylors.It's supposed that no Trade raises more Seamen than that of Coals fromNewcastle, which imploys many Hundreds of Ships to supply the City ofLondonand other Ports ofEngland, and being a home Trade doth thereby breed and encourage Saylors more than long Voyages would do.
Oytland Trade.To come now to the Trade whichEnglanddrives with Foreign Countrys; here 'tis necessary to enquire how each doth encourage our Product and Manufactures, how our Navigation, what Commodities we receive in Returns, and how the Ballance of Trade stands in either; among which I esteem none to be so profitable to to us as that we manage toAfricaand our own Plantations inAmerica, and none so detrimental as that to theEast-Indies.
East-Indies.To begin therefore with theEast-IndiaTrade, which for many Reasons I take to be mischievous to the Kingdom.
To clear this we are to consider how a Trade may be advantageous or detrimental to a Nation, and then to draw Inferences thence applicable to the above Proposition; I shall therefore lay down such general Notions as may without dispute be allowed by all unbyassed Persons, which are these:
1. That that Trade is advantageous to the Kingdom ofEnglandwhich Exports our Product and Manufactures.
2. Which Imports to us such Commodities as may be manufactured here, or be used in making our Manufactures.
3. Which supplies us with such things, without which we cannot carry on our Foreign Trade.
4. Which encourages our Navigation, and increases our Seamen.
And consequently that Trade which exports little or none of our Product or Manufactures, nor supplies us with things necessary to promote Manufactures at home, or carry on our Trade abroad, nor encourages Navigation, cannot be supposed to be advantageous to this Kingdom; especially when its Imports hinder the consumption of our own Manufactures, and more especially when those Imports are chiefly the purchase of ourBullionorTreasure.
And because I would be rightly understood in my third Proposition, I mean those Commodities without which we are not able to fit out our Ships for a ForeignTrade, such as arePitch,Tar,Hemp,Sail-Cloth,Masts,Timber, and such like; These are so absolutely necessary, that we must have them though purchased forBullion, as being the chief Hinges whereon Trade turns, and the Tools by which we Mechannically navigate our Ships, those BulkyMediumsof ForeignTrade; but for those things which are Imported only in order to be Exported again as Commodities to trade on, these cannot be so advantageous to this Kingdom as they may be to theDutch, who having little Land are maintained rather by Buying and Selling than Manufacturing, whereasEnglandbeing a large spot of Ground, and having a great Product of its own, (besides what comes from our Plantations) capable to be wrought up or manufactured here, gets by the Imployment of its People, therefore it would be the great Wisdom of our Government to regulate all ForeignTradesby such Methods as may best make then useful in the promoting our Manufactures.
How England may be said to be enrich't by Trade.Here it will not be amiss to consider again how and in what manner a Nation may be said to be enrich'd byTrade; for there must be a difference made between a Nations growing rich and particular Mens doing so by it, and I humbly propose that it may be possible for private Men to be vastly improved in their Estates, and yet at the Years end the Wealth of the Nation not to be a whit greater than at the beginning, and this both in anInlandand anOutlandTrade; for whilst the thrifty Shopkeeper buys at one Price, and sells at another to the prodigalBeaux, and the industrious Artificer vents his Labour to the idle Drone, and the politick Contriver outwits the unthinking Bully, one raises his Fortunes on the other's decay; the same for ourOutland Trade, if we Export the true Riches of the Nation for that which we consume on our Luxury, tho' private Men may get by each other, yet the Wealth of the Nation is not any way encreased: For suppose by one Hundred Butts of Wines the Importer gets Five Hundred Pounds, yet when drank among our selves, the Nation is not thereby Richer but Poorer, and so much poorer as those Wines cost at first; for if Imported byEnglishMen inEnglishShips we loose but the first Purchase, the rest being Freights, Customs, and Profits, are divided amongst our selves, but if they are brought in by Foreigners, the Nation loses all but the Customs; I take the true Profits of this Kingdom to consist in that which is produced from Earth, Sea, and Labour, and such are all our Growth and Manufactures.
To apply this now to theEast-India Trade, we will first consider what are its Exports and Imports, and then inquireCui Bono? whither the Contest for this Trade doth proceed from a design to serve the Nation, or from Principles of Self-Interest? or whither the Members of that Company who strive so much about it, would if in other Circumstances still be of the same Mind? for Principles that are in themselves true are always so, we may change our Opinions, but they do not change their Certainty; I confess as the state of a Nation alters so must our measures inTrade, but then it must appear that the State of the Nation and not our private Interests makes us to alter them; Now when I find that it is not the true Interest of this Nation to advance the Product and Manufactures thereof I shall change my Opinion.
