AN ACCOUNT OF THE Late DESIGN of BUYING up THE WOOLL OF IRELAND in COMPANY In a Letter to J. L. LONDON Printed in the Year 1674. SIR HEre has been lately a design set on foot for buying in Company all the Wooll not Manufactur'd in Ireland and to prevent the Transporting it into Forreign Countries they would be oblig'd to sell it only to the Cloathiers and Manufactors here as Persons who cannot be supposed to be so ignorant of their own Interests that they would for some little gain send Wooll abroad to hinder the Sale of all they shall Work at home By what Method and how far this affair proceeded I will shew you as briefly as I can 1. IN Order to the Erecting this Company it was humbly offer'd to his Majesty that in regard the Wooll of Ireland is a Commodity Prohibited to be Exported out of that Kingdom under great Penalties by several Statutes there made viz. 13. H. 8. C. 2. 28. H. 8. C. 17. 11. Eliz Ch. 10. 13. Eliz. ch 4. and notwithstanding those Statutes were made both to hinder the Dutch and other Forreigners from carrying away the Wooll and to necessitate the Subjects of that Kingdom to Manufacture it at home which cannot be done without prejudicing England by making any other place the Staple for Woollen-Manufactures yet from time to time almost ever since those Laws were Enacted the chief Governors by Authority from the Crown have given Licences to Transport what Wooll could not there be Manufactur'd into England obliging the Transporters expresly to enter in the Custom House every Stone and to pay the Duties impos'd by Act of Customs on that Commodity when Licens'd to be Exported and to enter into Bond to return Certificate of its being Landed in England Notwithstanding all this caution many Merchants greedy of gain have adventur'd by stealth to Transport Wooll into France and Holland whereby the English Woollen-Manufactures have been much prejudic'd and Forreign by consequence advanc'd for they if they succeeded in one Voyage of three were considerable Gainers so much the rates of the Wooll of Ireland were higher in those Forreign parts than in England The Act against bringing the Cattle of Ireland into England did Necessitate the People of that Kingdom to breed fewer black Cattle and fall into the breed of Sheep whereby that Kingdom has much more Wooll in it than ever it had before and is likely to encrease every year so that if some speedy and effectual Regulation be not made in the Trade of the Wooll of Ireland the Manufacture of that Country not being able to employ the fortieth part of it particular persons will notwithstanding the Laws venture to Transport it into Forreign Countries rather than make it a drug at home It were therefore to be wish'd that since none can Transport Wooll out of Ireland into England but by his Majesties License and that He or His chief Governour may grant or deny such License to whom they shall think fit that his Majesty would be graciously pleased to take the whole Wooll-trade of Ireland into his own hands and advance the Stock necessary to carry it on which is computed to be about 150000 l. Sterl would Employ some honest knowing Persons to buy up Annually all the Wooll brought to the Ports for Exportation at honest and equal Rates to be adjusted between Buyer and Seller And faithful and honest Commissioners in England to manage the Trade by which His Majesty will advantage His Subjects of both Kingdoms and gain into his own Exchequer a sufficient profit Nor is it unbeseeming his Majesty to be concern'd in a Trade which by securing all the Wooll from Forreigners hands enriches re-peoples and strengthens His Subjects and Kingdom by giving a full employment to all and adds so many lost hands to the labour of the Publick seeing other Princes abroad where the effects are not so glorious have Stocks going in Trade The French King in the Manufactures of Lace Paper and Salt The Emperour of Muscovy the King of Spain Portugal and Duke of Florence are great Merchants But if his Majesty thinks not fit to advance the sum requisite for carrying on his Trade then others of England and Ireland will advance the Sum if the sole liberty of Transporting Wooll be granted to them They will give constant and sufficient Rates for the Wooll to the People of Ireland as high as they receiv'd formerly from single Merchants And whereas heretofore they were often forc'd to batter their Wooll for other Commodities at dear and unconscionable rates or give long days for payment they will pay them ready money immediately upon delivering their Wooll and engage to Land it all in England and they will yearly pay unto His Majesties Exchequer of Ireland 10000 l. Sterl over and above the usual Fees to the chief Governour of that Kingdom for granting the Licenses This Sir is the substance of the Proposal made to his Majesty but before it was deliver'd one of the Proposers did long since in December last give an accâ—unt of this whole Affair to a person of great Honour one as eminent for his Candour and Prudence as for Quality a Privy Counsellor in both Kingdoms entreating his Lordâ—hip would promote it if it prov'd just and rational He wisely considering the whole matter first made his Objections to which receiving satisfactory answers he communicated the business to the most eminent Personages of both Kingdoms and in March