Britannia languens: or, A discourse of trade shewing, that the present management of trade in England, is the true reason of the decay of our manufactures, and the late great fall of land-rents; and that the increase of trade, in the method it now stands in, must proportionably decay England. Wherein is particularly demonstrated, that the East-India Company, as now managed, has already near destroyed our trade in those parts, as well as that with Turky, and in short time must necessarily beggar the nation. Humbly offered to the consideration of this present Parliament.

SECT. IV. (Book 4)

Of Forreign Trade from Port to Port, the Nature and Advantage of it, differs from meer Carriage, and meer Importation; the necessity of a Home Storehouse: The ordinary Ex∣porting of Money or Bullion, of dangerous Consequence; how to be avoided: The Fish∣ing-Trade, and Trade from Port to Port are the Nursery and Support of Sea-men, and Sea-Towns; The Condition of Ours; The National Advantages of England for all sorts of Trade, yet hath the least share.

SInce the Trade from Port to Port will cause a great Navigation, and also bring in very much Treasure, and therefore if it be added to the Trade of Exportation, must render a Nation the Miracle of Riches and Power; I shall next consider what this Trade from Port to Port really consists in, and by what methods it may be driven most advantagiously to a Nation.

A Trade from Port to Port may be most properly so called, when a Merchant of one Nation buying Goods in another, the Pro∣perty becomes his, and he carries them to a

third Forreign Market on his own account; thus the Dutch buy up, Export and sell the French Manufactures and Commodities; But if a Dutch-man carry French Goods to be sold in a Forreign Market, on a French mans account, taking a certain Rate for the Hire of his Ship; this is not pro∣perly a Trade from Port to Port, but is meer Carriage; which sort of Imployment (though it may seem least Reputable) may increase the National Treasure, as the Na∣vigation used in it is more or less, and may imploy many Sea-men.

A Trade from Port to Port doth also differ from meer Importation, which is, when the Merchant does Import Consumptive Commodities, which are spent at Home, in which case, if the Importations are ex∣cessive, it may truly be called The Disease of Trade, since it must cause an Exportation of the National Stock of Treasure, and there∣by may soon ruine a Nation, as will be shewn; But so cannot a Trade from Port to Port, truly so called, because the Goods bought being sold or bartered off, at other Forreign Ports, must be ultimately converted into more and more money, and thereby in∣crease the home Treasure.

This Trading from Port to Port, does not wholly consist in the Carriage of a

Commodity from one Port directly to ano∣ther; nor can be so driven to any great, or ordinary Advantage; for the Merchants thus Imployed, must either Trade little, or else must glut the Ports they go to with an over-great quantity of Goods of the same kind; and therefore for the full Improve∣ment of a Trade from Port to Port, it is generally necessary, That the Merchants should first unlade at Home, which will inevitably render a Nation so Trading a compleat and mighty Storehouse of all For∣reign Manufactures and Commodities; and then from this infinite Miscellany of Goods (as the Merchants observe their time for a Market and the Ports they go to) they may freight their Ships with such sortible Commo∣dities and Cargoes, as are proper and vendible to advantage; Thus are the Dutch Provinces become the mighty Storehouse of the World;* 1.1 the Plenties of the World do grow and in∣crease in other Countries, but there are the Stores, and thence do their Merchants furnish themselves for all sorts of Voyages;

Thus they Transport the Merchandizes of France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Turky, the East and West Indies to the East and North-East Countries of Pomerland, Sprusland, Mus∣covy,

Poland, Denmark, Norway, Liefland, Swedeland, Germany; and the Merchandi∣zes of the last mentioned Kingdoms they transport into the Southern and Western Nations,

as Sir Walter Raileigh long since noted, nor is a Trade from Port to Port practicable, or can be improved to any consi∣derable or valuable degree, unless the Nation be made an universal Storehouse.

In the Trade from Port to Port there must be some kinds of Original Exportation, because the Merchant cannot purchase Forreign Goods in a Forreign Port for nothing.

And one would think it should hardly be a question, whether in this way of Trade it be most profitable to a Nation to Export Manu∣facture, or other home Commodities, or Money, or Bullion.

But of late years many of our Merchants very much contend for a Liberty to Export Money or Bullion as advantagious to the Trade of the Nation,* 1.2 and have gotten an Act of Parliament to Legiti∣mate the exporting of Bullion, contrary to many other former Sta∣tutes, and now Bullion and Money also are become our usual exportable Commodities.

But I shall oppose the ordinary Exporting of Money or Bullion in Trade, especially as the Constitution of our Trade now is, for the Reasons following:

First, I shall admit that the exporting of Treasure in the Trade from Port to Port may increase Treasure, provided that the Merchant makes wise Bargains, and his Ships return safe, neither of which is altogether certain; But supposing the Merchant be both so wise and fortunate, yet 'tis very plain that in this way of Trade the Merchant cannot bring more new Treasure to the Nation than the Merchant by his judicious and prosperous dealing and Voyage can Add to the Original Sum he carried out.

