Raleigh as a Wife States-man and Lover of his Country as many if not most of that Queen's Council were had began well to promote Englands Interest but was in the Reign of King James the First undermined by the Interest of Spain which was then so prevailing that that unfortunate Knight was taken away But in the latter End of that Reign and the whole of the three Last Kings instead of the Spanish the French Interest has so much prevailed amongst us that we are now under the sad Effects thereof and that King about the Year 1661. upon a Design he had to have forbidden the Trade between France and England supposing the Value of English Commodities sent into France did surmont the Value of those that were transported hither The following Particulars were laid before that King viz. Â l. 1. There were then transported out of France into England in Velvets Sattins Cloath of Gold and Silver yearly to the Value of 150000 2. In Silks Taffaties Ribbons c. to the Value of 300000 3. In Silks Ribbonds Galloons Laces Buttons to the Value of 150000 4. In Serges c. to the Value of 150000 5. Beavors Demy-Castors and Felt-Hatts 120000 6. In Feathers Belts Girdles Hatbands Fans Hoods Masks Gilt and Wrought Looking-Glasses Cabinets Watches Pictures Cases Medals Tabulets Bracelets 150000 7. In Pins Needles Box Combs Tortoise-shell Combs 020000 8. In Perfum'd and Trim'd Gloves 010000 9. In Paper 100000 10. Iron-monger Ware 040000 11. In Linnen Cloth 400000 12. In Houshold-stuffs Beds and Hangings 100000 13. In Aqua-Vitae Syder Vinegar Vergis 100000 14. In Wines 600000 15. In Saffron Castle-saop Honey Almonds Olives Capers and Prunes 150000 Besides Five or Six Hundred Vessels of Salt yearly amounting unto all about 2600000 And all the Commodies exported hence at that time amounted but to 1000000 So that by this Act the Ballace on the French came to 1600000 Upon which the French King soon laid aside his Design of Prohibition and instead thereof increased the Duties laid upon all our Wollen Manufacture imported into his Dominions of what was imported in the Year 1654. and 1660. about which time we exported more Goods especially of our Wollen Manufactures to France then was imported from France into England in those Years But the great Increase of French Commodities imported into England was after the Arrival of King Charles the Second And we may rationally conclude that the Duties paid to the French King when the aforesaid Goods valu'd at 2600000 l. were exported together with the Freight and what was paid for Custom when imported as also the Profit to the Merchant and Retailer and by the Advance of Price by our Fancies the said Summ of 2600000 l. may be rationally increas'd to 3000000 l. so that the Consumers of the French Commodities advanced the French Interest and impoverished our selves but then after this time in 1662. the French having got vast Quantities of our Wool to encourage that Manufacture greater Duties were imposed on our English Commodities in the Year 1664. and further increased in the Year 1667. not only on our Wollens but on all our English Commodities even great Duties upon our Shipping that I my self having occasion to go to Lille in Flanders could not land at Dunkirk tho' I had no Commodities in the Vessel without paying Tunnage but thi was not all but the French King restrain'd and confin'd the Importation of our Wollen Manufactures to his Ports of Callice and Diep and other Goods to some other inconvenient Ports By which means and by the Encouragement of the Consumption of the Cloths Stuffs c. made by his own People it amounted to a Prohibition of our Commodities in many cases And by the way it hath been examin'd that in the Year 1674. or thereabouts there was imported from France Silks to the Value of 300000 l. and in Linnen Cloth 500000 l. and Wine and Brandy 217000 l. where we may also Note that if such a Quantity was legally enter'd there was some of all those Commodities run as it 's called viz. Stolen and paid no Duties besides all sorts of Lace when in that Year our Exports to France amounted but to 171020 l. and it was further Observed that in the Year 1675. the Importation of Wine and Brandy was almost doubl'd of what it was before and at the latter End of the Reign of King James it was much more increased viz. the Importation of French Wine and Brandy The great Loss of the Trade we formerly had with France of near 1500000 l. per Annum which we exported of our Wollen Manufacture to that Kingdom occasion'd that Famous and Worthy Sir Matthew Hale late Lord Chief Justice to say that our Populousness which is the greatest Blessing a Kingdom can enjoy is become the Burthen of our Nation The uneasiness of this Burthen upon us these late Years hath occasion'd many unusual Remedies and Attempts many New Acts of Parliament in the Reign of King Charles the Second being once misled our Uneasiness made way for a further Design upon us as a Man being out of his way will be ready to listen believingly unto almost any Direction In the 15th Caroli 2. there was an Act made for the Encouragement of Trade in its Title whilst the Body of the Act was no more than to encourage the Exportation of Corn the low Price thereof