The true Interest then of _Ireland_ being Husbandry, Trade and
Manufactures stand diametrically opposite thereto; for Trade being of it
self less laborious, and the Poor maintained thereby living more easie
than such as are employed in the Field, doth invite them rather to settle
in that way than the other; this is the reason why such Multitudes of
People daily flock into Cities from the Country, if they have either
Encouragement themselves, or can foresee any for their Children, whereas
few withdraw from Trade to the Labour of a Country Life; of this we have
an eminent Example in _New England_, which tho' it was the first peopled,
and by its Trade hath drawn thither great Numbers of Inhabitants, yet
that large Colony hath not cultivated so much Ground as far less Numbers
have in other Plantations much later setled; for whereas in them the
Product was thought to be their Wealth, and therefore the Setlers
disperst themselves, and with all the Assistance they could get
endeavoured to clear and fit the Ground for breaking up, these took
another Course, and by keeping together chose rather to live on Buying
and Selling, by which means their Improvements are very small, and their
Product of no value suitable to their Numbers, so that it seems at
present rather a Magazine of Trade, their chief Imployment being to
supply the other _American_ Plantations with Fish catch'd on the Coasts,
and some other things raised near the Seaside, and in Returns bring
thence the Commodities of their Growth, which they again barter with us,
or Ship to Markets themselves, and here it is to be noted that the great
Ballance of their Ttade is Ships, which (having plenty of Timber) they
build on reasonable Rates, either for Sale, or to be imployed for
transporting their own Commodities, which being generally bulky, such as
Timber, Mackrill, Bread, Horses, for the Plantations, and Codfish for
_Europe_, great part of their value arises from their Freights; This was
indeed their oversight at first, and now scarce to be retrieved; for had
they then began with Planting, and followed that closely for some time,
they might in all probability long since have made themselves Masters of
a greater Product, which would have laid the foundations of a much larger
Trade both to _Europe_ and other places in _America_; they are indeed a
thrifty sort of People, but want Commodities of their own Product, and
the Profits of a Nations Trade being very much limited according to that,
if the Parliament should think fit by new Laws to hinder the Freedom they
now enjoy in our _American_ Plantations (which I judge absolutely
necessary, because so much abused by their carrying those Commodities to
Foreign Markets without touching first in _England_, to the lessening our
Customs, and discouraging our Merchants here) their Trade must sink, and
they see their error too late.
2. And as Foreign Trade and Manufactures lessen the Number of Husbandmen
in _Ireland_, so secondly it lessens the Strength and Security of that
Island, which lies in a good Number of hardy People, enured to Labour,
who with it defend their own Interests, and cannot depart thence without
leaving their All; whereas Merchants and Traders being but Temporary
Residents may and often do leave a place when it most requires their Stay
for its Defence; an Instance of this we had lately, when the trading Part
of the Inhabitants thereof who could remove their Effects left it
soonest, whilst the Men of Land came more uneasily away, because they
left their Estates behind them, and had no Methods of maintaining
themselves in _England_ but by living on what they brought with them,
whereas the others soon fell into Trade here, and tho' they changed the
place were still in their Employments; now the Security of the
Freeholders of _Ireland_ is to engage as many as they can in the same
Interest with themselves, which may be done by dividing the Lands into
particular Farmes, in bigness suitable to the Stocks of such as undertake
them; by this means they fix their Roots in the Ground, and bind them
with a Band of Iron; nor would many of their People (if Trade were
discouraged) return to _England_ again, but imploy themselves and their
Stocks in improving such Farms as they should purchase either for Lives
or Years at easie Rents, or making themselves Freeholders.
And as the security of _Ireland_ is lessen'd at Land by Trade, so
likewise at Sea, for which they depend on the Kingdom of _England_; now
can it be thought this Nation will be at continual charges only to raise
a People which shall vye with them in their Trade? Or that we can be able
to do it when our Navigation decays? which it must do as the others
increases, who afford us few Saylers towards Manning our Fleet, whilst
our own are harrast by continual Presses; for let them be sure if the
_French_ King could have marched an Army thither as easie as he could to
_Flanders_, the Lands of _Ireland_ might long since have had other
Landlords, maugre all the defence they could have made.