First then to begin with their Exports; and here I need not say much, it's generally allowed by the Traders themselves that our Product and Manufactures are the least part thereof, consisting chiefly in Gold and Silver.
But it's alledged that in Returns they Import such Goods which being again Exported do bring from Foreign parts much more Treasure in specie; which leads me secondly to consider what those Imports are, and what becomes of them; They chiefly are,Saltpeter,Pepper,Callicoes,Druggs,Indigo, andSilksboth wrought and raw, many of which Commodities are very necessary as well for our Home Expence as to export again, others vastly prejudicial to us, as they hinder the consumption of our own Manufactures both Abroad and at Home, and this latter outweighs the former;Calicoesand wrought Silks are the things I chiefly aim at, and hope to make it plainly appear that those two Commodities do us more prejudice in our Manufactures than all the Advantage they bring either to private Purses or to the Nation in general, and it were to be wisht the Wisdom of our Parliament would prohibit their being worn inEngland, else like the ill-favoured lean Kine they will destroy the use of our Manufactures, which might be fitted to answer all the ends they serve for; Nor is the lessening the wearing our own Manufactures at home all the MischiefCallicoeshave done us, their Importation having thrown out the wearing ofSilesia, and otherGermanLinnens hath been attended with as bad a Consequence from thence, where those Looms which were formerly imployed on weaving them were thereon turned to the Woollen Manufactures, wherewith they not only furnish themselves butPoland, which hath made those Countrys very careful to increase and improve their breed of Sheep, whose Wool was generally brought hither before, and used in making Hatts, but is now much of it wrought up there; for when we slighted their Manufactures they fell on ours, whereas if we had encouraged the Wearing their Linnen they would have still depended on us for Woollen; This hath been a means to abate the Exportation of many thousand Peeces of Cloth, which would have brought more Advantage to the Nation than all the Trade we have driven to theEast-Indies, and will never be retrieved till we return again to the use of their Linnens.
He that considers how wonderfully Fashions prevail on this Nation may soon satisfie himself how things of little value come to be prized, and to justle out those of greater worth; Fashion is Fancy, which as it hath of late Years brought in a disuse of our native Commodities by Imitation, so if our Nobility and Gentry would turn their Fancies to them again I doubt not it would have the same effect, and if our Workmen could receive Encouragement, no question the Genius of this Kingdom would soon reach to such a pitch as to answer all the Uses of both those Commodities, even with a Thread spun out of Sheeps Wool; It was scarce thought about twenty Years since that we should ever seeCalicoesthe Ornaments of our greatest Gallants (for such they are, whither we call themMuslins,Shades, or any thing else) when they were then rarely used save in Shrouds for the Dead, and that chiefly among the Poor, who could not go to the Price of finer Linnen, and yet were willing to imitate the Rich, but now few think themselves well drest till they are made up inCallicoes, both Men and Women,Callicoe Shirts,Neckcloths,Cuffs,Pocket-Hankerchiefs, for the former,Head-Dresses,Night-royls,Hoods,Sleeves,Aprons,Gowns,Petticoats, and what not, for the latter, besidesIndia-Stockingsfor both Sexes; and indeed it will be a hard matter to put them out of this Fancy, nothing but anAct of Parliamentor humour of theCourtcan do it, the latter is the most natural means, and would easier make way to introduce the former, for besides that 'twould bring with it the Prayers of the Poor for those who have cut them out new Imployments, it would likewise wonderfully tend to advance the Gentlemen's Estates, first by expending theirWool, and next by keeping the Poor at work, who would consume moreWheatandBarly,BeefandMuttonin their Houses, and yet they need not fear having Labourers enough in their Harvests, though perhaps at a little higher Rates, which would be abundantly made up by an Advance on the Product of their Lands, besides what would be saved in the Poor's Rates, and it hath been a constant Observation grounded on reason that this Nation never thrives more than when the Labour of the Poor is at such Prises as they may live comfortably by it.
We will next consider:
1. How far the Manufactures of this Kingdom have been already made to answer the uses ofIndian SilksandCallicoes, and what did encourage it.
2. What farther Improvement may be made thereon, and the means to bring it about.
3. Why the People ofEnglandare so much against their Native Manufactures as to be more in love withCalicoesandIndian Silks.
