1. That Duties are laid upon things not yet ripe for use,
upon Commodities in _fieri_, and but in the way of their full
improvements, which seems the same ill-husbandry, as to make fuel
of young Saplings, instead of Dotards and Pollards.
2. The great number of Officers requisite to Collect the said
Duties, especially in a Countrey where the Harbours are many, and
the Tides convenient for shipping of Goods at any time.
3. The great facility of smuckling by Briberies, Collusions,
hiding and disguising of Commodities, &c. and all this
notwithstanding Oaths and Penalties, and withall by the several
wayes of mitigating and taking off the said Penalties even after
discovery.
4. The Customs or Duties upon the few Commodities of the growth
of _England_ exchanged with Foreigners, make too small a part of
the whole Expence of the people of this Kingdom, which (perhaps
is not less then fifty millions of pounds _per annum_) out of
which to bear the common Charges thereof, so as some other way
of Leavy must be practised together with it; whereas by some one
way, if the best, the whole work may be absolved: wherefore ’tis
an inconvenience in the way of Customs, that it necessitates other
wayes then it self.
12. Now as a small attempt of a Remedy or Expedient herein, I offer
rather, that instead of the Customs upon Goods shipped, every Ship
that goes in or out, may pay a Tonnage, the same being collectible
by a very few hands, as a matter visible to all the world; and
that the said Duty be but such a part of the Fraight, as the like
whereof being excinded out of the whole Consumption, would defray
all the Publique Charge; which part perhaps is 4. _per Cent._ or
thereabouts, _viz._ two millions _per annum_ out of fifty.
13. The other is, that the Customs be reduced into the nature of an
Ensurance-_præmium_, and that the same be augmented and fitted, as
whereby the King may afford to ensure the goods as well against the
Sea as Enemies; by which means the whole Nation would be concerned
in all such losses, and then the Merchant for his own sake would
more willingly enter and pay for whatsoever he would have ensured.
14. But it will be here objected, that although the duty of Customs
be abrogated, yet that there must be almost the same number of
Officers maintained as now to prevent the bringing in and carrying
out of prohibited Commodities. Wherefore we shall here state the
nature of such Prohibitions by two or three grand instances.
15. To prohibit the Exportation of Money, in that it is a thing
almost impracticable, it is almost nugatory and vain; And the
danger of it resolves either into a kinde of Ensurance answerable
to the danger of being seized, or unto a Surcharge of a Composition
by bribing the Searchers. As for example, If but one in fifty
Exportations are seized, or if twenty shillings be usually taken
for conniving at fifty pounds, then the Commodities bought with
this Money must be sold two at least _per cent._ the dearer to
the Consumptioner. Now if the Trade will not bear this Surcharge,
then Money will not be exported with discretion. Now the use of
this Prohibition, supposing it practicable, is to serve as a
sumptuary Law, and to binde the Nation in general not to spend
more then they get; for if we could export no Commodity of our
own growth or manufacture then by prohibiting the going out of
Money, it is also _ipso facto_ commanded that nothing forreign
should be brought in. Again supposing, that ordinarily we export
enough to furnish us with all Forreign Commodities, but upon some
extraordinary decay of our Land or hands, we are able to export but
half as much as would procure our ordinary proportion of Forreign
Goods, then the Prohibition of Money performs indeed the part of
a sumptuary Law, in hindring us to bring in any more then half as
much Forreign Commodities as we formerly used, onely it leaves it
to the discretion of the Merchant, to chose which he will neglect
or forbear to bring in, and which not; whereas in sumptuary Laws
the State taketh this care upon themselves. As for example, If we
wanted Exportation to ballance our Importations by forty thousand
pounds, and suppose for examples sake, that the Importation of
forty thousand pounds worth of Coffee-Berries, or the like of
Spanish Wine must be retrenched; in this case, the said Prohibition
of Money will do one, or some of the one, and some of the other as
the Merchant himself pleases: But the sumptuary Law determines,
whether we shall encourage and keep fair with the Nation that sends
us Wine rather then that which sends us Coffee, and whether the
Expence of Wine or Coffee be most prejudicial to our people, &c.
16. The benefits alledged for the free Exportation of Money is
meerly this, _viz._ That if a Ship carrying out of _England_ forty
thousand pounds worth of Cloth, might also carry with it forty
thousand pounds in Money, then could the Merchant stand the stiffer
upon his terms, and in fine would buy cheaper, and sell dearer;
but by the way, the Merchant buyes this power with the Interest
and advantage of the Money he carries, which if it amount to five
pound _per Cent._ then he had better sold his Goods at four pound
_per Cent._ under rate, then to have fortified himself with Money
as aforesaid. But of this more may be said, we hasten to the great
point of Wool.
