THAT the IMPORTATION of Wrought Silks and Printed Callicoes from the Eaſt-Indies, and allowing the uſe of them here when imported, has all along been found prejudicial to the Home Conſumption of our Woollen and Silk Manufactures in Great-Britan, needs no other Proof than the late Acts of Parliament, which were obtain'd in Conſequence of the general Application of the Manufacturers, as well Maſters as Workmen, through the whole Kingdom, to prohibit and limit their Conſumption.

In doing this, the Parliament, whoſe Wiſdom and Juſtice was very conſpicuous in that very Caſe, entred into the true Merits of the Cauſe, ſearch'd it to the bottom, and weigh'd the Allegations on every ſide. The Members were neither clamour'd into it by the Weavers, byafs'd to it by Parties, or hurry'd into it by the multitude of Petitions from the Counties and Corporations they repreſented; but the Weight of the Cauſe ſupported it ſelf; the Nature of the Thing pleaded it, and their own wellweigh'd Reaſon importun'd them to it: The thing was ſelf-evident; the Humor of the People, as too often is the Fate of Nations, ſeem'd, at that time, poſſeſs'd againſt their Intereſt, and being hurry'd down the Stream of their Fancy, they ran headlong into the greateſt Neglect and Contempt of the Growth and Manufactures of their own Country and People, and embrac'd, with a Violence in their Temper not to be reſiſted, the Silks and Callicoes of India, in a manner even ridiculous to themſelves, as well as fatal to their Intereſt.

The Extravagance of that Time cannot be ſo entirely forgot, as that we ſhould not reflect how the Ladies converted their Carpets and Quilts into Gowns and Petticoats, and made the broad and uncouth Bordures of the former ſerve inſtead of the rich Laces and Embroideries they were uſed to wear, and dreſs more like the Merry-Andrews of Bartholomew Fair, than like the Ladies and Wives of a Trading People.

The Conſequence was, what any one might thave foreſeen would be, (viz.) the Ruin of our Manufactures, the ſtagnating of our Trade, the ſtop of Employment, and the ſtarving our Poor: The Cry was univerſal, not the Spittle-Fields Weavers only, ſelt it; the Calamity was general, and the Complaint came from every Corner of the Nation.

As all Miſchiefs in their Exorbitance tend naturally to their own Cure, ſo it was hear; ſeeing the thing was fatal in it ſelf to our Trade, it was our Felicity that it run on to ſuch Extremes as allarm'd the whole Kingdom; for this awaken'd the Parliament to its Redreſs; Such we cannot but hope will be the Caſe again; for like Cauſes generally produce like Effects.

The Proceedings of the Legiſlature might paſs with us all, for Reaſon, in a Caſe of much more Conſequence than this; but we have yet more powerful Auxiliaries to bring in Aid of the Caſe before us; I'll inſiſt upon two only, 1ſt, The Pattern of our Neighbours; 2dly, The Succeſs of our own Prohibitions. I begin with the laſt.

What the Parliament did in the Cafe I juſt now mentioned, was abundantly juſtify'd in the Succeſs: What can be more encouraging to apply the ſame way, ſeeing the Cafe is the ſame?

No ſooner was the Flux of foreign Manufactures ſtopp'd and the Eaſt-India Goods prohibited, but the Trade reviv'd; the Face of Things chang'd; Buſineſs and Plenty ſucceeded to want of Employment, and want of Bread; the Numbers of Poor flocking to the Manufactures for Employment, and the Encreaſe of the Conſumption of our Manufactures reviv'd the whole Nation. Nothing could be a ſtronger and more convincing Evidence of what had been alledg'd, (viz.) that the ſo general wearing and uſing Eaſt. India printed Callicoes, &c. had been the Ruin of our Trade, had put a ſtop to the Employment of the Weavers, and, in a word, had ſtarv'd our Poor. I ſhall come to this again in its Place.

I come, in the next place, to the Example of our Neighbours, and particularly the French, a Nation but too wife in the moſt proper Methods for erecting and encouraging Manufactures; of which there are ſuch Teſtimonies given in the Adminiſtration of Monſieur Colbert, who was juſtly call'd, The Father of the French Manufactures, as we have felt the Conſequences of in Trade for many Years paſt.

