Part 3

The Design of this little Treatise, is to dissect and lay open the Trade of this Kingdom, as it is now driven, that so those Branches that shall appear to be Profitable may be Encouraged, and those that are Otherwise may be Amended.

The Profits of this Kingdom arise from its Product and Manufactures at Home, and from the Growths of those several Plantations it hath settled Abroad, and from the Fish taken on the Coasts, all which being raised by the Industry of the People, are both its true Riches, and the Tools whereby it Trades to other Nations, the Products coming from the Earth, and the Manufacturing of them being an Addition to their Value by the Labour of the People; now where we barter these Things abroad for such as are only fit to be eat and drank, or are wasted among ourselves, though one Man may get by the Luxury of another, yet the Wealth of the Kingdom doth not encrease; but it is otherwise where we change them for Bullion, or for Commodities fit to be manufactured again.

The first Original of Trade both Domestic and Foreign was Barter, when one private Person, having an Overplus of such Things as his Neighbour wanted, furnished him therewith for their Value in such whereof the other had plenty, but he stood in need of the same, when one Nation abounding in those Products which another wanted, supply’d it therewith, and received for them Things equally necessary in their stead; and by how much the Products of any Nation exceeds its Wants, by so much it grew richer, the Remainder being sold for Bullion, or some Staple Commodity, allowed by all to have an intrinsic Value.

And as People encreased, so did Commerce, which 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 encreased by Expectation of Profit; this introduced Foreign Trade or Trafic with neighbouring Nations; and this a Desire to settle rather on some navigable Rivers, than in remote Inland Places, whereby they might be more easily supply’d from the Country with Commodities fit to export, and disperse thither those they had imported from abroad.

I shall now take the Trade of this Kingdom, as it is divided into Domestic and Foreign, and consider each, and how they are advantagious to the Nation, and may be made more so.

The Domestic or Inland Trade consists either in Husbandry, Manufactures, or Buying and Selling; the last of which, whereby one Man lives by the Profit he makes by another, brings no Advantage to the Public; Peoples Occasions requiring Commodities to be retail’d to them in such small Quantities as would fit their Necessities, they were willing to allow a Profit to him who bought them in greater; and as this Sort of Traffic came more in use, so the first Buyers not only sold their Commodities to the Consumers in the Places where they dwelt, but also to others, who being seated in the Country at a distance, made an Advantage by supplying the Inhabitants there: This begat the Ingrossing Commodities, and thence arose Skill and Cunning to foresee their Rise and Falls, according to their Consumption and prospect of Supply. Hence came the Viciating our Manufactures, every one endeavouring to underbuy, that he might undersell his Neighbour; which Way of Living being found in Time to have less Labour and more Profit than Husbandry and Manufactures, was the Reason so many fell into it.

From these Bargains Differencies arising, encouraged another Sort of People, whose Business it was, either by their Wisdoms to persuade, or by their Knowledge in the Laws to compel, the unjust Persons to do Right to their Fellow-Traders (an Honourable Employment at the first, and is still so in those who keep to the strict Rules of its Institution.) Hence arose Attorneys, Sollicitors, and other Officers, which were found necessary to attend on those Suits, and other Services of the Law.

Trade brought Riches, and Riches Luxury; Luxury brought Sickness, and Sickness wanted Physic; which required some to separate themselves to study the Nature of Plants and Simples, as also of those several Diseases which bring Men to their Ends, who for their Advice received Gratuities from their Patients: These brought in Apothecaries and Surgeons, as necessary Attendants to their Employments; all which were maintained by keeping People in their Healths. Many also of ripe Parts were fitted for the Service of the Church, others of the State; great Numbers were employed in providing Necessaries of Meat, Drink, and Apparel, others in fitting Things for Delights and Pleasure, and by this Means leaving Husbandry and Manufactures, flock’d off daily to Livelihoods, which though useful and convenient in their respective Stations, yet cannot be said to encrease the Riches of this Nation, but to live by getting from one another; Husbandry and Manufactures being the profitable Employments, out of which it gathers its Wealth.

The next Part of the Inland Trade of this Kingdom is Husbandry, which anteceded Buying and Selling in point of Time, though the other is treated of first 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.