being as before occasion'd by so many thousands want to Employ and could not have Money to buy Corn and to give Liberty to carry away our Bullion which help'd one step forward In the next Place followed the Act against importing Cattle from Ireland which was a Cure like the rest that led to farther Inconveniencies this was in the 17th Caroli 2. After which a free Liberty was given to Export Leather which was in the 20th of that King's Reign directly contrary to former Statutes successively And to compleat the whole Design in the 25th Caroli 2. there was an Act made to take off Aliens Duties upon all Commodities of the Growth Product and Manufacture of our Nation except Coals which fully answer'd their End All the Priviledges of England were given away by wholesale whilst all those Acts proved but turnings in a Feavor which gave ground to the Distemper upon us no way affecting the true cause and this not matter of choice if any other way proposed the Countrey Air was soon thought best viz. the Parliament sent home such was our Case in those Reigns c. Of which Acts I shall by and by more enlarge upon but to speak more of the Trade of France and the Consequence thereof for as we lost the great Advantage that formerly we had by the prohibiting of our Wollen Manufacture in that Kingdom during most of the two last Reigns so the unequal Duties laid upon the German and Flanders Linnens the Product of our Wollen Manufacture and by the small Duties laid upon the French Linnen and East-India Calicoes and Muslings purchased with our Money
of Silk the Foundation of which Trade was laid in the time of Queen Elizabeth when the Nobility and Gentry of England were in earnest to advance the Nation when the Trades of Norwich Colchester London Exon and Canterbury had their Original and greatly encouraged And this of Canterbury I shall particularly mention what fell out betwixt the Years 1697 and 1698. The Traders in Canterbury upon some prospect of Trade provided Quantities of Goods for the English and West-India Markets but the coming in of Indian Damask in the Fleet Frigot the said Canterbury Men were ruined unless they could have metamorphosed their Tabbies made of very rich Italian Silk that came in Exchange for English Serge into Indian Silk they must leave Trading or sell at 30 or 40. per Cent. loss By which means half the Workmen of that Town of the weaving Trade are now running up and down the Nation seeking Bread and their Families left to the Parishes to maintain and the Trade by which that Town hath been upheld for an Hundred Years come to nothing These are some of the past Effects of the East-India Trade with respect to the English Manufactury and who shall pay the Damage The next Thing to be consider'd is what further Mischief this Trade may do to the other Manufactures of England and this is to be Evidenced upon what they have begun and tryed upon and partly upon this Supposition that whatever Commodity is made in England of Wool may be imitated and in many respects exceeded in Cotton manufactured in India and be afforded cheaper than our English Tradesmen can afford theirs and be New and Odd and so pleasing that it will be the Interest of the Indian Traders to encourage such Trades They have already brought over great Quantities of double Callicoes used in the room of English Flannels for Shifts and other Uses besides great Quantities of Cotton Stockings which are both worn here and exported to the West-Indies As for Stuffs they have brought already great Quantities of Cotton Stuffs dyed stripped plain mixed Colour in the directest opposition to Wollen Stuffs As for Silk and Cotton mixed it were almost Endless to give an Account how many sorts of Norwich and London Stuffs that are made of Silk and English Wool they have imitated and outdone as to Price in Silk and Cotton but we may Note that the New-Drapery so called is much more than Old But suppose all those Manufactures should be ruin'd sure they cannot hurt the Cloth Trade say the Agents of the East-India Company In Answer Why may not a Commodity made of Cotton put down Cloth Cotton is as fine and soft as Wool it may be spun as small or as large it may be mill'd and dress'd dyed and stained and when the English Merchant shall send over Cloth-weavers c. I question not but we shall have Cotton Cloth and Knaves to make it a Fashion and Fools enough to wear it and though those Calamities are upon us and many more in view though nothing but employing our People can preserve this Nation yet that Trade must be free tho' it brings the Nation in Bondage whereas formerly a Million at least were employed in the Wollen Manufacture who were Instrumental in distributing near Four Millions per Annum for Bread and other Necessaries which the Graziers and Farmers Tennants to the Nobility and Gentry received which Persons also did bear part of the Taxes which supported the Government and therefore in all reason one would think deserves Consideration and the greatest Encouragement Yet on the contrary we find by sad Experience that many are more fond of the East-India Commodities than ever so that that is encreasing as may more evidently appear by a Printed List which was