90 to The GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, VOL. IX. A Exercife; and when the People have been ed; but, in Return of fo great a Favour, infifted on Two and a Half per Cent. as a Reward; and if any was rash or ftubborn enough difrelifh, or oppofe this new Impofition, he had the Mortification to wait fix Months longer for his Money, that is to which, toJay, a Year and a Half in all; Your Readers will perceive, that my ongether with three Months the Cloth is in ly Wishes are to fee my Country put into making, and three that (one Piece with it continues in the Hall bea good Pofture of Defence, according to another) our Conftitution; that, in cafe of a foreign fore 'tis fold off, make two Years in the whole. Now let any one judge how large a Invafion, We may not have our All deStock is abfolutely neceffary to carry on a pend upon our Success in one Battle, like Trade under all thefe Disadvantages, particularly, when 'tis recollected that the B That of the Conqueft; or that the Proteftant Caufe may not be loft, without many an hearty Stroke for it, as the Popish one Clothier is obliged to pay his Workmen reawas loft at the Revolution, without à Battle dy Money all this while, whether his Goods are vended or no; and that the modeft in Britain, occafioned by the Difaffection Factor always infifts on his being paid for of the People; which thews how little this Wooll with the first Money he receives any Number of mercenary Forces, conftantly for the Cloth.C kept up, can contribute to this End. For my Part, I fhould pray, in a Day of Struggle, that They may be able to deal with all the difcontented Hearts and Hands, which the Expence, the Diflike, and the justly apprehended Danger of their own Exiflence, have occafion'd. (To be concluded in our next.) From the craftsman. Feb. 24. A Mongst all the Pleas that have been how much more properly it might G The prefent Advocates for military Power pretend to find an Abfurdity in this Reafoning; for if a mercenary flanding Army, fay They, is of fo little Ufe, either against foreign invafions, or domeftick InMy Anfwer to this frivolous Obj:&ion furrections, where can be the Danger of it? fhall be very fhort. Tho' they would be of very little Ufe, in Cafe of a general Difaffection, as in the late K. James's Reign, yet whilst the Conftitution is not openly attack'd, and the People are difpofed to preferve their Allegiance to the prefent Gavernment, a ftanding Army is not only bur thenfome, but dangerous, by enuring the Minds of the People to a military Force, and wearing out all their ancient Impreffions of Liberty. Another Thing requifite towards putting a Nation in a good Pofture of Defence, is their being zealously well-affected to their King, their Conftitution, and the Ad miniftration. But as Difcontent and Dif from the Diflike of the People to the Conaffection do not take their original Rife ftitution of their Government, or to their King, it must be imputed to the Conduct of Thofe, who adminifter; and therefore nothing is more requifite to prevent it, in any Government, than to fuit the Admi nitration to the Good of the People, and the Sassy of Them. In Weekly ESSAYS in FEBRUARY, 1739. Us, unless the Conftitution is firft impair'd and trampled on; for the People having a Representative, vefted with Powers to enquire and advife, concerning national Af fairs, to redrefs Grievances, and bring evil Counsellors to Punishment, They will put A a Stop to all juft Caufes of Difaffection in the People, unless the Reprefentative itself fhould become corrupt, and actuated by different Motives than their Conflituents. As, first, if thro' the minifterial Practices, They thould not be all freely chofen by the People; or, fecondly, if, when chofen, They thould be unduly influenc'd; or, B thirdly, if thro' long Continuance in Truft, without Re-election, They fhould want the proper Nature of a Representative, which ought always to be either revocable at Pleasure, or re-elected at short Periods; So that a Law, which will prevent all Corruption at Elections, and all undue Influence after, as well as fecure the Frequency of Elections, is an infallible Scheme to produce Acquiefcence, Content, aud good Affection, amongit the People; confequently, an honourable Regard to Us from our Neighbours, a Dread of Us in our Enemies, and a flourishing Trade, with all earthly Happiness and Profperity. C 91 abroadMercenary Soldiers, fays He, want Fidelity, or Courage, and moft commonly both. If They are not corrupted, or beaten by the Invader,They make a Prey thus of a standing Army; of their Masters."