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'JSt «u:j»nmjBj»L-fiii.»...».«»-..».., . ,— . ,— miu- 'i-,ff\,mgf^jg i in,-T."" i L N D N: Printed :mcl fold by J. Dixwell, in St^ Ma-ih L::ni^ near Charhi^'Crol':. ,i^.'^CL:.V [Price 0;:e Chillln-.] I f T O Efq; Member of PAR L I A M E N T for the County of SIR, % » yf FT ER the repeated Viaories -^^ gained over the Minority, it isfup^ pofed that the two Hcufes of Par- liament, and particularly that of the Com- mons, which hath nothing to do as a Court of [ iv J of yudicattirc, will employ ihcnijclvcs in concerting Mcnfiircs for prcmoting the Good cftbe Nation, Ton ought to lofe no T^imc in falling abiut ibis Work ; for a 'juirl In- iervdly fuch as you 7:ozv enjoy, is "cery rare in Countries ivbcre there is jo much hiberfy as ive have at prejcnt-, mitbcr can it be cxpedled to Infl long, ^bis is the hcjl Ex- cufe that can be made for Minijters of State doing fo little for the Fuhiic Benefit among ns, ^Ihe Duration of their Poiver is fo uncertain, and its Extent fo limited, even ivhile tbcy pofefs it, that few Defgns of general Utility can be either trojel^ed or carried into Execution ivbile it con- tinues. I I % Tour frcfent Opportunity therefore is the more precious, and I hope will not be altogether lofi. It is very probable, hoW" ever, that with the bejl Intentions in the World, you may be mified. Fropofals for new Laws will pyrob ably be made andfup- ported T [ V J f^ricd ch-efy /y tbfe v.'os have pv/Icu!^,- IntcreJI in them ; aid ibis ,iwy be do,:c -n-j/., Jb mtch Phu.fibUhy cs to d^c.he Tcjbn/cf (''■"■• bcjl U!,d,rllandb:g. With great iL mility, thmfore, lj::b,:;it the rb:.:.!^bu in fbcfollo'.ci„g TraB to Tom- Coiijid^n^tio,:, end that of the Fubiick. They wi/ejizm ■Attachment to no Party, and, fojdras I can perceive, to no particular Inter ejl. They l^'^'^e l^cer. generated by RccdingandRefsexion on t/jcHijhry of otbnr Nations, end a good deal of Attention paid to the CaufescfProf- frrity or Decay in fveral Cities and Qountks of this Kingdom. I ha-ce general- fy found, that Bodies of Men, as leell as private Pcrfons, were incejantly purfuing cftcr Things which proved -prejudicial to them, after they had attained them. And in many Cafes it was cafy to fee, after fame Years Experience, that the Prcfperity of Societies bad ken owing, in a great Mea- fure, to a Circumjlancs or two, which all the while they were groaning under, and crying 7? [ vl ] crying out againft as an intolerable Gricv^ » ance. \ Filled with RcficBions of this Kind, I leave you to judge iDbat were my Sentiments of the violent Clamours againjl the late Peace. I began to think ivhat Dominions the King of Great Britain now had, and what lije he had for any more ; and was foon led into a jirong Sufpicion, that, in/lead of having too little Land, he had by far too ?mich. Whether in profecuting thofe Be^ feci ions I have carried the Matter too great a Length, I Jljall not fay, as we are all ready to run into Extremes, But one Thing is certain; that the Bafis of allDeli^ beration on our Connexion with the Coloiiies abroad, ought to be Not — how will they bring the great efi immediate Wealth into the Coffers of a few Merchants? Or how will they bring the greatefi immediate Splendor to the City of London? — But how will they I jfflF ^V^ [ vii ] they continue to promote the Vopidatton of the IJhind, and the huhijlry of the Peoph of Great Britain ? / fmccrcly rv:p you a good ScJ/ion 'f Parliament f and am, S I R, Tour moft obedient /« liumbk Ser'vant, CA TO. If' It \ .•> •* •« ^v THOUGHTS ON A ■1'' QUESTION, &c. Whether is it probable that the Immenfe Extent of Territory acquired by tbu 'Nation at the late Peace, will operate towards the Frofperity, or the Ruin of the Ifiafid ^'Great-Britain ? I Have prppofed this Queftion to the Public, becaufe, after thinking upon it a good deal in the moft cool and difpaf-^ flonate Manner, my owi) Opinion is ftill, in a great M^fure, undetermined. Let no Man irnagine it is a Political or Party QueiHon. I believe the Miniilers of State, in negotiating the late Peace, adted as wifely and fincerely as any who have been before them employed in the like Work ; fubjedt however at the fame B time n [ 10 ] time tQ the Errors and Prejudices which are infeparable from Humanity. I would not at this Moment give three Farthings, for my own particular Part, to (determine which of the Parties, Ma- jority or Minority fhould prevail. Nei-- ther do I think it is of any Importance to the Public, except in fo far as every ' good Subjedt would wifh, that His Ma- jefty fhould partake a little of the Peace and Quiet which we fo happily enjoy under his Government, If! Having propofed the Queftion, no more fhould have been faid upon it by me, were it not for the following Cir- cumflance . Some perhaps who have given Credit to my Declaration, that it is not Politically intended, may flill be fo clear upon one Side, as to defpife and count