to Britain for all their expences in the war, and if they were to raise any more money, it could only be by the fame means, or by diminishing their exports from Britain. "In these circumftances it is impoffible that they should have any money. The balance of trade they owe to Britain, would in one year drain them of all the money they have, were it five times more than it is - They have no way to get money but by a trade to the west Indies, the balance of which is against them fo that it is impoffible to make money by it. By that trade they rather lofe then gain. Hence in all these colonies you hardly meet with any thing but pa per for money. This paper occafions trade and cir culation, it is true, but as the balance of that trade is fo much against them, it drains them of their current cafh, and leaves nothing but paper behind. Thus their trade and paper currency drain them of that mo ney, which their agriculture brings in. And when their cafh is gone, fo that they have none to exchangetheir paper, fo it is no longer of any value, if it be not for an internal commerce among themselves; this ruins their credit in Britain, and puts them upon manufacturesIt is therefore more prejudical to the nation at home, than to the colonies, to drain them entirely of money, and to leave them no medium of trade with Britain. That only obliges them to make their own neceffaries, inftead of purchafing them here; and let any one judge, which is the greatest gainer by that alternative. "They who imagine, that the colonies have money, feem not to know what they are, or fhould be. → It is expected, they fhould purchase all their manufactures from Britain, which alone is impoffible. If they were to purchase one half of them, they could never have have any money. The raw and unwrought materials, by which they should purchase their manufactures, if they could make them, are of fo much less value, that the one will never pay for the other. Their are no people in the world who purchase all their manufac.. tures; or if they were to do it, they could never have. money. The mere and unmanufactured produce of lands will never purchase manufactures. Suppofe. we were to make no manufactures in Britain, how fhould we be supplied with them? It is by manufactures, that this nation gains its wealth; and if you would have the colonies to get money, or pay taxes, they must do the fame, and not only fupply themselves, but vend their manufactures in order to raife that money; which these proceedings will foon drive them to. Thus the very thought of raising money in the colonies, is contrary to the first principles of colonization, and to the interest of Britain in them. it must infallibly make them her rivals both in trade and manufactures. "But if this is the cafe of the most fruitful coun tries, what can we expect from North America? Or from the produce of the poor and mean lands there, the greatest part of which will hardly yield the bare neceffaries of life! What could any one ever expect from a little tobacco, rice, pitch and tar, or fifh, the chief products of North America, or any thing elfe it produces, to maintain two or three milions of people and to raise money? They who could expect this, muft be totally unacquainted with the value of thefe commodities. If the colonies could purchafe half their neceffaries from Britain, it would be a very con fiderable income, and worth four or five millions a year to Britain; but on the lands they now poffefs, if they are confined to them, they will never be able to purchafe a fourth, if a tenth part of the neceffaries they want. There are but two ways for any people to fubfift, to wit, by the produce of lands, or of labour; that is, by agriculture, or manufactures; and if they can make nothing by the first, they must neceffarily apply to the other, which is the prefent ftate of the colonies. They now confume the chief part of what their lands produce, and have no way to get manufactures but by making them.-To thefe two refources many will add trade; but that can only be carried on in the produce of lands, or manufactures; without which, you lofe by trade, as the colonies do; which will foon oblige them to trade in their own manufactures, if they depend on that, inftead of agriculture. "The plenty which many perceive in the colonies proceeds from their land, and not from wealth; they are only rich in flocks and herds, like the patriarchs of old, and not in money. If any man fhew a greater fign of opulence, it all proceeds from the labour of flaves; who are fo chargeable, that they rather give their owners credit than wealth, till they are no longer able to pay their debts, which is their prefent condition. Hence they who go to the colonies, and fee figns of opulence in them, as they imagine, only deceive themselves, and impofe upon the whole nation, when they pretend to be mighty well acquain:ed with them. "Upon all thefe accounts, it must appear to be abfolutely impracticable ever to raife a revenue in the colonies in Sterling cafh, in which they were to have paid their taxes. They pay their own taxes either in ftaple commodities, or their paper currency; and no one can expect to get money, where there is none.. If they may have a little current cafh, it is not pro perly theirs, but belongs to the Merchants of Britain, to whom it is due. This is a ftock of the nation in trade, left there by the merchants, in order to improve it; and to apply that to any other purpose, is like a merchant who lives upon his capital, inftead of improving it by trade, which foon brings them both to an end. But if Britain thus ruins her trade, in order to maintain ftanding armies in time of peace, this must become a very different nation from what it ever has been, or ceafe to be one. "The advantages of the North American trade feem not to be confidered in a public light; their commodities are of so small value, that they are very unprofitable either to make, or to trade in them, but they are on that account more profitable to the public; if they are vile and cheap, it is because they are grofs and bulky, by which they are fources of navigation, and fupport the maritime power of the nation. If you caculate the freight, commiffion, and charges, on the products of North America, they amount to half their value; which is all gain to Britain, but is so much deducted from the income of the colonies. From a particular account of the whole trade of North America, too long to be here inferted it appears, that the grofs proceeds, including freight and all charges, amount in value, to Britain, to three millions a year, when the net proceeds to the planters do not exceed a million and a half: and as thefe charges, are all paid by the planters, out of the first produce of their commodities, this nation certainly does not enjoy any trade fo profitable as this "If we examine into the circumstances of the inhabitants of our plantations, and our own," fays a very good judge *, "it will appear, that not one fourth * Gee on Trade, P. 149. fourth part of their product redounds to their own profit." "Thus the colonies, which produce ftaple commodities for Britain, are a much greater advantage to the nation than feems to be apprehended. They pay, one with another, one half of all that they make, for tranfporting and vending the reft, which is all expended, in Britian. By that means you get their all, and cannot poffibly have any more. Neither can it be expected, that any people can ever be worth money in their fituation. Were they to have the profits only of transporting and vending their own products, their income would be double of what it is; but as these are now all reaped by Britain, it is to rob the nation of its beft income, to deprive it of this. This is the advantage of the colonies, and the tax which they pay for their protection; which must, appear a very confiderable one, as it amounts to one half of all they make; and is much more advantageous to the nation than a petty revenue, which they cannot poffibly have money to pay, as that all centers in Britain, "Befides this deduction on their products, and the heavy duties upon them, the colonies pay all the taxes of Britain on every thing they confume; as it is well known, all taxes fall on the confumers whoever may first pay them. Now, as thefe taxes on British goods amount at least to fifty or fixty per cent. and the colonies pay fuch a great part of what they purchase them with, is not this much more advantageous to the nation than a petty revenue? Were they to pay 100,000l. in taxes, they muft fupply themfelves with manufactures to that value; this would eftablish manufactures among them; the public would loís the taxes and duties on these goods; the merchants their profits, and the nation the benefit of the trade |