Part 1

AN ESSAY ON THE STATE OF ENGLAND, In Relation to its TRADE, Its Poor, and its Taxes For carrying on the present War against FRANCE.

By JOHN CARY, Merchant in Bristoll.

BRISTOLL:

Printed by W. Bonny, for the Author, and are to be sold in London by Sam. Crouch, at the Corner of Popes Head-Alley in Cornhill, and Tim. Goodwin, at the Queen's Head, near the Temple; also by Tho. Wall, and Rich. Gravett, near the Tolzey, in Bristoll, Novem. 1695.

TO THE KING's Most Excellent MAJESTY.

May it please Your Majesty,

IT is not a Desire to appear in Print hath made me to write, or a fond Opinion of what I have written, to affix Your Great Name to these Papers, but a true Affection to my _Native Country_, and the Cause Your Majesty is now engag'd in; A War, on whose good Success depends the Security of Religion, Liberty, and Property, both to Your own Subjects, and likewise to all the _Protestant_ Interest in _Europe_; A War, as it is absolutely necessary, and must be carried on with Vigour, so it is like to be long and chargeable, and so much longer, as we abate in Our Vigorous Prosecution; A War, which may strain the _Nerves_ and _Sinews_ of our Treasure before it be ended, and therefore as in _Martial Discipline_ great Wisdom must be used to secure those Posts where the Enemy bends most of his Forces, so here 'tis Prudence to strengthen our Treasure, by advancing and securing our _Trade_ which must bring it in; If this was done, Taxes would be easily paid, and little felt, and without it this _Nation_ will at last become Bankrupt, when its Expences exceed its Profits.

The Foundations of the Wealth of this Kingdom are, _Land_, _Manufactures_, and _Foreign Trade_, these are its Pillars, which ought not to be overshaken, they have hitherto borne the Burthen, and felt the Smart of the War, and 'tis time now they should slide their _Necks_ out of the _Collar_, other ways may be found out to raise a greater Summ annually than Your Majesty's Occasions will require, without Four Shillings _per_ Pound on the first, Excises on the second, or a Tunnage Bill on Ships on the last, an Act which lighted heavy on the Merchant, and left no room to consider whither he gained or lost by the Voyage, or whither the Ship returned home full or empty.

The Methods for Raising Money must be easie, when the annual necessary Summs are to be so great, therefore it would be Policy in our Law-makers to make use of those which may least hurt any part of our Vitals, such as _Land_ and _Trade_ are; I mean that part of _Trade_ which is useful to the Publick God, not that which is managed only for private Men's Advantage; it may be possible to rate the Trader, and yet to spare the _Trade_.

There are two things which seem to be of great Importance to this _Nation_, and very necessary to be look'd into.

First, The better securing our _Plantation Trade_, so as it may more absolutely depend on this Kingdom than it hath hitherto done; this will not only encourage our _Navigation_, when all their Product shall be imported hither, but also much advance Your Majesty's Revenues, when such quantities of Tobacco shall not be carried thence directly to foreign Markets; to prevent which, and secure Your Majesty's Duties when Imported, plain and practicable Methods may be proposed; and the Consequence thereof would be, that this Kingdom being the Mistress of that Commodity, Your Majesty's Coffers would be filled, not only from its Home Expence, but also by a Tribute raised from Foreign Nations, where it would very much lie in Your Majesty's Power to set its Price; I do not think new Imposts upon the Importer will so much advance Your Majesty's Revenue as they will discourage the Merchant, 'twould be better to take away those already laid, and instead thereof to raise a far greater Summ on the Consumer, which may be done without the Clog or Oppression of Officers, in such a manner, that it shall scarce be felt, either by the Retailer or Spender.

The next thing is the securing our Wool at Home, and making this a Market for all the Wool of _Christendom_, whereby _England_ would soon become the Queen of _Europe_, and flourishing in its _Manufactures_ grow Rich by the Labour of its People, and consequently might better afford to import Commodities to be spent on _Luxury_; I take it to be one great Reason why the Kingdom of _Spain_ still continues poor notwithstanding its _Indies_, because all that the Inhabitants buy is purchased for its full Value in _Treasure_ or _Product_, their Labour adding nothing to its Wealth, for want of _Manufactures_; I am apt to think greater Steps may be made in this than have hitherto been done, and our Wool may be kept at home, not by punishing the Exporter with Death, but by apt Methods to prevent his doing it; and when a Lock is put on _Ireland_ and _Rumny-Marsh_, Foreign Countrys will more easily be prevailed on to send us theirs.