-Mr Trenchard fpeaks "At fmall Army can be of no Ufe to Us, lays He, but to hinder the Militia from being train'd, and to enflave Us at home; for They are too few to defend Us against an Invafion, and too many for the People to I am, Sir, + State Tracts, p.574. oppose. From Common Yours, &c. enfe. Feb. 24. Remarks on the CONVENTION. BOTH Houses having, laft Year, enter'd into vigorous Refolutions to fupport his Majefty, . we had 100 Sail of Ships at one Time in Commiffion, A most immenfe Expence to this Nation! Our Minifters, fo fupported, have been able to prevail upon his Catholick Majesty, without firing a Gun, to fign a Convention. But those who have no very good OpiDnion of the Perfons, at prefent, at the Helm of our Affairs, have taken Occasion to reprefent this Transaction as a Minifterial Expedient; for, fay they, if the Minifters had Weight and Credit enough with the Court of Spain to bring it to those which we have an undoubted Right, they Terms which the Nation expects, and to have had Time enough, and have wanted no Support to effect it; and the Malecontents are fuch Infidels, they will not believe that Plenipotentiaries can make Ufe Sail of Men of War. of more perfuafive Arguments than 100 But to return to defenceless Condition our Nation feems to be in, from & People's being kept uninftructed in the Ufe and Exercife of Arms, what a melancholy Profpect must it afford to Thofe, who have large Stakes in this Land, and are heartily concern'd for the Prefervation of E our Liberties and Religion! With what pale Faces would They look upon one another, if but 3000 Men were landed in Suffer or Kent, another Body expected in the North, an Alarm in the Weft, and an Invafion in Ireland, whilft the Fidelity of the People was, at the fame Time, fufpect- F ed in every Place, conformably to the Dif fidence already exprefs'd of Them! How impollible would it be to bring a large Body of Men together, who know how to handle their Arms; or what Confidence could We have in our mercenary Standing Troops, when double Pay and large Recruit-Money fhall be offer'd Them, on the other Side; and when They may defert with a Premium and Protection, who now often defert with Lofs, and the utmost Danger of their Lives? Where will our Help be, if We have proceeded upon Schemes, inconfiftent with trufting our Arms in the Hands of our Freeholders and their Servants? For as to all other Aid and Reliance, take the Opinion of the fa- H mous Algernon Sidney and Mr Trenched G To this, indeed, the Friends of our moft incomparable Minifters anfwer, that if his Catholick Majefty fhould not make the Concellions neceffary, we are but where we were; we may break off the Treaty, and fo fit out new Squadrons. To which the Malecontents reply, This may Death to us: be Sport to the Spaniards, but must be -The immenfe Charges wafte us, while they do not put themselves to the Expence of a Dollar; and, as Pyr rhus faid he should be undone by two or three fuch Victories, we may be ruin'd by two or three fuch Negotiations. They compare the Politicks of a certain Gentleman to that of a bold enterprising Fellow, who undertook to teach an Afs to fpeak Greek.-The Store hois 92 The GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, VOL. IX. ance per Diem. The Time was fix'd, and the King promifed him his Reward; but this Condition was annex'd to it, that, if he did not perform it, he should be hang'd; and had him guarded, that he should not A run away. The Fellow being ask'd, when he was out of the King's Prefence, how he could have the Impudence to undertake a Thing that is impoffible? His Anfwer was, that either the King might die, the Afs might die, or, perhaps, he himself might die, before the limited Time. If any Minifter has been teaching an Afs to fpeak for us; if, for Reasons that only regard himself, he