it Ridiculous. I fhall therefore throw out a few general Reflexions which have led me to look upon it, as, at leafl. Pro- blematical ', and I am fure if it be doubt-^ ful, no Man can deny that it is Inipor* tant , 'M f The i t " 3 The Territory acquired is fo immenfe, that it muft make the Time of Acquifi- tion a remarkable Mrz of this Govern- ment, and produce a great Change in our Situation and Circumflances as a Society. As the fmalleft Member of a Natural Body afFedts the whole in fome Degree; fo every one Circumflance with regard to a Political Body, has fome In- fluence upon every other. A Nation muft accommodate itfelf fome way or other, well or ill, to the whole Extent of its Territory. The moft diftant and defolate Part of the Dominions of any People, has fome Relation to them, ei- ther as a Benefit or Burthen; otherwife it is not thcir's. Hence it follows, that any Acquiiition would have produced fome Change ; and therefore fo great an Acquifition, and that made all at once, muft produce a very great one. le Men have often conjedured wrong, perhaps they have feldom conjedlured right, as to the Effedts of great Changes in a State or Government, till they felt them by Kxperien9e. The Spaniili Mo- B a^ :3archy. ■ J hi ,h> iiarchy, at the Time when it got Fof- I'eflion of tlie Wefl Indies, was one of the mofl powerful, if not the mofl powerful and flourifhing in Europe. Would not any Man at that Time- have been reckoned difordered irr his Judgment, who fhouW have affirnied> that the Kingdom would be the worfe for that Addition 3 and particularly that it would become poor by Means of the Go/J and Silver Mines ? Yet do we not know that it proved fo in Fad: ; and that there is not now any Man of the leaft Political Refledtion, but can explain for ^vhat Reafons it was, and behoved to be fo ? That folemfi People believed that they fhould pofTefs all Things without working, hecaufe they had plenty of Gold, which they had always hitherta feen fuffieient to Purcliafe all Things* They only forgot, that as they could neither eat nor wear Gold, they mufl rieceflarily pay to fuch as would work for them, juil in Proportion to the Abundance of Gold they polTeffed. Thus their Stock was foon exhauiled, and would have been fb, 'perhaps fooneryif it had been a thou-fand times r-rcat'vT thua. t '3 ] than It was. When either a Perfbn or People are ruined by too much of any thing that is good in a moderate De- gree, the greater the Quantity, their Ruin comes on fo much the more fpeedi- ly*, I know it will be faid (and perhaps every Reader is before-hand with rtie in- thinking it) ** We have not got more Money^ IS Id if T I a * It is probable thisObfervation will appear fome- what ftraiigc to many, bccaufe it is a little out of the common Road. But if they will reflc<51: with Atten- tion and Accuracy, they will find it conclufive in point of Reafoning, and confirmed by Experience, rn innumerable Inftances, Remember, the Sup- pofition is, that the Excefs is prejudicial ; now does it not follow that the greater the Excefs, the greater the Prejudice? Try this on every Subie£t, and it will be found to hdd. If a man is tempted to Luxury, Softnefs, and Indulgence, by an affluent Fortune ; the greater the Fortune, the more whimfical, extra- vagant, and endlefs his Defires. If a man happens to get more Ap^llau^c than he is able to bear, the greater Quantity of Incenfe you offer to him, the fooner is h\s Head turned, and the greater is his Intoxication. It aGeneral is incommoded in the Day of Battle bv the very Numbers of his own Army, the greater the Mn'- titude, the more inexpreiTible the Confj^Qn ; th'j more fuddcn and drcadfu.! his Defeat. Money to make us idk, but more Lancer which we may have an Opportunity to improve." But I mull beg leave to afk, Is any Man lure that it is not pofii- ble to get too much Land, as well as too much Money ? We have now from the Gulph of Florida to the North-Pole, at leail with very little Exception; how far Weft I really do not know. What pity is it that v/e did not keep the whole Ifland of Cuba, and by another Year's War, take from the Spaniards all their PoflelTions in South- America ? After we had done fo, there would have re- mained ftill fome more of the Globe to conquer. Is not theLufl of Conqueftina Nation as infatiable as the Luffc of Gold in a Mifer ? And is it not much more hurt- ful ? If any thinks otherwife, if he either thinks WQ have not enough, or not more than enough at prefent, let him explain clearly the Reafons of his Opinion, and what will be the probable Effedt of the Acquifition upon the Society. There is the greater need of Accura- o cy in this Matter, thiit I believe the Event t 15 3 , Event, taking in all its Circumftances, is quite fingular, the like never having happened before. Some Nations for- merly have in the Courfe of a few Years, conquered great Tradts of Country; but they ordinarily obtained new Subjedls as well as new