Wilson, in his _Life of Defoe_, vol. iii. p. 334., gives an account from
Tindal, Oldmixon, Boyer, and Chalmers, of the _Mercator_ and its
antagonist, the _British Merchant_. He commences by observing that Defoe
"had but little to do with this work" (the _Mercator_), and quotes
Chalmers, who seems totally to mistake the passage in Defoe's _Appeal to
Honour and Justice_, pp. 47-50., in which the _Mercator_ is mentioned,
and to consider it as a denial on his part of having had any share in
the work. Defoe's words are--
"What part I had in the _Mercator_ is well known, and would men
answer with argument and not with personal abuse, I would at any
time defend any part of the _Mercator_ which was of my writing.
But to say the _Mercator_ is mine is false. I never was the author
of it, nor had the property, printing, or profit of it. I had
never any payment or reward for writing any part of it, nor had I
the power of putting what I would into it, yet the whole clamour
fell upon me."
Defoe evidently means only to deny that he was the originator and
proprietor of the _Mercator_, not that he was not the principal writer
in it. The _Mercator_ was a government paper set on foot by Harley to
support the proposed measure of the Treaty of Commerce with France; and
the _Review_, which Defoe had so long and so ably conducted, being
brought to a close in the beginning of May, 1713, he was retained to
follow up the opinions he had maintained in the _Review_ as to the
treaty in this new periodical. He had not the control of the work
undoubtedly, otherwise, cautiously abstaining as he does himself from
all personal attacks upon his opponents, the remarks on Henry Martin
would not have appeared, which led to a severe and very unjust
retaliation in the _British Merchant_, in which Defoe's misfortunes are
unfeelingly introduced. There cannot, however, be the slightest doubt to
any one at all acquainted with Defoe's style, or who compares the
_Mercator_ with the commercial articles in the Review, that the whole of
the _Mercator_, except such portion as appears in the shape of letters,
and which constitutes only a small part of the work, was written by
Defoe. The principal of these letters were probably written by William
Brown.
The excessive rarity of the _Mercator_, which Wilson could never obtain,
and of which probably very few copies exist, has rendered it the least
known of Defoe's publications. Even Mr. M'Culloch, from the mode in
which he speaks of it (_Literature of Political Economy_, p. 142.),
would appear not to have seen it. And therefore, whilst the _British
Merchant_, "the shallow sophisms and misstatements" of which we now
treat with contempt, is one of the most common of commercial books,
having gone through at least three editions, besides the original folio,
the _Mercator_, replete as it is with the vigour, the life and
animation, the various and felicitous power of illustration, which this
great and truly English author could impart to any subject, still exists
only in probably four or five copies of the original folio numbers. How
many of the advocates for free trade are acquainted with a production in
which one of the most gifted minds that the country ever produced,
exerts his delightful powers and most effectual "unadorned eloquence" in
the support of their favourite doctrine?
I do not see any copy of the _Mercator_ noticed in the printed catalogue
of the British Museum. I owe my own to the kindness of MR. BOLTON
CORNEY, who allowed me to possess it, having purchased it, I believe, at
Mr. Heber's sale.