has been amusing the Nation with Things he never intended to perform, or knew he was not able to perform, as he has been much better paid, he ought to have the fame Reward at last. c Don Sebaftian de la Quadra's Declaration, or Proteft, in the Name of the King, his Mafter, previous to the Convention, feems an Innovation, in the Forms and Methods of negotiating;-but his Catho lick Majefty was refolv'd that he should not be misunderstood, for he says,-under the Validity and Force of this Proteft, the faid Convention may be proceeded on, and in no other Manner.' So that the Convention feems to be purchased at the Price of receiving and agreeing to this Proteft; which indeed fays, that it is by reciprocal Agreement. SIR, HE Author of the Debates of a Having stated this plain Fact, I fent it to lutarch, in the Life of Paulus Emilius, & I would have fent this Difcovery to the Proprietors themfelves, but I know, by Experience, that they have refufed to make Corrections in fome Pieces writ by my Acquaintance, which they had falfely printed. Neither can I find they have yet restored the Ten Words they left out of the Commons Addrefs, or rectify'd their Mistake in the Lords Proteft, or any of the Errors you pointed out to them in your February Magazine, for 1738: Yet, I find thefe are the accurate Compilers recom mended by Mr Common Senfe. I am, Sir, A Reader of both Sides, P. Q N. B. OUR MAP of the Ruffian Campaign, tho' not executed to the utmost Advantage, having been well received, we are preparing for our next Magazine, one, much neater, of the Frontiers of Ruffia and Turkey. Improvements like thefe, will, doubtless, convince our Friends of our Study to deserve the Conti Sais Favour, much fooner than a mi four Ad CONSIDERATIONS laid before the Parliament relating to the Running of WooL. A flourished in this Illand, the Value of our BOUT 150 Years ago, before Trade Lands and Labour was above Cent. per Cent. less than it is now; What occafioned their Advance? A Manufacturers of all kinds were drove hither by the Oppreffion of Neighbouring Princes; there Manufacturers work'd up our Wool, which befare was exported to Flanders, and wrought up there; having Manufactures within ourselves, we extended our Commerce, and in Return for the Woollen Manufactures, brought from Foreign Parts the Treasures of thofe Countries, for which we paid the Labour of our Poor, added to the Wool, the Product of our Country: Thus B as our Manufactures encreased, our Riches were acquired in Proportion, and having more Wealth in the Kingdom, the Labour of the Poor advanced, the Expences of the Traders encreased, and the Value of Land bore an equal Proportion, fill advancing as Trade flourished. If, as 'tis an univerfal Complaint, our Foreign Trade decays, our Returns of Treafure muft de-C creafe; the lefs Treafure our Merchants receive from abroad, the lefs Money they must spend, keep the fewer Servants, and employ the fewer Ha in Manufactures, the lefs Confumption there is for the Product of our Lands; and confequently the more the Price thereof muft fall; and if the Product of Land finks, the Lands themselves muft fink in their Value alfo; and as a further Weight, the unemploy'd Poor be flung on them for Maintenance, which will still add to the Burthen, and fink their Value lower; at laft the unemploy'd Manufacturers will by degrees follow the Trade, and tranfplant themfelves to their old Soil, and then our Landed Eftates here will be reduced again to what they Were 150 Years ago. That our Trade, in feveral important Branches, is very confiderably decreased, and that this is occafioned by great Quantities of Goods brought to foreign Markets of the Manufacture of France and Flanders, is ready to be proved to Parliament. D E When thefe Facts come to be fairly stated to fo Auguft an Affembly, They will doubtless further enquire into the Means by which Foreignars are enabled to rival us in our darling Trade: F We fay, It's by the help of Wool Run thuber from Ireland and England; to prove the Truth of which Affertion, let us take a View of the Difference between Exporting our Wool ManufaЯured, and Running of it abroad Raw. Suppofe the Value of a Pack of Wool in the Fleece be 