These things seem worth the Consideration of the ensuing _Parliament_, a great many Members of the last to my certain Knowledge began to be much in Love with _Trade_, and have often lamented the dark Notions That _House_ had of it, for want of being put into a better Light by those who ought to have represented it truly to them.

Which hath been a great Inducement to me in the writing this _Tract_, that I might set forth the Interest of _England_ in Relation to its Domestick and Foreign Traffick, and how both may be better improved to the Advantage of the Nation.

King _Solomon_, who was pleased to encourage _Trade_ in his Dominions by his Royal Example, soon found it to be the weightiest Jewel in his Dyadem, bringing him in more Treasure from abroad, than all the Tribute he received from _Judea_; The _Trade_ of this Kingdom hath always been a profitable Ornament to the Crowns of Your Royal Predecessors, Kings and Queens of this Realm, and it may be still so to Your Majesty's, if the Causes of its languishing were inquired into, and apt Methods applyed for its Recovery.

That it may please God to make this Nation happy, by giving Your Majesty a long Life, crown'd with Victories over the Enemies of its Peace and Tranquility, is the Prayer of

Your Majesty's most Faithful, And most Obedient Subject, John Cary.

TO THE HONOURABLE THE Commons of England IN Parliament Assembled.

May it please Your Honours,

IT is the greatest Happiness of the People of _England_ that the Laws by which they are govern'd cannot be made without the Consent of their _Representatives_, who as they obtain good Ones from the Favour of their Prince, so 'tis their own fault if they pass such as are bad.

Amongst all our Laws none tend more to the promoting the Wealth of this Nation than those which advance its _Trade_ and _Manufactures_, by the latter we not only imploy our Poor, and so take off that Burthen which must otherwise lie heavy on our _Lands_, but also grow Rich in our Commerce with Foreign Nations, to whom we thereby sell our _Product_ at greater Prices than it would otherwise yield, and return them their own Materials when wrought up here, and encreased in their Value by the Labour of our People.

This little _Tract_ I humbly offer to this _Honourable House_, not to direct, but with all Humility to lay before Your Honours an Anatomy of the _Trade_ of _England_, dissected and laid open so as to discover its Vitals, which have seemed to be struck through by some late Acts.

Whatever doth Prejudice to our _Manufactures_, or burthens our Foreign _Trade_ above what it is well able to bear, stabs them to the Heart, and where _Taxes_ are thus laid, they disable the _Subject_, and consequently are so much more burthensome as they make him less able to pay them; But when our _Manufactures_ are encouraged, and our Foreign _Trade_ made easie, and well secured, the Lands of _England_ will be advanced, and _Taxes_ paid without Discontent, because they will scarce be felt, especially when equally laid; and in such a Manner, that every Man shall pay his Proportion in a Regular way.

If what I have written may be serviceable to this _Honourable House_, I shall think my Time and Labour well imployed.

That God will direct your Councels, to the Advancement of his Glory, and the Welfare of this Nation, shall ever be the Prayer of

Your Honours most truly Devoted Servant, John Cary.

THE PREFACE TO THE READER.