Nor does the Profit of this Trade and Manufacture redound to the
Free-holders, but only to the Traders, who as I hinted before are a
separate Interest, and remove at their Pleasures.
But if the People of _Ireland_ think _England_ is bound to defend them
against a Foreign Invasion an Account of its own Interest and Security,
they must be allow'd to be in the right, yer let them consider also that
we have power to limit their Trade so as it may be least prejudicial to
our own, which in my Judgment cannot better be done than by reducing that
Kingdom to the State of our other Plantations, confining the Exportation
of their Product only hither, and that also unmanufactured, and
preventing their being supplied with Necessaries from other Nations; this
will make _Ireland_ profitable to _England_, and in some measure
recompence the vast Charges we have been at for its Reduction and
Delivery out of the Hands of Foreign Powers and _Popish_ Cut-throats, and
that not less than twice in forty Years, all paid by the People of
_England_, a Guess whereat may be made by this, that the last cost above
Three Hundred and Forty Thousand Pounds only in Transport Ships, for
which we now pay Interest; and if the Charge of Transporting our Army
thither with their Provisions and Ammunition cost so much, what did the
pay of the first and Purchase of the latter amount unto? Now 'tis very
reasonable the Nation should some way or other receive Satisfaction for
its Expences, and none seems more just and equal than this, which would
only limit the Profits of a few Merchants, who carry on a Trade to the
Prejudice of _England_; As for the Freeholders, they would be supply'd
with Necessaries on as cheap terms as now, and find Chapmen for their
Product, which would be bought up by Factories setled from _England_, or
they might send them hither themselves if they thought fit, and by this
means all would be manufactured here, and Foreign Markets must be
supply'd hence as they are now thence.
This is the way to prevent transporting their Wool for other Places to
the Prejudice of our Manufactures, and Importing Tobacco with other of
our Plantation Commodities directly thence to the prejudice of our
Customs and Merchants; this also would imploy our Navigation, and by its
short Voyages make Multitudes of Seamen; In short, we cannot imagine the
Advantages it would bring to this Kingdom till Experience hath shew'd us.
[Sidenote: Act of Prohibition.]
But then the _Act of Prohibition_ must be repealed, there must be free
Liberty to bring in Cattle both alive and dead, and all things else which
that Land produces; and here I must again renew the Question, _What is
Truth_? 'Twill be as difficult to perswade the Gentlemen of _England_
that this is their true Interest, as it is those of _Ireland_ that theirs
does not consist in Trade and Manufactures, one being byassed by the
breeding part of this Nation, as the others are by their Merchants, who
represent their private Profits as the Nations; and it is not to be
wondred they have Success therein when it carries so much the face of a
present advantage; but that the Gentlemen of _England_ should be still
fond of that Act after so many Years smarting under it seems to me very
strange, than which I know no Law in my time hath been more pernicious to
the Traffique of this Kingdom; 'twas this first put those of _Ireland_ on
that Trade which hath since almost eat out ours; 'twas this set them on
Manufactures, which were so far advanced before the late troubles, that
the sales of one Market as I have been informed came to a Thousand Pounds
_per_ Week; for so long as they had Liberty of Importing their Product
hither, and found a constant Sale when Imported, they were contented
therewith, but being put on a necessity of finding out Foreign Markets
for their Provisions, this made their Merchants (who were before
generally Factors to those of _England_, and are to give them their due
an ingenious prying People) dive deeper, and since we refused to take the
Flesh, they chose to keep the Fleece, and either to Ship it to Foreign
Countrys where 'twould yield a greater Price, or by a Manufacture to
render it fit for those Markets wherein they vended the other; 'Twas this
that hath produced such great Quantities of Wool in _Ireland_ as have at
least equalled if not exceeded _England_, for the greatest part of the
Lands of that Kingdom by reason of the thinness of its Inhabitants being
turned rather to pasture than Tillage, and this Prohibition discouraging
the raising black Cattle, put the People on stocking them with Sheep;
which Overplus would again decrease if _Ireland_ becoming better peopled
in its _Inland_ Parts by laying aside Trade fell more on Tillage, or by
repealing this Act the Inhabitants received Encouragement to betake
themselves again to breeding black Cattle; now if it be true that not the
quantity of a Commodity at Market but the Demand when there makes it bear
a Price, it will appear that the Makers of that Law were out in their
Politiques, by not considering that the Product of _Ireland_ must be
consumed somewhere, and if sent to Foreign parts formerly supplied hence
'twould abate the Exportation of ours, the Consequence whereof would be
the lessening their Expence abroad more than it was increased at home;
nor did they at the same time take care to put us on any footing equal
with the others by abatement in the Customs on Exportation, and thereby
enabling the Merchants of _England_ to sell suitably with those of
_Ireland_, but still continued Three Shillings _per_ Barrel on Beef, and
Four on Pork, whilst the others paid much less there, the same on Butter,
Bread, Flower, and other Provisions, so that a Stander by would have
thought this Law had been contrived for the Advantage of _Ireland_; all
which proceeded from the mistaken Interest of one part of the Kingdom,
which (were it true) ought not to prevail to the Detriment of a National
Trade, and the true Interest of the Remainer.