The French East-India Company was Eſtabliſh'd by the enterpriſing Genius of the ſaid Monſieur Colbert in the Year 1664, and the Edict paſs'd the _… th of August 1686, ſettling all their Privileges for 50 Years; and they begun with great Advantages, tho' they had not Succeſs, occaſioned by their own Miſmanagement: However, the King of France, finding the uſing and wearing of India wrought Silks, Cottons, and Callicoes painted and printed, whether in India or at Home, began to encroach upon the Manufactures of his Subjects, as well Silk as Wool; and fore-ſeeing that it would be the Ruin of both, for which he thought himſelf oblig'd to preſerve the utmoſt Concern, as being the Fundamental of the Riches of his Kingdom, he effectually prohibited the Wearing and Uſe of them, whether printed at Home or Abroad, among his Subjects, by an Edict in the Year 1686, and under very ſevere Penalties: And the late King of France, being mov'd by his Council of Trade, from time to time, by ſeveral ſubſequent Edicts, confirm'd thoſe Prohibitions, adding farther Penalties, more ſevere than before, for enforcing the Execution: By all which it appears, of what Conſequence this Matter was thought to be for the preſerving the Manufactures of his own Dominions.

The Government of France proceeding ſtill upon the ſame Maxims, of a juſt Policy in Trade, continue as Tenacious of their former Care for their own Manufactures as ever: And this appears by the Proviſion made by ſubſequent Edicts to continue the ſame Prohibitions, in the ſtricteſt manner, of all ſuch East-India Goods as are hurtful to their Manufactures, of which the following is a flaming Inſtance: (viz.) We all know, that the preſent Government has united their old East-India Company to their new West-India Company; and what great Advances of Credit that Union has made in France; yet, ſo far is the preſent Government from neglecting their own Manufactures, by forgetting to prohibit the Uſe of the Callicoes, &c. which the ſaid Company may import; and ſo far are they from imagining that the ſaid Company ſhould not flouriſh and thrive, notwithſtanding the Prohibition of thoſe Goods, tho' ſo conſiderable a Branch of their Importation, that thoſe Prohibitions are all expreſly renew'd, repeated and confirm'd, by the Edict of Reunion, as appears by the IXth and Xth Articles of the Grant to the ſaid new Eſtabliſh'd Company, as follows:

Artic. IX. 'We permit the ſaid Company to import from the Countries within their Grant, all ſorts of Stuffs of pure Silk, and of Silk and Cotton mix'd with Gold and Silver, Bark of Trees, and Callicoes dy'd, painted and ſtrip'd. We require, that the ſaid Merchandizes prohibited in this Kingdom may not be ſold, but on expreſs Conditions of being exported to foreign Parts, and that for this End they may be laid up in the Ware-Houſes of our Farmer-Generals, under two Keys, of which the Farmer-General, or his Deputies, ſhall keep one, and the Directors of the Company, or their Subſtitutes, the other; and that all other neceſſary Precautions be taken to hinder the Sale of the ſaid Merchandize for Domeſtick Conſumption.'

Artic. X. 'The ſaid Company may alſo import, from the Countries within their Grant, all forts of White Callicoes, Raw Silks, Coffee, Drugs, Spices, Metals, and other Things, except thoſe prohibited by the preceeding Article, paying the Duties which are actually paid by the India Company, according to the Edicts, Declarations, Arrets and Regulations, of the Kings our Predeceſſors.'

Here we ſee the very Thing done in France which we want here; and for the very ſame Reaſons for which we ſtand ſo much in need of it here; which Reaſons we cannot doubt will ſubſiſt with the ſame Force here as there; the Foundations of Foreign Import, & Home Manufactures, being the ſame, and eſpecially, becauſe he cannot doubt, but that a Britiſh Parliament will appear inſpir'd with all the juſt Principles of Care and Concern for the Good of our People, and the Proſperity of our Trade, as the Councils of the late King of France could be for his Subjects.

But I cannot forbear taking Notice here, how much ſtronger the Argument is on our Side for the doing this now, than it ever was before, even for this particular Reaſon, (viz.) Becauſe the French have, upon their new Eſtabliſhment, continued their Prohibitions. I explain my ſelf thus:

The French have not only re-eſtabliſh'd the Trade of India, but they have put it into Hands which are not like to neglect it, run in Debt in the Indies; or ſell the Liberty of Trade to others; but they who are now entruſted with the Privilege, know very well how to make uſe of it, and want no Stock to carry it on: And as they are capable both in Knowledge of the Buſineſs, and Stock for the managing of it, ſo they appear reſolute to proceed immediately upon it, and we are told, they have already taken up four large Ships for the carrying on the Trade, and that they talk of taking up ſeveral more. The Flemmings under the Inperial Commiſſion or Charter, are not only doing the ſame, but are actually embark'd in the East-India Trade, have ſeveral Ships now Abroad and one great Ship juſt arriv'd from India at Oſtend, being the ſecond that they have received ſince their entring upon that Trade: And we are likewiſe told, that the Government of the Auſtrian Netherlands has already reſolv'd on the prohibiting the Conſumption of Printed & Painted Callicoes among them; and that they will be publickly prohibited there as they are in France.

