vious our Commerce must be on the Decine; and having lefs Employment for the Poor, while our Gains annually diminith, the Burthen of fupporting thema muft annually increafe. The natural Contequence of which, in a few Years, will be a national Poverty, which must involve us all in Anarchy, or Tyranny. So that, from being the Envy of our Neighbours we shall become both their Pity and their Scorn. God grant that we don't become their Prey ! A А B But tho' our Goods are interdicted, our Wooll is not; every foreign Port is open to receive it: At Abbeville in Normandy there are incredible Magazines of it; at Amfterdam there is a publick Marke: for it; the Danish Ship lately stranded on the Coat of Ireland, proves it is no Stranger at Copenhagen; and a Letter in the Daily Poft informs us, of a regular Contract to fupply the Merchants of Stockholm with C the fame precious Commodity. Nor could the Captains lately station'd on the Irish Coat, to prevent the Running of Wooll, have acquir'd each of them Ten or Firteen Thousand Pounds, in a few Years, if Perfons had not been found who thought it worth their while to bribe the Dragon very largely, while they carry'd off the D Fleece. If we continue to let our Wooll efcape into other Hands, as their Poor can live harder, they can work cheaper; and they that can under-fell us already, will, in the End, have the whole Market to themselves. No Propofition in Euclid is plainer. E However important, therefore, the prefent Convention with the Court of Madrid may appear in the Eyes of our augult Legiflature, to prevent the Running of our Well, is, in every Refpect, more worthy of their Attention; That refers only to a Part of our Trade, this to the Whole: That, immediately at leaft, concerns only the Loffes of fome few Individuals, This the Welfare, nay Safety of the whole Nation F -I can't help concluding, therefore, that when the Petition is adarefs'd to the Houfe, they will enter immediately into the most ferious Deliberations to gratify the univerfal Wishes, Prayers, and Ex-G pectations of the Three Kingdoms; and that they will never give over their Refearches, til they haye ftruck up fome happy Expedient, that will, at once, effectually put a Stop to a crying Evil, and open a certain Road to the Revival of our Commerce, the Maintenance of our Poor, H the Increase of our National Wealth, and the rend'ring us once more formidable to all Europe Yes. all this is contain'd in this one happy and important Event.-A A Nation divided into Factions, exhausted with Taxes, incumber'd with Poor, and declining in their Commerce, may be infulted fome Time with Impunity. --Miniftry may be fo circumftanced as not to be able to exert themselves as they ought, or perhaps wifh'd, in fo nice and delicate a Crifis: As Trade fails, the publick Funds fail with it, and 'tis poffible the Lofs of any Branch might give a Shock to all the reft, ard be attended with fatal Confequences. But the grand Machine of Industry, Commerce, and Navigation, Wooll kept at home, our Poor employ'd, again rectify'd; or, in other Words, our our Exports increafing, and our Manufactures rendered neceffary to half Mankind, What Power would dare to injure and infult us any longer? The Alliance of what Monarch would be of more ImportBranch of Trade could we not fare, for ance to us, than ours to him? What while, in Compliment to our Honour, or to redrefs an Injury? How cafy would it be for us afterwards (however diverted in the Interval) to turn it into its original Channel! Or how could we be at a Lofs for Ways and Means to fupport the public Trade would make them overflow? Funds, when the very Gains upon our a I fhall fubjoin a Poftfcript from the Pamphlet call'd The Golden Fleece, which, I hope, you will publish. Yours, &c. "Our Manufacturers, by their Labour, improve the happy Product of our Land, to fix Times the Value it had in Wooll; Cloth, will give full Employment, for one for one Pack of Wooll, made into BroadWeek, to 58 Perfons, viz. Perfons. 1. s. d. Man to fort and dry it -- o 4 4 Women to burle it 8 Men to weave it 26 58 In a Week will earn - 。。