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AND THE INJUSTICE OF HIS ENEMIES.

be produced, that was in the least disrespectful to the Protestant succession, or to any branch of the House of Hanover, or that can be judged to be favourable to the interest or person of the Pretender, and I will be willing to waive her Majesty's pardon, and render myself to public justice, to be punished for it, as I should well deserve.

"I freely and openly challenge the worst of my enemies, to charge me with any discourse, conversation or behaviour, in my whole life unbecoming or disrespectful, to any of the royal family of Hanover, or the least favourable to the person or designs of the Pretender. Nay, further, I defy them to prove, that I ever kept company, or had any society, friendship, or conversation, with any Jacobite. So averse have I been to the interest and the people, that I have studiously avoided their company on all occasions. Nothing can be a greater misfortune to me, than to be accused, and publicly reproached, with what is of all things in the world most abhorred by me; and that which has made it the more afflicting is, that this charge arises from those very things which I did with the sincerest design to manifest the contrary. But such is my present fate, and I am to submit to it; which I do with meekness and calmness, as to a judgment from heaven, and am practising that duty which I have studied long ago, of forgiving my enemies, and praying for them that despitefully use me.

Appeal to Honour and Justice, pp. 27–37.

CHAPTER XIII.

Commercial Treaty with France.-Unpopular with the Nation.-Rejected by Parliament.-De Foe writes an Essay upon the subject.-Nature of his Argument. Another Pamphlet attributed to him.-Answer to it.—" Mercator, or Commerce Retrieved."— Fathered upon De Foe.-Boyer's Account of it.-Oldmixon's.-And Tindal's.-" The British Merchant.”—Mr. Chalmers's Account of both Papers.-De Foe's own Account of his Concern in "Mercator.”—And Defence of his Opinions in favour of Free-Trade.-He commences a General History of Trade.-" Groans of Europe."-Replied to in "Les Soupirs de la Grande Bretagne."-De Foe Publishes " Whigs turned Tories, and Hanoverian Tories proved Whigs."-Collection of Poems called" Whig and Tory."."-" Observations upon the State of the Nation."-Animadverted upon by De Foe.-Pamphlets Pro and Con.Demonstrations in favour of the Pretender.-His Birth-day celebrated at Edinburgh. He is patronized in Ireland.—Leslie goes upon a Mission to convert him.-Sends home a flattering Account of him.-Success of the Catholics in England.-The Jacobites favoured at Court.-They publish "The Loyal Man's Psalter."-Some curious Specimens of the Work.— Bedford publishes "The Hereditary Right of the Crown of England Asserted."-Its pompous Announcement.-Presented to the Queen by Mr. Nelson.-Some particulars of the Publication,-Bedford prosecuted for it. -The true Author ascertained.—Steele publishes "The Crisis." Replied to by Swift in "The Public Spirit of the Whigs."-His Work censured in Parliament.-The Ministers screen him from a Prosecution.—Steele expelled the Commons.—His revenge upon the Ministers.

1713.

THE treaty of peace had imposed upon the ministers the arduous duty of fixing, with foreign powers, the future commercial relations of the country. Of the manner in which they performed their task, particularly with regard to France,

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COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE.

1

there were then contradictory opinions, and the subject gave rise to as furious an opposition as any they had been called to sustain. By the terms agreed upon, a free trade was settled according to the tariff of 1664, with the exception of some commodities that had been subjected to new duties by the French king in 1699, and were so high as to amount to a prohibition. The productions of France were to be admitted into England upon the same footing as those of other countries; and a bill was brought into parliament to give effect to the arrangement. But the treaty of Commerce was no sooner published than it created a general clamour throughout the nation, and many treatises were published to show that it would be destructive of our home manufactures, and of our commerce with other nations. Numerous petitions were forwarded to parliament from London and other trading towns, indicating its injurious consequences; and so strong was the current of opposition upon the last reading of the bill, that it was lost in the Commons by a small majority. Much finesse was resorted to by the ministers in relation to the measure. The treaty is well known to have been the work of Bolingbroke, whose mortification was not displeasing to the treasurer. From political friends, they were now become rivals for power, and their alienation, which had been some time in progress, now amounted to an irreconcileable hatred. Oxford, therefore, was far from being chagrined at this expression of public opinion against the treaty; and he abandoned it to its fate before it was finally determined in parliament.

