Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A54551
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The petition of the Lord Major, aldermen and common council-men of the city of London in Common Council assembled to the Parliament for the reducing of all foreign trade under government : as also the petition, together with the proposals of several merchants of London ... humbly tendered to the grand committee of Parliament for trade ; containing the desired manner and method for such regulation.
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City of London (England). Court of Common Council.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing P1817; ESTC R30772
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7,068
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18
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cause the decay nor means prescribed for the encrease and advance of Trade and Commerce without the knowledge of the particular Tâ—ades and their dependencies which none are so able to represent as the Merchants themselves yet that whilst the Merchants remain unassociated and not under a general Regulation by joynt counsel and consent it may be supposed that every man will be apt to make his own private interest and profit his principle and end in all his advises and proposals so that probably things may be mis-represented which will be prevented if the Merchants of every respective Trade were Associated for though a particular man may intend his private profit in all his actings and advices yet it is sure that the generality will promote the general concern of the Trade which as it is their interest so it is also the kingdoms interest And whereas Trade and Commerce especially as all other things in this world is subject to many changes and alterations and that such Rules for the regulation of Trade cannot be so made but that it may be needful for the general good to make often additions of new and to repeal and lay a side former Rules according to the times exigences of affairs and proceedings of their respective Countries where and with whom the Trade is driven And whereas of late years many strangers who come into this kingdom live obscurely in private Chambers and contribute nothing to the Publick Charge yet drive very great Trades and by means of Packers Porters and other persons of mean or no fortune whom they imploy do enter their Merchandize both Imported and Exported into and out of this kingdom deceive the Kings Majesty of his Customes and several Cities and Corporations of this kingdom of their Dudes of Scavage Package c. and also hinder and prejudice many English Merchants His Majesties faithful and loyal Subjects who because they will not contrary to Law and their Duty defraude his Majesty of his Customes by entring strangers goods as English which the others do they loose their Commission and imployment which abuse cannot be prevented unless all Merchants be brought into Association and none permitted to pass at the Custom-House as English men but Merchants of the said Association And whereas in former Ages many of the Kings of this Land out of their great wisdomes for the advancement of trade have given their Royal Charters to several distinct sorts of Merchants to Incorporate themselves for the better carrying on and Regulating their respective Trades as to the Merchants called The Merchant Adventurers of England the Merchants trading to Turkey the East-land Merchants the Russia and Muscovia Merchants and the Merchants trading to the East-Indies which Societies have not onely found benefit by the due Regulations of their Trades but have been very serviceable to His Majesty and the whole kingdom have bred up many English Merchants in Trades in Foreign parts advanced many young men by lending them moneys without or for very in considerable Interest relieved many Merchants that have by the hand of God bin impoverished maintained and upheld the Trade in the hands of the English and the Honor of the English Nation in Forein parts whereas other trades not incorporated are in a manner totally lost as to the English and fallen into the hands of Strangers as is demonstrable in the French and other Trades Upon which grounds as we humbly conceive His Most Excellent Majesty since His most blessed Restauration hath bin graciously pleased to renew or confirm all or most of the aforesaid Charters And whereas the reason that moved the Parliament in the third Year of King James Chap. 6. to call in a Charter granted to a few Merchants trading to Spain Portugal and France is now totally removed And that there are very many Merchants in this Kingdom bred up and educated in the Mystery of Merchandizing and every way sufficient to carry on the whole Trade of this Kingdom into Foreign parts which want nothing more then good Encouragement by the due Regulation of their Trades Without which it is humbly conceived the Evils before-mentioned cannot be prevented nor the Trade upheld in the hands of the English which cannot but be a great Impoverishment to the Kingdom it being a certain Maxim That what ever the English carries out he doth at last bring all with its increase home to his Native Countrey Whereas on the contrary the Strangers Design is not to enrich but to carry away the Riches of the Nation But by the ensuing or some such like Association of and for Regulation as by your Honors shall be provided It is hoped that Trade may be enlivened the English Merchants encouraged the Strangers Encroachments prevented His Majesties Customs augmented and the Capital of the Nation in few years much encreased and by such Establishment His Majesty and Your Honors may at any time have before your view at once how every respective Trade answers in its Exports to its Imports and so may see where chiefly the Interest of Trade is by which the Nation is enriched and by which not and of what use that may be in relation to the Publick Your Honors best know Wherefore It is humbly Proposed That it may be Enacted THat by Authority of His Majesties Royal Charters under the Great Seal of England the several and respective English Merchants trading into the Dominions of the French King the English Merchants trading into the Dominions of the King of Spain the Merchants trading into the Dominions of the King of Portugal the Merchants trading into Italy and such other Merchants as hereafter His Majesty shall finde convenient may be Associated and Incorporated for the better Regulating and Ordering of the said respective Trades to the profit of this Kingdom in such manner as is hereafter expressed that is to say That all the English Merchants trading into the Dominions of the French King and so of the other respective Merchants mutatis mutandis being such as have been bred up in the Science and Art of Merchandizing into Foreign parts or such as have for three years last past exercised the said Science and are not Shop-keepers or Retailers and that shall take the Oathes of Allegiance and Supremacy and such an Oath for Submission to the Regulations to be made conformable to the Powers herein desired and not to colour any Foreign Goods as by Your Honors shall be thought reasonable may as aforesaid be Incorporated and made a Body Corporate in the Law to all intents and purposes under the Name and Style of the Governor Deputy and Assistants of the Merchants of England trading into the Dominions of the French King c. That His Majesty in such Charter may please to nominate and appoint the first Governor Deputy Treasurer and such number of Assistants nor exceeding four and twenty nor less then twelve as He shall judge fit the said Governor and Deputy to take the Oathes aforesaid before such person or