this Year given to the Parliament of the Number of Ships sent out and return'd in Two Years last past with several Remarks and Queries and Observations thereupon an Abstract of which I have here recited and is as followeth viz. That there hath sailed for the East-Indies and China 52 Ships since the 10th of February 1697. the Account of their Cargo of 26 of their Ships amounts to 1 114 933. The Cargoes carried out by the Captains c. 111 993. Total of 26 Ships amounts to 1 226 426. Note By the Rule of Proportion 52 Ships must carry out besides what is taken in at Cadiz which is very considerable 2 452 852. Note Of this great Sum not a 40th part consists of our Wollen Manufacture and that they send out does prevent a greater Quantity which would be sent out by the Turkey-Company which would return raw Silk to carry on that Manufacture in England Note That according to the usual Account of the Sales by the Candle the Goods amount to treble the first Cost if so the whole Cargoes brought in will come to 7 388 556. These sold by the whole sale Buyer to the Retailers allowing 10 per Cent. Profit to such Whole-sale Buyers comes to 738 855. Total Value in the Retailers Hands 8 127 411. Memorandum When the Profit the Retailer makes of this great Sum paid for by the Consumer must of course encrease the said Sum which is a Loss to the Nation Note That by a Computation of our Wollen Manufacture made in England in one Year comes to but and the East-India Goods comes to near that Sum by the Rule of Proportion according to their present Trade 4 850 558. Memorandum That in the London-Gazette of the 25th of January last that a Ship belonging to the French-India Company is arriv'd at Diep from Surrat 't is said her Cargo is worth near 200000 Crowns and that great part of her Cargo consists in Gold and Silver which she brought from the Isle of Bourbon Note The Difference of this Ships Cargo ours bring over Wrought Goods to the Destruction of our Manufactures at the Expence of our Silver the French brings over Gold and Silver to support their Government and Trade Query Whether the Difference may not proceed from the Discouragement that the French put upon the East-India Manufacture some Years since as appears by the Decree which followeth A Decree of the French King's Council of State concerning Callicoes printed in East-India or printed in the Kingdom and other China and India Silks Stuffs and Flowered with Gold and Silver Given the 26th of October 1686. THE King being informed That the great Quantities of Callicoes printed in East-India or painted in the Kingdom and other China and India Silks Stuffs and Stuffs flower'd with Gold and Silver have not only given Occasion of Transporting many Millions but also have diminished the Manufactures of Old Established in France for making of Silk Wollen Linen and Hemp-stuffs and at the same time the Ruine and Destruction of the Working People who by want of Work having no Occupation or Subsistence for their Families are gone out of the Kingdom the which being needful to provide a Remedy for and for that Effect to hinder
the Trade and â—â—le in the Kingdom of the said Printed Callicoes and India and China Silks and Stuffs nevertheless granting to the Owners a reasonable Time to sell them in Having heard the Report of Mounsieur Pellitier Counseller Ordinary of the King 's Royal Council and Comptroller General of the Finances his Majesty in his Council hath ordered and doth order that from the beginning of the Day of the Publication of the present Decree all the Manufactures established in the Kingdom for Painting of the White Callicoes shall be abolished and the Moulds serving to the Printing of them shall be broke and destroyed His Majesty doth forbid most expresly the re-establishing thereof Also to his Subjects the Painting of the said Callicoes and to the Engravers the making of any Moulds serving to the said Impressions under the Penalty of losing the said Callicoes Moulds and other Utensils and Three Thousand Livres Fine to be paid without Diminution one third part to the Informer the second part to the Hospitals of the Place the third to the Farmers of the of the Revenue And as concerning the Painted Callicoes and other China and India Silks Stuffs and Stuffs flower'd with Gold and Silver his Majesty hath granted and doth grant to the last of December 1687. next to the Merchants and others the permission of selling them as they shall think fit The same Time being expired his Majesty doth forbid all Persons of what Quality and Condition whatsoever they are the exposing and selling thereof and to particulars the buying therof doth order That those found in all Ware-houses and Shops shall be burnt and the Proprietors condemn'd to the like Fine of Three Thousand Livres paid as abovesaid His Majesty doth permit nevertheless the Entry Sale and Retail of the said White Callicoes in his Kingdom paying for them the Taxes according to the Decree of the Council the 30th of April last which shall be Executed and that of the 15th of the present Month to the last of December 1687. last year His Majesty doth command the Lieutenant of the Policy of the City of Paris and the Intendents and Commissaries