Selected quad for the lemma: prince_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A25346
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An Account of the late design of buying up the wooll of Ireland in company in a letter to J.L.
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1674
(1674)
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Wing A307A; ESTC R1232
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17,420
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28
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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