To begin with Feeding: And here I might enumerate the various Sorts of Cattle raised and bred by the Care of the Husbandman; but those of most Note with respect to our Trade, are,

1. The Beef; which besides the Excellency of its Flesh for Food, affords many Necessaries for our Trade, and is very serviceable in Tillage; with this we both nourish our Inhabitants at home, victual our Ships for Foreign 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 useful Necessaries; the Overplus whereof, above our own Consumption, we export, and sell in Foreign Markets.

2. The Sheep; whose Golden Fleece being the Primum of our Woollen-Manufactures, does thereby employ Multitudes of our People; which being of different Lengths and Fineness, makes them of various Sorts; whereof they afford us a yearly Crop whilst living, and at their Deaths we have their Flesh and Skins; the first serves for our Food, and of the last we make Things, fit to be used at Home, and traded with Abroad.

3. Horses; whose Labour is so necessary, that we can neither carry on our Husbandry or Trade without them; besides their Fitness for War, being accounted the boldest in the World; and for all these Uses are transported abroad; for the first, to our Plantations in America; and for the last, to some of our Neighbouring Nations: But their Flesh is of no Use, their Skins of little, the Leather made of them being very ordinary, only the longest of their Hair is used in Weaving.

There are sundry other Sorts of Beasts, some whereof require no Care in Raising, others little, such as the Stag, the Deer, the Rabbet, the Hare, the Badger, the Goat, and many others, whose Skins are necessary for our Trade, and useful in our Manufactures.

Tillage is that whereby we raise our Corn by turning up the Earth; the several Sorts whereof are Wheat, Rye, Barley, Pease, Beans, Vetches, Oats, &c. which not only afford Nourishment to ourselves, and the Beasts we use in Labour, but serve also for Trade; as they give Employment to our People at home, and are transported abroad, more or less, according to the Overplus of our Expence, and the Want of our Neighbours, besides the great Quantities us’d in our Navigation.

These Products are all clear Profit to the Nation, being raised from Earth and Labour; but their chief Advantages arise from their being exported, either in their own Kinds, or when wrought up, the Remainder, which is spent at home, tending rather to supply our Wants, than to advance our Wealth: Which Exports being more or less, according to the Price they bear in other Countries, and those arising from the Proportion their Lands holds with ours in their Yearly Rents, are not so great in Specie, as when wrought up. Butter is the chiefest, wherewith we supply several Foreign Markets, and did formerly more, till by making it bad, and using Tricks to encrease its Weight, we lost much of that Trade, and are now almost beaten out of it by Ireland, which every Year makes theirs better; besides, they undersell us in the Price, as they do also in Beef, occasioned by the low Rents of their Lands.

’Twas the Act of Prohibition made formerly in England, that first ushered them into a Foreign Trade, their sole Dependance before that Time being on our Markets, and from hence they were supplied with what they wanted; but being thereby prohibited from bringing hither their Cattle and other Provisions, they endeavoured to find a Vent for them in other Markets, which they did with good Success, and to more Advantage; the Sweetness whereof gave a Spring to their Industry, and put them on the Woollen-Manufactures, which they also vended where they exported their Provisions, till in time it became so great and flourishing, as to give us Apprehensions it would endanger ours.

As for Corn; foreign Markets are supplied therewith, both from thence, and from the Islands of the Azores, cheaper than the Rents of our Lands will admit; but our Plantations have still some Dependance on us for our Product, and as the Lands of Ireland rise in their yearly Value, they will have more. We also raise considerable Quantities of Hemp and Flax, both which are useful in our Trade.

The other Fruits of the Earth, such as Apples, Pears, Cherries, Plumbs, together with the Herbs and Plants, serve rather for Food and Delight than for Trade: Some Cider we do export; also Spirits raised by the Distillers, both from some of these, and from Barly.

On the Sea-Coast both of this Kingdom, and also of Newfoundland, and New-England, are caught great Store of Cod-Fish, Herrings, and Pilchards, which are saved, and sold in foreign Markets.

Nor is this all the Product of our Earth, whose Womb being big with Treasure, brings forth Lead, Tin, Copper, Calamy, Coal, Culm, Iron, Allom, Copperas, and sundry other Minerals, which are sold in foreign Markets, whither we send them: Besides a great Expectation we have from a much richer and more valuable Discovery, lately made in that Part of Great-Britain called Scotland.