of the Provinces and Generalties of the Kingdom to cause the present Decree to be executed being published and affixed in all Places where need shall be that no Body should be ignorant thereof Done in the King's State-Council held at Fountainbleau Signed Coquille Note Several of the French Printers since this Edict are come over hither and set up and follow the same Employment Query Whether the Printing of the Silks and Callicoes in England is not as prejudicial to us as it was to the French Suitable to this may be well Observed some Observations of that once Famous Sir Josiah Child viz. THat Wool is eminently the Foundation of English Riches and that the ways to equalize or over-ballance our Neighbours in our National Profit by our Forreign Trade are To prevent the Exportation of our Wool and encourage our Wollen Manufactures To encourage those Forreign Trades most that vend most of our Manufactures and that supply us with Materials further to be manufactured in England Discourse of Trade p. 127 156. That it s our Interest by Example and other Means not distasteful above all kind of Commodities to prevent as much as may be the Importation of Forreign Manufactures Pag. 161. That it is multitudes of People and such Laws as cause an Encrease of People which principally enrich any Country Preface That Lands tho' excellent without hands proportionable will not enrich any Kingdom That whatever tends to the Depopulating any Kingdom tends to the Impoverishment thereof Page 165 and 167. That it is our Duty to God and Nature to provide for and employ the Poor That such as our Employment is for the People so many will our People be Page 56. 174. That it's the Interest of a Kingdom the Poors Wages should be high for wherever Wages are high throughout the whole World it is an infallible Evidence of the Riches of that Country and where-ever Wages for Labour runs low it s a Proof of the Poverty of that place That the Expence of Forreign Commodities especially Forreign Manufactures is the worst Expence a Nation can be inclinable to and ought to be prevented as much as possible To which may be added a Note of the Observation of the Author of the Essay on Ways and Means viz. T IS evident that our Wollen Goods are sold in several Countries namely Holland Hamburgh Germany the Hans Towns and all the East Countries many of which Places will not be able to take off our Wollen Goods unless we deal for their Linnens And in Fact and by Experience it has been seen in the Case of the East-India Trade since there has been imported from thence vast Quantities of Linnens such as Callicoes Muslins Romals for Handkerchiefs which answered the ends of Lawns Cambricks and other Linnen Cloth we have not exported that vast Quantity of Drapery to those Northern Parts of which Sir Walter Rawleigh makes mention As our Call for their Linnens had diminished their Call for our Draperies has proportionably decreas'd and not only so but these People have been compelled by Necessity to fall upon making course Wollen Cloth by which they supply themselves and other places which we were wont to furnish Note That there has been exported to the East-Indies in about 2 Years almost one third part as much silver as has been coined in England since the Recoining our Money Query Whether it be not as reasonable to send our Money to the East Countries to buy up Corn which is very cheap to feed us as 't is to send it to the East-Indies for Garments to cloath us Query Whether it be not as necessary to restrain the Trade to the East-Indies as it was to put a stop to the Exportation of Wollen Manufacture from Ireland Query Whether the East-India Traders if not restrain'd may not in a short time bring over vast Quantities of Stuffs for Mens Wear since they have laâ—ely imported fine Cotton Druggets very fit for that pâ—rpose and sold at Cheap Rates Query Whether the sending above two Miâ— the East-Indies to make our wearing Apparel our own Poor starve for want of Employment be 〈◊〉 Consideration of great weight and deserve some 〈◊〉 Remedy I shall therefore from the whole Matter â—clude that if it be from our Manufacture thaâ— Riches of this Nation come and if it be 〈◊〉 from thence that our Shipping is employed 〈◊〉 our Marriners bred if it be from our Traâ— alone and from the Riches which it brings 〈◊〉 his Majesties Customs are raised and that 〈◊〉 Fleets have been hitherto built and maintaiâ— and the Dominion of the Seas preserved theâ— is and must be from our Manufactures that 〈◊〉 Bullion has been brought in and that our Trâ— hath been encreased and by which the Remâ— the Nobility and Gentry have been advancedâ— And therefore it may be easily granted 〈◊〉 there is no higher Temporal Interest in this â—tion than that which sustains the Nobilities 〈◊〉 Gentries Rents that which preserveth the 〈◊〉 venues of the Crown and encreases our Nâ— and Shipping Then in regard our Manufacture doth this 〈◊〉 Encouragement of it must necessarily be the gâ—est Interest of the Nation to preserve it 〈◊〉 whoever pretents the contrary tho' under nâ— so fair Disguises do either greatly betray Iâ—rance of what is England's Interest or plâ— prove to be a Promoter of a Forreigners câ— FINIS