But had the Merchant taken off and ex∣ported to the same value in home Manu∣facture or Commodity, 'tis as plain that the very vending or bartering of that Manu∣facture or Commodity, would have been a farther Gain to the Nation, to the full value of the Manufacture or Commodity exported; since the Manufacture or home Commodity sold would finally resolve into Treasure, nay, though the Merchant gain but little or nothing in this case, yet the Nation must be a Gainer to the value of the Manufacture or other Commodity exported.

As suppose a Dutch or English Ship go with exported Treasure to France, where the Merchant buys French Wine for 1000 l. which afterwards he carries into the Sound, and there sells it for 1300 l. the Merchant hath brought but 300 l. new Treasure or Credit to the Nation; But had the Mer∣chant Exported Herrings or home Manu∣facture, and by Sale or Barter of his Fish or Manufacture had purchased the same quantity of Wines, which afterwards he sold for 1300 l. the Nation must presently have a new Addition of Treasure or Credit for the whole 1300 l. In which last Case the Nation gets a new 1000 l. by the labours of the Fishers or Manufacturers, besides the 300 l. got by the Merchant; if the Merchant had got nothing, yet the Nation had gained 1000 l.

Secondly, In this last Case great numbers of Manufacturers, Fishers, &c. are kept and well maintained at Home, whereas the ordi∣nary Exportation of Money must make them idle and useless; whereof the further Con∣sequence is, that the ordinary Exportation of Money must inevitably depopulate a Na∣tion, if it be of any great extent of Terri∣tory; so must the Exportation of Bullion be attended with the same mischiefs for the same reasons: The Exportation of Bullion

does also open a way for the Exporting of Coined Treasure, without any hazards of Seizure, by melting down the most valuable Coin into Bullion.

But I expect to be told that Hamburgh and Holland, &c. do allow of and use the Expor∣tation of Treasure.

To which I Answer, That there is no parallel between such Countries as these and England; For these are little Territories, much consisting of Merchants, their Agents, Factors, and Dependents, who live by meer Merchandize, that the rest of the people being but few (in Comparison of what are necessary to people so great and fertile a Nation as England) may be supported with much fewer and lesser Manufactures and home Employments; and therefore that the Ex∣porting of Treasure must be less dangerous, and perhaps may be the more necessary there, because by the fewness of people, and consequential restraint of Manufactures, their Merchants may be confined in the bulk and variety of home Commodities to Ex∣port.

If it be said that no Nation can be so stored with home Commodities, as to An∣swer all Forreign Ports and Markets, and therefore that it may be sometimes necessary to Export Treasure in every trading Nation;

This perhaps may be true in some degree; But this is another question; and in the mean time it remains that it is most pro∣fitable to a Nation to Export home Com∣modities (where it may be done) rather than Money or Bullion, and therefore that the Merchants ought to be restrained from it as much as it is possible.

Then as to the other question, how far it may be necessary in a Nation to Export Money in Trade, It must depend upon the greater or lesser Improvement of the National Trade.

For as a Nation hath a more universal Manufacture and Fishery, more Drinks, Fruits, Curiosities, and Delicacies of its own, its Merchants will be more and more enabled to Fraight themselves out∣wards with home Commodities; These mighty Stores of home Commodities can only be had in great fertile and populous Nati∣ons.

But suppose a Nation be not, or cannot be so fully stored with home Commo∣dities as to Answer all Forreign Markets, yet its Merchants first Exporting home Commodities to Ports where they are Ven∣dible, may by a Barter, Sale, or Exchange of these, and an eternal Succession of Voy∣ages and Contracts make the Nation where

they live a Storehouse to Perfection; and will then have the choice of all Merchan∣dizes on the Earth to Export; and there∣fore may ordinarily and beneficially Trade to any Forreign Port without exporting Treasure; And if they may, they will, be∣cause else they will loose the benefit of the Market for the goods they may Export; Thus even the Dutch originally Exporting Herring, Cod, Earthen Wares, Woollen Cloth, Linnen, and of late Silks, and other home Commodities, and having by the Barter or Sale of these compleated their home Storehouse, can ordinarily buy at Foreign Markets, without Exporting Trea∣sure; By this means are the Dutch enabled to Trade as they do to Swedeland, Liefe∣land, and Norway, where by selling or bartering of their own and Forreign Com∣modities, they provide themselves with the materials of Pitch, Tar, Hemp and Flax, necessary for Navigation, and with Tim∣ber, and other Commodities, for their use at Home, and Trade abroad, whilst the same Commodities cost the English some 100000 l. per annum, since the decay of our Cloth-Trade into those Ports; which kind of Trade is doubtless advantagious to some Merchants (else they would not continue it;) But does help to drain the Nation of its Treasure.