Let any impartial Perſon then judge, whether we have not juſt Reaſon to be allarm'd at theſe Meaſures, while we lie open to a ſmuggling Trade ſo generally carried on thro' this whole Kingdom, and ſo impoſſible now to be prevented: Whither muſt the vaſt Quantities of Callicoes which theſs two new East-India Companies will import, I ſay, Whither muſt they go? Whither but to England, and Scotland, and Ireland, where the People are ſo fond of them, and where it is ſo eaſy to get them on Shore.

Our Eaſt-India Company has already ſhew'd themſelves apprehenſive of Succeſs of the new Eſtabliſh'd Imperial Company in Flanders, nor can they be juſtly unconcern'd at the ſetting up a Company in France, upon ſo potent a Stock as that of 50 Millions: But what then have we not to fear for our Woollen and Silk Manufactures, which are ſo oppreſs'd already with clandeſtine Importations of Silks and Callicoes from Abroad, as well as Printing them at Home, and when the French will not fail to bring in Quantities equal to the Opportunities which they have to • ind them?

We may appeal for this, to any one that is acquainted on thoſe Shores of England which lie neareſt to France; are not French Brandies, French Wines, and French Silks to be had almoſt in as great Plenty in our Port-Towns on that ſide of the Country, as in ſome Parts of France it ſelf, and will it not be the ſame thing with India Goods? Can Rumney Marſh want French Callicoes, where all French Goods are, as it were, as familiar to them as in France? Can thoſe People that know how to carry off whole Freights of Wool, the moſt bulky of all Merchandize, be ignorant to take on Shoar French Callicoes, French Wrought Silks, French Eaſt-India Goods of all Kinds? It cannot be doubted, but when the French come to have a Quantity of Callicoes always by them, and no conſumption for them at Home, they will find Ways and Means to croud them in upon us, with much more Eaſe than they do now their Wines and Brandies. What the Conſequence of this will be to our Woollen and Silk Manufactures, is very plain: They muſt be deſtroy'd nothing can prevent it.

Theſe Things ſerve to let us ſee, that the preſent Debate is not the Concern of a few People in Spittle-Fields only, tho' their Poverty and Diſtreſs happens to be neareſt our View at this time, as their Complaints have been loudeſt: But, in a word, the whole Body is effected, the whole Intereſt of our Woollen and Silk Manufactures throughout the Kingdom is concern'd in it; I mean, as to thoſe Goods which concern our Wearing Apparel and Furniture, which is the Bulk of our Manufactures; nay, the Eaſt-India Company themſelves are concern'd in it; and, I believe, it might be very eaſy to prove, by a juſt Calculation, that if theſe Companies now ſet up in France and Flanders, proſper and thrive, as it is more than probable they will, the Eaſt-India Company of Great-Britain will ſuffer more by their Importing their Callicoes here, and thereby ſharing the Trade with them, or rather taking it from them, then they will, by the general putting a ſtop upon the Conſumption, and thereby checking the Foreigners in their beginning; ſo that upon the whole of the two, the Prohibition ſeems to me to be no Evil at all, but, rather an Advantage to them.

It was, without queſtion, an unaccountable Miſtake in thoſe who ſollicited the firſt Prohibition of India printed Callicoes, that they contented themſelves with prohibiting the Uſe of Callicoes printed Abroad, but did not inſiſt upon prohibiting the Wearing and Uſe of thoſe printed at Home, as Things in themſelves equally ruinous to our Manufactures; they had not then left the Door open to the Printing and Painting them in England, a Trade then ſcarce known; under colour of which, all ſorts of Callicoes, whereſoever printed, have been worn here, and Foreigners thereby encouraged to pour them in upon us by the Arts of clandeſtine Trade, and our People impoſe upon us by re-landing their own; in which, by the way, the known and wilful Perjury that attends it, is one of the leaſt Things in our Conſideration.

