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• Preface.
• A Select Collection of Early English Tracts On Commerce
• Thomas Mun, a Discoverse of Trade From England Vnto the East-indies: Answering to Diuerse Obiections Which Are Vsually Made Against the Same.
• Lewes Roberts, the Treasure of Traffike, Or a Discoourse of Forraigne Trade.
• Thomas Mun, England’s Treasure By Forraign Trade. Or. the Ballance of Our Forraign Trade Is the Rule of Our Treasure.
• Chap. I.: The Qualities Which Are Required In a Perfect Merchant of Forraign Trade.
• Chap. II.: The Means to Enrich This Kingdom, and to Encrease Our Treasure.
• Chap. III.: The Particular Ways and Means to Encrease the Exportation of Our Commodities, and to Decrease Our Consumption of Forraign Wares.
• Chap. IV.: The Exportation of Our Moneys In Trade of Merchandize Is a Means to Encrease Our Treasure.
• Chap. V.: Forraign Trade Is the Only Means to Improve the Price of Our Lands.
• Chap. VI.: The Spanish Treasure Cannot Be Kept From Other Kingdoms By Any Prohibition Made In Spain.
• Chap. VII.: The Diversity of Gain By Forraign Trade.
• Chap. VIII.: The Enhansing Or Debasing Our Moneys Cannot Enrich the Kingdom With Treasure, Nor Hinder the Exportation Thereof.
• Chap. IX.: A Toleration For Forraign Coins to Pass Currant Here At Higher Rates Then Their Value With Our Standard, Will Not Encrease Our Treasure.
• Chap. X.: The Observation of the Statute of Imployments to Be Made By Strangers, Cannot Encrease, Nor Yet Preserve Our Treasure.
• Chap. XI.: It Will Not Increase Our Treasure to Enjoyn the Merchant That Exporteth Fish, Corn Or Munition, to Return All Or Part of the Value In Money.
• Chap. XII.: The Undervaluing of Our Money Which Is Delivered Or Received By Bills of Exchange Here Or Beyond the Seas, Cannot Decrease Our Treasure.
• Chap. XIII.: The Merchant Who Is a Mere Exchanger of Money By Bills Cannot Increase Or Decrease Our Treasure.
• Chap. XIV.: The Admirable Feats Supposed to Be Done By Bankers and the Merchants Exchange.
• Chap. XV.: Of Some Excesses and Evils In the Commonwealth, Which Notwithstanding Decay Not Our Trade Nor Treasure.
• Chap. XVI.: How the Revenues and Incomes of Princes May Justly Be Raised.
• Chap. XVII.: Whether It Be Necessary For Great Princes to Lay Up Store of Treasure.
• Chap. XVIII.: How Much Treasure a Prince May Conveniently Lay Up Yearly.
• Chap. XIX.: Of Some Different Effects, Which Proceed From Naturall and Artificiall Wealth.
• Chap. XX.: The Order and Means Whereby We May Draw Up the Ballance of Our Forraign Trade.
• Chap. XXI.: The Conclusion Upon All That Hath Been Said, Concerning the Exportation Or Importation of Treasure.
• Samuel Fortrey, Englands Interest and Improvement.
• England’s Great Happiness; Or, a Dialogue Between Content and Complaint.
• Britannia Languens, Or a Discourse of Trade
• The Preface.
• The Introduction.
• Section I.: Trade National Or Private, Home Or Forreign Treasures Imported By Trade, Thence Land-rents, Populacy Increased, the Revenues of All Ranks of Men Depend Upon Trade, People and Treasure Make National Strength, Particular Advantages In Treasure,
• Sect. II.: The Several Kinds of Forreign Trade, of Trading With Home Or Forreign Navigation, Some General Application.
• Sect. III.: Of Forreign Trade Consisting In Exportation, of the Advantages of Home Manufactures, and Manufactures, Incidently Other Home Trades, and Imployments Are Considered; and Which of Them Enrich a Nation; of the Fishing-trade, and the Annual Export
• Sect. IV.: 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 Exporting of Money Or Bullion, of Dangerous Consequence; How to Be Avoided:
• Sect. V.: That Our Home and Forreign Market Is Incumbered, and Prejudiced By Extraordinary and Unequal Charges, and Cloggs In Our Merchandize Above What Are In Our Neighbour-nations, Viz. In the Building and Furniture of Our Ships, Victuals, Sea-mens Wa
• Sect. VI.: Other Cloggs On Our Trade, Viz. the Late Acts of Navigation, Which, With the Other Difficulties, Have Begot Monopolies; Made Our Navigation Yet Dearer, So Forreign Materials of Manufacture Cause Meer Importations, Hinder Our Forreign Vent of
• Sect. VII.: Forreigners Eased In Trade; Other Clogs and Difficulties Upon Ours; Want of Populacy, Incidently of Extream Prizes of Victuals, and How the Duration of Land-rents May Be Secured, Our People Restrained From Manufactures; the Abuse of the Act
• Sect. VIII.: That a Nation May Grow Poor By Forreign Trade, Viz. By an Excess of Meer Importations, Illustrated By Some Observations: This Facilitated By Exporting Money Or Bullion; the Fatal Consequences and Symptoms of a Consumptive Trade, Decay of Ma