67. this, by the Labour of our Poor, is made up into Goods valued 30%. at a Medium; this 30 is exported, and in return for it, we G receive either Treasure in Specie, or Goods for our Ufe, which at their Import pay a Duty to By a Lift actually taken about 18 Months fince, it appears there were 9292 Perfons employ'd in the Woollen Manufacture in the Hundred of Frome, Somerfetfire; and it is highly probable, that more than 1,500,000 Perfons are H employ'd in Great Britain; if thefe earn, one with another, 6 d. a Day for 213) wards the Support of the Civil State of the Nstion; which ever of thefe Ways it comes in, the Nation is inriched 30%. This is either circulated to procure the Product of our Lands, for the Maintenance of the Families concerned, or of the Kingdom; what is expended in procuring added to their Capital Stock, and fo to the Riches the Product of the Lands, helps the Landed In tereft; what is laid up, as it enriches, fo it adds to the Power, Weight and Influence of the Nation in general; for as we are Rich or Poor, comparatively with our Neighbours, fo will our Weight and Influence with them be. But when this Pack is Clandestinely fent arvay Raw: Here is the Value of 61. Exported; and what do we receive for it? Either Tea, Brandy, or Tobacco; if Tea, this is to the Prejudice of our own India Company, or elfe run in upon us, as the Tobacco is, after it has been Exported and received a Draw-back; if Brandy, this is manifeftly to the Damage of our Plantation Rum, Sugar, Molaffes, and English Distillery, run in upon us alfo without a Duty to the Crown, and to the Ruin of the Fair Trader, who buys, in an honeft Way, Goods that have legally paid their Cuftom; in each of thefe Cafes, there is a Damage both to the King, and the Fair Trader: We may then view it in this fhort comparative Light, The Manufactured Pack brings 301. inta the Kingdom, enriches all whofe Hands it paffes through, and fupports the Revenue of the Crown too: The Raw Wool brings 61. in, to the Damage both of King and Subject. But what becomes of the 241. which we lofe? Why the Foreign Neighbour, to whom our Wool is exported Raw, gains it; so that every Pack of Wool that is Run from Us to Them, makes a Difference of 48. in the comparative View, of the Riches and Influence of the Two Kingdoms; and if they, by the help of our Pack, mix revo Packs of their own with it, as they often do, then the comparative Difference is furprisingly great. The Growers of Wool near the Coast, from a fuperficial View which they take of Trade, imagine if they have not Two Markets for their Wool, the Price of it muft fall; they are alarm'd at its being low at prefent, and in fear of its being lower, if Wool and Yarn is poured in upon us without Reftraint from Ireland, which has perhaps made fome fuch Impreffions on the Minds of the Gentlemen Proprietors of their Lands; but it is hoped, when the contrary is proved, both by Reafon and Example, thefe Prejudices will be intirely removed. From the foregoing Reafons, this fhort Queftion might be put, Can that which enriches the Nation, raises the Price of Labour and Commodi ties, and the Value of the Landed Intereft in general, prejudice that Interest when divided into Particulars? By no means. Confider what fixes a Price upon your Wool ? It is not the Foreign Market, but the Home Demand. What is the Estimate with which every Mawhat his Goods produce, when manuf Akumal. nufacturer goes to Market for his Wool? It is for unlefs ha of that mind, the Price of Wool must be re- The Price of Wool at Home, therefore, is, C This we found during the Plague at Marseilles ; our Wool was then one Third more in Value D than it is now, (we had a current Demand for all the Goods we manufactured) notwithstanding the Foreign Demand for Wool ceafed, and all the Wool and Yarn of Ireland was brought to us, because it could not then be run Abroad: From hence it's evident, we could work up and fell the Woollen Produce of both Kingdoms, if the Foreign Markets were not ftock'd with Goods E manufactured by our Neighbours, which that Calamity prevented in France, and at that time the Manufactures of Flanders, &c. were not come to any confiderable Maturity. Such a plain, evident