1. As to the first, I will go no farther than theAct for Burrying in Woollen; how averse were the People ofEnglandto it at first? as if the Dead could not rest easie in their Graves if wrapt in our Native Commodities, or that it would trouble theminter Hadesthat they had occasionally given Imployment to their poor surviving Country-men; no, the fault was not there, Experience hath taught us that it's all one to them, and Time hath more reconciled us to that Statute when we saw the good effects it produced by putting our People on making so many pretty sorts of Woollen Vestments, as Ornamental to the Dead as the others formerly were thought to be, and of such different Finenesses and Prizes, that Qualities are as easily distinguished by them; and since our dead Friends were to be drest in our native Wool, we thought it most seemly to imitate them by wearing the same at their Funerals, hence it came to pass that our Mourning Attire was made of White Crape, a Garb not only Decent and Profitable, but Honourable to the Nation, as it both shew'd our Esteem for our Woollen Manufactres, and also how soon those imployed therein could turn their Hands to any sort of Work.
2. Let us consider what farther Improvements may be made on the Manufactures of this Kingdom to answer the ends ofIndianSilks and Calicoes, and the means to bring them about; Here let us see what Progresses have already been made step after step by our Manufactures to imitate, and in many things to exceed all they have seen from abroad; witness those noble rich Silks, wherein they have attained to so great a height; Our brave nobleArrasorTapestryof all Prises, not to be out-done by those very Nations from whom we at first learned the Art; And this is allow'd by all, that theEnglishWorkmen in great things outdo their Patterns, and no doubt they may soon turn their Hands to a slight Manufacture, which People do now chiefly desire, and I take to be as profitable to the Nation; How are we come from a strong and stubborn to a slight thin Broad Cloth, from thence toStuffs,Perpets,Sayes,Rashes,Shalloones,Gauzes, and lately toAntherines, which last look as handsome asIndian Silks, and serve as well in Linings for our Cloaths, alsoCrapesof such different sorts both ofSilkandWool, that not only Cloaths for Men and Women are made thereof, but alsoHatbands,Cuffs,Neckcloths,Hoods,Head Dresses, &c. Now was there a Law to encourage, or would the Nobility and Gentry of this Kingdom by their Examples promote the wearing our own Manufactures, no doubt they might be soon brought to answer all the ends ofIndian SilksandCalicoes, and I cannot see what reason may be given against a total Prohibition of their being worn inEngland, which will be the quickest way to have them disused.
3. The third is to enquire why the People ofEnglandare so much against their Native Manufactures as to be more in love withCalicoesandIndian Silks? The chief reason is Fashion and Imitation of One another, though many others are alledged, as the Ruffness and Ill Colour of Woollen, which keeps it from answering the ends ofCalicoes, Its weight and thickness, which renders it improper for the ends of slight Silks in Linings; These are not substantial but pretended Reasons, and would as well serve againstCalicoesandIndian Silkswere we more used to our Native Manufactures, and they now to be introduced; for as to the Ruffness of Woollen, may not that be helpt by its fineness? and are not courseCalicoesaltogether as Ruff? A fine Flannen-Shirt feels soft and pleasant to him that hath been used to wear it, so strange Impressions do Custom and Fashion make on us; and as for Colour, it is only Fancy, when Yellow is in Fashion it looks as decent as White, and as much Art is needful to strike it well as there is Curiosity about the other, witness when Women wore Yellow Hoods, both Men and Women Yellow Vestments, besides, no doubt ways might be found out to add to the Native Whiteness of our Woollen Manufactures, which do not therein fall shorter of Calicoes than they do ofHollandsandCambricksand as to the ends of Silks, Thinness and Lightness, I think our Workmen have given very great Instances in theirCrapes,GauzesandAntherineswhat they could do had they Encouragement.
But if a Manufacture ofWoolwill not please, why may not one ofCotton, thePrimumof whichCalicoesare made, whereof we have great quantities imported every Year from our own Plantations inAmerica, and no doubt we might in a short time attain to an excellency therein, not only to supply our selves, but also Foreign Markets; He that considers how far we have gone in this already will have no cause to doubt a Progress, and if Encouragements were proposed to that Person who should spin the finest Thread either in Cotton or Wool, to be adjudged and paid in each County, 'twould excite Industry and Ingenuity, and no doubt we might in time make Calicoes equal in their sorts with those Imported fromIndia, and afford them as cheap as that Company now sells them, enough not only for our home Expenee, but also for Exportation.