Ground ; Whereas our late Acquifition may be juftly called mere Earth. Nay, though we had all that the Indians pofTefs behind, as which we fliall very foon have, it will be the fame Thing; for they feem upon the Eve of either dwindling into nothing of themfelves, or being exterminated by usf, Has f The Severities exercifed upon the Indians, have certainly given much pain to Princes of humani* ty, among us, who hear of them, as they appear to have given to feveral of our Officers who were obliged by their Orders to commit them« The great abfurdity of them in point of Policy will plain- ly appear, by comparing the State of thefe People with our own. There are three great Stages in the Progrefs of human Society. The Firft is, the Sa- vage State, in which Men fubfift by Hunting, and ^ced by far tKe greateft Quantity of Ground. TKe Second^ the Paftoral Life ; which iieeds coniiderably '?; t '6 ] Has it ftot been long ago agreed upd( by Perfons of Reafon and Obfervationo that it is not the Extent of a Country* but the Number of Inhabitants irt pro- portion to its Extent, that conflitutcs the Strength of a Nation ? If I am not miftaken, it ufed to be affirmed in fbmc fuch Proportion as this, that fuppofing ten Millions of People to inhabit one Country, and the fame Number to in- habit another of double the Extent, thd firft State would be four. times as power- ful as the laft. Is this Maxira tto^d^ . --. found ■■"»•■ i Icfs than the former, but ftill a good deal. — And the Laft, is that of Agriculture and Commerce, %i^hich needs leaft of all. Now the Indians tre^in ithe firft State ; wc are m the laft ; and yet we are neve* fatrsiredyhtit -ftill driving them into Corners, and obliging them to cede vaft Tradfe, which ftre isecefTa- ry to them, and which poflefled by them, might be of fome ufe tons, but which without them can be of no Service to us at all. This Cruelty however^ it DirJU-be laid, tho* undeftraUe, was neceflary, be* catifc they would not let us alone. It is impoffibic tobeli^vc it. No Briton at this Time hath fo much to lay with them as Sir William Jchnfon j and it h ei'ident he acquired ht» Influence, iwt ^ by ' Cmltyv *lHit by Honcfty and Mercy, '4 [ 17 1 f(\\nd to be falfe ? Or, on what Account is it not applicable to our Cafe ? If we take Great-Britain and its Colonies as one Body, I do not fee what fhould hin- der it to be applied. If wc take them as feparate x^odies in Alliance, from which Alliance we in this Nation hi- therto derived great Advantages, I ac- knowledge it in Part. But my Queftion flill remains ; will thefe endlefs Tradts of Ground, in future Times, fill this King- dom with Inhabitants, or depopulate it? Firft, let us fiippofe Great-Britain and its Colonies as one Society. I am very fcnfible that a Situation can be fuppofed, and that many Nations have been in fuch a Situation, as that occupying wafte Grounds has tended to increafe both their Numberand Strength. It increafes their Number without Quef- tion, becaufe when the Means of Sub- fiftence are made eafy, the common People are encouragx'^d to marry. But before it can increafe their Strength, f C ao- [ i8 ] apprehend two Conditions are effentially rcquifite. ift. That the Land they have already be fully ftockeil, and like-^ ly to continue fo. If this is not the Cafe, the Migration is unnecellary at Icaft, if not hurtful. 2d. There is another Condition, not fo commonly thought of, necellary to a People's in-- creafing in Strength b^ fettling more Land. What I mean is, that there be a plain and fimple Tafle of Life, fo that Agriculture may fupport them comforta- bly. This was the Cafe with the Ro- mans in the early Times of their Re-* publick, as well as many other antient Nations. Now it muft be confidered^ that they had very little either of Com- merce or Manufactures; fo that they foon became not only full, but over- flocked ; and having nothing but the Fruits of their own Ground to fupport them, they were obliged to fend Colo- nies abroad. Thefe Colonies went not to feek Wealth, but Food. So fimple was their Tafle of Life, that In the be- ginning of the Roman State, a Family was decently maintained upon one Acre and [ 19 1 and a Quarter of an Acre Englifli. When Appius Claufus left the Sabines, he brought with him to Rome five thoufand Sabine Families, to each of whom the above Quantity was afligned, and that Great Man had the immenfc Eftate of fifteen Acres given to himfclf. How different from the late Grants of American Lands ? le •e Let us carefully remember therefore, that it muft be Manufa(fture and Com- merce only, which can make a People numerous and profperous, after Elegance and Luxury have been once introduced. Now it is at leaft very doubtful, whether a narrow be not more favourable than an extended Territory for their Advance- ment. There is lefs Neceffity either of Manufadtures or Commerce in an ex- tended Territory, becaufe the Multitude of common People, by whofe