by their many Discoveries, both in the _East_ and _West-Indies_, besides
the several Islands os the _Azores_, _Cape de Verd_, and also _Maderas_,
where they have settled Colonies; to these they admit us a free Trade,
but reserve their remoter Settlements on the Continent of _Brazil_ more
strictly to themselves, whither they export many of the Commodities we
send them, and in Return have Sugars and Tobacco, which are again
exported to the _European_ Markets, though little of them hither: Besides
which, they have of late brought from thence great Quantities of Gold;
their Islands we supply directly with our Manufactures, and from the
_Azores_ load Corn, Woad, and some Wines, which we receive in Barter for
them, and are the Product of those Islands; the first we carry to
_Maderas_, where ’tis again bartered for the Wines of the Growth of
that Island, which are shipt thence to our Plantations in _America_: In
these Settlements the Inhabitants live well, and are plentifully
supplied, because they have wherewith to pay for what is brought them;
but those residing on the _Cape de Verd_ Islands, being generally made up
of Negroes, Molattoes, and such like People, and having little Product to
give in Returns, are but meanly furnished, and have scarce enough to
serve their Necessities, much less to please their Luxuries, Asses,
Beeves, and Salt, being all we have from them, which we generally carry
to our Plantations in _America_: some Salt we bring home; Beef might be
made there very cheap, could it be saved, being purchased for little, and
Salt for less, but the Climate will not allow it; only the Island of St.
_Jago_ is rich, well governed, and a Bishop’s See, where they are well
supplied with Necessaries, because they have Money to pay for what they
buy.
The _Portugueze_, as they are now become bad Navigators, so they are not
great Manufacturers; some Sorts of coarse Cloth they do make, which is
often shipp’d to the Islands of _Maderas_ and the _Azores_, where
’tis worn with great Delight, and preferred before any other of the
like Goodness, because its made in _Portugal_; and they did once attempt
the making Bays, for which they drew over some of our Workmen, but it
soon came to an End, and they returned Home again by Encouragement given
them here, so prudent a Thing it is to stop an Evil in the Beginning.
[Sidenote: Turkey.]
The Trade driven to _Turkey_ is very profitable, as it affords us Markets
for great Quantities of our Woollen Manufactures, together with Lead, and
other Product, shipp’d hence to _Constantinople_, _Scandaroon_, and
_Smyrna_, and from thence disperst all over the _Turkish_ Dominions, as
also into _Persia_. The Commodities we have thence in Return are, Raw
Silk, Cotton-Wool and Yarn, Goat’s-Wool, Grogram-Yarn, Cordivants,
Gauls, Pot-Ashes, and other Things, which are the Foundations of several
Manufactures different from our own, by the Variety whereof we better
suit Cargoes to export again; and tho’ this Trade may require some
Bullion to be carried thither, yet there is a great Difference between
buying for Bullion, Commodities already manufactur’d, which hinder the
Use and Consumption of our own, such as those brought from the
_East-Indies_, or Things to be spent on Luxury, such as Wines and Fruit,
buying therewith Commodities to keep our Poor at Work; these must be had,
tho’ purchased with nothing else.
[Sidenote: Italy.]
To the several Parts of _Italy_ we send great Quantities of Lead and
other our Product, and many Sorts of Woollen Manufactures, but chiefly
those made of Worsted; also Fish, and Sugars, both white and brown, the
last principally to _Venice_; We bring thence raw and thrown Silk, and
Red-Wooll; also Oyl and Soap, (of the latter we now make a great deal in
_England_,) both used in Working up our Wool, some Paper, Currants, and
other things.
Both _Venice_ and _Genoa_ have made some Attempts on a Woollen
Manufacture, being furnished with Wool from _Alicant_, and those
_Eastern_ Parts of _Spain_; wrought Silks and Glass are not so much
imported thence as the formerly were, since we have fallen on making them
here.
[Sidenote: Holland.]
The _Dutch_ likewise Buy many of our Manufactures, and much of our
Product, as Coals, Butter, Lead, Tin, besides things of smaller Value,
such as Clay, Redding, &c. which are exported to _Holland_, not only for
their own use, but being a Mart of Trade for _Germany_, they disperse
them for the Expence of those Countries; among whom they also Vend our
_West-India_ Commodities, such as Sugar, Tobacco, Indigo, Logwood,
Fustick, Ginger, Cotton-Wool, besides what they use themselves; they are
an industrious People, but having little Land, want Product of their own
to Trade on, except what they raise by their Fisheries, or bring from the
_East-Indies_, whereof Spices and Salt-Petre are many times admitted to
be brought hither, tho’ contrary to the Act of Navigation; indeed the
Trade of the _Dutch_ consists rather in Buying and Selling than
Manufactures, most of their Profits arising from that, and the Freights
they make of their Ships; which being Built for Burthen, are imployed
generally in a Home-Trade, for bulky Commodities, such as Salt from St.