༥ One Pack of the long Combing Wooll 1 tonfhire, Kent, &c. made into fine Stuffs, Serges, Sagathies, Camblets, Long-Ells, &c. for the Spanish and Portugal Trades, will give full Employinent, for one Week', to 158 Perfons, viz. d. One Pack of Wooll made into Stockings for the Spanish, Portugal, or any other Trade, will give full Employment, for one Week, to 150 Perfons, viz. Perfons per Week. 1. 9 Combers, at 76 Spinners A which has, fince that Page was put to the Here he inferts the Declaration, p. 71, Prefs, been laid before the Houfe." His Catholic Majefty engages to refer fome Points in Difpute to y Decifion of Ple nipotentiaries (not Commiffaries; we have had enough of them already) - This will certainly produce one good Effect, it will prove a very advantageous Employment to two of the Friends of a certain Great Man ;for his Enemies, no: withstanding their Oppofition, muit allow, that his Friends are all fuch pretty Fellows, that, let the Nation fink or fwim, they ought B to be maintained in Splendor. S. 10 S. 8 Doublers and Throwers 56 Stocking-Weav. at 12 s. -- 33 12 55 O 108 0 And here I cannot forbear taking Nojetty hath done this Nation in the Perfon tice of the great Honour his Catholic Maof Mr Keene; by fting him DoN BENJAMIN, I conceive he hath made him a Gentleman; for which we are very much obliged to him. Befides this Favour, his Catholic Majo fty alfo engages to pay our Merchants a Sum of Money, in Part of what his Subjects have plunder'd from them: He hath engaged to do it, and his Bond is as good as his Word; I dare fay our Merchants are as well fatisfied with one as the other.- If OD Payment of it should be deferred a little, I hope the Merchants will not take it ill, because it is poflible his Catholic Majetty may be out of Cath, and if he cannot conniently fpare the Sum promifed till the South-Sea Company pays him fixty-eight them as a Debt, it will induce the Comthoufand Pounds, which he demands of pany to be very prompt in their Payment; for, whether they owe him any thing or not, I hope they won't difpute it upon this Occafion: A Refufai may be attended with very bad Confequences; for his Catholic Majelty is a Man of Honour, and wears a Sword. By the aforefaid Computation it muft follow, that as often as 50,oco Packs of Wooll are clandeftinely carried to France, E Flanders. Holland, Sweden, or Pruffia, fo often will Great Britain lofe 1,800,000l. And fo often will the Number of Perfons yearly deprived of Employment be 17,353. Bendes, it is a receiv'd Opinion, that 302000 Packs of Wooll are fhip'd yearly to foreign Nations, from the feveral F Coufts of Great Britain and Ireland; thro' Neglect and Connivance. But if we fuppofe it were but half that Quantity, it muft follow by the faid Computation, that Great Britain will lofe yearly 5,400.000l. And alfo the Number of Manufacturers yearly deprived of Employment, will be G $52,059. Common Sense, Feb. 17. N° 107. I am informed they difpute the Debt, which fhews a bad Mind, and a very evil Difpolition in the Company; for they know that, unless they comply, the Mer chants may never be pay'd, and what is worfe, it may difconcert our Minitter : fonable, for fuch a Trifle, to make that And I hope that nobody will think it reaGreat Man uneafy. If fixty thousand Pounds is to be paid him for our falling upon his Fleet in the Year 1718, the Affair of the Merchants will not be retarded on that Account ; chearfully fubmit to any Tax for that Purpofe. IT feems before his Catholic Majefty because the Nation will, no Doubt, mutt could be prevailed upon to fign the Convention, he infifted on having a H Kind of Deteazance drawn up in the Form of a Protelt, of which the following Copy hath been communicated to S. We obliged omfelves by Treaties to guarantee the Neutrality of Italy. The Spanish Fleet was destroy'd in Confequence quence of this Guarantee. But I must oblerve, that tho' we were not Principals in this Quarrel, we pay'd for it as Principas; for, by a fubfequent Treaty made with Spain in 1721, we obliged ourfelves to reltore all the Spanish Ships in our Polfeffion, and to pay for fuch of them as had been fuld; which was performed on our Part; we pay'd, I fay, for those which were fold, and made an Offer of those which remain'd. We have made many