Hands National Induftry muft be carried on, can eafily find Support without them ; Whereas when they are confined to their own Bounds, thofe who cannot be Huf- bandmen, are obliged to be Artificers. C 2 I [ 20 ] I believe Experience will confirm this Obfervation, whctlier we confider the State of Mankind in antient or modern Times. ilii But let us now fuppofe our Colonies fcparate Bodies in Alliance with us. It will probably be thought that thefe Set- tlements growing in Numbers, in th^ fame Manner and from the fame Caufes, that all new planted Colonies do, their Commerce, which is confined .to ua, muft be of great Benefit to this Ifland. And no doubt if they be ferviceable at all, this is the fingle Light in which they can be fo to us. How far they have been fo hitherto, I do not enquire ; but whe-r ther they will continue to be fo, or not, feems to me very uncertain, for feveral Reafons. ,i,! t... I . They feem to threaten us with an ^vil, not only dangerous ortroublefome, but ruinous, viz. Depopulation. Set- tling fmall Colonies rnay do fuch Services as to Counterballance an inconfiderable Lofs of People 5 but fettling vaft Trads I may ^ ii 1 I I 2' 1 may exhaufl the Mother Country, and prove Dcilrudlion. Letting a Httle Blood may he not only harmlefs, butfervice- able to the Body ; and yet exceilivc Bleeding will kill as certainly as any Dif- eale, to which it is liable. I Ihall not fpend Time in enumerating the various Ways in which our Colonies drain us of people. Men of Rank or Wealth, who have obtained Grants of Lands, fparc no pains to inveigle them away in Crowds to fettle their feveral Poflenions, becaufe Avithout People thcfe Polfefiions are good for nothing. Multitudes go away of their own accord, allured by the en- chanting Profpedl of Wealth; and either never return at all, or return in a frail difeafed State, unfit for Propagation. We fuifer no inconfiderable Lofs in the m ny thouiluids of Seamen and Soldiers, which mufl now be fent to all Parts of the known World, to annoy our Ene- mies in Time of War, and to protedl: our Friends in Time of Peace. If all the Men who died an untimely Death by Sicknefs, Famine or the Sword, in l-he Havannah Expedition, had been em- [ 22 J employed in fomc ufcful Occupation iti Great Britain, they and their Pofterity, would have been of greater Bt-ncfit to this Nation, than any two Iflands in the Weft-Indies, The farther Inveftigation of thi« I leave to every Reader, that he may com- pute the Numbers in his own Mind, Let me only obferve, that in Proportion as the Number of Hands is leflened, the Price of Labour, and the firft Coft of our exported Commodities muft be increaf- ed ; at the very fame Time the Quantity of thefe Commodities muft decreafe, and the Gain upon them centering here, muft be diminifhed by the two concur- ring Caufes. If therefore a Trade to Gur foreign Plantations be highly profit- able, we ought to be the more concern- ed, left by driving the Matter too far, we leave next to no-body at home to trade with them. Every thing may be Evidence. Many a Gentleman has laid out fo much Money in building an ele- gant Palace, that he has left himfelf no Eftato t 23 3 E flute on which he might pOiTers and enjoy it. - 2. The Advantage is in Danger of being loft another Way. Our Planta- tions arc becoming fo extcnfive, that it is probable they will fpeedily fet up Manufadures of their own, and be our Rivals inftead of our Cuftomers. This Effedl will be accelerated by the Circum- ftance formerly mentioned. Our Com- modities will not be fullicicnt in Quan- tity for them to confumc, and they will be too coftly for them to purchafe. That this muft: be the Cafe in fome fu- ture Period, from the natural Courfe of Things, many Writers have confelled ; but they have generally confidered it as at a very great Diftance, and therefore unworthy of Attention. There are how- ever at this Time many Symptoms of its being much nearer than we appre- hended. The only Thing by which it is retard- ed, is, tliat as Land is cheap in America, and Labour dear, it is a more imme- diate t H ] diate and fufe Way for a Family to get Bread by cultivating the Ground, than by fabricating Goods, which may be brought on eafy Terms from Great- Bri- tain. But this will foon be at an End, both from the Numbers of People fettled in Places near the Sea, and from the un- fatiable Avarice of the Proprietors of Land, who already begin rather to fufFer their vaft Pofleflions to lie wafte, than part with them but at a very great Pro- fit. The Truth is, I have fome Sufpi- cion that it has been at an End in feve- ral of our Colonies for fome Time, and that nothing ftands in the Way but the Difficulties and Difcouragements which attend the firft fettingupof Manufadures in every Country. Whenever Intereft or Necefiity therefore fliall overcome thefe Difficulties, it is eafy to forefee what an amazing and rapid Progrefs will be made in every Branch of Bulinefs, by )rizin2 and induftrious Peo- ple. tterpi 3 Is thei'e not alfo a Confirmation of this from Experience. If any Credit may be f ■' m [ 25 .1 be given to our News-papers, many Tradefmen have of late gone from diffe- rent Parts of the Kingdom to America, I think it was faid no lefs than one hun- dred, of one Profellion, from one Place, and at one Time§. It has alfo been af- firmed, that fevcral different Branches of Manufad:ure are ah'cady fet up in New- Erigland : And our Merchants at home (who, however Httle they undcrfland of the Interefl of the Pubhc, undcrffand their own immediate Intereilv/ell enough) arc making dreadful outcries upon it. We are told it will be half a Million Sterling lofs yearly to Great-Britain ; and I can eaiily believe it will very foon be double that Sum. But what Reme- dy ? Mention has been made of apply- ing to Parliament to hinder the Expor- tation of Artificers. On which I mufl beg leave to ailv. Will they go if it does not appear to be their Interefl ? And if it be their Interefl:, will you hinder them ? Or if you would, how can ycu D bin- ^ Stockin2;-"Weavers, from Nutiinoi-am. !;ii: 11 t 26 ] hinder them ? I do not know whether the Parhament will pay any regard fO thcfc childi(h Complaints, or not ; but I am fure that any Meafures they could contrive for that purpofe would be quitfc ineffectual. fi' 3. I muft examine another Circum- ilance in our Situation with regard to the Colonies ; viz. Our exclufive Right t6 trade with them. It may be faid, let them be as extenlive as you pleaf'e; let them let up as n.any Manufadlures as thev themfelves pleafe : Still their Trade will be valuable, and it is wholly con- fined to this Illand, they are not permit- ted to carry on Eulinefs with any other Nation, but through the Medium of Great-Britain. But what lignifies a Trade, if it come to be a lofing Trade? And that, from feme of the above Con- fiderations, it may befooner than we are aware of. Whenever they can fupply themfelves, with Manufadtures they will have no need of us ; mofl of the Luxu- ries and Delicacies of Life they can get nearer 5M. .A^ t Ir [ 27 ] nearer home from one another, and arc indeed a kind of World in themfelves. Befides, I flrongly fufpedl this Cir- cumftance of our having an exduiiv^e Right to trade with them, will operate flowly and filently indjed, hut con Rant- ly, and at lafl fatally, to our own Pre- judice. There is much felfilhnefs in hu- man Nature; and it will be, nay proba'- bly it has been, a Temptation to us not to make our Manufadlures as good and as cheap as poflible to procure voluntary Purchafers, becaufe we think we can fend them to thofe who are obliged to take them. Let no Man think this a ilight Circumflance, or of no Moment. Baron Montefquieu has obferved, in more places than one of his Spirit of Laws, that the moral Caufes of the rhriving or Decay of a Nation, viz. fuch as arife from the Tempers or Prin- ciples of the People, the Spirit of their Conftitution, or their Situation with regard to others, are unfpeakably more powerful than occalional Caufes, fuch as War, Famine and Peililence ; or their D 2 Con- I .it [ 28 J Contraries. The Reafon is plain— The Effed of thofe which he calls Moral Caufes, tho' Impradticahlc, is Univerfal and Perpetual. If therefore our exclu- five Right to trade to our own Planta- tions, tempts us to trufl: or lean too much to it, it may fink under the Weight, and prove the Caufe of our Deilruclion. I think I have obfervcd it aflerted frequently by political Writers, when railing againil the Government, that the Ballancc of Trade is againfl us to every Nation, or almoft every Nation in the World, except our own Plantations. Thefe Writers indeed are a fort of Wit- nefles, to whofe Teftimony the leafl Cre- dit is to be given of any People under the Sun -, for when it anfwers their F jr- pofe, they Vvdll not flick to Affert not only the groflefl:, but the moft manifefl Falflioods, as if they were quite fupe- rior to any fenfe of Shame upon Detec- tion. With Regard to this, in particu- lar, I am pretty certain the Ballance can- not be againfl us to Spain and Portugal, becaufe :?* .i*^- %1 ^'IL. i 2-9 ] becaufe they have been already ruined in the very Way that I fufpedt our Ruin to be approaching. But if the Ballance be againfl us v^ith other Nations, it is probable our Plantations themfelves are the Caufc of it, by fliewing us an eafy Way of making a confiderable Profit, Co that now we are not at fo great Pains to Work as well and as cheap, and as much, as our Neighbours about us. 