_Ubes_ to the _Baltick_, Timber, Hemp, Corn, Pitch, and such sorts of
Goods thence to their own Country, which Ships they Sail with few Hands;
and this, together with Lowness of Interest, enables them to afford those
Commodities at such Rates, that they are often fetcht from them by other
Nations, cheaper then they could do it from the Places of their Growth,
all charges considered: ’Tis strange to see how these People Buz up and
down among themselves, the Greatness of whose Numbers causes a vast
Expence, and that Expence must be supplied from Abroad, so one Man gets
by another, and they find by Experience, that as a Multitude of People
brings Profit to the Government, so it creates Imployment to each other;
besides they Invent new ways of Trade, by selling, not only Things they
have, but those they have not, great Quantities of Brandy and other
Commodities being disposed of every Year, which are never intended to be
delivered, only the Buyer and Seller get or loose, according to the Rates
it bears at the time agreed on to make good the Bargain; such a Commerce
to this Kingdom would be of little Advantage, and would not advance its
Wealth more than Stock-jobbing, our Profits depending on the improving
our Product and Manufactures; but that Government raising its Income by
the Multitude of its Inhabitants, who pay on all they eat, drink and
wear, and almost on every thing they do, cares not so much by what
Methods each Person gets, as that they have People to pay; which are
never wanting from all Nations, for as one goes away, another comes, and
every temporary Resident advances their Revenue; therefore to increase
their Numbers, they make the Terms of Trade easy; contrary to the Customs
of Cities and private Corporations with us, the Narrowness of whose
Charters discourages Industry, and hinders Improvements both in
Handicrafts and Manufactures, because they exclude better Artists from
their Societies, unless they purchase their Freedoms at unreasonable
Rates.
[Sidenote: Hamburgh.]
_HAMBURGH_ is another Market for our Manufactures; this City vends great
Quantities of our Cloth, as also Tobacco, Sugars, and other Plantation
Commodities, together with several of our Products, which are also thence
sent into _Germany_; from whence we have in Return Linnens, Linnen-yarn,
and other Commodities, very necessary both for the Use of our selves and
of our Plantations, and little interferring with our own Manufactures.
[Sidenote: Poland.]
_POLAND_ also takes off many of our Manufacturers, wherewith it is
supplied chiefly from _Dantzick_, whither they are first carried, and
thence disperst into all Parts of that Kingdom, which hath but little
Wool of its own, and that chiefly in _Ukrania_; but the Expence of our
Cloth hath been lessened there, since _Silesia_, and the adjoining Parts
of _Germany_, have turn’d their Looms to that Commodity, occasioned by
our disusing their Linnens, and wearing Callicoes in their Room; we have
thence some Linnens, also Potashes.
[Sidenote: Russia.]
_RUSSIA_ is likewise supplied by way of St. _Angelo_, with our Woollen
Manufactures, and other Things, also with some Tobacco; but the Sale of
the latter is decreased, occasioned (as I am informed) by the
Indiscretion of our Merchants that imported it; who putting an excessive
Price thereon, caused the Czar to encourage the Planting it in his
Dominions, which being very large, and reaching from the _Mare Album_
Northward, to the _Caspian_ Sea Southward, besides its vast Extent from
East to West, affords Climates enough proper for it; by which means, we
are in danger of losing the Sale of that Commodity, so profitable to the
Nation, which we might have continued, if they had not been too covetous
at first: We have in Return from thence, Hemp, Potashes, _Russia_ Hides,
with some Linnen, and other Commodities, both useful at Home, and fit to
be carried abroad.
[Sidenote: Sweden.]
_SWEDEN_ and its Territories, takes off great Quantities of our
Manufactures, both fine and coarse, and some of our Product, besides
Tobacco and Sugars, and other Plantation Goods; but the Sale of our Cloth
hath been lessen’d there, occasion’d by their loading it with great
Duties, on purpose to encourage a Manufacture of their own; their Wool is
coarse, so consequently the Cloth made thereof must be ordinary; however,
the late King encouraged the Wearing it, by his own Example, and thought
it the Interest of his Kingdom so to do: Yet all sorts of Serges, Stuffs,
and Perpets are carried thither, and I think as freely as before; from
thence we have Copper, Iron, and some other Things.