It being a subject with which De Foe was familiar, he now published his treatise, entitled, "An Essay on the Treaty of Commerce with France. With necessary Expositions. Prov. xviii. 12. London: printed for J. Baker, 1713." 8vo. pp. 44. In this work, which appeared whilst the matter was under discussion in parliament, he takes a review of the various treaties with France since the Restoration, in order

DE FOE WRITES AN ESSAY UPON THE SUBJECT. 329

to shew that the subject of commerce had been waved by both parties, and left to its natural course; every state having a right to make such regulations as appear most for the interest of its own subjects. Before the Revolution, the trade with France had been carried on under manifest disadvantages; but the heavy duties that were laid upon French goods during the war that followed, gave such encouragement to the English manufacturers, that they were continued after the peace, and the balance of trade was turned in our favour. Of this the French king became so sensible, that he gave his subjects an equivalent in a new tariff, promulgated in 1699, which restored the equilibrium, but had no influence in procuring an abatement of the duties in England. Upon the renewal of the war, fresh prohibitions were imposed by both nations, to their mutual detriment; for it destroyed the trade of both countries, the people being made to suffer for the quarrels of their rulers. A fresh adjustment, therefore, became a fit subject for consideration upon the conclusion of a peace. De Foe contends for the principle of a free trade, unencumbered by prohibitions, and with moderate duties, "as not only equal and just, but proceeding on the true interest of trade, and much more to the advantage of Britain than of France." By the sixth article of the treaty, the subjects of each party were to pay such duties as their respective governments should impose, which, says our author, is only agreeable to the nature of things; "for every country is a judge for itself what it is they ought to admit, and what to prohibit." As the English ministers were unable to guarantee the removal of the duties from French goods, without the consent of parliament, so on the other hand, it was not to be expected that the French would remove their duties from English goods without such a concession. The ninth article of the treaty, therefore, provided, "That when the parliament shall agree to take off the high duties in England, then the French shall take off their duties upon our goods in France."

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ANOTHER PAMPHLET ATTRIBUTED TO HIM.

Upon this De Foe observes, "I can see no objection that lies against this article, but what is founded upon those unreasonable people's notions, who expect the French to give up all conditions of trade to us, and that we at the same time should tie up our trade from them." Our author then enumerates the advantages gained to our trade by the treaty,-as the removal of tonnage from our shipping, the liberty of importing salted fish into France, the freedom of religious worship for our merchants and their families, and the admission of tobacco upon the same terms as from Spain, or any other nation. These concessions, he observes, have been made without any abatement upon our part, it being left to parliament to determine the remainder. But he justly remarks, that we are not to expect other nations to open their doors to our trade, whilst we shut our's against them. In meeting the question of the balance of trade, he observes, that if the reduction of the duties will take off a great quantity of our woollen manufactures, as may be expected from the extensive population of France, then it cannot be true, that they have got the manufacture in their own hands, as suggested by some writers; and it is an advantage that we cannot well purchase too dearly. He applies the remark to French wines, which he thinks should be equalized in duty to those of Portugal. De Foe also observes, that although particular interests might be affected by an alteration in the terms of trade, yet, by pursuing a wise and liberal policy, founded upon reciprocal feelings and interests, the general welfare would be promoted. The sentiment, however, was too refined for the apprehension of his countrymen; but its justice is now admitted by all enlightened economists.

Another work upon the same subject, of which De Foe had the credit at this time, was " A Letter from a Member of the House of Commons to his Friend in the Country, relating to the Bill of Commerce. With a true Copy of the Bill, and an exact List of all those who voted for and against engrossing