Selected quad for the lemma: land_n
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A37552
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The petition and remonstrance of the governovr and Company of merchants of London trading to the East-Indies, exhibited to the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons, in the high court of Parliament assembled
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East India Company.; England and Wales. Parliament.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing E100F; ESTC R31404
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16,173
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38
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objected that the price of our Lands are not improved onely by Treasure gained in our forraigne Trade but also by a great increase of people whether they be natives or strangers The great increase of strangers inhabiting here doth impoverish this Kingdome and begger our poore by depriving them of their Arts and manufactures raysing the price of corne victuals Rents and the like or both The answer is that the first of these wayes doth performe it to the common benefit and the latter to the inriching of the Landlords onely by a manifest impoverishing of the Kingdome For our experience in one particular doth teach us that of late yeares we are growne so populous that we can spare no corne to transport into forraigne Countries but sell it all here to serve our owne wants at deare rates which formerly when it was much cheaper imployed many ships and marriners to export it unto strangers and thereby returned us store of Treasure which great benefit to the Kingdome is now lost And as hereby the exportation of our native Commodities is much diminished so our consumption of forraigne Wares is asmuch increased which is a double meanes to impoverish this Kingdome THe businesse then is briefly thus that as the treasure which is brought into the Realme by the ballance of our forraigne trade is that money which onely doth abide with us and by which we Treasure that doth remaine with us inrich us and doth improve our Lands are inriched so by this plenty of money thus gotten and no otherwise doe our lands improve for when the Merchant hath a good dispatch beyond the Seas for his Cloath and other our native wares he doth presently returne to buy up the greater quantity which raiseth the price of Woolls and other commodities which doth improve the Land-lords rents as the Leases expire dayly and also by this meanes money being gained and brought more aboundantly into this Kingdome it doth inable many men to buy Lands which must make them the dearer but if our forraigne Trade come to a stop or declination by neglect at home or injuries abroad whereby the Merchants are impoverished and so the Wares of the Realme lesse issued then do all the said benefits cease and our Lands fall of price dayly whereupon we conclude that as the flourishing estate of our generall Trade is the onely meanes to make our Lands improve so the particular Trade to the East-Indies is a principall instrument therein because as we have already proved it hath so much increased the Traffique of this Kingdome THe next Quaere seemes to be a mystery which many of our Adventures doe not well understand for say they how can the Kingdome gaine by this Trade when wee who are the members thereof have lost so grievously they doe not well discerne that their private losse may be far lesse in proportion then the publique benefit as we shall instance some examples to make the businesse plaine IN the course of forraigne Trade there be three Three degrees of gaine in forraigne Trade sorts or degrees of gain the first that of the Common-wealth which may be done when the Merchant who is principall agent therein shall loose The second is the gaine of the Merchant which he doth sometimes justly and worthily effect although the Common-wealth be a looser The third is the gaine of the King whereof he is ever certaine even when the Common-wealth and the Merchant shall be both loosers COncerning the first of these we have alreadie sufficiently shewed the waies and meanes whereby the Common-wealth may be inriched in the course of Trade by the ballance of the same when excesses are avoyded therefore it is needlesse here to make any further repetition onely wee doe in this place affirme that such happinesse may be in the Common-wealth when the Merchant for his particular shall have no occasion to rejoyce As for example suppose the East-India Company should send out one hundred thousand pounds in Wares or money into the East-Indies and receive home for the same the full value of three hundred thousand pounds hereby it is evident that this part of the publique stocke is trebled and yet we may boldly say that which we can well prove that our said Company of Merchants shall be loosers by such an adventure if the returnes be made in Spice Indico Callicoes Benjamin refined Salt-Peter Cotton-yarne and such other bulkey wares in their severall proportions according to their vent use in these parts of Europe for the freight of shipping the insurance of the Adventnre the charges of Factors abroad and Officers at home the forbearance of the Stocke his Majesties custome and imposts with other petty charges incident will bee above two hundred thousand pounds which being added to the principall produceth losse and thus we see that not onely the Kingdome but also the KING The King and Kingdome may get by Trade even when the Merchant loseth may get very much even when the Merchant notwithstanding shall loose in his proportion which giveth good occasion here to consider how much more the Realme is inriched by this Trade when all things pâ—sse so happily that the Merchant is a gayner also together with the KING and Kingdome BUt for the better explaning of that which hath beene already alledged wee must understand that if the said hundred thousand pounds should be trebled by the returne of so much Silkes and other fine Wares out of the Indies then the Merchant likewise should receive good gaine by such an adventure and the reason is because this great wealth would require but five hundred tunne of shipping to lade and bring home the same which is but a very small charge in respect of foure thousand tunnes of shipping which would be required to lade home the like value in the bulkie Commodities of Spice and the like which are afore-written THe second sort of gaine in the course of trade is when the Merchant by his laudable endeavours may both bring in and carry out Wares to his advantage by buying them and selling them to good profit which is the end of his labours Yet neverthelesse the Common-wealth shall decline and grow poore by a disorder in the people when through pride and other excesses they doe consume more forraigne Ware in value then the wealth of the Kingdome can satisfie and pay by the exportation of our owne Commodities which is the very quality of an unthrift who spends beyond his meanes THe third sort of gaine is the Kings who is ever sure to get by Trade when both the Common-wealth and the Merchant shall loose severally as afore-written or joyntly as it may and doth sometimes happen when the Merchants successe is bad and when our Commodities are over ballanced by forraigne Wares consumed but if such disorders be not prevented his Majesty in the end shall be the greatest looser when his Subjects be impoverished Safety Whether it be not a meanes greatly to weaken the King of Spaine