last writ If the Stock to carry on this honest design could be rais'd the grant would be obtain'd and prove grateful to both Kingdoms Upon this Encouragement one of the Proposers hasted into England attended most of the Persons of Quality of Ireland then here to receive their sence also in the thing to which they all consented afterwards he discours'd the matter with the Factors of Blackwell-Hall as the likeliest men to know the sense of the Cloathing-men of England and he satisfied their Objections partly by discourse but more by the following Letter To Mr. Langworth and the Factors and Cloathiers of Blackwell-Hall There being a design on foot for the joynt good both of England and Ireland wherein Persons of your Trade would be nearly concern'd I thought fit to communicate it to you and to give you the offer of partaking in it But yesterday you all seem'd I know not how to resent it desiring me to draw up the state of the thing and you would further consider it which in as few words as I can comprehend it stands thus It has bin this long time the great out-cry and general complaint here that many thousands are ruin'd and undone by the decay of Woollen Manufactures which was said to be occasion'd partly by the Importation of French Wares but mostly by the Transportations of English and Irish Wooll into France and Holland to remedy which Evils though many things have bin thought on nothing was hitherto found effectual The People of Ireland on the
Wooll for the most part that is Exported thither the French having no Woolls of their own but such as are very course and are not able to make Cloath or fine Stuffs without the conjunction of ours therewith there being none to my best information in all the World fit for that purpose but ours only except in North-Holland and that a small quantity of fine worsted Woll all other being likewise course but Spanish Wooll and that much too fine especially for Worsted Stuffs and not in any wise fit for Combing so that without Engl sh or Irish Woolls there can be no quantity of fine Worsted Stuffs nor a middle sort of Cloth made in the whole World Neither will any VVoll be all mixt together but English and Spanish and that for Cloth only because the Spanish is with the English of one nature onely a little finer and in proportion the same may be of the Spanish and Irish Wooll wherfore the exportation of English or Irish Wools into France must of necessity be greatly prejudicial to this Nation not only in the Quantity sent over but also in the advantage which is hereby given to them to manufacture a double proportion of their own Wooll which otherwise would be little worth into such Commodities as spoil us of the advantages of our proper Trades not onely thither but also into other Parts in these three Respects 1. The Combed of the English and Irish Wooll makes Wooff for the warps of the French Wooll or rather of the Turky Sheep and so takes up it may be as much as the quantity above specified to every pack of our Wooll without which they can only with their own Wooll make Ruggs and at the best Cloath for Sea-men and the meanest Pesants 2. Their Combing or pinions viz. the short Wooll that is Comb'd out of the Worsted serves for their Linnen Warp to make some of their Druggets because their Linnen being fine spun and colour'd is not discernable to all Persons to be what we call Linseywoollsey 3. The finest short English Wooll is mixed with the lowest of Spanish Wooll for some of their best Druggets that is woven upon Worsted Chanies and also for a middle sort of Broad Cloath â—bout 10 or 12 s. per. yard This is the cause I judge that short Spauish Wooll is so scarce in England Now if we consider these things together the dammage of Exporting one pack from England to France at about 10 or 12 l. Sterl preventing the Mauufacturing of two packs more which would be worth 100. l. Englands loss in the whole can be little less than 160. l. it being generally combing Wooll as before hinted that is Exported to France which makes Worsted Stuffs and Stockins and besides the advantage given them by one pack of rough Wooll its obvious to all Manufactors that a pack of Worsted or Combed Wooll worth 20. l. at 12 score to the pack which is 20 d. per pound and make it more easie to every ordinary capacity that in Stockens aâ— pound of fine Wooll would make at least two pair of Hose worth 5. s. a pair that is 10. s. for a pound of Wooll or reckon thus to ordinary Hose three pair to a pound of Wooll at 3. s. 4 d. per pair comes to the same sum and 12 score pound of Wooll making a pack and a pack of Wooll making 480. pair of Hose accordingly the pack makes 120. l. without any respect to the advantage given them in rough Wooll Moreover considering the Customs of the product when Imported it would double that sum so that the Exportation of one pack of English or Irish Wooll is 200. l. dammage to the King and Country in general the consequence of which will be the spoyling our Trade with France in woollen Manufactures which since the great Importation of our Woolls thither appears from the great Impost put upon the Same there and will in time capacitate the French and Dutch to under-sell our English Merchants in Forreign parts and possibly in our own Countrys so that the advantage we give them besides in the mixtures of our