'i This is naturally followed by another dangerous Confequence of our exclulive Trade. Our Merchants will import from other Nations what they can export tp the Britilli Plantations with Advantage. Such Commodities pafTing through our Hands make a great Appearance of Com- merce, and yet add next to nothing to our Strength or Numbers; and not fo much to our Wealth as may perhaps be fuppofed. This {hews how it is at leaft poflible, that our PoffefTions may have the fame Effedl upon us, that the Conqueft of Mexico and Peru had upon the Spani- ards, We may flacken our own Induf- try, [ 30 ] try, and fupply our Settlements by the Induftry of others. Great Men and great Merchants who have Eftates and Proper- ty abroad, may make a fplendid Figure for a Time, while the Body of the King- dom is gradually lofing its Nourifli- ment, and falling into an incurable Con- fumption. An exclufive Trade is of far lefs Con- fequence than may be imagined. The Spirit of Commerce, fays a late eminent Author, is of a very nice and delicate Nature 1 add, it is of a very fubtile and penetrating Nature. The Reafon is the fime for both. It is animated and condudted entirely by the Interefl of Individuals : So that unlefs this happens to co-incide with the public good, one Part of the Nation mufl be indefatigable in bringing on the Ruin of the Whole, Wherever Interefl leads, or feems to lead. Trade will force its Way over all Ob- ftrucftions ; neither can it be almoft by any Means forced to go another Way. We hear fometimcs great Outcries againft thofe .V [ 31 1 thofe mercenary Wretches, who, for the fake of private Gain, will fuck the very Blood of the Poor, and riot in the Spoils of their Country. Alas! you know little of Human Na- ture, if ever you expedl to reflrain the Plurality hy fuch Arguments ; or if you could hinder them from doing 111, you will never make them do any Good. I remember not long ago, taking a Walk through the Streets of London, I was led to refled: what an endlefs Variety of Defigns mufl be carried on uniformly to fupply the Inhabitants of that vaft City, with every NecefTary, and every imagi- nable Conveniency of Life ; and it im- mediately occurred, that nothing but mutual Intereft could do it. Without this, ten thoufand Legiflators confiantly employed could not devife the Means, and an hundred thoufand Judges could not enforce the Execution. The Spirit of all Laws on the Police of a City, or the Commerce of a People, mud be to make public and private Intcrell: not only ;'-iii [ 32 ] only really, but apparently and evidently the fame. »i Hence it follows, that an cxclufive Trade preferved by Force againfl the In- clination of the People concerned, can- not be carried very fai*, and cannot con- tinue very long. While we ferve our Plantations as well as other People, we may expedt they will chearfully trade with us : So foon as we either will not, or cannot do this, they will ufe every pofTible Means to be fupplied from ano- ther Quarter. The Spaniards have an cxclufive Trade to their own Settle- ments ^ and yet, if I am rightly informed, there are few Branches from which we derive greater Profit, than an illicit Trade forced at the Plazard both of Life and Fortune, from our Weft India Iflands to the Spanifli Main. There have been lately feme hideous Complaints againft our Comma ders of King's Ships for not encouraging this Trade. Would thefe Complainers be pleafed that the Parlia- ment fliould open a free Trade to all the [ 33 ] the World to our Plantations? They would certainly burn or pull down that Member of Parliament's Houfe who (liould movL- for it. Now I dclire to know what an honcil Man in Spain would think of the Equity of this Pro- cedure ? It appears indeed, from what I have faid above, that I do not expcdl much Equity from them, and therefore it is not upon that Side that I propofe to prefs the Argum.ent. It is from the fide of Interell:. If we are fo partial to ourfclves, as to trample upon every Law and every national Engagement, when we hope to do it with Impunity or Profit, why ihould wc expedl others to be more honell than ourfelves, or that our Colo- nies will continue to trade v/ith us longer than it is their Intereft to do fo ? For this Reafon we fhould bend ail our Force to the Improvement of our own Country, by incrcafing the Number, Sor briety and Induilry of its inhabitants^ If there be any Dei^ect here, th^ moil valuable Settlements will do us no good; E and [ 34 1_ and if there be a vifiblc Dilproportion be- tween our Couonies and our Ability to trade with them, upon juft and equal Terms, the more they are enlarged, the fooncr fliall wc be deflroyed. As I have all along profclTcd the 2:reatefl Regard for the Parliament and Miniflry, it will be thought, perhaps, that we may, without much Concern, leave the Care of the Public to them. Some Admirers of modern Improve- ments are apt to fpeak in very high Terms of the Difcernment of this en- lightened Age, as it is called. Such, it is not impofiible, may be ready to fay, *< Great National Miftakes have indeed *< formerly been committed, but the *' Principles of Trade and Commerce, as ** well as Government, are now fo well ** underflood that they will not be re- " peated. While Individuals are pur- ** fuing their own Interefl with unre- <* mitting Adivity, the Legillature, ever ** watchful