Part 5

The next is the Trade we drive to the Kingdom of _Portugal_, and its Islands, where we vend much of our Product and Manufactures, little different in their kinds from what are sent to _Spain_; and from thence we have in Return, Salt, Oil, Woad, Fruit, and Wines, besides Gold and Silver: We have, since the Wat with _France_, increased our Importation of their Wines, which is more our Interest to do, than to have them from _France_, whence our Imports have been always more than our Exports would pay for, and to this Kingdom our Exports are greater than their Products can make us Returns, especially since we have desisted from bringing hither their Sugars and Tobacco, Commodities wherewith we are more advantageously supplied from our Plantations in _America_, and are now able to furnish foreign Markets cheaper than they can.

These People were formerly the great Navigators of the World, as appears 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.]