Nor will it be reasonable unless this Liberty be given to bind up
_Ireland_ from a Foreign Trade, and consequently to confine the
consumption of its Product to a Home Expence, except what we shall
occasionally fetch from them to carry Abroad; This as it will discourage
the Freeholders there, so will it Industry here, and the Trade must be
managed by great _Funds_, small Stocks not being able to engage in
transporting the Commodities they receive in Barter to Foreign Markets,
which they might in bringing them to _England_, being a shorter Voyage;
and so consequently the Product of _Ireland_ would have more Buyers, and
the Inhabitants be supplyed with Necessaries on cheaper Terms by this
free Trade, than when their whole Dependance should be on those
Monopolizers.
The next Question will be what effect the taking off this Prohibition
will have on our native Product? Whither it will lessen its Consumption?
I am of opinion it will not, because our Exports must be increased as
theirs from _Ireland_ are lessened, unless we do imagine Foreign Markets
will not consume the same quantities they did before, or will find out
new ways to be supplied with them from other places; besides, by how much
more charges are added to the Products of _Ireland_ (as those of Freight
and other petty Expences on such bulky Commodities will be if brought
hither) so much will ours be put on the same Footing with them, and bear
a better price.
It's well known that the Exporting our Wool to Foreign Markets hath by
the ill Consequences thereof abated its Price at Home; This hath been
observed by Calculations made by considering Men, and the reason was,
because those Countrys were thereby enabled to work up much larger
Quantities of their own into various sorts of Manufactures, which both
fitted their occasions at Home, and supplied Markets abroad where we
generally vended ours; by this means our Sales growing slack, and finding
new Competitors in our Trade, we were forced to sell our Manufactures
cheap, and this was done by making them slighter, and by lessening the
Prices both of Wool and Labour; whereas had we kept our Wool at Home
these Mischiefs had been prevented, and the _French_ and other Nations
could not have made such a Progress in Manufactures as they have done;
their Wool being unfit to be wrought up by its self (unless mixt with
_English_ or _Irish_) must have sought a Market here, and been returned
again to them in Manufactures, which is the true way to enrich this
Kingdom; This would have drawn over great Numbers of People to be
employed in the Cloathing Trade, who would likewise have consumed our
Product; and as these had increased so also had their Imployment, which
would have kept up the Price of _Wool_, things being of value in Markets
according as they are supply'd by Nation's standing in competition for
Trade, and it must be allowed that it was not the Interest of _England_
to fall its Manufactures abroad had we been the only Sellers, for
according as they yielded there, so much is the Wealth of this Nation
advanced; This our Fore-fathers knew when they made Laws not only to
prohibit the Exportation of _Wool_ hence, but also from _Ireland_, which
Laws cannot be too strong, on whose due observation depends our Wealth or
Ruin; now if the Trade of _Ireland_ was reduced to that of our other
Colonies, and the same Care taken about the Commodities of its growth,
our danger from that Kingdom in Relation to this would be at an end, when
Methods may also be used to prevent its being Exported hence.
Nor is there any reason to be offered why _Ireland_ should have greater
Liberty than our other Plantations, the Inhabitants whereof have an equal
Desire to a free Trade, forgetting that the first design of their
Settlement was to advance the Interest of _England_, against whom no
Arguments can be used which will not equally hold good against _Ireland_.