Part 6

It's to Trade and Commerce we are beholding for what Knowledge we have of Foreign Parts, and it is observable that the more remote People dwell from the Sea the less they are acquainted with Affairs abroad; _Africa_ is a large Country, and doubtless the Trade to it might be much enlarged to our Advantage, and better Settlements made and secured if good Methods were taken; Use and Experience make us at last Masters of every thing; and tho' the first Undertakers of a Design fall short of answering their private Ends, yet they may not the Ends of the Nation, by laying open a beaten Path for Posterity to tread in with Success where they miscarry'd; when all places in _England_ may freely send Ships, and be permitted to the management of their own Affairs, this encourages Industry, and sets Peoples Heads at work how they may outdo each other by getting first into a new Place of Trade; besides, the more Traders the more Buyers at Home and Sellers Abroad, and by this means our Plantations on that large Continent of _America_ would be better furnished with _Negroes_, for want of which the Inhabitants there could never arrive to those Improvements they have done in the Islands, the Company having given them little or no Supply, who rather chose to send them to the latter, because they were able to make better Pay; But the Interlopers have done it, tho' under great discouragements from the Company and their Factors, who like the Dog in the Fable, would neither supply those Plantations themselves, nor suffer others to do it.

As for the other Commodities brought in Returns from _Africa_, Wax and Teeth, one serves for a Foreign Trade without lessening the Expence of our own Product, the other imploys our Manufacturers at home, and is afterwards Exported to other Markets; and as for the Gold brought thence, I need not mention how much it doth advance our Wealth, all agree it to be a good Barter.

On the whole I take the _African_ Trade both for its Exports and Imports, and also as it supplies our Plantations, and advances Navigation, to be very beneficial to this Kingdom, and would be made much more so, and better secured, were it laid open by being formed into a Regulated Company.

[Sidenote: Maderas.]

The next thing we will enter on is the Trade driven to _Maderas_; and here tho' I must confess I am in my own Judgment no Friend to Monopolies, and have not yet seen any reason to alter my Opinion, yet as that destructive Element of Fire may and often is used to Advantage in its proper place, and Poyson with Correction makes good Physick, so the ends of a Monopoly being truly answered, it may sometimes be very serviceable, such as are the vending our own Manufactures at good Rates in Foreign Markets, whilst for them we receive in Barter the Product of another Nation at reasonable Prices; And this effect cannot be produced by incorporating any Trade into a joynt stock so naturally as that of _Maderas_, where by the late ill management of our Factors things are come to such a Pass, that nothing less than this can recover it into a good Method, the Inhabitants of that Island by the others Imprudence have gotten so much Advantage of us that they take off little of our Woollen Manufactures, whilst on the other side we buy their Wines for Money, which heretofore we purchased in Truck; a Commodity loaden off thence chiefly by the _English_ Nation, for the _Dutch_ ship little, the _French_ less, the remainer (except what is spent on the Island, or sent to Brazile) is drank in our Plantations; and yet we are treated by them, not as though they depended on us, but rather as if they thought we could not live without their Wines, prohibiting sometimes one part sometimes another of our Manufactures, instead whereof they supply themselves from _Lisbon_, with things tho' not so good, yet such as they content themselves with to promote Manufactures of their own, so wise are other Nations to choose rather to wear what is made amongst themselves than what is brought by Strangers, tho' better in its kind; whilst we preferr any thing that comes from abroad, only because it does so.

But then great care must be taken that the Profit of this Monopoly doth redound to the Nation, and not only to the enriching private Persons, and that it be continued no longer than it appears to be for the public Good, and a fair Account must be given that the quantity of Manufactures carried hence do in some measure equalize the Wines loaden thence, also that the Plantations abroad be supply'd at reasonable Rates; By this means the _English_ being the only Buyers, and they having put the Trade into one Hand, may sell their Manufactures for better Prices, and set the Rates of the others Wines, and consequently afford them cheaper in our Islands; Thus whereas those two Monopolies of the _East-India_ and _African_ Companies prey only on their fellow-Subjects, this would make its Profits on a Foreign People; besides it would as it were create a new Market in a place where our Manufactures are almost disused.

I confess could it be done any other way I should not advise this, but I know none, unless those Wines were for some time prohibited to be carry'd to the Plantations, which would be very inconvenient for the Inhabitants, who cannot well subsist without them; the heat of the _Climate_ spends Nature apace, which must be supported, and nothing hath been found so agreeable to their Constitutions as the Wines brought from that Island.