• Sect. IX.: That a Consumptive Trade Must Render a Nation Still Weaker and Weaker: How Far the Meer Establishment of Absolute Power, Or Meer Liberty and Property, May Alter the Case.
• Sect. X.: Further Presumptions of Our Late National Overballance In Trade; an Account From the Mint In November 75. and Thence Our Former Ballance of Trade Estimated.
• Sect. XI.: Particular Decays In Our Exportations, and the Beneficial Parts of Our Trade; Instances In the Decay of Our Foreign-trade For Woollen Clothing, In the Several Countries and Ports We Traded To, In the Sinking of the Foreign Price of This Manufac
• Sect. XII.: Instances In Late Increases and Excesses of Our Forreign Importations, and Therein of the Decay of Some Other of Our Own Manufactures Which Supplyed Our Home Uses, Viz. In Linnens of All Sorts, More Dear Fine Linnens Used; Incidently of the
• Sect. XIII.: That a Considerable Part of Our Late Treasure Is Exhausted: Application to Our Publick and Private Revenues: Objections Answered, Viz. the Plenty of Money to Be Let On Securities, Stores of Money In London, Stocks In Merchandize, the Over
• Sect. XIV.: People and Treasure the True Pillars of the National Strength: the Odds In the Different Vse and Imployment of People. the Absoluteness of the French Monarchy No Cause of the Present French Grandure: the Late Application of the French Co
• Dudley North, Discourses Upon Trade
• The Preface.
• A Discourse Concerning the Abatement of Interest.
• A Discourse of Coyned Money.
• Postscript. Upon Farther Consideration of the Foregoing Matters, I Think Fit to Add the Following Notes.
• Considerations On the East-india Trade
• To the Reader.
• Chap. I.: The Objections Against the East-india Trade; Viz. the Exportation of Bullion For Manufactures to Be Consum’d In England; the Loss of the Labourer’s Employment; the Abatement of Rents Are Enforc’d.
• Chap. II.: The Exportation of Bullion For Indian Manufactures, Is an Exchange of Less For Greater Value.
• Chap. III.: A More Open East-india- Trade, Is More Profitable to the Kingdom.
• Chap. IV.: The East-india Trade Does Not So Much Diminish the Riches of Some Private Persons, As It Increases the Riches of the Kingdom.
• Chap. V.: The East-india Trade Is the Way to Increase Our Bullion.
• Chap. VI.: The East-india Trade Must Increase Our Exportations.
• Chap. VII.: Notwithstanding the Idleness of the Mint, the Money and the Bullion Are Increas’d.
• Chap. VIII.: The Increase of Paper Money Is to Be Ascrib’d to the Increase of Real Money, Rather Than the Apparent Plenty of Money to the Increase of Current Paper.
• Chap. IX.: The Kingdom Is Not More Impoverish’d By the Consumption of Indian Than of English Manufactures.
• Chap. X.: The East-india Trade Destroys No Imployment of the People Which Is Profitable to the Kingdom.
• Chap. XI.: The East-india Trade Is the Most Likely Way to Inlarge the Business In the Present Manufactures.
• Chap. XII.: By Being the Cause of the Invention of Arts and Engines, of Order and Regularity In Our Manufactures, the East-india Trade, Without Abating the Wages of Labourers, Abates the Price of Manufactures.
• Chap. XIII.: The East-india Trade Is the Most Likely Way to Set On Foot New Manufactures For Imployment of the People.
• Chap. XIV.: The East-india Trade Does Not Abate the Rents, By the Exportation of Bullion, By the Diminution of Consumers, By the Abatement of Wages; the Importation of Indian Manufactures Is Less Likely to Abate Rents Than the Importation of the Unwro
• Chap. XV.: The Importation of Indian Manufactures Abates Only the Price of Labour, But Raises the Price of the Produce of the Estate.
• Chap. XVI.: And This Is Confirm’d By Examples.
• Chap. XVII.: The East-india Trade Does Not Abate the Rents of the Landholder By Destroying His Monopoly.
• Chap. XVIII.: The Fishing-trade Is Not So Profitable As the Importation of Irish Cattel, Or of Indian Manufactures; and Is More Likely Than Either to Abate the Rents of England.
• Chap. XIX.: The Herring-fishery Not Practicable In the Present Circumstances of England; the Dutch Can Sell Cheaper.
• Chap. XX.: The Way to Bring England to Be Contented With As Little Profit In the Fishing-trade As Holland.
• Chap. XXI.: That the Way to Enable England to Catch and Cure Their Herrings As Cheap As Holland, Is, First to Have Materials For That Trade As Cheap: and That This Is Most Likely to Be Done, By Discharging the Customs Upon Such Things, By Making the T
• Chap. XXII.: The Way to Make English Labour In the Fishing-trade As Cheap As That of Holland; That the People Here Must Cohabit As Close Together; and the Most Probable Methods For Effecting This, Are to Erect a Free-port, to Impower Parishes to Send