But now the Work is to be done over again, with this Difficulty in the Difference, (viz.) that now we have the Pretences of the Callicoe Printers to ſtruggle with, their calling the Callicoes a Manufacture, becauſe Painted and Printed here; tho' theſe are in themſelves meer Trifles, like that of the Numbers of Families employ'd in Printing, &c. I ſay, Trifles, when compar'd with the Manufactures themſelves which we plead for, and the Numbers of Families and People maintain'd by, and employ'd in them; of which I believe I am not arrogant, when I ſay, it is ridiculous to talk of any Proportion.

The Work has alſo another Difficulty in its way, or rather a pretended Difficulty; that is to ſay, I foreſee that ſome People intend to call this a Difficulty, I mean, the Fund form'd upon the Stamps on Callicoes, appropriated, perhaps, to ſuch or ſuch Uſes, or as Security for ſuch and ſuch Loans: But as all thoſe Funds are, to our great Satisfaction, made redeemable by Parliament, we have no more to do but to convince our Repreſentatives of the Neceſſity of redeeming them, and leave the Houſe, which is the in exhauſtible Fund of Funds, to their own Methods for finding an equivalent Security to the Satisfaction of the Lenders; and yet, even in this Point, when the Houſe ſhall legitimate ſuch an Attempt, ſomething may be ſaid farther.

Difficulties therefore are no Diſcouragement, where abſolute Necceſſity is the Motive: The Thing carries an apparent Neceſſity in it; it muſt be remedied, or our Trade muſt be Ruin'd, our Manufactures be at an End, and our poor not ſent a Begging only, but indeed be Starv'd. And here, were it any thing to the Purpoſe, I could ſpend ſome time in Exclamation, at the prepoſterous unthinking Humour of our People, who, upon all Occaſions, run directly counter to their Intereſt, as a Trading Nation, in ſo viſible and ſo evident a manner as this of wearing Printed Callicoes; or, at leaſt, wearing them ſo as to make it an univerſal Mode. We often ſee Clothiers, Drugget-Makers, Sergemakers, Stuff-makers &c. dreſs themſelves and their Families in the Cloth, or Druggets, or Serges, or Stuffs they make; and tho' they may not be ſo very like their Neighbours, they will give this ready Anſwer, (viz.) 'Tis my own Trade; 'tis my own Manufacture. And the Anſwer is allow'd to be very rerſonable; Why ſhould it not be a National Anſwer, as well as a Family Anſwer? Why ſhould not an Engliſh Man, or an Engliſh Lady, reject foreign and deſtructive Gewgaws, and chuſing to wear the Woollen and Silk of our own Product and Manufacture, give this for a Reaſon for it, Tis our own Trade; 'tis our own Manufacture.

Let us go to the Indians and the Chineſes for Inſtruction, as Solamon ſends the Sluggard to the Ant: Are they prevaild with to lay by their own Manufactures for any of Ours? No; 'tis evident, we are ſo far from being able to place any of our Manufactures among them, that they deſpiſe the Propoſal; and refuſe to ſell thoſe Goods, which we have ſo little need of, but for that ready Money, which we have ſo little need to part with.

But this is a large Field; I refer it to the Time when the Battle ſhall be more cloſely join'd; then we may find time to talk more feelingly of the Folly of carrying Money to the Indies, to buy that, which we ought rather to give Money to be without.

But I return to the Indians, who, as uncapable as they may be to judge of their National Intereſts, are yet wiſer in this part, by the Strength of meer Nature, than we are, who pretend to ſo much Knowledge; for they wear their own Manufactures; not can we bring them to alter the manner of their Cloathing, any more than the Matter of it.

Some have alledg'd for a Reaſon of this, the Climate in the Indies being ſuited to the Manufactures they make; and that nothing can be ſo light, ſo clean, ſo pleaſant in ſuch hot Countries, as the Callicoes and Silks of their own making: But we might very well anſwer this, by giving the Patterns of our fine Stuffs; ſome of which, as well as the manner of wearing them in hot Countries, are much Cooler, and much more ſuited to the Heat of the warmeſt Climate, than the uncouth Faſſions, great Sleeves and pleated Gowns of the Indians who even load themſelves, rather than dreſs themſelves with their Callicoes and other Manufactures of their own Make. Any Traveller might be left to judge of this, who has ſeen the Spaniards at Peru, at Lima, at Panama Carthagena, and ſuch-like hot Places, where they dreſs much cooler and lighter in Britiſh and French Stuffs and Cloth, nay, even in Engliſh Black Bayes, than the Indians on the Coaſt of Malabar and Coromandel, or in the Bay of Bengale, do in their Silks and Callicoes; but Nature dictates to theſe Nations to cultivate their own Produce, to conſume their own Manufacture, and encourage their own Commerce: And Nature would dictate the ſame thing to us, if we did not obſtinately put out Nature's Eyes, and act againſt Nature, in the purſuit of the moſt untractable part of our Faculties, I mean, Humour and Fancy.