Treaties with Spain fince (how many it is not eafy to remember) and we also appointed a competent Number of Commillaries, in Confequence of thofe Treaties, who all had Initructions to insist upon it, that we had fulfilled our Engagements. -If the Nation fhould be obliged to pay 60,000 l. now for thofe Ships which rotted at Port-Mahon, because the Spaniards would not receive them as was agreed, it will be for a valuable Confideration; and what Confideration is fo valuable as Peace ? A B for? Nay we might have taken fo much from them that, for aught I know, all the ready Money in the Kingdom could not have made Good. What can be urg'd against pacific Meafures, but that the Merchants have fuffered a little by Captures; but those who make fuch Complaints, thould confider, that the Conftitution of Trade is like the Conftitution of the Body of Man,if the Blood beats too high, Evacuations are neceflary. The Profits on Trade have risen to fuch Extravagance of late Years, that thefe little Draw-Backs were like opening a Vein, which makes the Blood circulate with more Freedom; and our forbearing to make Reprifals was the wifeft Measure could be taken; for had we committed Hoftilities as well as the Spaniards, it was then a War, and this was the very Thing we were endeavouring to avoid.C Pax quæritur bello is a fa.fe Maxim, Pax quæritur pace is a much better Motto, and by it we are come to the End of our Withes. When it was reported, that his Catholie Majelty had demanded Payment for his Fleet deftroy'd in the Year 1718, the Difaffected gave out, that he would allo expect to be paid for the Spanish Armada deitroy'd in the Reign of Queen Eliza-D beth: But the Malecontents are difap pointed, and there is no fuch Thing in the Convention. Now indeed they give out, it will certainly be demanded next Year; but I don't believe one Word of it. The Truth is, the Malecontents are fo envious of the Glory, and Honour which our excellent Minifter is continually ac quiring by his great Skill in Negotiation, that they will fay any thing. They infinuate alfo, as if the whole Money to be paid our Merchants by the King of Spain was to come from another Quarter, confequently that what he is to receive for his Fleet, and from the Company, will be fo much clear Gain, by which he will be inabled to make up another Fleet; and if we thould be obliged to deltroy that Fleet we know the worft; 'tis but paying for it twenty Years after. E F The Malecontents, I fay, are almost at their Wits End; for this Convention G ftrikes them deaf, dumb, and blind. It does not only make Things cafy for the prefent, but fully justifies the Wisdom of all the Measures for feveral Years: For if the numerous Squadrons fent out, at different Times, had not been reftrained by Orders from acting against the Spani-, ards, who knows but we might to-day have had not only their Fleet, but their Guarda Coftas, Flotas, Flotillas, Register: Ships, and the Devil and all to have paid H If the Malecontents object, that it is a very dear Peace; it may be answer'd, that all Things good in their Kind muft be dear: Peace is certainly much better than War; ergo we ought to pay more for it. Suppofe our Plenipoes fhould manage in this Affair juft as thofe worthy Gentlemen call'd Commiflaries did before them, that is to fay, they fhould take Care to prolong their own Commiffion, receive a great deal of public Money for themselves, and do nothing.- If this fhould hap pen, the Merchants will be the chief Sufferers; and what are Merchants? A Parcel of sturdy Beggars, a Body of People who are for checquing the exorbitant Power of a Minifter; and were once within an Inch of demolishing one; and if he hath been no lefs induftrious in his conftant Endeavours to demolish them, who can wonder at it? In fine, Things feem to be come to a Kind of Crifis be twixt him and the Merchants; and ether he or Trade muft fall; but fure Nobody will balance which Party to take, when the Safety of fo virtuous, fo wile a Man, is put in Competition with fuch a Trifle as the Trade of a Nation. Trade fubverts the Order of Things, and fets the induftrious Man above the Tools of a Court, which is a great Grievance. CANDID What a