Wâ—olls which theirs is such that whereas their Wooll of it self is not worth 4 l. per pack being mix'd with ours becoms so fit for Worsted Stuffs as that it comes to be worth no less than 12 l. per pack So that all these considered it becomes obvious to every Eye that the E 〈…〉 ortations of Woolls from England and Ireland is of a dangerous and destructive Nature to the very being of the Trade of this Kingdom Another necessary consequence of carrying Wooll into France and Holland will be to bring the price of Wooll to be 6 d. per pound as it was 300 years ago when the Cloth then made in Flanders of our Wooll at 6 d. per pound was sold here in England at 10 s. per yard when at this day Cloath made in England of Woll at 12. d. per pound will hardly yeild 7 s. per yard which is above 30 per cent worse to the English Trade now than it was to the Flemings formerly which is solely occasion'd by the French and Dutch being able by much to under work and consequently to under-sell us whereas if the Wooll was not Exported beyond Sea to those places there to be Manufactur'd they must of necessity buy our Woollen Manufacture because they have not Wooll enough of their own to supply their occasions and that also they would want those advantages of improving by our Woolls the French and short Spanish Wooll and their fine spun Linnens The difference of keeping our Wooll at home and sending it abroad appears hence experience testifies that when the Wooll was all us'd at home or very little Exported the Wooll was 18 d. per pound and when all or the greatest part was Exported it was at 6. p. Much more very pertinent to this Design may be gathered out of that discourse as in the Preface he tells of a Design propos'd of allowing liberty to Export Wooll out of Ireland into Forreign Countrys adding 2 d. or 3 d. per pound Custom the disadvantage of which Act he there shews as also that a Lord in the Committee for Wooll affirmed he was offer'd 100000 l. Sterl to get an Act pass'd for the Transportation of Wooll which with what goes before sufficiently testifies the great advantage the French gain and we lose by their Manufacturing our Wooll to which I will add that there being at least 10000. packs yearly Transported from England and Ireland if not a great deal more of which we may allow the one half if not more to Ireland by this Authours computation pag. 12. the Loss to England in general can be little less than Two Millions a year and to the King in particular 200000 l. which would otherwise be advanced in his Customs which would easily prove true to any considerative Person that observes in these 10000 packs there can be no less at the lowest
Countries not being restrainable the price of Wooll in England and Ireland will rather fall then rise That the Manufactury of England will work up all the Wooll of England and Ireland to better advantages than a part of both while the remainder is Transported into France and Holland and that the Erecting of this Company tends to the advantage not only of this particular Society nor of the Clothiers but of the whole Kingdom in general the truth of all which We give under our hands from Blackwell-Hall London this 30th of May 1674. Subscribed H. C. I. L. I. C. M. W. W. W. c. Having these Reasons to perswade himself he had undertaken nothing but what would be pleasing and profitable to both Kingdoms he procur'd a Petition with this Proposal as to the main to be delivered to His Majesty which received a favourable report from the two greatest Ministers of State to whom it was refer'd hereupon there was in Order to the passing of Letters Patents for the erecting this Company a Letter fram'd to be sent from His Majesty to His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in which among other things there was direction for putting a present stop to the Wool Licenses When the thing was brought to this fair Issue the Proposer with all others that I could hear of apprehended there wanted nothing to the perfecting of his design but gathering Their Subscriptions who had before promis'd to be of the Company for the raising of the Stock in Order to this he went to the Change where he met one of these Promisers transform'd into a great Opposer of the whole design He was very loud and clamorous and though he chang'd none from their Opinion of the thing he frighted some from engaging in what he pretended would be oppos'd How he came to be alter'd I will not determine though some do pretty probably assign his change to a fuller consideration of his private interest but give you the mighty Objections which he made by the mouth of another with their Answers to ' um It was Objected all in a breath that this was a French design in the bottom what-ever the pretences were to the contrary and by I know not what new Logick this Objection was grounded on the giving the King 10000. l. a year which by a better consequence is an insinuation that His Majesty is a Party in the plot and could be perswaded by a trifle to connive at least to the undoing of His two Kingdoms That it was a Monopoly and would engross the Exchange between England and Ireland and in time all other Trades of Ireland that this Company could with more security carry the Wooll into France and Holland than single Merchants and therefore it would be a greater prejudice to