Among the several Trees that adorn our Fields, the Oak, the Elm, and the Ash, are the chiefest; these not only serve in Building our Ships and Houses, but also furnish us with materials, wherewith our Artificers make many things fit for Commerce: And it were much to be wish’d, that better Care was taken to preserve our Timber, for the Benefit of Posterity.

The third Part of our Inland Trade is our Manufactures, whereby our Products are improv’d in their Values and made useful in sundry Manners, both for our selves and others, by the labour of our People; and fitted for such Services, as of their own Natures, without the help of Art, they could not have been proper; and those to suit the Necessities and Fancies, both of our own, and also of foreign Countries to which we export them; where they yield a Price, not only according to the true value of the Materials and Labour, but an Overplus according to the Necessity and Humour of the Buyers: And this adds to the Profit, and encreases the Wealth of the Kingdom.

These Manufactures, as they employ Multitudes of our People in their Making, so also in Exporting them, and importing foreign Materials to be used with our own, such as Oyl, Dye-stuff, Silk, Wooll, Cotton, Barillia and many others, which are either manufactured here by themselves, or workt up with our own Product.

And first to begin with Sheep’s-Wooll, whereof either by it self, or mixt with Silk or Linnen, we make Variety of pretty Things, fit for all Climates, and proper for the Wearing of both Sexes; wherein the Invention and Imitation of our Workmen have been so great, that they have out-done all that went before them. From a strong Cloth, fit to keep out Cold in Winter, they have turn’d their hands to a fine thin sort, which will scarce keep warm in Summer; from hence they fell on Perpets, Serges, Crapes, Stuffs, Sayes, Ratoons, Antherines, and many other Things, fit both for outward Garments, and inward Linings; of various Colours, Stripes, and Flowers, some of them so fine and pleasant, as scarce to be known from Silk: Besides those Multitudes of coarser Cloth for the Poor; also Rugs, Blankets, and all sorts of Furniture for Houses. And such a Progress have they made in these Manufactures, that a Man may have his Picture wrought at the Loom, with the same Exactness as if drawn with a Pencil; one Work-man vying to excell another, they make Things to answer all Occasions. And as for Arras and Tapestry, I believe it will be allowed, that they do not fall short of those from whom they first had the Art: Add to these, Hats, Stockings, and many other things, which are both worn at home, and exported abroad.

The next material for the Manufactures is Cotton Wool, which is now become a great Imployment for the poor, and so adds to the Wealth of the Kingdom; This being curiously pickt and spun, makes Dimities, Tapes, Stockings, Gloves, besides several things Wove fit for use, as Wastcoats, Pettycoats, and Drawers, of different Stripes and Finenss; and I doubt not the Workmen would equal the East Indies for Callicoes, had they Encouragement; with all which we supply our Plantations and other foreign Markets, besides what serves for our Consumption at Home.

Hemp and Flax are the Grounds for another Manufacture; for tho’ Weaving of Linnen is not so much used in South Britain, as of Woollen, yet in North Britain it is, and may be farther improved, not so much by Laws to direct the Workmen in their making it, as by apt Methods to encourage them; and even in South Britain several Counties are imployed thereon, who not only supply themselves, but furnish those bordering on them, with such Cloth as answers the ends of French Linnens: Besides which great Quantities of Ticking, of all Finesses, Incle, Tapes, Sacking, Girtwhip, and many other Things are made thereof; also Cordage, Twine, Netts, with Multitudes of other Manufactures, which imploy the Poor, and bring by their Exports Profit to the Nation; and I can not here omit Sail-cloth, wherein we have made a wonderful Progress in a little time, at the Charge and Expence of private Stocks, who deserve to be encouraged.

Glass is a Manufacture brought to so great a Perfection, that it keeps many of our People at Work; and the Materials whereof it is made being generally our own, and in themselves of small Value, costs the Nation little, in comparison of what it formerly did, when we fetch’d it from Venice; the Noble Plate Glasses which we now make of all sorts, both for Houses and Coaches, do greatly set forth the Genius of our Workmen; besides the various Sorts of Utensils made for common use, fit for all the Occasions of a Family, which look almost as well as Silver, and it would be better for the Nation that they were more used in its stead; also the Glass for Windows, of different Beauties; and Glass Bottles; all which find a greater Vent both at Home and Abroad by their Cheapness.