Certainly, if we were free from this Trade-Frenzy, and were to act by the Dictates of Common Senſe, we ſhould reflect, that the Woollen Manufacture is the Staple of our ginal Fountain of our Wealth, and, as I ſaid in my Introduction, it is the moſt eſſential part of the Riches of the Rich, and the principal Means we have for the employing our Poor. Many things might be ſaid to prove, and ſome to illuſtrate whatever is contain'd in theſe Generals, concerning our Woollen-Manufacture; but I am loath to ſuppoſe my ſelf talking to any People ſo ignorant as not to know it, or ſo partial as not to acknowledge it. If I can meet with any Engliſhman ſo weak as to diſpute it, I undertake, at Demand, to expoſe them, and prove my Propoſition, both at once.

The Premiſes then being granted, my Inference is as juſt, namely, that it is the common Intereſt of the whole Kingdom to diſcourage every other Manufacture, ſo far as thoſe Manufactures, ruinous to, and inconſiſtent with the Proſperity of our Own.

The late King of France, who ſo well underſtood the Intereſt of his Subjects in Trade, is a ſtanding Authority for this very thing: All the Edicts publiſh'd in France on this Subject, ſuch as in the Year 1686, and in 1689, and in 1697, prohibiting the Printing and Painting of Callicoes in France, and the ſelling Callicoes Printed or Painted in India when Imported into France, are fortified with this Reaſon, as ſufficient to juſtify their Government in the ſaid Prohibition. (viz.) that they were prejudicial to the Manufactures of Wooll and Silk, already eſtabliſbed in France.

And there are two things in thoſe Edicts of the King of France which are very remarkable, and which I reſerve for farther Explanation, if I find occaſion to ſpeak in this Cauſe hereaſter; I ſay, two things are very remarkable in the King of France's Prohibitions and Limitation of his Eaſt-India Company's Trade, which ſtand as Precedents for our Practice; the ſame Reaſons being much more ſtrong and forcible at this time in our Circumſtances, than they could then be in France.

Firſt, That in the Edict or Arret, prohibiting or forbidding the Painting & Printing of Callicoes in France, is alſo included a ſtrict Prohibition of the Painting and Printing any kind of Linen Cloath of Hemp or Flax, tho' ſuch Linen was the Growth and Manufacture of his own Kingdom.

Secondly, That in his Limitation of the importations of the East-India Company, there is this Clauſe; That whereas the Company were allow'd to import ſome certain Wrought Silks, named in the Edict, to the value of 150000 Livers a Year, ſo, firſt, they were oblig'd to bring in no more; and, ſecondly, they were oblig'd, in conſideration of that Liberty only, I ſay, they were obliged to export to the Indies the value of 500000 Livers a Year in Goods of the Growth and Manufactures of France.

And even this Condition did not continue long; for the Council of Trade there, conſidering that the conſumption of the Manufactures, was by no means an Equivalent for the Injury thoſe Silks, &c. tho' but to the value of 150000 Livers a Year, did to the Manufactures of France, that Grant was alſo revok'd and the Goods entirely prohibited, under the moſt rigorous Penalties, as they continue to be this Day.

Theſe two Clauſes are of ſuch moment in the Caſe before us, and dictate ſo clearly not only what we have to ſeek, and what to complain of, with reſpect to our Maunfactures, and to our Eaſt-India Company, but alſo the Reaſons of it, that I cannot but think it very much for the Publick Service to publiſh the ſevral Edicts, in which theſe Clauſes, and the Reaſon and Cauſes given for them are contain'd, accordingly they are plac'd in the Cloſe of this Work.

Thus I have touch'd at the Heads of this Matter, and have paſs'd them over without other Enlargments then ſuch as the preſent Occaſion makes neceſſary. This Eſſay, for it is no more, is but a Specimen of the Controverſy, every one of theſe Heads having neceſſary Explanations attending them, and long debated Points of Commerce to ſpeak to, in order to ſet the whole Affair in a clear Light; all which it may be to the purpoſe to enlarge upon hereaſter.