will be laid aside For want of such a Law our Servants here imitating their Masters and Mistresses must go very gay and to support that vanity demand three times more Wages than formerly though they perform ten times less service which is a great infelicity amongst us and will lay a foundation of our ruine if not timely prevented Certainly Sir England by reason of its scituation many safe Ports and Harbours the richness of the Countrey in materials for Manufactures if it were fully peopled and these industrious and take their measures rightly might exercise the greatest Merchantile Trade and grow the richest People in the Universe for where the People are many and the Arts good there the Traffick must be great and the Countrey rich It would be a great means to inrich this Nation by Trade to increase the Exportation of our Commodities and to decrease the consumption of foreign Wares for that Common-wealth that excessively spendeth the foreign Commodities dear and uttereth the native fewer and cheaper shall inrich other Common-wealths but beggar it self whereas if it vented fewer of the foreign and more of the native the residue must return in Treasure when foreign Materials are but Superfluities foreign Manufactures must be prohibited for that will either banish the Superfluity or gain the Manufacture The consumption of our own Commodities must be frugal for it will advance much yearly to be exported unto Strangers if in our Cloaths we will be rich let it be done with our own Manufactures and Materials so the excess of the rich will be the imployment of the poor Trades in remote Parts or Countreys as Turkey the Indies ought to be encouraged because of their great increase of Shipping and Mariners thereby and because they return to more profit than those at hand All Commodities manufactured here in England are to be made without deceit which will give a value to them and they are so to be ordered that they may be sold as cheap as possibly we can for it 's found by experience that we being able to sell our Cloth in Turkey cheaper than the Venetians we have thereby yearly increased the vent thereof and the Venetians have lost as much of their utterance in those Countreys because it 's dearer It 's his Majesties undoubted Interest to promote Trade by removing all obstructions and giving it all encouragement It would be much for the advance of Trade but I humbly submit to the supream Authority that all Manufactures made in England of foreign Materials might be exported with a small Custom as all manner of wrought Silks because it would imploy many poor People and cause more Materials to be brought in to the increase of his Majesties Revenue and of Trade and the Manufacture would much more increase in England and decrease in France Italy and elsewhere Native Commodities would not be charged with over-great Customs and foreign Wares brought into England to be transported again are to be favoured otherwise this manner of Trading cannot prosper or subsist The manufacturing of any Commodity doth redound more to the profit of the Common-wealth than the Commodity it self therefore it ought to be favoured and the Italians get more Money by manufacturing of the raw Silks of Sicily than the King of Spain and his Subjects have by the Silk it self and there is five times more profit by the manufacturing of Wooll than by the Wooll it self compare the Wooll of England with its Cloth It would much advance Trade to make the transferring of Bills of Debt valid in Law because it would be a great advantage to Traders especially to young men of small stocks to be able to supply themselves with Money by the sale of their own Bills of Debt To constitute a Court-Merchant after the example of France and other Countreys to prevent tedious and chargeable Suits in Law taking men off from their Trade and Business would much promote Trade Free Ports if the Wisdom of the Nation shall think fit would be of great consequence as to improvement of Trade Giving to Strangers as well as Natives upon payment of small Duties liberty to keep Magazines and Staples oâ— Commodities ready for transportation to other Countreys according to encouragement of Markets abroad they will much increase Trade Navigation and Riches to England as appears not only by Holland which is a Common-wealth but also by St. Mallows under the Monarchy of France and Legorn under that of Tuscany the first for its bigness and containing above thirty six Acres being the richest City in France the other all the Cities in that Princes Dominions not to compare with it These being observed France may be compared to a man grasping a handful of fine Sand in hopes to keep it if he holds it too loose it runs from him if hard but little remains which agreeth with the Italian Proverb Chy trappo abbraccia poco stringe He who graspeth too much retains too little But you have been pleased to say That I have no kindness for France Sir I do assure you I have that Honour for the Most Christian King and Kindness for France