[Sidenote: Denmark and Norway.]
_DENMARK_ is supplied from us with Woollen Manufactures, yet takes no
great Quantities, and _Norway_ less, the People of the latter being
generally poor; some Tobacco and Sugar is also shipp’d hence and spent
amongst them.
From these three last Northern Kingdoms we are furnished with Pitch, Tar,
Hemp, Masts, Baulks, and Deal boards, all very useful to us, and without
which, we can’t carry on our Navigation, and therefore we must have
them, though purchas’d with Money; but the Parliament having encouraged
the Importation of some of them from our Plantations on the Continent of
_America_, our Dependence on them for those Things, will in all
probability be lessened every Year: I look on any thing that saves our
Timber, to be an Advantage to the Nation, which Baulks and Boards do.
[Sidenote: France.]
The _French_ Trade hath every Age grown less profitable to our Woollen
Manufacturers, as the Inhabitants make wherewith to supply, both
themselves and other Nations, which they could not do, were they not
furnished with Wool from hence and _Ireland_, their own being unfit to
work by it self: Nor doth _France_ spend much of the Growth and Product,
either of this Kingdom, or of our Plantations, and furnishes us with
nothing to be manufactured here, so that the Trade we drive thither,
turns only to their Advantage; which being generally for Things consumed
among ourselves, and our Imports exceeding our Exports, must needs be
Loss to the Kingdom; but if the Linnen Manufacture can be settled in
_Scotland_ and _Ireland_, Paper, Distilling, and Silk Manufactures,
encouraged here, the Ballance will soon be altered, especially since the
_Portuguese_ have made such Improvements in their Wines; only their Salt
we shall still want for our Fisheries.
[Sidenote: South Sea.]
As to the _South-Sea_ Trade, I cannot undertake to say much to it, being
but lately entered upon, and limited by Act of Parliament to an exclusive
Company, according to whose Management it may prove more or less
Advantagious to the Nation; only in this I believe we may be certain,
that they will never carry away our Bullion, as the _East-India_ Company
does, but in all Probability, will bring us more.
[Sidenote: What Foreign Trades are profitable to our Manufactures, and what
are not.]
And thus I have run through the Foreign Trades driven from this Kingdom,
and shew’d how they advance its Interest, by taking off our Product and
Manufactures, and supplying us with Materials to be manufactured again;
wherein ’tis a certain Rule, that so far as any Nation furnishes us
with things already manufactured, or only to be spent amongst our selves,
so much less is our Advantage by the Trade we drive with them; especially
if those Manufactures interfere with our own, and are purchased with
Bullion. Therefore I think the _East-India_ Trade to be unprofitable to
us, hindering by its Silks, Muslins, and Callicoes, the Consumption of
more of our Manufactures in _Europe_, than it takes from us. The
_Spanish_, _Turkey_, and _Portugal_ Trades, are very advantagious, as
they vend great Quantities of our Manufactures, and furnish us with
Materials to be wrought up here, and disperse our Commodities to other
Places, where we could not so well send them ourselves; this _Spain_ doth
to its Settlements in _America_; _Turkey_ to all its Territories, both in
_Europe_ and _Asia_, and also to _Persia_; _Portugal_ doth the same to
_Brazil_. The _Dutch_, _Hamburgh_, and _Dantzick_ Trades are very useful,
as they supply _Germany_, _Poland_, and some Parts of _Russia_, with our
Manufactures, and little interfere with us in theirs. _Sweden_ and
_Denmark_ are profitable, both in what they take from us, and in what we
have from them again. _Italy_ takes off much of our Worsted Manufactures,
and sends us little of its own, save wrought Silks, whereof we shall
every Year import less, as we increase that Manufacture at home; but
above all, I esteem the _African_ and _West-India_ Trades to be most
profitable to the Nation, as they imploy more of our People at Home, and
give greater Incouragement to our Navigation by their Product; but the
_French_ Trade is certainly our Loss, _France_ being like a Tavern, with
whom we spend what we get by other Nations; and ’tis strange, we should
be so bewitcht to that People, as to take off their Growth, which
consists chiefly of things for Luxury, and receive a Value only for the
Esteem we put on them, whilst at the same Time, they prohibit our
Manufactures, in order to set up the like among themselves, which we
encourage, by furnishing them with Wool.
[Sidenote: The Ballance of each Trade.]
