Chapter II: Part 2

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 the _Dutch_ and 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 of _Spain_, whose _Indies_ by 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 the _Portugal Trade_ hold here, for when that King advanced the value both of Peeces of _Eights_, 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 of _Trade_, 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 the _Mint_, 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 of _Customs_, _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 of _Trade_ will be very much answer'd by _Gold_ and _Bank_ Notes; 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 the Circumference, which will prevent both Clipping and Drilling, and if the Stamp be not deep 'twill prevent casting.

As for the _Iron_ and _Counterfeit-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.

[Sidenote: By discouraging Stockjobbing.]

9. By discouraging _Stockjobbing_; 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.

[Sidenote: 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, whose _Trades_ have 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.

[Sidenote: 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 concerning _Trade_ whose 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 Foreign _Markets_, and stealing the _Customs_ when brought home, and what effect these have had we all know, thousands of Hogsheads of _Tobacco_ being yearly Ship'd to _Spain_, _Scotland_, and _Ireland_, both from _New-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.

[Sidenote: The ill consequences of sending our Wool.]

And that we may better see the Mischiefs which attend the carrying abroad our _Wool_ unwrought to other Nations, let us consider the Consequences thereof in what is Shipp'd to _France_, whose _Wool_ being very course of its self, and fit only for _Ruggs_ and ordinary _Cloth_, is by mixture with ours and Irish used in the making of many sorts of pretty _Stuffs_ and _Druggats_, whereby the Sales of our _Woollen_ Manufactures are lessened both there and in other places whither we export them, and by this means every Pack of _Wool_ sent thither works up two besides it self, being chiefly combed and combing _Wool_, which makes Woofe for the _French Wool_, and the Pinions thereof serve with their _Linnen_ to make course _Druggats_ like our _Linsey-Woolsey_, but the _Linnen_ being spun fine and coloured is not easily discerned, also the finest short _English Wool_ being mix'd with the lowest _Spanish_ makes a middling sort of _Broad Cloth_, and being woven on _Worsted Chains_ makes their best _Druggats_, neither of which could be done with the _French Wool_ only, unless in Conjunction with ours or _Irish_, _Spanish Wool_ is too fine and too short for _Worsted Stuffs_, and unfit for Combing, so that without one of those two sorts there cannot be a piece of fine _Worsted Stuff_ or middle _Broad Cloth_ made, no other _Wool_ but _English_ or _Irish_ will mix well with _Spanish_ for _Cloth_, being originally of the same kind, raised from a Stock of _English 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 that _Lemster Wool_ is the finest, next, part of _Shropshire_ and _Staffordshire_, part of _Glocester-shire_, _Wilts_, _Dorset_, and _Hampshire_, part of _Sussex_, and part of _Kent_, _Somerset_, _Devon_, and _Cornwall_, these are most proper for _Cloth_, some small part for _Worsted_; _Sussex_, _Surry_, _Middlesex_, _Hartfordshire_, and some other Counties produce _Wool_ much courser and cheaper; But then _Barkshire_, _Buckingham_, _Warwick_, _Oxon_, _Leicester_, _Nottingham_, _Northampton_, _Lincoln_, and part of _Kent_ called _Rumny-Marsh_, the _Wool_ in most of these Connties is so proper for _Worsted_, that all the World except _Ireland_ cannot compare with it, therefore requires our greater Care to prevent its Exportation, and more especially from _Ireland_, whence it is often Exported to our Neighbouring Nations, and sold as cheap as in _England_.

[Sidenote: By making Bonds and Bills Assignable.]

12. By making _Bonds_ and _Bills_ assignable, and being Assigned and Transferred from one to another, the Assignee to be capable in his own Name to Prosecute the Debtor whose _Bond_ or _Bill_ it is, without using the Name of the Assignor, or any _Letter of Attorney_ from him to require or recover the same; by this means young Men of small Stocks and Credits may on sale of their Goods and taking _Bills_ for Payment return to Market again, and purchase with those _Bills_ such Commodities as they want to carry on their _Trades_; this also will produce a great Punctuality amongst Traders, for all Men to keep up the Reputation of their _Bills_ will 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 his _Bills_; Besides, this Punctuality will produce another good effect, those _Bills_ will be bought up by mony'd Men for the Advantage of their discount, and it will by degrees lessen the Extortion of Usurers.

