May it Please your Honours,
THE First Edition of this little Tract, Relating to Trade, the Poor, &c. was Humbly Dedicated to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, when Governor of the South-Sea Company, which I then thought, as I still do, might be of Service to the Nation, by alluring the Heir to the Crown, into an Early liking of Trade, and Setting before him the Advantages that Accrue from it, with the Methods whereby it may be Improved; and therefore I Contracted it into a narrow Compass to Encourage his Reading it.
THIS second Edition, whereto I have added some sure and practicable Methods, for Discharging the Public Debts of the Nation, with most Ease to the People, I humbly Present to this Honourable House; If it may be Usefull in your Debates, I shall think myself very Happy.
’TIS the Ballance of our Trade, that supplies us with Bullion; if That be in our Favour, it brings it to us, if otherwise, it must be carried away.
THIS Ballance is supported by our Manufactures, which keep our People at Work, and enable them to Maintain themselves by their own Labour, who must else stand still, and become a Charge on our Lands; and therefore I humbly conceive it to be our Interest, First, to encourage their being worn at Home, and then to give a Preference to such Things, as are Purchased for them abroad, rather than to those, which are bought for Bullion; and if our Trade was well regulated, we should soon become the Richest, and consequently the Greatest, People in Europe.
I have made some Essay at such Methods, as I doubt not, being Improved by your Wisdoms, and strengthened by your Authority, may Tend very much to the Effecting this great Work; And I humbly Offer the six Propositions following, as so many Fundamentals, necessary, for the better Ordering of our Trade, the Discharging of our public Debts, and Supporting the Credit of the Kingdom, whereby His Majesty will be rendred more Glorious, both at Home and Abroad.
THE First is, a Committee of Trade, made up of such Men as are well verst in the true Principles whereon it is Founded, and thereby enabled to make right Representations of such things, as shall be referred to them by the Parliament; who, Holding their Places, according as they are thought capable of performing them, will be careful to execute those Trusts with Judgment, Honour and Honesty.
THE second is, a due Inspection into the Affairs of the Poor, and putting an End to that Pernicious Trade of Begging, which I can assure this Honourable House, from the Experience we have had in their Regulation at Bristol, may be done, and that the Poor may be trained up to an early Delight in Labour; the Means and Methods whereby That was Accomplished, though at first Thought Impracticable, I have set forth in the Appendix. pag. 167.
THE Third is, the Keeping of our own Wool at home, and preventing the Wool of Ireland from being Transported any where else except to this Kingdom; which I am persuaded can never be done, by any other Method, but by a Register, and that That will effectually do it; towards which I have made an Essay in the following Treatise.
THE Fourth is, the Encouraging the Linnen-Manufacture of Ireland; ’Tis not easy to comprehend the Advantages that will thence arise to both Kingdoms, when each of them shall be fully employed, on a Distinct Manufacture: the Hands that are now kept at Work there, on the Spinning of Wool, might be then turned to Linnen, and a great Part of their Lands would be taken up, in raising Flax and Hemp, for which they are very proper; and then a Stop might be put to the Importation of those great Quantities of Worsted and Woollen Yarn thence, so pernicious to the Poor of this Kingdom, the Spinning whereof, if Imported in Wool, would amount to many Thousand Pounds per Annum, to be divided among them; and it is certain, that Spinning is the most profitable Part of the Woollen Manufacture, because it is done by Women and Children, who can no otherwise be employed.