THE following Treatise was the Imployment of some leisure Hours which I thought could not be better spent, than in digesting so copious a Subject as Trade is, I am sure could be no way more advantageously imployed to the Nation's Interest, than by proposing Methods for its Improvement; I have herein considered the State of England in respect to its Trade, its Poor, and its Taxes for carrying on the present War: The first I have divided into the Inland and Outland Trade; the Inland into three parts, viz. Buying and Selling, Husbandry, and Manufactures; Under the former Head I have comprehended all those Imployments whereby Men get by one another, without making any Addition to the Wealth of the Nation in general: Husbandry I have divided into Pasture and Tillage, and have been the longer thereon to shew from how small Foundations the Primums or Principles of all our Trade are derived; which indeed is wonderful, when we consider that the Lands of England according to the Act of Four Shillings in the Pound cannot come to above Eight Millions Five Hundred Thousand Pounds sterling per annum, that whole Tax with Personal Estates amounting to Nineteen Hundred and Seventy Thousand Pounds, whereof I compute about Two Hundred and Seventy Thousand Pounds to be raised on Personal Estates, so the Remainer is Seventeen Hundred thousand Pounds, which being the fifth part of the whole (if that Tax were equally and justly laid) the Computation is rightly made; but suppose they are worth Thirteen Millions per annum, 'tis a very small Summ if compared with the vast Expences of this Nation, which, with the Charges of carrying on the War, maintaining the Civil List, and the Profits laid up by particular Men, cannot be less than One Hundred Millions per annum, the rest is raised by Manufactures, Trade, and Labour; the first of which (though the third in my Division) is the most profitable part of our Inland Trade, being That whereby our Product is advanced in its value, and made fit both for our own use, and also for Foreign Markets; from whence are again Imported hither sundry other Materials, the Foundations of Manufactures different in their Natures from our own; these I have handled under several Heads, and likewise shew'd by what Methods they may be improved, and so have closed the Inland Trade: Before I enter'd on the Outland, I have consider'd Navigation as the Medium between both, and given my Thoughts how some Evils that attend and discourage it may be removed; I have then proceeded to our Foreign Traffick, or the Trade we drive with other Nations, which I have spoken to under several Heads, viz. East-Indies, West-Indies and Africa, Maderas, Ireland, Scotland, Canaries, Spain, Portugal, Turky, Italy, Holland, Hamburgh, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and France, and have endeavour'd to shew how we get or lose by each, and by what Methods they may be improved, and made more advantageous to this Kingdom.

As to the second part of this Discourse, the Poor, I have shewed how this Habit of Laziness and Begging first crept in amongst us, how it may be prevented from spreading farther, how Imployments may be provided for those who are willing to work, and a force put on those that are able, and how the Impotent Poor may be maintained, and those whose Labour will not support their Charge assisted.

In the last place, I have proposed general Rules for raising of Taxes to carry on the present War, and better Husbanding the Money when raised, wherein I have rather aimed to shew that these things may be done, than published Methods for doing them, which (because they would swell this Discourse above it designed Brevity) are omitted here, as being more proper to be laid before a Committee of Parliament.

AN ESSAY ON TRADE, &c.

[Sidenote: Trade in general.]

THE general Notions of a _National Trade_ whereby it may be Discovered whither a Kingdom Gets or Looses by its Managment are things well worth our Consideration. It being possible for a Nation to grow Poor in the Main whilst private Persons encrease their Fortunes: For as in the Body Natural, if you draw out Blood faster then the Sangufying parts can suply, it must necessarily wast and decay. So where the Exports of a Nation in Product and Manufactures are outballanced by Imports fit only to be consumed at home, though one Man may get by the Luxury of another; the Wealth of that Nation must decay, all one as a private Person whose Expences exceeds his Incomes, though he may for some time live on the Main, yet in the end he must fall to ruin.

The Profits of _England_ arise Originally from its Product and Manufactures at home, and from the grouths of those several _Plantations_ it hath setled Abroad, and from the _Fish_ taken on the _Coasts_, all which being Raised by the Industry of its _Inhabitants_ are both its true Riches, and likewise the Tools whereon it Trades to other Nations, the Products coming from the Earth, and the Manufacturing them being an Addition to their value by the Labour of the People. Now where we Barter these Abroad only for things to be Eat and Drank, or wasted among our selves, this doth not Increase our Wealth, but it is otherwise where we change them for _Bulloin_, or _Commodities_ fit to be Mannufactured again.

[Sidenote: Its Original.]