[Sidenote: Ireland.]

We come now to speak of _Ireland_; which of all the Plantations setled by the _English_ hath proved most injurious to the Trade of this Kingdom, and so far from answering the ends of a Colony, that it doth wholly violate them; for if People be the Wealth of a Nation, then 'tis certain that a bare parting with any of them cannot be its Advantage, unless accompanied with Circumstances whereby they may be rendred more useful both to themselves, and also to those they left behind them, else so far as you deprive it of such who should consume its Product and improve its Manufactures you leffen its true Interest, especially when that Colony sets up a Separate, and not only provides sufficient of both for its self, but by the Overplus supplys other Markets, and thereby lessens its Sales abroad; This to a Kingdom so much made up of Manufactures as _England_ is must needs be attended with great Disadvantages, and yet to maintain a good Correspondence with _Ireland_ is very convenient, I shall therefore consider what Topicks may be laid down as general Rules for the Advantage of the former, and best agreeable with the true Interest of the latter.

It was a Question once put by _Pilate_, what is Truth? And when he had said this he went out again unto the _Jews_, &c. which Question seems to me rather to arise from a Perturbation in his own Mind occasioned by the fluctuating of several Interests, than from any Desire he had to receive an answer, for we do not find he staid to expect it; and the Consequence shew'd 'twas so, for his being willing to do the _Jews_ a pleasure, and fearing lest he should not be accounted a Friend to _Cæsar_, made him pass Sentence against his Judgment on an innocent Person, of whom he confest, he found no fault in him; Interest doth generally biass our Judgments in such a manner that the very supposing a thing to be so makes us uneasie under any Discourse that perswades only to enquire into it; but Truth is the same still, and the easiest way to discover it is by walking in the Paths of Plainness; Falshood wants Sophistry to lacker and set it off, therefore Men usually represent their private Interests under the name of a public Good, and thereby endeavour to guild the Pill they would have go down.

The Heads I shall proceed on are these Two.

1. To shew that _Ireland_ as things now stand is very destructive to the Interest of _England_.

2. That the Methods which may be used to render it more serviceable to the Interest of this Nation will also render it more serviceable to its own.

These are plain Propositions, understood by every Man, and I hope to make them out with the same plainness.

1. As to the first, that _Ireland_ is now destructive to the Interest of _England_, I think it will admit of little Dispute; for as long as that People enjoy so free and open a Trade to Foreign Parts, and thereby are encouraged to advance in their Woollen Manufactures, they must consequently lessen ours, than which they cannot do us a greater Mischief, being the Tools whereon we Trade, when they sink our Navigation sinks with them.

Now the Advantage _Ireland_ hath above _England_ in making the Woollen Manufactures will soon give them opportunities of outdoing us therein, first as it produces as good or rather better Wool, and next as it furnishes all Provisions cheaper to the Workmen, which renders them able to live on easier terms than ours can here, and this will in short time give Invitation for many more to remove thither.

2. But 'tis the second Proposition which will not be so easily allowed; how the true Interest of _Ireland_ will be advanced by such means as shall be used to promote that of _England_.

Here we must consider, what is the true Interest of _Ireland_, and wherein it doth consist? Whither in Trade and Manufactures, or in Improvement of its Lands by a good Settlement? And I doubt not but on a strict Scrutiny it will appear to be the latter; for indeed till that is made, no Trade can be serviceable to any People farther than it doth help towards it; Nor is it the Advantage of an ill-peopled Colony whose Riches are to be the Fruits of the Earth to divert any number of the Inhabitants from its Cultivation, whilst they can find Vent for their Product, and be supply'd with conveniencies another way; had our _American_ Plantations done so, they had never been well setled, but much more of their Lands at this time unimproved; and this I take to be one great Reason why the _English_ in _Ireland_ have always lain open to the Insults of the Natives there, the Country being slenderly peopled in the more Inland Parts; if so, then certainly whatever hinders the Peopling, and consequently the cultivating and improving the Lands of _Ireland_, doth so far hinder the advancing its true Interest.

Now nothing doth this more than Trade Abroad, and Manufactures at Home.

1. As they divert great Numbers of People which cannot be spared from Husbandry.

2. As they so far lessen the Strength and Security of that Island.

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.