[Sidenote: 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.

[Sidenote: 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 the _English_ Nation hath been forced to truckle under the _French_ in Foreign Parts (especially in _Portugal_, 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.

[Sidenote: Liberty of Conscience.] [Sidenote: The Quakers in respect to Oaths.]

I should in the last place have added _Liberty 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 the _Quakers_ than now they are; 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.

[Sidenote: 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 more _Saylors_ imployed by the Importation of Materials, besides the great Advantage to the Nation in the ballance of its Trade, which must then be returned in _Bullion_ by 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 as _Wines_, _Fruit_, and the like, all which fill our Ships, and are fit Subjects for _Trade_ when the Profits of a Nation enable it to bear their Expence.

[Sidenote: Navigation.] [Sidenote: Manning our Ships of War.] [Sidenote: Pressing Saylors.] [Sidenote: Embargoes.]

And thus I have run through the several Parts of our _Inland Trade_, the Profit whereof depends on our Product and Manufactures; Before I proceed to our _Outland_ or _Foreign Trade_ I shall speak something of Navigation, which is the _Medium_ between both; This is carried on by Ships and _Saylors_, 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 the _Saylers_ in _England_, 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; This and the manner of pressing them discourages many, and hinders very much the making of _Saylors_, 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 take _Embargoes_ to be no helps towards it, for many _Saylors_ do 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 the _Saylors_ they 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.

[Sidenote: 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 the _West-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 out _Gratis_ for 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.

[Sidenote: Short Voyages breed Saylors.]

It's supposed that no Trade raises more Seamen than that of Coals from _Newcastle_, which imploys many Hundreds of Ships to supply the City of _London_ and other Ports of _England_, and being a home Trade doth thereby breed and encourage Saylors more than long Voyages would do.

[Sidenote: Oytland Trade.]

To come now to the Trade which _England_ drives 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 to _Africa_ and our own Plantations in _America_, and none so detrimental as that to the _East-Indies_.

[Sidenote: East-Indies.]

To begin therefore with the _East-India_ Trade, 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 of _England_ which 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 our _Bullion_ or _Treasure_.

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 Foreign _Trade_, such as are _Pitch_, _Tar_, _Hemp_, _Sail-Cloth_, _Masts_, _Timber_, and such like; These are so absolutely necessary, that we must have them though purchased for _Bullion_, as being the chief Hinges whereon Trade turns, and the Tools by which we Mechannically navigate our Ships, those Bulky _Mediums_ of Foreign _Trade_; 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 the _Dutch_, who having little Land are maintained rather by Buying and Selling than Manufacturing, whereas _England_ being 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 Foreign _Trades_ by such Methods as may best make then useful in the promoting our Manufactures.

[Sidenote: 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 by _Trade_; 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 an _Inland_ and an _Outland_ Trade; for whilst the thrifty Shopkeeper buys at one Price, and sells at another to the prodigal _Beaux_, 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 our _Outland 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 by _English_ Men in _English_ Ships 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 the _East-India Trade_, we will first consider what are its Exports and Imports, and then inquire _Cui 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 in _Trade_, 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_, and _Silks_ both 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; _Calicoes_ and 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 in _England_, 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 Mischief _Callicoes_ have done us, their Importation having thrown out the wearing of _Silesia_, and other _German_ Linnens 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 but _Poland_, 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 the _East-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 see _Calicoes_ the Ornaments of our greatest Gallants (for such they are, whither we call them _Muslins_, _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 in _Callicoes_, 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, besides _India-Stockings_ for both Sexes; and indeed it will be a hard matter to put them out of this Fancy, nothing but an _Act of Parliament_ or humour of the _Court_ can 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 their _Wool_, and next by keeping the Poor at work, who would consume more _Wheat_ and _Barly_, _Beef_ and _Mutton_ in 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 of _Indian Silks_ and _Callicoes_, and what did encourage it.