The first Original of _Trade_ both _Domestick_ and _Forreign_ was _Barter_; when one private Person having an Overplus of what his Neighbour wanted, furnished him for its Value in such Commodities the other had, and he stood in need of. The same when one Nation abounding in those Products another wanted supply'd it therewith, and received thence things equally necessary in their Roomes, and by how much those Products exceeded the Expence, so much both the one and the other grew Richer, the remainder being sold for _Bulloin_, or some _Staple Commodities_ allowed by all to have the same Intrinsick Value. And as People increased so did Commerce, this caused many to go off from _Husbandry_ to _Manufactures_ and other ways of living, for Convenience whereof they began Communities, this was the Original of Towns, which being found necessary for _Trade_, their _Inhabitants_ were increased by expectation of Profit; this introduced _Forreign Trade_, or _Traffick_ with Neighbouring Nations; this _Navigation_, and this a desire to settle rather on some _Navigable Rivers_, then in remote Inland Places, whereby they might be more easily supply'd with Commodities from the _Country_, and disperse those they Imported from abroad.

[Sidenote: The Trade of England.]

I shall now take the _Trade_ of _England_ as 'tis divided into _Domestick_ and _Forreign_, and consider each, and how they are Advantagious to the _Nation_, and may be made more so.

[Sidenote: Inland Trade.] [Sidenote: Buying & Selling.]

The _Inland Trade_ of _England_ consists either in Husbandry, Manufactures, or Buying and Selling, the last of which is of least Advantage to the Nation, and rather to be allowed for Conveniency then encouraged, whereby one Man lives on the Profits he makes by another without any Improvement to the Publick, Peoples Occasions requiring Commodities to be Retailed to them by such small parcels as would fit their Necessities, they were willing to give a profit to him who bought them in greater. And as this way of _Trade_ came more in use, so the first Buyer not only sold his Commodities to the Consumer at home, but also dispersed them amongst those who were seated in the Country at a distance in order to supply the Inhabitants there, who allowed them a profit on what they bought; this begat the Ingrosing of Commodities, and thence came in skill and cunning to foresee their Rise and Falls according to their Consumption and prospect of supply; hence came the vitiating our Manufactures, every one endeavouring to under buy that he might under sell his Neighbour; which way of living being found in time to have less of Labour and more of Profit than Husbandry and Manufactures, was the occasion so many fell into it. From these Bargains Differences arising encreased another sort of People which were thought useful, whose business was either by their Wisdoms to persuade, or by their Knowledge in the Laws to force the unjust Person to do right to his fellow Trader, an Honourable imployment at first, and is still so in those who keep to the strict Rules of its Institution, which Differencies being to be Decided in the _Courts_ of _Justice_ (at first setled in _Westminster-Hall_, and afterwards for the Subjects ease carried into the _Country_ by Itinerent _Judges_) these _Orators_ were desired by the Complainants to present their Suites to the King in those _Courts_, to be heard and determined by his _Judges_, and to set forth the Case of the _Plantiff_, and Produce Evidence to prove the Truth thereof against the _Defendant_, who also appeared by another to make his Defence. But as Suites increased, it was thought necessary to confine all to one Method of Proceeding, which was called _The Practice of the Court_, therefore another sort of People called _Attorneys_ were appointed to observe that Mechanical part of the _Law_, and see that all was Regularly and Formally managed; hence arose _Sollicitors_, who were to attend both, as well to represent the Matter rightly to the _Orator_ or _Council_, as to see the _Attorney_ fit things for a hearing, and also to Reward them for their pains, so that this Produced another way of living seperate from Husbandry and Manufactures: And as Trade increased so _Courts_ of _Justice_ were Appointed in several great _Towns_ and _Cities_, which being of different Natures, Multitudes of People gave Attendance, expecting to get livelihoods by them.

Trade brought Riches, and Riches Luxury, Luxury Sickness, Sickness wanted Physick, and Physick required some to seperate themselves to Study the Natures of _Plants_ and _Simples_, as also those several Diseases which bring Men to their ends, who in requital for their Advise and Medicines received Gratuities from their _Patients_: These brought in _Apothecaries_ and _Chirurgeons_ as necessary Attendants to their Imployments, all which were maintained by preserving People in their Healths; many also of ripe Parts were fitted for the Service of the Church, others of the State; great numbers were Imployed in providing Necessaries of Meat Drink and Apparel both for themselves and other People, such as _Butchers_, _Bakers_, _Brewers_, _Taylors_, &c. Others to fit things for their Pleasures and Delights, and by this means leaving Husbandry and Manufactures flockt off daily to Livelihoods which may seem to come under the third Head, who though useful and convenient in their respective Stations, yet these Men cannot be said to Augment the Riches of the Nation, only live by getting from one another, those two being the profitable Imployments out of whose Product and Improvement it gathers its Wealth.