We will next see what Employment this Trade gives to Ships as it's now managed in a Company, and how far it promotes Navigation by making Saylors; The Number of the first is but small, and I think far from making Seamen, long Voyages being usually their Bane, those Ships seldom bringing home so many Saylors as they carry'd forth, whereas shorter Voyages do more, made out of Land-Men, both the Imployers and the Imployed being desirous to make their first Tryals on such Voyages; besides, longer require better Saylors to provide for the Casualties which attend them, and may be said rather to use Seamen than to make them; and this is one great Reason why theDutchraise them so easily, most of their Imployments being a home Trade.
If then it appears this Trade is no more profitable to the Nation in general we will next see how it is to that Company in parricular; I do not say to the particular Members thereof, who by ill Practices have raised their private Fortunes, many of which have been lately laid open, but to the Company as such; and here we find that a former failed; the last is thought to have gotten little, considering the long time they have been a Monopoly; and what Advantage the newFundwill make Time must shew, the Tricks used to engage Men therein causes me to doubt whither 'twill answer the Expectations of the Subscribers.
On the whole let us consider what Arguments can be offered to the Wisdom of the Nation to limit this Trade to an exclusive Company as was desired, or (as in truth it is) to turn it into a Monopoly by Law, a thing very contrary to the Genius of the People ofEngland, and seems to barr the Freedom and Liberty of the Subject.
Were Monopolies to be allowed it must certainly be in One of these three Respects.
1. That we might put off our own Commodities to other Nations in Barter for those we received from them.
2. That we might keep down the Prices of their Commodities, whilst we advanced our own.
3. That as the Consequence of these two we might encourage our Manufacturers at home, and furnish Foreign Commodities cheap.
But when a Monopoly shall cause quite different Effects it's not to be allow'd on any Terms.
As for the first; theEast-IndiaCompany takes off little of our Manufactures, nor do I think the Trade will admit it, for I cannot see how that Nation can be supplied with Manufactures hence fit for their Wearing answerable in Price to their own, except they were a Luxurious People who cared not what they gave to please their Fancies, which I do not take them to be, but generally very Provident; for if we consider that when theEast-IndiaCompany hath brought their Calicoes and Silks hither with great Charges, and sold them at an extraordinary advance, they find vent by their cheapness, how can we believe that any of our Manufactures can afford them a profit inIndia, where they must be sold suitable in price to the others first cost; and therefore 'twould not be amiss if the Government were put on making a narrow Inquiry whither the Company doboná fideexport so much of the Product and Manufactures of rhis Kingdom and land them inIndiaas they are obliged to do by their Charter, elfe many ways may be found out to evade it, and the Nation be deprived of the only Advantage expected from that Monopoly.
TheDutchand we deal not thither on the same Terms, their Manufactures are small, and so no Matter what they Trade on, besides their Settlements in theEast-Indiesare so great, that what they bring thence may almost be called their own Product, whereof by monopolizing that Trade they make greater Prices inEurope, which being chiefly spent either in Foreign Markets or by Temporary Residents brings them more Profit; They have also great Advantages above us in theirEast-IndiaTrade, being possest of the whole Traffick toJapan, whither they carryCloth,Lead, and other Commodities fromHolland,Calicoes,Spices, &c. fromIndia, which they sell forGoldandSilver, increasing thereby their Bullion as we diminish ours; Besides theirEast-IndiaCompany is not settled on such a narrow Foundation as ours, which being limited to one City exclusive of all others sells their Commodities for greater Advance than any other Traders, whither we consider their Risque, or the time they are out of their Money, which should be the standing Rules in Trade; Nor can it be otherwise whilst they remain a Company, the Charges both abroad and at home being much more than when manag'd by private Stocks, besides the affected Grandeur in all which must be paid by the Nation, whereon I take that Monopoly to be a Tax so far as it might be supply'd with them on cheaper Terms if the Trade were laid more open by a Regulation; I know there is much talk'd by the Company about Forts Castles and Soldiers to defend their Interests inIndia, but I cannot see the use of them, for either they are thereby defended against the Natives, or theDutchtheir Competitors; the former have no reason to quarrel with them, for bringing them a Trade so highly their Advantage as the purchasing their Product and Manufactures with Money, especially if they pay for what they buy; And as for their Competitors theDutch, if they were not better defended against them by our Fleets at home, and the Protection of the Princes they trade with, than by all the Force they have there, the Trade had been but ill-secured, and must have sunk long ago; Only those great Words serve to hold us amused, whilst theirGuineasin the two last Reigns were the Support of their Charter.