erect this Company than to leave the Exportation at large as now 1. To the first Objection the Proposer Answer'd that this was so far from being a French design that directly or indirectly never any French man was either spoken to or concern'd cern'd in it he also affirm'd he set this business on foot not to serve any person or party what-ever but was prompted to it chiefly by the consideration of its being a publick good and then that it might be so regulated as it would prove a particular advantage to any that should engage in it and had it been a French design it had been unreasonable to believe it would have been propos'd to the Cloathiers of England to whom it was all along intended to have been communicated and was so when once it was known grantable that They might advance the whole or the biggest part of the Stock to carry it on 2. That it was not a Monopoly he prov'd sufficiently in his Letter to them of Blackwell-Hall to which he added that nothing can be a Monopoly but the engrossing into one or few hands a Trade or Commodity by Law left free to all men and since only Wooll of all the Commodities of Ireland is prohibited by Law to be thence Exported even into England this Grant is so far from being a Monopoly that 't is if rightly consider'd the greatest advantage imaginable to the Interest of England since if His Majesty thought fit altogether to refuse License which none can deny but He may do 't would prove greatly prejudicial to this Kingdom and then if it be further considered that by this Grant there is no more intended than instead of a 100 supposing that the number of Merchants taking Licenses singly they should be oblig'd to take them joyn'd in a Company as one man and no man being excluded this Society there can be no Prejudice nor Monopoly But if this Company should engross the Exchange which they can no otherwise do than by giving and taking Bills at very reasonable rates this moderating the Exchange would prevent money being carryed out of either Kingdom in Specie which would be of great advantage not only to this Company but to others also since the unreasonable height of Exchange is found very injurious to Trade And as for this Companies Monopolizing in time all other Trades of that Kingdom This may be I hope satisfactorily said that there is no Commodity in Ireland except Wooll the Trade of which can legally be confin'd to a Company besides this Company aims at nothing else but the Trade of Wooll which will certainly be work enough for them to mannage The next Objection was that the Transportation of Wooll would not be more restrainable in Society than while the trade remains in the hands of single Merchants which would be fully Answer'd by any Person that considers that if there be but one Exporter such a fraud is easier discover'd than when there are perhaps 200 to commit it But this Objection will fall if it appear that it will be this Companies Interest whether it consists of Cloathiers or others to bring all the Wooll into England only in order to this let the Reader consider what follows and is transcrib'd almost word for word out of a little piece which within these three days came to my hands call'd The Interest of England in the improvement of the Trade of Wooll c. writ by a Cloathier whose words at large are here inserted as being more likely to gain belief But so it is says my Authour That for some years past the diligence of Forreigners to enrich themselves upon us has so far exceeded our care to preserve our selves that not only Holland Flanders and Zealand have long suck'd the sweetness of our Trade but Fiance is likewise learning to be too hard for us as is manifest by the great quantities of Wooll that of late years have been Transported from England and Ireland thither how injurious it must be to us will appear unquestionable if we consider that every Pack of Wooll sent to France does prevent us not only of the Manufacture thereof but of two packs more beside it self it being combing and combed
Computation than 150000 Stone 16 pound to the Stone and 12 score pound to the pack and that working up every Stone is worth in very labour 50 s. which makes loss to the Tradesmen in Wages only 375000 l. and since the French work up Wooll much cheaper than we can and also gain the advantage of making a double quantity of their own Wooll useful by ours they can afford to give greater rates for Wooll than we do and yet by at least two thirds under-sell us the consequence of which will be the lowering the price of Wooll both in England and Ireland and beating us out of the Trade by our own weapons Whereas if we keep the Wooll from them we should then sell in Cloath the quantities of Wooll and two thirds more which would be of vast profit to all people of this Country prevent the Exportation of coin thither to ballance that destructive as now mannaged Trade encrease Shipping and Navigation and give full employment to all the poor of the Kingdom with which it now swarms this one Trade of Cloathing using as many hands as perhaps all other Trades of the Nation 27 persons being ordinarily imployed to the working one Stone of Wooll into Cloath But at the worst suppose which none did ever yet that I could hear of that France and Holland could make a shift without our Wooll to Cloath their Natives we should at