The Ballance of that and the _East-India_ Trade, is always against us,
from whom we have in Goods more than we ship them, and therefore must
lessen our Bullion; the Ballance of _Spain_ and _Portugal_ is always in
our Favour, and therefore must encrease it; as for the _Dutch_,
_Germany_, and _Hamburgh_, their Ballances are not yet agreed on; some
think we ship them most, others, that we receive most from them; I
incline to the former: The Northern Crowns supply us with more than they
take from us, but they are Commodities we can’t be without, at least,
till we can be better furnish’d with them from our Plantations in
_America_; _Turkey_ may require some Bullion, yet the Trade we drive
thither is very beneficial to us; _Italy_ will grow more and more in its
Ballance on our Side, as the Importation of wrought Silks is lessen’d,
and turn’d into raw and thrown. Now considering, that almost the whole
World is supplied by our Labour, and that our Plantations do daily bring
us such Incomes, ’tis strange, if this Nation should not grow rich,
which doubtless it would do above all our Neighbours, were our Trade
rightly looked after.
[Sidenote: What Nations chiefly cope with us in our Manufactures.]
Those who cope with us in our Manufactures, are chiefly the _French_; but
let due Care be taken to prevent their being supplied with Wool from
hence, and from _Ireland_, and we shall soon see an Alteration therein:
’Tis true, they have Wool of their own, but they cannot work it without
ours or _Irish_: The Commodities they make, are generally slight Stuffs,
wherein they use a great deal of Combing Wool; and these they not only
wear themselves, but send them to _Portugal_, and other Parts, with good
Success; to countermine which, We have fallen on making them, by
Assistance of the _French_ Refugees; I wonder at the Fancies of those
Men, who are always finding Fault, that we do not make our Manufactures
as strong as formerly we did, wherein I think they are to be blamed, for
we must fit them to the Humours of the Buyers, and slight Cloth brings as
much Profit to the Nation as strong, and the same Employment to the Poor;
yet where Seals and other Marks are set, let them be certain Evidences to
the Truth of what they certify, either as to the Length of the Piece, or
that the Inside is suitable to the Outside, or that ’tis truly wove,
and without Flaws; the same with respect to the Colour, that ’tis
woaded, or madder’d, or the like: But there is a great deal of
Difference between this, and obliging the Manufacturer to make his Cloth
or Stuff to a certain Weight and Thickness, without respect to the Buyer,
or the Climate to which it is sent. As for the _Dutch_, as I take them to
be no good Planters, so likewise no good Manufacturers, their Heads are
not turned that Way, but rather to Traffic and Navigation. The
_Flanderkins_ were once famous in the Art of Cloth-making, which they
carried on by the Wool they fetch’d hence: But King _Edward_ the Third,
by keeping our Wool at home, put a stop to that Manufacture. If therefore
the prohibiting our Wool to be carried out, had at that Time so good an
Effect and Consequence against those People, why should not our Care to
prevent its being carried out now, have the same against the _French_? We
cannot indeed hinder them from _Spanish_, but we may from our own and
_Irish_. As for _Sweden_, I am apt to think their Manufactures will come
to little. And as for _Germany_, the Woollen Manufacture is not so
natural to them as the Linnen, which they would keep close to, if we gave
them Encouragement, by wearing it here, and sending it to our
Plantations, which would be more advantagious to us, than by the use of
Muslins and Callicoes, to put them on fencing with us at our own Weapons,
which they very unwillingly undertake. The Woollen Manufactures in
_Italy_ are but small, and those chiefly among the _Venetians_, something
among the _Genoese_; these we cannot hinder, being supplied with Wool
from those Parts of _Spain_ which are near them, except we could promote
a Contract with the _Spaniard_ for all he hath; and if it should be
objected that we should then have too much, ’tis better to burn the
Overplus at the Charge of the Public (as the _Dutch_ do their Spices)
than to have it wrought up abroad, which we can’t otherwise prevent,
seeing all the Wool of _Europe_ is Manufactured somewhere; and if the Act
for burying in Woollen did extend to our Plantations in _America_,
’twould be of great use towards the Consumption of our Wooll; thus,
when the Nation comes to see, that the Labour of its People is its
Wealth, ’twill put us on finding out Methods to make every one Work
that is able; which must be done, by hindring such swarms from going off
to idle and useless Employments, and by preventing such Multitudes of
lazy People from being maintained by begging.
[Sidenote: Difference in Employing our own Ships and those of other Nations.]