that whereas there is but one King in it I wish that there were twenty The Consequences whereof and the Advantages which will thereby accrew to England are as follow 1. The Power of France will be retrenched for take away the Sinew of War and you abate its Potency 2. The value of Land will arise to thirty years purchase whereas now it will give with much difficulty fifteen 3. In the Woollen Drapery so many persons will be imployed that we shall not only consume the Wooll growing in England but that of Ireland too and so by consequence we must drive the Trade of the World as to that Manufacture and have our own prices for them and our Neighbours being not supplied with any Wooll from us their Manufacture will fail the greatest part of those persons imployed by them will for want of imployment come over into England 4. All our Ports and Sea-Towns will be full of Ships and Men and flourish by their Trade 5. The Royal Fishery which will bring us more Riches to this Nation than the Indies to the Spaniard will be fully imployed 6. We shall have such numbers of Ships that we may trade into all Parts and our Fishery and woollen Drapery will fully fraught us out and in return bring us the Riches of the World 7. London will be the Emporium and great Mart of Europe for all Commodities whatsoever 8. We shall be fit for any foreign Action or new Conquests 9. We shall be industrious to enlarge our Trade having persons from all Parts amongst us and which know what Commodities and where they will vent with best profit Sir I crave your pardon for giving you this interruption to your more serious Affairs I am Sir Your faithful Servant J. B.
for these receive esteem dignity and value from their age and antiquity and contribute much to health if moderately taken whereas the French Wines procure nothing but sharp and tartarous humours and as now adulterated in France they are pernicious unto us The Wines of France if compared with the other are insipid and of no value all the Wines of France from their nativity will scarce bear the age of one year and some of them before the Month of August in the same year in which they grew are corrupted from whence it followeth that they must be drunk corrupted or new in both cases dangerous to our health Brandy is a Liquor very fatal to us and it had been well for England if we never had heard of it yet if we do so much admire it though we have no Grapes here yet it may be drawn off from Corn and there is no better than that which is so drawn in Sarmatia and drunk by the Poles As for Salt if the making of it were encouraged there might be made much better here in England than we have from France That worthy and publick-spirited Person Richard Alcorn Esq by his Salt-works near Portsmouth is an excellent president for the whole Nation The Salt of France is gross foul black corrosive and by no means to be compared with that of England If you take two Vessels of equal magnitude and fill the one with English and the other with French Salt and decoct them the English decreaseth less by one third part than the French if the English Salt be recocted and a requisite quantity of Sea-water added the English Salt doth increase one third more than the French what great loss by one and advantage by the other doth accrew is worthy of due consideration The English Salt by reason of its purity and extraordinary efficacy cures Fish or Flesh better goes further in use preserves longer than any unrefined Salt the Fish or Flesh saved with it is much more wholesom to the body pleasant and grateful to the taste which is the reason that the Dutch have better prices for their Fish than the English and a greater Trade because they are cured with refined Salt It will be of singular use in hot Climates because it pierceth so much quicker than Salt unrefined and corned by the Sun and will by consequence preserve either Fish or Flesh better and longer whereas the unrefined Salt in hot Climates by reason of its corroding quality doth decay very suddenly either Fish or Flesh and in any Climate robs the Flesh of its gravy and moisture makes it dry and hard and so prejudicial to the body The great benefit of the English Salt in curing Fish the Company of the Royal Fishery can give a very great account thereof To give encouragement to the making of Salt here in England which they may do not only to serve England with Salt but in the Baltick West-Indies and elsewhere is to impose some great Duty upon foreign Salt which will increase his Majesties Revenue if they shall continue to bring it into this Kingdom and to impose half so much upon the English Salt as shall be imposed upon the foreign which the makers of Salt are willing to pay because English Salt by reason of the great quantities of foreign Salt imported in some parts of this Kingdom is sold at six pence per Bushel whereas formerly it hath been sold at four shillings per Bushel It will much increase home-Trade by causing great sums of money to circulate it will give imployment to many persons