I do not say they Dutch never Export Treasure, but that by reason of their For∣reign Storehouse they are under no such ordinary necessity to do it; and in fact Export little or none to many other Coun∣tries, where the English Trade with much: whereof I shall have occasion to say more.

I shall conclude, that where the Home and Forreign Trade of a great and popu∣lous Nation is duly Regulated, and suffici∣ently Improved, there will be little necessity to Export Treasure.

To which I shall add, That the Ex∣porting of Treasure in a Nation, having ill methods of Trade, must be yet more dangerous, because it facilitates meer Impor∣tation, and in England is chiefly serviceable to it, as will appear.

If a Trade from Port to Port be Im∣proved to any great degree, it must ne∣cessarily very much increase the National Treasure, and numbers of people, especially Sea-men.

If 20000 Trading Vessels add 300 l. per annum a piece to the National Stock yearly, the yearly National Gain must a∣mount to 6000000 l. per annum, and so in any greater or lesser proportion, as the Navigation or Gain is greater or less; of

which we have a plain Example in the Dutch, who in about Ninety years time have arrived to a wonderful Wealth and Strength by it, though they have been al∣ways forced to buy much of their Victu∣als and Materials of Clothing, all their Materials of Shipping, and many other chargeable Necessaries from Forreigners, which must be a prodigious Annual Ex∣pence.

A Fishing-Trade is one great and certain Nursery of Sea-men, and brings Wealth and Comfort to Sea-Towns; But a Flourishing Trade from Port to Port will make better and more Sea-men, inrich Sea-Towns more, and will Imploy very considerable numbers of people at Land, in Building, Manu∣facturing, Repairing; and other ordering of the Shipping, Tackle, and Goods Im∣ported and Exported, besides the Merchants and their more immediate Dependants; Thus do we see the Towns upon our op∣posite Shores abound in Riches and People, whilst our own Sea-Towns languish more and more.

And from hence it may appear, that for the utmost advance of this Trade, it is necessary there should be very much Ship∣ping in a Nation, multitudes of Sea-men, great Stocks continually imployed in Mer∣chandize,

great numbers of Merchants, and lastly safe Ports and Harbours.

I shall end this with some retrospect to the last Section, by observing, that no Na∣tion in the World is naturally so adapted for a mighty Trade of all sorts as En∣gland.

First, Because it hath more excellent Na∣tive Commodities than any one Nation in the World, as Copper, Lead, Iron, Tin, Allome, Copperas, Saffron, Fell, the mighty Commodity of Wooll, Corn, convertible into Beer, and Transportable, besides near 100 others, which are capable of near 1000 sorts of Manufactures, as Sir Walter Rawleigh observes.

That it is one of the most Fertile of Kingdoms, and therefore out of its own Stores might support almost infinite num∣bers of people both for Manufactures at home, and Trade abroad, especially as the Island might be improved.

That it hath more and safer Ports and Har∣bours than almost all the Nations in Europe put together.

That it is better scituated for the Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Trades than any other Nation.

That the Herring and Cod, with which the Dutch drive so mighty a Trade, are

caught in our English Seas, upon our own Coasts and Shores, and may be managed with more ease and advantage by the En∣glish, than by any other Nation.

And to conclude, That our People are strong and able for Work at Home, ge∣nerous and adventurous abroad, and such as all the rest of the World have most co∣veted to commerce with, and naturally as ingenious, industrious, and willing to labour as any part of Mankind, so long as they can have a reasonable fruit of their Labours, which hath been evidenced by many former undeniable Experiences.

Notwithstanding all which Advantages, England hath had very few considerable Manufactures, some of which are lost, and the rest decaying; nor have we any consi∣derable remaining Trade from Port to Port, or Fishing-Trade, of which there are doubt∣less some Reasons and Causes very fit to be understood and regulated, since the Wealth, Strength, Happiness and Safety of England immediately depend upon it; I shall therefore in the three next ensuing Sections give an Account of such particular Obstructions in our Trade, as have fallen un∣der my notice.

Notes

• * 1.1

  See Sir William Temple's Book of the Dutch Cap. of Trade, pag. 210.232.
• * 1.2

  Stat. restraining the Ex∣portation of Money and Bullion are. 9 E. 3. Cap. 1. 2 H. 4. 5th 5 R. 2. 2 H. 6. 6th 4 H. 7.23. 19 H. 7.5.

  The Exportation of Bul∣lion Licensed by a short Clause of 15 Car. 2. Cap. 7. intituled Trade Incouraged.