Fact as this, muft convince every Impartial Perfon, that if cur Wool could be effectually fecured to ourselves, the Price of it mult rife. F over every Step we take in England to preferve our Trade, that a few Years ago, when there was a Profpect of obtaining a Law to fecure our Wool, they revok'd an Edict which prohibited the Import of Irish Yarn; fo neceffary is our Wool for them, that they will have it in Yarn, rather than not at all. CONSIDERATIONS on Mullins, British Linnens, Cambricks. Everal publick-fpirited Perfons, have for fome time paft, recommended to our Gentry, who are all fuppofed to be Lovers of their Country, the Ufe of Muflins instead of Cambricks or Lawns, which, befides following a Mode fet by the Royal Family, of preferring the Manufactures of Great Britain to thofe of France, would fave this Nation 300,000l. per Ann. It has been always the Policy of a Neighbouring Government, as it ever was of good ones, to promote the Confumption of their own Manufactures by difcouraging the Wear of foreign. "The French Nation (fays Mr Gee) was fond of wearing Muflins to an extraordinary Degree, fo that it became the general Fashion in France. This occafioned their laying afide their Gentings and Cambricks of their own Manufacture. In England there was hardly fuch a Thing worn then, except a little for Pocket-Handkerchiefs. The French King, who watched all Opportunities for improving the Trade of his Country, grew very uneafy to fee the Wearing of Mullins prevail fo much, in his Kingdom, and did all he could, by his own Example and Edicts to encourage the Confumption of Cambrick, &c." And can our Gentry hear difregard the daily Complaints of our Poor, at fending fo much Specie out of the Nation, which might be expended in our employing our Ships and Seamen in fetching Muflin from India, nay increafing their own Dividends (for doubtless great Numbers have E. India Stock?) But if Mullins will not pleafe, their Fellow Subjects have made great Progrefs in Cambricks. Another Wellwifher to his Country has, very lately, with the fame good Zeal exhorted to the Ufe of Scotch Linnens, which, he fays, are now brought to as great Perfection as the Dutch, in Colour, Strength and Beauty; and that they wash, even to the laft, as white or even whiter; and as for their Strength, no one that confiders the extreme Toughness of the Scotch Thread, will be afraid of that. That there are at prefent, large Quantities in London, fame as fine as Dutch Hollands of 10 or 12 Shillings per Ell, and full as beautiful. That there are fome Scotch Cambricks as good as any of Flanders; from whence there is great room to hope that in time we may be fupplyed by Scotland and Ireland with this Manufactury also. He knows no reafon why we fhould not ftrive to keep our Money from going into the Hands of the Dutch and Germans, as well as into the Handsof the Flanderkins. If the latter take from This Fat alfo proves, it is not the Yarn or Wool from Ireland can hurt us, if we fecure them from our Neighbours. The Question is, Shall this Yarn be fully and compleatly manufactured into Goods in England or elsewhere? It's all manufactured fome where; if it be clandeftinely run to Foreigners, we shall compleatly Manufacture it here, and gain that Advan- G tage which the clandeftine Trade beftows on others: Which Advantage if they continue to get, Wool muit fink lower and lower, and at Jaft, for want of Employ, our Manufacturers will follow the Trade, and fettle where the Manufactures are encouraged, and do encreafe; the Subftance of Traders and Merchants is eafily transferr'd; it's the Landed Intereft that is Im-Hus yearly 300,000l. for Cambricks, the two moveable, and muft ftand or fall with the Profperity of the Trade of the Nation; and fo fenfible are our Neighbours of the Advantages of Trade, that they make even Bigotry and Superftition give way, to encourage Manufacturers fettle in their Country; and are fo watchful former take above 6 times that Sum, and no inconfiderable part of that Sum goes immediately. to the Dutch for what is called Dutch Holland, and which may in a l'ttle time be every Penny faved to this Nation, if Encouragement be given to our own (as good) Manufacturies. |