which now beg steal or otherwise live in a miserable and poor condition It will very much increase Navigation by imploying great numbers of Vessels to bring Coals to the Salt-works and to carry Salt to Markets whereas foreign Salt is imported by return of freight or foreign Vessels The Vnited Provinces of the Netherlands did for some time by publick Edict prohibit all Wines Salt and Brandy and the Manufactures of France as foreign Commodities and not for them needful If the Emperor and other Princes of Germany by their pragmatick Sanctions had done the like France would have lost those prodigious and vast sums of money which to the impoverishing of many parts of Europe it hath drawn into them thereupon their Trade would have decayed their Money failed and by consequence their Power would have abated Their Wines Brandy Salt and other their Manufactures would have layn upon their hands their people for want of imployment must have begged and then if his most Christian Majesty should have continued Taxes upon them it would have hazarded their obedience and certainly nothing hath hitherto kept that people within the circle of their duty but the great encouragement the most Christian King hath given to Trade for thereby they are imployed and their thoughts taken off from breaking out into any Action or Distemper All French wrought figured flowred brassed stitched stripe Silks and Drogets Tamines and Estimens Serges and other Stuffs made of Wooll together with Madam la Mode being proscribed England all due encouragement must be given to the Weavers The English have arrived to a very great perfection in weaving of Silks and other Stuffs made of Wooll but by reason of the Importation of French Commodities they have for want of imployment been burthensom and chargeable to their respective Parishes and many Strangers which have come into England to work here by reason they found so little imployment they returned into their own Countries again It will be prudence in us to encourage Strangers to work here but not to give countenance to foreign Traders The English have paid yearly for the manufacturing of the French Weavers Silks besides Stuffs which might have been better wrought by the English here and which are generally paid for with money not with other Commodities the sum of five hundred four thousand one hundred and ten pounds So that allowing to every person working Silk fifteen pounds per annum it would imploy 33000 persons which number were they well imployed here would be considerably advantagious to this Kingdom and it 's evident that England hath hitherto maintained the French King's Subjects at work whilst the Natives here have been ready to starve for want thereof It 's great prudence in the Parliament that they have absolutely proscribed all these French Commodities and Manufactures and not to impose some great Duty upon them as some designed because much of the French Commodities by small Ships or Shallops are privately conveyed hither without out paying any Custom It 's demonstratively true that not one piece in twenty is entred or paid for to the deceit of his Majestn and the impoverishing of his good Subjects here The Woollen Drapery which formerly was our glory and brought much Riches to us and imployed not fewer than 700000 persons must be encouraged It 's to be feared that of late not one third part of the Wooll which is growing in this Nation
is consumed in that Manufacture but it 's sent over to our Neighbours and they buying most of the Wooll growing in Ireland they have almost gotten the Manufacture from us and we undone the prices of Wooll being so low the Manufacture failing that if people did not send it beyond Seas they would not in many places be able to pay half their Rent Wooll falling in value as much as Land It was an observation of the Lord Burleigh that if Wooll fell one shilling in the Stone it 's a million a year loss to this Nation If this observation be true I pray Sir consider how many millions this Nation hath lost and how much we may suffer e're we can recover our Manufacture and Trade again Till the 5th of Edward the III. most of the Wooll which was growing in England was sent over into Flanders Hannolt and Artoys to be draped into Stuff Cloth and Stockings Edward the III. looking upon it as a great loss to this Nation brought over 70 Families of Walloons into England and they did teach the English the Manufacture of the woollen Drapery an advantage so great to this Nation that none of his Predecessors did ever effect any thing to compare with it and what Riches it brought to us we can tell you by the sad loss of it The late Statute which by the great Wisdom of the Parliament was enacted for burying in Flannel if it be rationally considered and duely put in execution and Informers encouraged is great in consequence and will consume much of our Wooll and preserve the linnen Cloth for making of Paper which will save this Nation some hundred thousand pounds a year Those Artists in Flanders which are