THE PETITION AND REMONSTRANCE OF THE GOVERNOVR And Company of Merchants of London trading to the East Indies exhibited to the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons in the High Court of Parliament assembled DEVS INDICA London Printed for Nicholas Bourne 1641. THE HUMBLE REMONSTRANCE OF Those Reasons which the Governour and Company of Merchants of London trading to the East-India doe make upon the Quaeres that are annexed unto their Petition exhibited in the Honourable House of COMMONS assembled in PARLIAMENT And First Strength Whether it doth not much increase the strength of the Kingdom with mariners Warlike Shipping Ammunition and all necessary Arts-men thereunto belonging Whether it doth not greatly increase the generall Traffique of the Kingdome not onely as it is a very ample Trade of it selfe betweene England and the Indies but also as it is an ample Staple or Magazine of many rich Indian wares to send from hence into other forraigne Countries THE Trade to the East Indies some few yeares past when we had warre with the Portugals did imploy fifteene thousand tunnes of Shipping all at once either going or comming or Trading there from Port to Port but since upon good experience we find that so great a charge is neither necessarie for our defence nor comportable by the benefit of the Traffique untill some further Discoveries may be made in China or else-where as is hoped Neverthelesse according to the present times there may be imployed and maintained eight thousand tunnes of great and warlike Shipping besides two thousands tunnes more here in the Kingdome continually repayring for the next supply of those Voyages THis Trade as it is thus great in it selfe so doth it yet further enlarge our Traffique and strength by furnishing this Kingdome with all sorts of Indian wares not onely for our owne use but more especially for the necessary wants of forraigne Nations which hath greatly encreased the number of our Warlike Ships to export them from hence into Turkie Italy the East Countries and other places For proofe whereof we instance some former-times when wee have brought into England above eight thousand bagges of Pepper from the Indies in one year and may do so againe if the Trade subsist Where this Kingdome doth not consume above one thousand and three hundred bagges per annum at the most So the rest are transported into forraigne Countries and the like may be said for Callicoes Indigo and some other Indian Wares ALl which additions of shipping unto our former strength by Sea before this Trade began doe imploy many of his Majesties subjects in sundry Arts to build and repaire the said ships together with the making of Ordnance Muskets Powder Shot Swords Pikes Cordage Canvas and other necessary Amunitions and provisions thereunto belonging besides a multitude of Mariners whereof many of them are shipped from hence Land-men or such as were not formerly used to the Seas but are bred and made good Mariners by these Voyages which otherwise at home being without Arts or maintainance are a heavy burthen to their friends and Country ANd if it be objected that this great encrease of shipping which is here declared is not alwayes in the Kingdome upon occasion of service the answer is That neither are the shippes of any other Merchants heere at home but some are going some are comming and ever the least part are in the Kingdome yet still wheresoever they are his Majesties subjects have by them their imployment and maintenance and the Kingdome aswell as the East-India Company have had their service For how famous are their exploits to all Nations How many rich Carracks have they suncke and spoyled How many assaults of Spanish Gallions have they withstood and foyled What slaughter of their souldiers sacke of their Townes subversion of their trades and such like honourable actions have they performed and all with little losse of ships or men It would require a large discourse to declare the particulars Neither doth the East-India Company commonly want two thousand Tuns of shipping or more heere in the Kingdome which are either in building or repayring together with all their Ordnance and other Warlike furniture besides their store-houses and Dock-yards plentifully provided with Timber Plancke Cordage Powder shot and many other necessary Ammunitions both for themselves and oftentimes to help others with such provisions as cannot elsewhere be found for money in this Kingdome THere is yet one common Objection but it is so weake that it scarse deserves an answer which is that this East-India Trade destroyes our shipping and Marriners when cleane contrary to this we have already shewed the great encrease of both and if men dye in these long voyages and ships by length of time be layd up either here or in the Indies yet what 's all this but natures course and that which happens here at home in our neerest Trades although with farre lesse noyse and notice How many brave Commanders have we bred from meane degree whereof divers are still in our service some at this present are found worthy good places in his Majesties Navie others being growne rich doe either keepe at home or follow shorter voyages but leaving these advantages wee doe answer all with this that whatsoever is pretended in the decay of shipping or death of men yet notwithstanding the Kingdome by this trade hath obtained no lesse increase or cleare addition both of the one and the other which continually subsist and are in action then is before declared Whether it doth not increase the generall stocke and wealth of the Kingdome Whether it be not a meanes to save the particular Subjects much money yearly in their ordinary expences upon all sorts of Indian wares Whether it doth not much increase his Majesties Customes and Imposts in the yearely revenue VVhether it is not a good meanes to improve the price of Lands Woolls Tynne Iron Lead and other the Wealth native commodities of this Kingdome Wealth VVhether the King and the Kingdome also have not gotten much by this Trade even in these late disastrous times when the Adventurers have lost great matters HEre wee have five Quaeres which must be all proved severally the first is generall wherein wee must consider how the whole Kingdome may be inriched by our Commerce with strangers the which to performe although it hath one the same rule in all the particular places of the Trade yet is not every Country alike profitable to this Common-wealth for the remotest Traffique is alwayes most beneficiall to the publique Stocke The places of our remotest Traffique are most profitable to the Common-wealth the example may be framed thus Suppose we therefore that Pepper were constantly worth 2. shillings the pound here in England if wee should then fetch the same from Holland the Merchant may pay there to the stranger twenty pence the pound out of this Kingdomes stocke and gaine well by the bargaine but if he fetch this Pepper from the East-Indies hee cannot