2. What farther Improvement may be made thereon, and the means to bring it about.

3. Why the People of _England_ are so much against their Native Manufactures as to be more in love with _Calicoes_ and _Indian Silks_.

1. As to the first, I will go no farther than the _Act for Burrying in Woollen_; how averse were the People of _England_ to 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 them _inter Hades_ that 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 of _Indian_ Silks 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 noble _Arras_ or _Tapestry_ of 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 the _English_ Workmen 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 to _Stuffs_, _Perpets_, _Sayes_, _Rashes_, _Shalloones_, _Gauzes_, and lately to _Antherines_, which last look as handsome as _Indian Silks_, and serve as well in Linings for our Cloaths, also _Crapes_ of such different sorts both of _Silk_ and _Wool_, that not only Cloaths for Men and Women are made thereof, but also _Hatbands_, _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 of _Indian Silks_ and _Calicoes_, and I cannot see what reason may be given against a total Prohibition of their being worn in _England_, which will be the quickest way to have them disused.

3. The third is to enquire why the People of _England_ are so much against their Native Manufactures as to be more in love with _Calicoes_ and _Indian 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 of _Calicoes_, 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 against _Calicoes_ and _Indian Silks_ were 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 course _Calicoes_ altogether 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 of _Hollands_ and _Cambricks_ and as to the ends of Silks, Thinness and Lightness, I think our Workmen have given very great Instances in their _Crapes_, _Gauzes_ and _Antherines_ what they could do had they Encouragement.

But if a Manufacture of _Wool_ will not please, why may not one of _Cotton_, the _Primum_ of which _Calicoes_ are made, whereof we have great quantities imported every Year from our own Plantations in _America_, 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 from _India_, 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 the _Dutch_ raise 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 new _Fund_ will 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 of _England_, 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; the _East-India_ Company 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 the _East-India_ Company 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 in _India_, 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 do _boná fide_ export so much of the Product and Manufactures of rhis Kingdom and land them in _India_ as 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.

The _Dutch_ and we deal not thither on the same Terms, their Manufactures are small, and so no Matter what they Trade on, besides their Settlements in the _East-Indies_ are so great, that what they bring thence may almost be called their own Product, whereof by monopolizing that Trade they make greater Prices in _Europe_, which being chiefly spent either in Foreign Markets or by Temporary Residents brings them more Profit; They have also great Advantages above us in their _East-India_ Trade, being possest of the whole Traffick to _Japan_, whither they carry _Cloth_, _Lead_, and other Commodities from _Holland_, _Calicoes_, _Spices_, &c. from _India_, which they sell for _Gold_ and _Silver_, increasing thereby their Bullion as we diminish ours; Besides their _East-India_ Company 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 in _India_, but I cannot see the use of them, for either they are thereby defended against the Natives, or the _Dutch_ their 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 the _Dutch_, 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 their _Guineas_ in the two last Reigns were the Support of their Charter.

One thing which I aim at in this Discourse is to perswade the Gentry of _England_ to be more in Love with our own Manufactures, and to encourage the wearing them by their Examples, and not of Choice to give Imployment to the Poor of another Nation whilst ours starve at home.

[Sidenote: West-Indies.]

We will next proceed to the _West-India_ and _African_ Trades; which I esteem the most profitable of any we drive, and do joyn them together because of their dependance on each other.

But before we enter farther I will consider of one Objection, it having been a great question among many thoughtful Men whither our Foreign Plantations have been an advantage to this Nation; the reasons they give against them are, that they have drained us of Multitudes of our People who might have been serviceable at home, and advanced Improvements in Husbandry and Manufactures; That the Kingdom of _England_ is worse Peopled by so much as they are increased; and that Inhabitants being the Wealth of a Nation, by how much they are lessened, by so much we are poorer than when we first began to settle our Foreign Colonies; Though I allow the last Proposition to be true, that People are or may be made the Wealth of a Nation, yet it must be where you find Imployment for them, else they are a Burthen to it, as the Idle Drone is maintained by the Industry of the labourious Bee, so are all those who live by their Dependance on others, as Players, Ale-Houses-keepers, Common-Fidlers, and such like, but more particularly Beggars, who never set themselves to work; Its my Opinion that our Plantations are an Advantage to this Kingdom, and I doubt not but 'twill appear to be so by the consequence of this Discourse, though not all alike, but every one more or less, as they take off our Product and Manufactures, supply us with Commodities which may be either wrought up here, or Exported again, or prevent fetching things of the same Nature from other Princes for our home Consumption, imploy our Poor, and encourage our Navigation; for I take _England_ and all its Plantations to be one great Body, those being so many Limbs or Counties belonging to it, therefore when we consume their Growth we do as it were spend the Fruits of our own Land, and what thereof we sell to our Neighbours for Bullion, or such Commodities as we must pay for therein, brings a second Profit to the Nation.