CHAP. XXI.

That the way to enable England to catch and cure their Herrings as cheap as Holland, is, first to have Materials for that Trade as cheap: and that this is most likely to be done, by discharging the Customs upon such things, by making the Trade for them free and open, by making the Carriage of them as cheap as it is in Holland; and that the last is not to be done without reduction of the price of Shipping: And the way for effecting this.

THAT we may also catch and cure Herrings as cheap as those of Holland,Our first Costs of things necessary for the Fishing-Trade, are or may be as little as in Holland. our things necessary for the Fishing-Trade, our Labour bestow’d upon them, must be as cheap.

It is said, That Salt as good and sizable for curing Herrings, may be made so very near the Coal-pits, so near a Navigable River, that tho’ it should be sold for more profit by the Maker, it may nevertheless be deliver’d as cheap to English Fisher-men, as like Salt can be sold in Holland.

Timber fit for building Busses, grows as cheap in Ireland, and perhaps in England, as in any Countrey from whence ’tis carried into Holland. Iron also might be made as cheap. And by a Law, to oblige of the Lands of every Parish a small proportion to be sown with Hemp and Flax, the Tax wou’d be very small upon the Kingdom, and new Materials for imployment of the People would be cheaply distributed up and down the Country. Now by opening the Navigation of some of our Rivers, perhaps these things might be brought as cheap to any place convenient for the Fishing-Trade, as like things are brought to Holland.

However, we buy the Timber, Iron, Hemp,Our Ships might be Navigated with as few Hands; and things might be imported as free of Customs; and as free a Trade wou’d oblige us to sell for as little profit as they do in Holland. the Rozin, Pitch and Tar, of the East-Country, as cheap as Holland; from the East-Country we might Navigate our Ships with as few Hands, we might import these things as free of Customs: By the same Methods by which Fishermen wou’d be oblig’d to sell their Herrings for as little profit, the importers of Materials for the Fishing-Trade, must also afford such things for as little as will suffice in Holland. If the Merchant buys Materials for the Fishing-Trade as cheap, if he imports these things as free of Customs, if he must also sell for as little profit, if he imports with as few hands, why shou’d not our English Fisher-men buy them as cheap as they are bought in Holland? There can be no other reason why they shou’d not, unless that Sea-men’s Wages are higher, and Ships are dearer Victuall’d here, or that our Voyage for these things is longer, and consequently more of the price of them must go to the Wages of the Sea-man, to the Provisions, to the Wear and Tear of the Ship; or, that our Shipping for the importation of these things, is dearer than it is in Holland. Certainly, neither are our Wages nor the price of Provisions so great as they are there. But, the length of our Voyage is something greater, our Shipping is a great deal dearer. Wherefore, if by any Method this last shall become so much cheaper as to be sold for sufficient profit into Holland, this will ballance our greater distance from the East-Country; this will enable our People to buy their Timber, Iron, Hemp, their Rozin, Pitch and Tar, as cheap as they do in Holland.

