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1. That for the Conservation of the Trades we now enjoy, and for the Employment of our English Natives, Foreigners continue to be excluded from our American Plantations: and herein neither French nor Dutch have any Reason to complain; for the Dutch do the same in their Spice Trade, and so do both French and Dutch in their African and American Plantations: but herein it's not fit for
the English to be restrained to English-built Ships, as well for the Inconveniences which have been shewed before, as for that we may want English Timber for this and our other navigating Trades, and the King for building and repairing his Navy Royal, wherein our English Men of War, built of English Timber, excel all other, being more tough, and less liable to splinter, whereby the English Men of War, built of English Timber, will endure a Battery, which Ships built of foreign Timber will not.
2. That the home-vent of our Newcastle and Sunderland Trades in times of Peace, be driven by the Natives of England, exclusive to Foreigners; as also our other Trades, from Port to Port in England, and also to Ireland; tho these be impoverishing Trades to the Nation: for the Pitch, Tar, Masts, Cordage and Sails, ge∣nerally used in these Trades, are foreign Commodities to the Na∣tion, and for acquiring which, we return very little of our Manu∣factures; and the digging the Coals out of the Pits, and burning them in London, and other Places, no ways enriches the Nation to supply the foreign Expence for Pitch, Tar, &c. used in them; nor are either old Men, Women, or Children, employed in these Trades, but only young and lusty Men, and that but half the Year: so that Ipswich, and other Coast-Towns, which depended upon these Trades, are almost quite unpeopled, by reason the rest of the Inhabitants find no Employment in them. However, I'm confident that this Newcastle and Home-Trade, and that to our American Plantations, employ above four fifths of all the Ships in all the Trades we drive by Navigation; and therefore we'll take care to keep these, by excluding Foreigners out of them in times of Peace: and unless Foreigners beat us out of these Trades, they cannot get them from us.
For ought I know, the Newcastle and Sunderland Trades are better carried on in English-built Ships than foreign, because Coals being a bulky Commodity, and lying loose in the Hold of the Ships, in stormy Weather and rolling Seas batter the sides of the Ships; and the English Timber being tougher than the foreign, it better endures this than those foreign built: but it were Arro∣gance for any to say, because of one Convenience no other Ships shall be employed in this Trade; for hereby the King may want English Timber to build and repair his Men of War: besides, all Arts and Sciences are infinitely progressive; and if the means for carrying on Arts be restrained or denied, this will not only cramp the Improvement of this Art, but make the present Performance of it more difficult; and no Man that is less conversant in any Art or Business, understands how to manage them so well as those Men who make it their Business, and are more conversant in them.
It is therefore extream Arrogance and Injustice in any one, to prescribe to another, how, and by what means, he shall manage his
Business, and by no other: every Man in his Profession ought to use such just means for carrying on his Business as he shall find most convenient, and not be restrained to such means as another shall impose upon him; and therefore whatever my Opinion, or any Man's else be of carrying on the New-Castle Trade in English built Ships, yet it's not fit to impose it so upon others Negatively, that they shall use no others, Trade and all Arts flourishing most where they are more free, and have more means to improve them: and tho I believe our Turkey and Italian Trades are better carried on in English built Ships than others, because they being more Warlike, and double better Mann'd than Foreign, they will fight their Passage against the Algerin, Tunis and Tripoli Pirates, when other Foreign Vessels easily become a Prey to them; yet I think it unjust to forbid the English to trade in any other Ships into the Straits.