These Plantations are either the great Continent from _Hudson's Bay_ Northward to _Florida_ Southward, containing _Newfound-land_, _New-England_, _Virginia_, _Mary-land_, _New-York_, _Pensilvania_, _Carolina_, &c. and also our several Islands, the chief whereof are _Barbadoes_, _Antigua_, _Nevis_, _St. Christophers_, _Montserat_, and _Jamaica_; the Commodities they afford us are more especially Sugars, Indigo, Ginger, Cotten, Tobacco, Piamento, and Fustick, of their own growth, also Logwood, which we bring from _Jamaica_, (though first brought thither from the _Bay_ of _Campeacha_ on the Continent of _Mexico_ belonging to the _Spaniard_, but cut by a loose sort of People, Subjects to this Kingdom, Men of desperate Fortunes, but of wonderful Courage, who by force have made small Settlements there and defend themselves by the same Means) besides great quantities of Fish taken the Coasts of _Newfound-land_ and _New-England_; These being the Product of Earth Sea and Labour are clear Profit to the Kingdom, and give a double Imployment to the People of _England_, first to those who raise them there, next to those who prepare Manufactures here wherewith they are supplied, besides the Advantage to Navigation, for the Commodities Exported and Imported being generally bulky do thereby imploy more Ships, and consequently more Saylors, which leaves more room for other labouring People to be kept at work in Husbandry and Manufactures, whilst they consume the Product of the one and the Effects of the other in an Imployment of a distinct Nature from either.

This was the first Design of settling Plantations abroad, that the People of _England_ might better maintain a Commerce and Trade among themselves, the chief Profit whereof was to redound to the Center; and therefore Laws were made to prevent the carrying their Product to other places, or their being supply'd with Necessaries save from hence, and both to be done in our own Ships, navigated by _English_ Saylors, except in some cases permitted by the Acts of Navigation, and so much as the Reins of those Laws are let lose, so much less profitable are the Plantations to us; The Interest therefore of this Kingdom being to prevent any practices contrary to the first Design, it would be the great Wisdom of the Parliament to frame such Laws as may more effectually do it than any yet made; I do not mean Laws whose chief Strength shall be their Penalties, but such whose plain Methods being capable to be reduced to Practice may do it without Oppression of Officers, for I esteem them so far weak as they need the Support of either the one or the other; and it were to be wisht that both our Customs and all other Taxes might be raised with less Charge and Burthen than now they are, for which ways might be sound out if it were well considered of, and then Multitudes of useless People might be sent into the Vineyards of Husbandry and Manufactures.

Among these Plantations I look on that of _New-England_ to bring least Advantage to this Kingdom, for being setled by an industrious People, and affording few Commodities proper to be transported hither, the Inhabitants imploy themselves by trading to the rest of the Plantations, whom they supply with Provisions and other their Products, and from thence fetch their respective Growths, which they after send to Foreign Markets, and thereby injure the Trade of _England_; Now as to the first part, it's neither convenient for them nor the Plantations that they should be debarr'd it, what they carry thither being for the most part Fish, Deal-Boards, Pipe-staves, Horfes, and such like, which the others cannot be well supplyed with hence, also Bread, Flower, and Pease; but then they should be obliged to make their Imports hither, I mean to bring all the Good; they load at those Plantations to this Market, and from hence let them be supply'd again with what thereof shall be necessary for their Home Expence, as they are with all _European_ Commodites; by which means _England_ would become the Centre of Trade, and standing like the Sun in the midst of its Plantations would not only refresh them, but also draw Profits from them; and indeed it's a matter of exact Justice it should be so, for from hence it is Fleets of Ships and Regiments of Soldiers are frequently sent for their Defence, at the Charge of the Inhabitants of this Kingdom, besides the equal Benefit the Inhabitants there receive with us from the Advantages expected by the Issue of this War, the Security of Religion, Liberty, and Property, towards the Charge whereof they contribute little, though a way may and ought to be found out to make them pay more, by such insensible Methods as are both rational and practicable.