for the general Good, andpre- ** fiding over the whole, will obferve the ** firft Appearance of any thing going ** againft ■'M "i [ 35 1 ** againllus, and take cffcdual Mcafures <' for turning it into its nropcr Channel." But though I fee no Rcafon for itnpeacli- ing the Charadler of thofo who now compofc the Legiflation or Adminiilra- tion, when compared with their Prede- ccllbrs, yet it is uncertain whether they will endeavour, and more {o, whether they will be able to prevent the injury we mayfuffer from unweildyPofTeflions. I have not built my Arguments upon the Treachery of particular Men, or even the Degeneracy of the pre fen t Age, but upon the Miftakes of Human Nature, and the anur,, as it were, of our Con- ilitution, to which we have been brought by the ordinary courfe of Things, and peculiar Difpofition of Providence. Bodies of Men, alas ! are far from be- ing fo clear-lighted, as they themfelves imagine. Immediate and feeming, or particular Interelts, have ordinarily fo powerful an Effect on the moft uncor- rupted Part of them, as bears down all other Confiderations. How many Laws relating to Trade have been framed with a E ? fin cere ^'S i [ 3'> 1 fincerc Intention to promote It, nnd yet have, in Experience, proved Jiurtlul to it ; fo that tliofc who made them were ohHgcd to repeal them ? Perhnps if all the Laws on the Siihje£l were enume- rated, it might be (licv/n tliat the greater Part are prejudicial. All the exclulivc Rights of Corporations, and Monopolies of private Companies, if they were ne- ceflary or ufeful at the Beginning, have long ceafcd to be fo, and yet many of them (till continue. They mull alfo pro- bably continue for Ages yet to come : fuch is the Spirit of the People. He would be a bad Minifter; nay, it would be a bold Parliament, that ihould atten.pt to lay them open. There is nothing that appears to me more clear, than that the Relh'idtions we have laid ourSiRer Kingdom of Ireland under, are prejudi- cial to ourfelves -, and yet I would not be the Man who fhould propose to take them off in an Englifh Houie of Com- mons. « Have not mojfl: Laws been made to fa- tisfy the intereftcd Demands of particu- lar 1 '•-•i '>'::r from w^orking diligently? Very la', Aom it. It rather ferves to excite them by Imitation. There cannot be the Icafr Intciiercnce but when they are both employed in producing Commodi- ties of the fame Kind ; and then to be fare upon the Suppofiticn of equal natural F ■ Ad- ("■' J ;?| ■ Mi ill mil V:\ 1'^ r 42 ] Advantages, the moft lober and diligent People will lend them to Market cheap- efl, and carry away the Trade. But it is in vain to complain in this Cafe. The Remedy is only in ourfelves : and the Commodities of Life are fo various ai^d innumerable, that every Country affords Opportunities to its Inhabitants of fecuring their own Profperity, and contributing to that of the wdiole Earth. The only proper and jufl, and indeed the only e^fedtual Way, of one Nation out-llripping ano .' is by outworking them. When inileud of this, we only endeavour to hinder them from work- ing, or to deilroy them, it feems to be little lefs abfurd than the Meafure of the Savage, who meeting a Man wifcr than himfelf, put him to Death, that he might plunder him of his Wifdom. Nothirig appears to me more ridicu- lous and pulillaninlous than what we meet with almoil: every Day in our News-papers, fnice the late Peace. If any French Ships are fccn at Sea, imme- -di' ^'^ t-lie Ala}-m is founded, and the Ruin oi Britain is at hand^ Capt. — - in bis Pcijj'age met ivith French iibips in vik. 'i f [ 43 ] j,i Lath hide y and they feemed to hejher- ing their Cotir/e for the Gulf of 'Danctu where, if they pf}'e5l a Settlement they ii:ill carry away the whole Riches of Souths America, Great Preparations are ma- king by the French for fifhing this Seafon on the Banks of Newfoundland ; and tt is thought they will have more Ships in that 'Trade than ever they had before, • The French Jeem refohed to ejlablijjj a St't- tlement and Forts on fome Parts of the African Coaftt and if they do, they will in- grofs the whole Negro Trade entirely to themfiives. When I read fuch Reflec- tions as thefe, 1 figh, and fay to mykif. Oh, my poor Country! Is there no Way of preferving thee from Deftruc- tlon but by depriving the whole French Nation of their Senfes ? If this is the Cafe, why fliould we mince the matter ? Let us aim a Blow at the Root. Let us rife as one Man, pafs the Straits of Do- ver, and without flaying to demolifli Dunkirk, let us drive them all before us, young and old, Male and Female, and drown them in the Mediterranean Sea. If this Difcourfe had not been drawn out to a greater Length than I intended, F 2 it 1, [ 44 J it might have been proper to have con- fidered a httle how the Matter has ap- peared in Fa6t. Every Perfon acquaint- ed with Hiflory mivft acknowledge, that the Places in antient I'inics, remarkable for Trade, had but fmall