least gain the Trade of all other Parts of the World Perhaps some men may fancy that France has no need of our Woollen Manufactures because of the great Impost that King of late put on our Cloaths which would soon be a burthen to his own people if the Tables were turn'd and we kept our Wooll seeing then we should sell them our Cloath so much the dearer it being indisputable that if they need our Wooll they will much more our Cloath which also will add to us an encrease of Artists because those Persons abroad wanting the materials for their Trade will be under a necessity of learning new Arts or going where they may be employ'd in their own which is the most likely There is yet one thing not taken notice of viz. The Companies giving His Majesty 10000 l. a year which is done as a grateful recognition of His Majesties particular favour to this Company which sum I presume at very reasonable and moderate exchange would be rais'd by this Stock or perhaps sav'd out of the very charge of the mannagement of this Trade And it ought to be remembred that this is not the tieth of what was granted to be lost by the Exportations of Wooll which also will at length be pay'd by Forreigners for 't is certain for the first second or third year the Wooll was never intended to be sold dearer than it was in England before the late Dutch War when in several hands and after that time when the French and Dutch stock of Wooll is spent the raising the price would be no prejudice to the Cloathiers Besides this would discourage the French and Dutch by any sinister practises to endeavour the breaking this grant since 't would appear a Loss to the Kings Revenue as well as to all the People of England for by how much the Subjects are impoverished by so much is the Princes power weakned nor is it on any pretence what-ever imaginable His Majesty would ever be induc'd to break this Grant since the great care He has already taken in securing the Wooll within these Dominions shews His Gracious Inclinations and readiness to effect it by any further way that should be propos'd And after a small time He in His Priucely Wisdom observing the vast benefit He and all His people would reap by this Act in the great advance of His Costoms and their Riches would by his own Example encourage the wearing of Wollen Manufacture and frequently issue forth His Proclamations for the due executing of all Laws tending thereunto and particularly the prohibition of Forreign Manufactures and the Law for Burying in Woollen which sure is practicable or else had never been made If the Clergy be enjoyn'd to Bury none otherwise it will quickly become Customary And now it may be concluded all the Objections are fully Answer'd As to the practicableness of the thing 't is very easie and the Stock not very great which the Cloathiers among themselves may advance or the greatest part of it and They having their votes in the mannagement of it cannot fear its miscarriage though whether They be concern'd or not it is plain 't is the Companies interest to secure the Importation of all Irish Wooll into England and likewise to prevent the Exportation of English which may be done either by buying it all up or by re-establishing Staple-Towns where only the Wooll shall be sold and the quantity Registred with the Buyers and Selles names by which it may be trac'd to the very Manufacture And besides that 't is the Companies Interest which will never lye not to send any of their Wooll abroad They will further give Personal security if requir'd not to Export any directly or indirectly into any Country but England and be content the forfeiture of their Bonds be to Blackwell-Hall or the Chamber of London if it appears the number of Stones bought and ship'd in Ireland be not actually landed in England the danger of the Seas only excepted And to this purpose the Magistrates in the several Ports in Ireland may be obâ—ig'd by an Act of Council to take yearly an exact account of all Wooll bought by the Company and fixing theirs the Custom-House Seals it may be sent into England and compar'd with the number of Stones landed there the Account of which may also be certified by the chief Magistrate of the City as well as chief Officer of the Port and unless these two Accounts do agree the Bonds to be forfeited It may be some will say though the Company should not carry any abroad yet others may since the Wooll-growers have liberty to sell to whom they please To which it is answer'd that it will behove this Company to prevent this by all imaginable care not only in Ireland but England also by watching the Ports abroad and at home Besides after the first year there cannot be a flock of Sheep in Ireland which they may not know and by that knowledge easily find what becomes of of the Wooll and their private Intelligence at home and abroad will discover such Artifices which as things stand can never be prevented but by this Company whose advantage it will be to stop all the ways of doing it Now in case any dispute shall arise in distinguishing the several sorts of Wooll His Majesty may appoint in every Port three indifferent Persons chosen for Judges and skilful in Wooll whose sentence shall be definitive to both Buyer and Seller and this will be no difficult matter when the Wooll is divided into Combing and Cloathing which are easily