Shame was it to fee formerly, in this Nation, not only Merchants, but Drapers, Grocers, Haberdafhers, Ironmongers, &c. purchase better Eftates, and give larger Fortunes to their Daughtes 88 The GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, VOL. ÍX. fury! But these Disorders are in a fair Way of being rectified by the wife Politicks of the Great Man we hinted at before: Nor can I fufficiently commend that excellent Saying which is imputed to him, That he hoped to make all the Merchants of England, as poor as so many German Princes. A By this Convention, all the Grievances which have interrupted our Commerce in the American Seas are to be regulated by Plenipotentiaries. It feems the Mer chants cavil at the Term of regulating Grievances; but who cares whether they They understand by like it or not? It, as if it was to be fettled what Grie- B vances and Abufcs our Merchants and Sailors fhould hereafter be obliged to fufEven in their fer from the Spaniards. Senfe it is to be justified; for, without Tome fuch Thing, the Spaniards may think they are at Liberty to abuse our Merchants and Sailors as they please. Suppofe no Ship of ours fhould be allowed to come within two Leagues of their Shore, it ought certainly to be fettled what Penalties they muft fuffer when they tranf grefs; if, for Example, it fhould be agreed, that, in fuch a Cafe, one of the Ears of every Sailor on board fhould be cut off, if there be no Regulation they may cut off both their Ears. C There is another Thing which ought alfo to be regulated; which is, the due Length of a League; otherwife the Spaifh Governors in America may alter their - Scale, and if the Distance of a Ship from Shore fhould be tried by Spanish Measure, E our Merchants may have the worft of it. We can by the Treaty, which is to follow this Convention, lofe no more than two Leagues of Sea-Room, unless the Spaniards are to measure; if fo, perhaps the two Leagues may ftretch out to wherever they can catch our Ships. the French and Dutch, who, no doubt, - The sturdy Beggars begin to afiemble in the fame 'Manner they did at the Time of the Excife; they behave as if they were confident of Success: Justice and No Search is their Gry, and they talk loud of Impeachments. They are a Set of dangerous Fellows, and would themselves have demolished a great many poor Spa niards, if Letters of Marque and Reprifal had been granted them. It is very fit they fhould be kept under; and therefore I think, ý a dapper Hugonot, charg'd with a Proclamation, fhould be sent to difperfe them every Time they meet. I have not room in this Place to answer all the fenfelefs Cavils of the Malecontent Party. They first made a great Noife because our Squadrons did not act against the Enemy. Befides the Reasons I have already given against it, there are fome Our People on D others of equal Weight. Shore were in no Pain left their Friends on Board fhould be knock'd on the Head; infomuch that it was a common SayThey do object, ing among the Sailors, that old Women would now go to Sea. indeed, that during this Peace (as 'tis call'd) with Spain, we have lot more brave Sailors and Admirals, than in all the late glorious War, and that we have likewife expended more Powder in faluting Spanish Ships and Forts, than in that War, but this is a moft impertinent Objection; tor & Poet fays, Death will come If Sailors, or even F when it will come. — Admirals, have not Conftitutions to bear an infected Air, it was their Misfortune. -As to the Powder expended in Salutes, for our Adit was for our Reputation mirals thereby gain'd a Character they never had before, of being very polite Gentlemen. I am fure there was a great Saving to the Nation in the Article of Ball. Now they clamour about the im menfe Charge to the Nation, but fure the fine Shew they made was worth all the Money, and grieves me to think that fo formidable a Squadron as was fent up the Streights, under Admiral Haddock, should hide itself all this while in Port Mahon, as if it was afhamed to be feen, when they might have paraded it as far What, tho' we don't lay the fame Re- I don't know how the King of Spain's Bown them. Weekly ESSAYS in FEBRUARY, 1739. felves for the