THE PETITION OF THE Lord Major Aldermen and Common-Council-men of the City of London in Common-Council assembled TO THE PARLIAMENT For the Reducing of all Forein Trade under Government AS ALSO THE PETITION Together with the PROPOSALS Of several Merchants of London on the behalf of themselves and the Merchants of ENGLAND Humbly tendred to the Grand Committee of Parliament for Trade Containing the desired Manner and Method for such REGULATION London Printed by T. J. and are to be sold by Ralph Smith at the Sign of the Bible in Cornhill 1662. To the Right Honorable The Knights Citizens and Burgesses of the Commons House of PARLIAMENT The Humble PETITION of the Lord Major Aldermen and Commons of the City of London in Common-Council assembled SHEWETH THat your Petitioners smart sence of the Decay of Trade hath driven them to a sad and serious Enquiry into the Cause And having as they conceive made a full Discovery thereof think it their duty to the publick Interest to represent the same in all humity to this Honorable House That which they apprehend most destructive is the Diversion of the most part of the Trade of Exporting the Commodities of our Native Growth and Manufactures into the hands of Aliens By which the onely means of increasing the Common Stock of our Nation is lost and if some timely Remedy be not applied by your Wisdom and Authority our Navigation must decay our succession of English Merchants be extinct and our condition become the same it was when those of Foreign Nations were the onely Merchants known in England and by our being more Buyers then Sellers our Lands by reason of the scarcity of Money not worth above the tenth part of what they now are And should the Strangers be permitted by themselves here who live single in hired Chambers exempt from family expence or the publick charge of all Offices or by Packers and other mechanick persons to carry on their Trades as English not onely this City but all other His Majesties Cities Townes Corporate and others must necessarily decay and be disabled to serve the publick Government in purse and office For preservation whereof your Petitioners humbly pray That it may please this Honorable House the Sanctuary of the Commons of England to provide That the Trade of Exportation to foreign Parts of all English Goods and Manufactures by the English Subjects not yet incorporated may be reduced under Government and Regulation by His Majesties Charter under the Great Seal of England and confirmed to English onely And that those Trades that aye already under Regulation may be confirmed in such manner as may not exclude any English Merchant that submits to the Government in all or any the respective Ports and places of this His Majesties Kingdom And that all Aliens may pay the same Subsidies and Customs on all English Draperies by them exported as they paid before the reduction of the Rates thereof by the last Act of Parliament And the Petitioners shall pray c. To the Right Honourable The Grand Committee of Parliament for TRADE The humble Petition of the respective Merchants of London Trading into Forreign parts on the behalf of themselves and the Merchants of the Out-Ports of this Kingdom SHEWETH THat your Petitioners do humbly conceive That as Government and Regulation is absolutely necessary for the common good of all Societies of men in general so it is as expedient for all Subordinate degrees and professions in particular and because the Forreign Trade is the onely means to enlarge the Common Stock and Capital of the Nation and the Revenue thereof they therefore humbly pray That for the more ample Reasons offered in the Preamble of the annexed Proposals for the desired Regulation your Honours would be pleased to consider of the form therein humbly tendred for the erection and execution of the Government of Forreign Trade and to report the same to the Honourable House as in your wisdoms you shall finde most conducing to the Publick good of the kingdom And your Petitioners shall ever pray c. REASONS For the REGULATION OF Forreign Trade WHereas much of the Honor Happiness and Prosperity of this Kingdom doth depend upon the Forreign Trade and Commerce thereof which therefore ought by all means and with all care to be encouraged and such Laws made as may prevent the decay and remove the impediments and discouragements which hinders its encrease and advancement And whereas experience doth sufficiently manifest that want of good Order and Regulation which opens the door to Ignorance on the one hand and Covetousness on the other is the foundation as of all evil in the general so of those in particular which relate to Trade For whilest on the one side great numbers of Artificers and others inexpert and ignorant men make upon them to use the Art Science and Mystery of Merchandizing into forreign parts they by reason of their unskilfulness not onely impoverish themselves but also enrich the Foreigners who take advantage of their ignorance to advance their Commodities and to debase those of this Kingdom and do often thereby also necessitate the more knowing Merchant to comply with their wills to their great loss and the impoverishment of the whole kingdom And also many Gentlemen who would bring up some of their sons in the Art and Science of Merchandizing are discouraged when they finde that after they have given good summs of money to binde their sons Apprentices to learn the said Science others that never gave one penny nor served to learn the same shall enjoy the like Priviledge of Trade to the ruine not onely of themselves but also of the Trade so rendring the Fathers cost and sons service insignificant as to the designed end of future livelihood And on the other side whilest subrile and covetous men who have attained to great estates and credits having no Rule but their own covetous desires to walk by some of them make it their work to oppress and suppress young men and fair dealing Merchants in their trades by overlaying of Markets in Forreign parts and buying up Commodities there necessitating thereby those that have not equal stocks and credits with them to loose in the sale of their English commodities and to pay excessive rates for Forreign And others being shop-keepers and Retailers engross both the Merchants Trade and the Retaylers also thereby through ignorance spoyling the Trade abroad and through their knowledge and acquaintance at home circumventing the Merchant in the dispose and the meaner shop-keeper in the providing and disposing of the Commodities of Forreign parts that both being ruined the whole Trade might come into a few hands and they impose on the people what rates they please the Trade must needs decay many being undone others discouraged the native Commodities of this kingdom in Foreign parts debased and Foreign Commodities Enhaunsed the stranger enriched and this kingdom impoverished And whereas sutable remedies cannot be applyed against all the evils that