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"." In the digital collection Evans Early American Imprint Collection. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/N07799.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 18, 2024.
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This cannot be disputed by any one who is acquainted with America. The increase of a man's wealth there shews itself in a greater consump|tion of British manufactures of all kinds.—This reasoning in favour of the continental colonies trade with foreign plantations is confirmed by what Sir Josiah Child mentions of New-England—He says,—"En|gland, loses by the unlimited trade of this colony to other foreign plantati|ons, but gains by her direct trade to Old England, from whence she ex|ports manufactures to ten times the value of her imports." (See the note to page 4.) What was it then that enabled New-England to pay ten times the value of her imports to England, but the profits of her trade to fo|reign plantations? This appears to be a direct authority in support of the arguments hereafter used. It seems therefore that Great-Britain of late, through too great eagerness to gather golden fruits, has shaken the tree before they were full grown. With a little patience they would ripen, and then of themselves drop into her lap.
"The inhabitants of our colonies, by carrying on a trade with their foreign neighbours, do not only occasion a greater quantity of the goods and merchandizes of Europe being sent from hence to them, and a greater quantity of the product of America to be sent from them hi|ther, which would otherwise be carried from, and brought to Europe by fo|reigners, but an increase of the seamen and navigation in those parts, which is of great strength and security, as well as of great advantage to our plantations in general. And though some of our colonies are not only for preventing the importations of all goods of the same species they produce, but suffer particular planters to keep great runs of land in their possession uncultivated, with design to prevent new settlements, whereby they imagine the prices of their commodities may be affected, yet if it be 〈◊〉〈◊〉, that the Markets of Great-Britain depend on the markets of ALL Europe in general, and that the European markets in general depend on the proportion between the annual consumption and the whole quantity of each species annually produced by ALL nations; it must follow, that whether we or foreigners are the producers, carriers, importers and exporters of American produce, ye their respective prices in each colony (the difference of freight, customs and importations con|sidered) will always hear proportion to the general consumption of the whole quantity of each sort, produced in all colonies, and in all parts, al|lowing only for the usual contingencies that trade and commerce, agri|culture and manufactures are liable to in all countries."
POSTLETHWAYT'S Univ. Dict. of Trade and Commerce.