17. The Hollanders having gotten away our Manufacture of Cloth, by
becoming able to work with more art, to labour and fare harder, to
take less fraight, Duties and Ensurance, hath so madded us here
in _England_, that we have been apt to think of such exorbitantly
fierce wayes of prohibiting Wool and Earth to be exported, as
perhaps would do us twice as much harm as the losse of our said
Trade. Wherefore to return to our Wits and Trade again, before we
can tell what to do in this case, we must consider;
1. That we are often forced to buy Corn from abroad, and as often
complain that we are pestered with abundance of idle hands at home,
and withall that we cannot vend the Woollen Manufactures even which
our few working hands do produce. In this case were it not better
to lessen our sheep-trade, and convert our hands to more Tillage?
Because 1. Flesh becomming dearer, there would be encouragement
for Fish, which will never be till then. 2. Our Money would not
run so fast away for Corn. 3. We should have no such Gluts of Wool
upon our hands. 4. Our idle hands would be employed in Tillage and
Fishing, one man by the way of grazing, tilling as it were many
thousand Acres of Land by himself and his Dog.
2. Suppose we wanted no Corn, nor had any idle hands, and yet
that we abounded with more Wool then we can work up; in this case
certainly Wool might be exported, because ’tis supposed, that the
hands which work are already employed upon a better Trade.
3. Suppose the Hollander outdo us by more art, were it not better
to draw over a number of their choice Workmen, or send our most
ingenious men thither to learn; which if they succeed; it is most
manifest, that this were the more natural way, then to keep that
infinite clutter about resisting of Nature, stopping up the windes
and seas, &c.
4. If we can make Victual much cheaper here then in _Holland_, take
away burdensome, frivolous, and antiquated Impositions and Offices.
I conceive even this were better then to perswade Water to rise of
it self above its natural Spring.
5. We must consider in general, that as wiser Physicians tamper not
excessively with their Patients, rather observing and complying
with the motions of nature, then contradicting it with vehement
Administrations of their own; so in Politicks and Oconomicks the
same must be used; for
_Naturam expellas furcâ licet usque recurrit._
18. Nevertheless, if the Hollanders advantages in making Cloth be
but small and few in comparison of ours, that is, if they have but
a little the better of us, then I conceive that Prohibitions to
export Wool may sufficiently turn the scales. But whether this be
so or not, I leave to others, being my self neither Merchant nor
Statesman.
19. As for Prohibition of Importations, I say that it needs not be,
until they much exceed our Exportations. For if we should think it
hard to give good necessary Cloth for debauching Wines, yet if we
cannot dispose of our Cloth to others, ’twere better to give it
for Wine or worse, then to cease making it; nay, better to burn a
thousand mens labours for a time, then to let those thousand men by
non-employment lose their faculty of labouring. In brief, what may
be further said hereupon, resolves into the Doctrine and _Ingenium_
of making sumptuary Laws, and judicious use of them _pro hic &
nunc_.
20. Unto this Discourse of Customs appertains that of Free Ports,
which (in a Nation that onely trades for it self, _viz._ vents its
own superfluities, and imports onely Necessaries for it self) are
of no use, but rather harm; for suppose Wines be brought into a
Free Port, be there housed and privately sold, but the Cask filled
up with stained water, and put on ship-board again to be staved as
soon as the ship is out at sea: In this case, the Duties of those
Wines are defrauded, as it also may be many other wayes.
21. Now if it be said, that although we should trade but for our
selves, yet that our Ports (being more commodious then those of
other Nations) would be the more frequented; for being free, and
consequently the more enriched, by the expence of Sea-men and
Passengers, hire of Labourers, and Ware-houses, &c. even without
any Custom at all upon the Goods. Nevertheless ’tis reason that a
small duty should be paid upon the ship as aforesaid for such use
of our Ports, and that _eo nomine_; not expecting all our Benefit
from the said hire of Cellaridge, Porters, and Carmen, which also
might be had over and above for their proper reasons.
22. But if we could attain to be the Merchants between other
Nations, there is then no reason for exacting Duties (as was said
before) upon things _in fieri_, and which are but in the way of
their improvement: And as for the fraud that may be committed, as
in the case of Wines abovementioned, I affirm that our Excize upon
the Consumption, would overcome and elude them.