Tcrriiories. Tyre had a very limited Territory. I cannot be precife as to its Extent, but am certain it was not e:reatcr than two or three Shires in England. Carthage, the Daughter of Tyre, had but little Room for feveral Ages ; but growing rich and povv'crful by Commerce, (lie at- tempted to extend her Conquers, and by doing {o, brought on her own De- ftrud:ion. At this pre fen t Time, ex- cepting France and England, the other Places in Europe where Trade fiouriHies, have but very narrov/ Linilts. The Dutch, who as a Nation have deviated as little from the Maxims of found Poli^ cy as any People on Earth, do not feem at all covetous of much Ground, or many diifant Settlements ; yet they are the richeil: People in Europe, and for their Numbers the ftronc^eftj juil: becaufe thefe Numbers are inclofed in fo narrov/ Bounds. They have indeed very valuable Settle- ments r 45 J mcnts in the Eull Indies, from this fin- 't\q Circiimflancc, that they ingrofs the Spice Trade. But whatever it be to thcni, it leenis to be granted by all who under- ftand the Subject, that the Eail-India Trade is hurtful to the reft of Europe. ft 4 ^ fancy to niyfelf that fome of my Mercantile Readers will have long ago perceived that I am no Merchant, and therefore will be faying within them- felves in the moll: contemptuous Man- ner, What has this Author to do with Trade ? How can he take upon him to v/rite upon a Subjecl he does not under- hand ? I am fure if I was a Merchant, I lliould reckon myfelf utterly unqualified for fpeaking on the Queflion v/hich flands at the Head of my Paper. Ac- tual Merchants are fo ingrolTed by the Gain or Lofs of their own particular Branches, that it is impolTible for them to perceive the Kurt or Benefit cf the whole Body. Thefe proceed upon ge- neral principles , on which any Man of common Underllanding may write clear- ly, and thofe who are not Traders them- selves mufl be fuppofed to judge with the greatefl ' : H. i . IP }. im [ 46 ] greAtcil Imjxirtialky. A Mm wlw) is in the Middle of ;i Crowd, will not per- ceive lb dffUn-rdy, li df w'lat is doiiii;; in five din:cr" it ^arus of it, or vv^iitiier the whole is "nu" .g, as he who is removed at a little difbiiace from it, and by his Si- tuation above it. I remember Dr. Bur- net £iys fomcwhcre, that wht'u the ncvv- modcPin'; tlie Governmenl; at the Revo- lution was unon the Tapis, of all who wrote or fpoke on that Subjedl, none were fo much bewilder'd as the Law- yers. He fecms to be furpriz'd at this. But it was no Wonder at all. For Lawyers were fo accuftomed to think of the Force of particular Statutes, that they were every now and the.i fiying, that fuch and fuch Meafures were againft Law : Than which nothing could be more ridiculous. For what Signified all former Laws, whc ) the Govern.nent was to be refettled from the very Foundation, It was eafy to fee, that if the Revoluti- oners were able to keep their Ground, they would juflify themfelves : Whereas if the banifli'd Prince had recover'd Pof- fcfUon, he would have hanged as many as he pleafed of his Oppofers, though they t 11 ;■ * '1 |- 47 ] they had never broke a Lnvv in then* Lives, any otherwile than by lending him away. To draw towards a Conclufion : I am defn'ous of having the Qneftion exa- niin'd with Care; and whether this inla- tiable Defn'e in our Nation of riicli exten- iive Territorics> as niilfl be mcafured by the Heavens, and probably never will be perambulated, be not like all fclfifb in- tercfted Affeclions in Individuals, Dcf- tru'flion to ourfelvcs. If my Fears are quite groundlefs, fo much the better for us and our Pofterity : If otherwife, it were to be wifh'd that the beft Means were pointed out for retarding our Ruin as much as poflible. If any have been fo far moved by what I have laid as to wifli me to pro- ceed in mentioning thefe Means ; I an- fwer, let us be well convinced that the Danger is real, before we come to Par- ticulars. In general however, tlie Re- medies mull be of the fame Nature as are prefcribed by Phfiycia'.is, when tiie Patient is under a bad Habit, without any mm o] >• jiny acute Dilbrder, that is tofay,flovNf and alterative, but radical and funda- mental.* They mufl be fiich as have an Influence upon the Principles and Man- . ncrs of the People, and the Cultivation of the Soil. The firil is chiefly neceflary, and will, produce the other as its Effect. Yet Agriculture ought to be the Objed: of immediate Attention, as it will pro- mote Health jind Sobriety among thofe who are employed in it; Numbers of People to fill the Cities, and abundance ofProvifion for their daily Support. It . is demonfl:rable that all our great Cities are fupplie4 Ylj^th Inhabitants from the Country, anc|j dierefore whatever tends ^ to the depopulating 'g£ the diftant Parts, will in the End p^eVe De/lruAion not only to themfelves, but the whole* -■ ■ " ■ . i.1 ! : " • Ivf M t!; .. r • i 4 ♦ . 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