Wherefore,That English Shipping might be cheaper than that of Holland, they must build in the Plantations. that the English Shipping may be cheaper than that of Holland, Ships might be built in our Plantations, to be sold for sufficient profit to the Dutch, altho’ the Freight from the Plantations were not enough to pay their Passage hither.

Ships are built in the Plantations of cheaper Materials, and might be also by cheaper Labour. Materials there for Building,Materials are cheaper there. are cheaper. ’Tis true indeed, that Iron, Sails and Rigging, are bought in Europe, and therefore must be dearer in the Plantations; however, these things are carried thither in Ships that otherwise must carry empty Holds and Ballast, so that they are not dearer for the Carriage: Besides, the Customs upon these things to England, are drawn back upon their Exportation; so that they are cheaper in our Plantations than here in England, and indeed but little dearer than in Holland. But, if these things are something dearer, Timber, Rozin, Pitch and Tar, are so much cheaper; that at a medium, Materials are nothing near so dear in our Plantations.

Materials for Building there are cheaper; that these may be wrought by cheaper Labour,How Negroes might build with as much Skill, the Work might be perform’d by Negroes. To single Parts of Ships, single Negroes might be assign’d, the Manufacture of Keels to one, to another Rudders, to another Masts; to several others, several other Parts of Ships. Of which, the variety wou’d still be less to puzle and confound the Artist’s Skill, if he were not to vary from his Model, if the same Builders wou’d still confine themselves to the same Scantlings and Dimensions, never to diminish nor exceed their Patterns. And of Ships for the same kind of Trade, and for ordinary and common use; when once a good Model can be found, why shou’d the same be often chang’d. So that the same Negroes might be imploy’d in only single Parts of Ships of the same Scantlings and Dimensions, by which the Work of every one wou’d be render’d plain and easie. That it may not seem impossible for Negroes to be always imploy’d in the same Parts of Ships; either by Law, or by some small encouragement to begin the Work, our Ships for that Trade might all be built in the Plantations: Such Fleets are every Year us’d between England and the Plantations, as wou’d find full and constant work for Numbers of Builders equal to all the different Parts: And therefore, Negroes might always be imploy’d in only single, plain, and easie Parts of Ships. And, thus a way is shewn to build in our Plantations by the hands of Negroes, to render a Work of such variety plain and easie, to enable Negroes to build with as much skill as those in Holland.

The Strength of Negroes is as great;and Expedition, a way is shewn to make their Skill as great; wherefore, they might be taught to build as well, and with equal expedition.

The Wages of Negroes are not so great as of the Dutch Builders;and for as little Wages as Dutch Builders. the annual Service of a Negroe might be hir’d for half the Price that must be given to one of these. Only high Wages, or slow and clumsy Workmanship, make Labour dear. Negroes may build as good Ships with equal Expedition, for half the Wages that must be given in Holland. And therefore, Ships of cheaper Materials built by cheaper Labour in our Plantations, must needs be cheaper than equal Ships in Holland.

If Ships of Materials a great deal cheaper, might be built in our Plantations by Labour of half the price that must be given in Holland, they must needs be cheaper, and possibly by 20 or 30 per Cent. or by Thirty or Forty Shillings in every Ton.

Such Ships indeed,Ships built in the Plantations, might be Navigated to England without charge. wou’d be built at a very great distance from England, but yet ’twou’d cost us nothing to get them hither; their Passage hither might well be paid by the present usual Freight from thence, and perhaps by one quarter of the present usual Freight, tho’ all the Mariners to Navigate these Ships were still to be hired out of England.

I have heard, that for Ships not Overmasted, five Mariners are enough to every Hundred Tons; and that so many might be hired for Forty Pounds from England; so much wou’d be sufficient to pay the Wages and Passage of Seamen from England to any of our Plantations. As much more wou’d be sufficient to pay their Provisions and Wages back again to England; and this is all discharg’d by Freight of Sixteen Shillings for every Ton. Less than this wou’d pay the Wear and Tear of a Ship for a Voyage of so few Weeks; so that Thirty Shillings per Ton wou’d then be thought enough to pay the Passage of Ships from our Plantations into England.