so excellent in working Tapistry and other Hangings are much desired by the French King to come into France and inhabit there but he hath not prevailed with them if they might receive countenance from England I doubt not but many of them would come over and inhabit here which would be a great enriching of this Nation and would imploy in that Manufacture some great part of the stock of Wooll of this Nation For want of Imployment many of our Weavers go over into France to whom that King gives great priviledges and countenance their Friends here send them over Wooll and the Manufacture in a little time will follow after The linnen Drapery would be of great advantage to this Nation if it received due encouragement no Nation produceth better Hemp and Flax than England the sowing of which would be a great improvement and if the English were enjoyned by Act of Parliament under some penalty and a considerable part of that penalty given to the Informer to sowe yearly so many Acres of Hemp and Flax in proportion to the Land they occupy it would return to great profit The English have found out the best means not heretofore practised for the dressing and preparing of Hemp and Flax and there are many persons living in Cambray Vallentine and other parts in France which would come over and live here if they might be encouraged and then we might here in England make Hollands Diapers Damasks and other fine Cloth not only to furnish this Nation but other parts of the World and would likewise draw to us the Manufactures of making the French Sail-Cloaths and all kind of Tackling concerning Ships in small and big Cordage Twine Yarn Thread Nets Cable-ropes which would enrich this Nation yearly at the least 900000 l. It would be a great instance of Wisdom to set up the Royal Fishery here in England and to countenance it with Priviledges and Immunities certainly Sir it 's so necessary that without it his Majesty will want Sea-men for his Royal Navy for his Majesty must so increase his Royal Power that he be superior to neighbour Princes and States or else I can easily foretel what will be the Fate of England This being established the making of Sail-Cloaths Ropes Tackle Nets Cables and also Salt which are the necessary attendants upon the Fishery would be much encouraged But Sir you must not expect that the Fishery is to be carried on by any private persons it must be the publick Act of the State the Laws Powers and management thereof must be settled by Act of Parliament a good Fundus and Bank of Money must be raised for its advance and encouragement otherwise it will return to no account and every small loss which shall fall upon it will be the overthrow and dissolution of the whole as it hath been heretofore found by experience The Company of the Royal Fishery being well established and taking their measures rightly it will in a short time so increase in Riches that upon any exigency of State it will be able to advance considerable sums of money for the service of the Publick all persons which have money will place it in this Company if they might be sure to have the product and effects of it being the best means for Fathers to raise Portions for their Children and all other persons to improve their Estates and enrich themselves It will be the only means to make the Subject rich by the circulation of Money for a Nation may be rich in Coin and yet the people poor when it 's gotten into few hands and that State is in no thriving condition when at the end of the Game most of the money is in the Box and I must tell you the Treasures of Princes are then greatest not when their own Coffers are full only but their Subjects rich For the raising of a sufficient Fundus to carry on the Fishery if the Wisdom of this Nation shall think fit to lay one shilling or some such sum upon every Chaldron of Coals it would much advance it and it 's but reasonable that the advantage and benefit being general that the charge should be so too and methinks but I humbly submit to more advanced judgments that if Ireland and Scotland each of them built a good squadron of stout men of War and maintained them at their own charges they would be able to justifie the Fishery against those who durst invade it and fish without licence from his Majesty or paying tribute as formerly hath been used and practised it would answer all their charges and in case of a rupture with any Prince or State those squadrons would be a great access of Power to his Majesty howsoever those Seas being well guarded are the Lock and Key of Trade Look upon all the maritine Counties in England and that County which hath ten Ports or more in it there are not above one or two if so many which have any Trade considerable or have any Ships belonging to them but the Havens and Ports are decayed the People in those Towns few and desperately poor whereas if the Fishery were established the Port Towns through the Nation would be the richest and best stocked with people which would be the strength and security of the Nation