Honour of their Country. -The Italian Ladies have rallied our Gentlemen Travellers upon the Impolitenels of our Nation in not fending a Squadron into fome of their Ports to divert them; for ever fince they saw the Fleet which was fent to wait upon Don Carlos, they think that a Squadron of Men of War is the prettiest Rarce-Shew in the World. of Patriots! Upon the Whole it is a great Pleasure to all true Lovers of Peace to find, that the Malecontents have not been able to break off or interrupt this Convention. Faction is now fubdued, and the Temple of Janus will foon be fhut. Fly hence then, ye murmuring, difcontented Croud Speak to the Ocean when the Heavens are calm, fooner fhall ye raife Tempefts there, than disturb the univerfal Joy which gladdens the whole Nation upon this glorious Event. May a Day of Triumph be appointed for that great Man who took all upon himfelf: Let the Drum beat and the Trumpet found:-Let his Temples be crowned with Olive, and let ten thousand PlaceMen wait upon his Chariot finging forth A 89 Why thus: they have managed it fo, thae the Merchant dare not fell his Wooll to the Clothier, nor the Clothier prefume to buy it their whole Power is founded. To make of the Merchant. On this grand Point in the Year 1695, the Clothiers finding this clear, Sir, you are to understand that, themselves in much the fame Circumstances they are at prefent, by the Credit given to being obliged to purchase Wool of the Facthe Drapers on the one Hand, and their tors on the other, apply'd in a Body to Par• liament for Relief; and an de was acwell-Hall for a Market, limiting the Crecordingly pafs'd, restoring to them Blackobliging the Factor to demand Notes of dit to be given for their Goods to fix Months, for the Use of the Clothier, on Penalty of Hand of the Draper, payable in that Term, forfeiting double the Value of the Debt; Cfuch Notes fo demanded, fining him 20 s. and, in cafe the Draper refused to give B For a little while this At had its dereturned to the Clothier, who carry'd them fired Effect; thefe Notes were immediately to Market for Wool, &c. and, by that Means, made them answer in Trade almoft as well as Cafb itself. The Factors, thus ftript of This is the Day, and this is the Song, the most valuable Part of their Bufines, Then let us be merry, Boys, all Day long! dered the whole Act ineffectual, and put it D immediately concerted fuch Measures as renThis is the Day, in Days of Yore, Our Fathers never faw before! into their Power to tyrannize over the Clothiers as much as ever.This is the Day, to One 'tis Ten, This was Our Sons will never see again. his Praifes. The Craftsman of the 17th is again on the fame Subject as Common Senfe; and befides, maintains feveral Propofitions advanced in the Extract of the Letter to a Member of Parliament in our laft. He allo ftates our Kight to Georgia as we had done before him, (See Mag. for O&t. and Sept. 1737. p. 500, $76) and repeats many of his former Affertions concerning Campechy, Tortuga, and cutting Logwood. From which it thould feem that he has a very fhort Memory, or imagines that his Reader's have. E F G H This done by their tampering with those of the Trade whofe Circumftances were most prespeedy Sale for their Goods, prior to those carious, who, induc'd by the Promife of a of any other Maker, were easily prevailed on to forego the Advantage of the Notes fatal Precedent being once fet, the Factors · granted them by Parliament.inftantly exacted a like Compliance from all the reft; and if any refus'd, not one Piece of their Cloth was fold: By which Means, being obliged so keep their Workmen employed in the Interval, their whole Stock, tho' ever jo large, was in the End exhausted; and the more Stock they had; the more it became their Intereft to truckle to their old Oppreffors, and, again, take off their Wool on what Terms they pleafed. This important Point carry'd, like true Politicians, they refolved to pursue their Blow, and add fome new Acquifition to what they poffeffed before. Accordingly, fonable Credit, that it was impoffible for they again allowed the Drapers fuch unrea the moft fubftantial Clothier to carry on the Trade, while the Returns were la precari |