’Tis true, that Freight so low will pay no profit to the Owner; but if a Ship can be built of Materials as cheap again, by Labour of half the price, that is, Thirty or Forty Shillings per Ton cheaper than such another can be built in Holland; the same wou’d bring sufficient profit to the Owner, tho’ it shou’d come for Freight so low, nay, tho’ all the Freight to England were not enough to pay the Passage; ’tis gain sufficient to the Builder, to sell his Ship for the profit of Twenty Shillings for every Ton.

And thus a Method is propos’d for building Ships in America,Consequences of reducing Freight from the Plantations by cheap Shipping. that may be sold for sufficient gain to the Dutch, altho’ the Freight from our Plantations hither, were brought down to Thirty, Twenty, or less than Twenty Shillings for every Ton. If Ships might be built so cheap in our Plantations, ’tis very likely the Freight from thence to England wou’d be run so low by emulation of our Plantation Builders.

For Freight so low from the Plantations, no Ships from England wou’d carry empty Holds and Ballast thither; the greatest part of those that come from thence, wou’d be sold and left in England; the few that wou’d return, wou’d always carry Cargoes of Manufactures and Mariners; the former for the use of the People there, the latter to navigate their Ships from thence: ’Twou’d be some benefit to England, to save the Carriage of empty Holds and Ballast, so long a Voyage, to save so much vain and unprofitable Labour.

By Freight so low from our Plantations, Tobacco, Sugar, and all the Produce of those Places, wou’d be imported so much cheaper; more wou’d be sold from England, our Foreign Trade wou’d be enlarg’d; and this wou’d be a greater benefit.

Timber, Pitch and Tar, and other Naval Stores, are bought for half the price in the Plantations, for which they can be bought in Europe: but Freight has always been too high to import such things so long a Voyage for profit: For Freight so low from our Plantations, these things might be imported thence a great deal cheaper into England, than they can be bought in any place in Europe. Certainly, ’twou’d be beneficial to England to become the Magazine of Naval Stores for all the rest of Europe. Besides, this were the way for England to have many Materials for the Fishing-Trade, cheaper than the same can be had in Holland.

’Tis not to be thought, that Busses, Dogger-boats and Vessels, for the immediate use of Fishermen, nor many other kind of Ships, can come from our Plantations; but Rudders, Masts and Keels, and other Parts of Ships of any kind, already fitted to certain Sizes and Dimensions, by the cheaper Labour of those Places, might be imported into England; nothing need be left to English Labour, but only to lay these several Parts together. If Freight from the Plantations cou’d be reduc’d so low, England might either build Busses to Fish her self, or cheap enough to sell to Holland. Then for the present, we might allow the Dutch to catch the Herrings, if they wou’d buy of us their Busses.

Ships of any kind brought to England so very cheap, will reduce the price of others here; no Ships will be dear as long as any kind is cheap. To build as cheap in England, Men will be forc’d to keep more to the same Models in Ships of ordinary and common use; they will be forc’d upon the invention of Mills and Engines, to save the charge of Hands: they will be forc’d to work with more Order and Regularity, by which their Labour may be afforded cheaper. To reduce the price of building Ships by Methods such as these, wou’d be a benefit to England.

But far the greatest benefit of all, wou’d be, that our Shipping shou’d be render’d cheaper than that of Holland. The Dutch wou’d then buy their Ships of us; however, they must be contented to let us trade with cheaper Shipping. This were the way for us to become the Carriers of the World, to profit by all that others eat, and drink, and wear: This were a surer way, and less odious to our Neighbours, than any Act of Navigation for only English Bottoms to be imploy’d, in the Carriage of Things to and from our own Country. Tho’ our distance is a little greater than that of Holland from the East-Country, this wou’d balance that Disadvantage, our Carriage thence wou’d be as cheap.

We buy our Fishing-Stores as cheap as Holland; these may be brought hither as free of Customs; by reducing the price of Shipping by the Methods that have been propos’d, the Carriage hither might be as cheap; a way is shewn for the Importer to expect as little profit: And this is all that is necessary to render Materials for the Fishing-Trade, as cheap in England as they are in Holland.