[Sidenote: Husbandry.]

The next part of the _Inland Trade_ of this Kingdom is Husbandry, which Anteceded Buying and Selling in point of time, though the other hath the Precedence in this Discourse, and this consists either in _Feeding_ or _Tillage_, by both which we raise great Store of Cattle, Corn, and Fruits, fit for the Food, Service, and Trade of the Inhabitants.

[Sidenote: Feeding.]

To begin with _Feeding_; and here it would be endless to enumerate the various sorts of Cattle raised and bred by the care of the _Husbandman_, but those of most Note as they have relation to our Trade, are

I. The _Beef_; which as it Transcends the whole World in the goodness of its Flesh, so it affords many Necessaries for our use and Trade, besides its Service in _Tillage_, with this we both nourish our Inhabitants at home, Victual our Ships for Forreign Voyages, and load them with the several Manufactures wherewith it doth supply us, from the Milk we make Butter and Cheese, from the Flesh Beef, from the Skin Leather, from the Fat Tallow, and of the Horns several usefull Necessaries, of all which the overplus above our home Consumption we Transport and sell in Forreign Markets.

II. The _Sheep_; whose Golden Fleece being the _Primum_ of our Wollen Manufactures does thereby Imploy Multitudes of our People, which being of different lengths and finenesses, makes them of different sorts, whereof they afford us a yearly Crop whilst living, and at their Deaths Bequeath us their Flesh and Skins, the first serves for our Food, and the latter we make fit to be used at home, and Traded with Abroad.

III. _Horses_; whose Labour is so necessary that we could neither carry on our Husbandry or Trade without them, besides their fitness for War, being the boldest in the World, and for all these uses are Transported abroad, for the former to our _Plantations_ in the _West Indies_, for the latter to some of our Neighbouring Nations; but their Flesh is of no use, their Skins of little, the Leather made thereof is very ordinary, only the longest of their Hair is used in _Weaving_.

There are many other sorts of Beasts, some whereof require no care in raising, others little, others are more tender, such are the _Stag_, the _Dear_, the _Rabbit_, the _Hare_, the _Fox_, the _Badger_, the _Goat_, whose Skins are necessary for our Trade, and assist in our Manufactures.

[Sidenote: Tillage.]

_Agriculture_ is that whereby we raise our Corn by turning up the Earth, the several sorts whereof are _Wheat_, _Rye_, _Barly_, _Pease_, _Beans_, _Fetches_, _Oats_, which not only afford nourishment to our selves and the Beasts we use in labour, but serve for Trade, as they give Imployment to our People at home, and are Transported abroad more or less according to the overplus of onr expence, and the want of our Neighbours, besides the great Quantities used in our Navigation.

These Products of both sorts are clear profit to the Nation as they are raised from Earth and Labour, whose Advantages arise chiefly from their being Exported either in their own kind or when Manufactered, the Remainder spent at Home tending only to supplying the use, not advancing the Wealth of the Nation; now these Exports being according to the Rates and Prizes they bear in other Countries, and those Rates arising from the Proportion their Lands hold with ours in their Yearly Rents, are not so great in specie as when workt up, Butter is the greatest, wherewith we supply many Forreign Markets, and did formerly more, till by making it bad and using Tricks to increase its weight, we have much lost that Trade, and are now almost beat out of it by _Ireland_, which every day makes better as we make worse, besides they undersell us in the Price, as they do also in _Beef_, occasioned by the low Rents of their Lands, and more especially by the _Act of Prohibition_, which put that Nation on finding out a Trade in Forreign Markets for what they were denyed to bring hither, which being Exported thence direct yeilds them greater profit, the sweetness whereof hath encouraged them to take more care, and this hath raised them from a Sloathful to be an Industrious People. As for Corn, Forreign Markets are supplyed therewith both from thence and other places in the Sound, also from the Western _Islands_, cheaper then the price of our Lands will admit. But our _Plantations_ have still some Dependance on us for our Product, and would more if that _Act_ was removed, and _Ireland_ made a _Colony_ on the same Terms with them.