[Sidenote: Methods to render the Plantations more profitable to England.]

Now the means to render these Plantations more profitable to this Kingdom are by making Laws.

1. To prevent (as much as conveniently may be) the Product of either to be transported from the place of its Growth to any other place save _England_.

2. To prevent its being Imported hither after manufactured there.

3. To prevent (as much as may be with Conveniency) the Exporting hence any simple thing in order to be manufactured there, such as Iron, Leather, &c. which 'twere better for this Kingdom were first wrought up here.

4. In Lieu of all to lay open the _African_ Trade, that the Inhabitants may be supply'd with _Negroes_ on easie Terms.

These are general Rules, but not without some Exceptions; for when I say the Commodities of one Plantation should not be carried to another, I mean those only which are fit for Trade, and may be brought hither, and be hence disperst again, as Sugars, Cotton, Indigoe, Tobacco, Ginger, and such like; but for Provisions, Timber, Horses, and things of like natures, they may and ought to be permitted, because this Nation cannot so conveniently supply them hence; and therefore the _Act of Trade_ gave leave to transport the former from _Ireland_, which hath laid open a Gapp to that Peoyle, who carry the first Beef to those Markets, wherein they anticipate us, and get the best Prises, besides the Charges we are at in sending our Ships thither to load, which they save; Nor is this all, for going to the Plantations without giving Bonds to discharge in _England_ what they take in there as the Law doth require, they frequently unload either all or part of their Loadings elsewhere, in opposition to the the _Act of Navigation_, therefore if a new Law was made that all Ships Trading to the Plantations from _Europe_ should first give Bonds in _England_, and for default thereof be seized on their Arrival there, it would be a great Step towards preventing this abuse, and then plain and easie ways may be offered to hinder Landing any part of their Cargoes elsewhere; And when things are brought to this State, that the Product of our Plantations shall necessarily be center'd here, we may put almost what Rates we will on them to our Neighbours; it's true 'tis the Interest of _England_ that what is consumed among our selves should be sold at reasonable Prises, but the higher they yield abroad the more Treasure they bring to the Nation, provided we strain not the Staple so as to be undersold from other Markets; But there must be a Regard had to our Fisheries, that the Liberty of carrying that Commodity direct to Foreign Parts be not restrained.

Next by their being brought home unmanufactured they would give great Imployments here; _Cotten Wool_ by being spun up and made into several sorts of pretty things; _Tobacco_ by Cutting and Rowling; and _Sugar_ by refining; for I would have no _Tobacco_ brought home save in Leaf, nor _Sugar_ above _Muscovado_; the last would imploy abundance of Sugar-Houses in _England_ to clay and refine it, not only for a home Expence, but to be transported to Foreign Markets; a Trade we have been lately beat out of by the Industry of the _Dutch_ helpt on by our own Imprudence, for no wise Nation would have given such an advantage to a Rival Trader as by Law to put their Refiners on terms of working _Sugars_ Three Shillings _per Cent_ cheaper than our own, therefore when the thing comes to be well weighed, I believe 'twill be found the Interest of this Nation to suffer all those Commodities to be Imported Custom Free, and to lay a Duty on what is Exported again unwrought, (I mean all _West-India_ Commodities) and to raise an Excise on what is spent at Home, for which easie and practicable Methods may be proposed; and this would salve all those Disputes about running _Tobacco_, or drawing back Debentures after relanded; which Duty might be collected with few Officers, and little Charge, and the King might have an Account of every particular Parcel how it was transferred from Man to Man till 'twas paid.

[Sidenote: Africa.]