And this is farther to be noted in our Trade with Foreign Nations, that
where they fetch from us our Product and Manufactures, and make their
Imports to us, in their own Ships, we get less by the Trade we drive with
them, than if we did it in ours, because that doth also encourage our
Navigation; and Freights are a great and profitable Article in Trade;
therefore we get more by the _Spanish_ Trade, because we generally drive
it in our own Bottoms; and we lose more by the _French_ Trade, when they
bring us their Wines and Brandy, than when we fetch them ourselves; and
accordingly we may take our Measures in judging of all other Trades.
[Sidenote: Whether a true Judgment may be made of the Ballance of Foreign
Trade.]
It hath been a great Debate how the Ballance of our Foreign Trade shall
be Computed, and what Methods we should take whereby to know it, and it
has been thought, that the most proper way to make a true Judgment
therein is, by taking an Account from the Custom-house Books of our
Exports and Imports; but if this Method would do, yet I do not think
there can be any Certainty, either of the one or the other, drawn from
thence; for, as for our Imports, the Bullion, and such Things of Value,
are not entered there, and seldom presented; and as to the Exports,
seeing our Woollen Manufactures go out Custom-Free, the Entries there
made of them cannot be depended on; but suppose a more exact Account of
our Exports and Imports could be had, yet, since so great a part of the
Trade of this Kingdom is driven by Exchange, and such vast Quantities of
Commodities are Imported from our Plantations for Account of the
Inhabitants there, the Produce whereof they leave here as a stock at
Home, and that they are supply’d hence with so many Things for their
own Consumption, I cannot see how any moderate Computation can be this
way made of our general Trade, much less of that we drive with any
particular Nation, the Commodities which we receive at one place, being
often carried to another; thus we transport to _Italy_ the Sugars we
receive for our Manufactures in _Portugal_, and bring thence Silk and
other Things to be manufactured here, and yet we must not conclude we
lose by the _Portugal_ Trade, because the Returns thence fall short by
the Custom-House Books, or that we get more by the _Italian_ Trade,
because it doth not appear by those Books how we exported Commodities to
pay for what we Import thence; and as to the Profits we make by the
Freights of our Ships, it doth not at all appear from them, nor at what
Rates our Product and Manufactures are sold Abroad, or our Plantation
Goods to Foreigners at home; so the Thing must still remain doubtful; and
I know no more certain way to Judge of it, than by the Increase the
Nation makes in its Bullion, which always arises from the over Ballance
of our Foreign Barter and Commerce.
[Sidenote: Committee of Trade.]
And for the better Encouraging the Trade of this Kingdom, I think it well
worthy the Thoughts of a Parliament, whether a standing Committee, made
up of Men well verst therein, should not be appointed; whose sole
Business it should be to consider the State thereof, and to find out Ways
to improve it; to see how the Trades we drive with Foreign Kingdoms, grow
more or less profitable to us; how, and by what Means we are out-done by
others in the Trades we drive, or hindered from enlarging them; what is
necessary to be prohibited, both in our Exports and Imports, and for how
long Time; to hear Complaints from our Factories Abroad, and to
correspond with our Ministers there, in Affairs relating to our Trade,
and to represent all Things rightly to the Government, with their Advice,
what Courses are proper to be taken for its Encouragement; and generally
to study by what means and Methods the Trade of this Kingdom may be
improved, both abroad and at home.
If this was well settled, the good Effects thereof would soon be seen;
but then, great Care must be taken, that these Places be not fill’d up
with such who know nothing of the Business, and thereby this excellent
Constitution become only a Matter of Form and Expence.
In the Management of Things of much less moment, we employ such who are
supposed to understand what they undertake, and believe they cannot be
carryed on without them; whilst the general Trade of the Nation (which is
the support of all) lies neglected, as if the Coggs that direct its
Wheels did not need skill to keep them true: Trade requires as much
Policy as Matters of State, and can never be kept in a regular Motion by
Accident; when the Frame of our Trade is out of Order, we know not where
to begin to mend it, for want of a set of experienced Builders, ready to
receive Applications, and able to judge where the Defect lies.
Such a Committee as this, will soon appear to be of great Use and
Service, both to the Parliament in framing Laws relating to Trade, and
also to the Government in the Treaties they make with Foreign Nations.
As to the first, it hath sometimes been thought, that when that great and
glorious Assembly hath medled with Trade, they have left it worse than
they found it; and the Reason is, because the Laws relating to Trade,
require more time to look into their distant Consequences, than a Session
will admit; whereof we have had many Instances.