Now nothing doth this more than Trade Abroad, and Manufactures at Home.
1. As they divert great Numbers of People which cannot be spared from Husbandry.
2. As they so far lessen the Strength and Security of that Island.
The true Interest then of Ireland being Husbandry, Trade and Manufactures stand diametrically opposite thereto; for Trade being of it self less laborious, and the Poor maintained thereby living more easie than such as are employed in the Field, doth invite them rather to settle in that way than the other; this is the reason why such Multitudes of People daily flock into Cities from the Country, if they have either Encouragement themselves, or can foresee any for their Children, whereas few withdraw from Trade to the Labour of a Country Life; of this we have an eminent Example in New England, which tho' it was the first peopled, and by its Trade hath drawn thither great Numbers of Inhabitants, yet that large Colony hath not cultivated so much Ground as far less Numbers have in other Plantations much later setled; for whereas in them the Product was thought to be their Wealth, and therefore the Setlers disperst themselves, and with all the Assistance they could get endeavoured to clear and fit the Ground for breaking up, these took another Course, and by keeping together chose rather to live on Buying and Selling, by which means their Improvements are very small, and their Product of no value suitable to their Numbers, so that it seems at present rather a Magazine of Trade, their chief Imployment being to supply the other American Plantations with Fish catch'd on the Coasts, and some other things raised near the Seaside, and in Returns bring thence the Commodities of their Growth, which they again barter with us, or Ship to Markets themselves, and here it is to be noted that the great Ballance of their Ttade is Ships, which (having plenty of Timber) they build on reasonable Rates, either for Sale, or to be imployed for transporting their own Commodities, which being generally bulky, such as Timber, Mackrill, Bread, Horses, for the Plantations, and Codfish for Europe, great part of their value arises from their Freights; This was indeed their oversight at first, and now scarce to be retrieved; for had they then began with Planting, and followed that closely for some time, they might in all probability long since have made themselves Masters of a greater Product, which would have laid the foundations of a much larger Trade both to Europe and other places in America; they are indeed a thrifty sort of People, but want Commodities of their own Product, and the Profits of a Nations Trade being very much limited according to that, if the Parliament should think fit by new Laws to hinder the Freedom they now enjoy in our American Plantations (which I judge absolutely necessary, because so much abused by their carrying those Commodities to Foreign Markets without touching first in England, to the lessening our Customs, and discouraging our Merchants here) their Trade must sink, and they see their error too late.
2. And as Foreign Trade and Manufactures lessen the Number of Husbandmen in Ireland, so secondly it lessens the Strength and Security of that Island, which lies in a good Number of hardy People, enured to Labour, who with it defend their own Interests, and cannot depart thence without leaving their All; whereas Merchants and Traders being but Temporary Residents may and often do leave a place when it most requires their Stay for its Defence; an Instance of this we had lately, when the trading Part of the Inhabitants thereof who could remove their Effects left it soonest, whilst the Men of Land came more uneasily away, because they left their Estates behind them, and had no Methods of maintaining themselves in England but by living on what they brought with them, whereas the others soon fell into Trade here, and tho' they changed the place were still in their Employments; now the Security of the Freeholders of Ireland is to engage as many as they can in the same Interest with themselves, which may be done by dividing the Lands into particular Farmes, in bigness suitable to the Stocks of such as undertake them; by this means they fix their Roots in the Ground, and bind them with a Band of Iron; nor would many of their People (if Trade were discouraged) return to England again, but imploy themselves and their Stocks in improving such Farms as they should purchase either for Lives or Years at easie Rents, or making themselves Freeholders.
And as the security of Ireland is lessen'd at Land by Trade, so likewise at Sea, for which they depend on the Kingdom of England; now can it be thought this Nation will be at continual charges only to raise a People which shall vye with them in their Trade? Or that we can be able to do it when our Navigation decays? which it must do as the others increases, who afford us few Saylers towards Manning our Fleet, whilst our own are harrast by continual Presses; for let them be sure if the French King could have marched an Army thither as easie as he could to Flanders, the Lands of Ireland might long since have had other Landlords, maugre all the defence they could have made.
Nor does the Profit of this Trade and Manufacture redound to the Free-holders, but only to the Traders, who as I hinted before are a separate Interest, and remove at their Pleasures.
But if the People of Ireland think England is bound to defend them against a Foreign Invasion an Account of its own Interest and Security, they must be allow'd to be in the right, yer let them consider also that we have power to limit their Trade so as it may be least prejudicial to our own, which in my Judgment cannot better be done than by reducing that Kingdom to the State of our other Plantations, confining the Exportation of their Product only hither, and that also unmanufactured, and preventing their being supplied with Necessaries from other Nations; this will make Ireland profitable to England, and in some measure recompence the vast Charges we have been at for its Reduction and Delivery out of the Hands of Foreign Powers and Popish Cut-throats, and that not less than twice in forty Years, all paid by the People of England, a Guess whereat may be made by this, that the last cost above Three Hundred and Forty Thousand Pounds only in Transport Ships, for which we now pay Interest; and if the Charge of Transporting our Army thither with their Provisions and Ammunition cost so much, what did the pay of the first and Purchase of the latter amount unto? Now 'tis very reasonable the Nation should some way or other receive Satisfaction for its Expences, and none seems more just and equal than this, which would only limit the Profits of a few Merchants, who carry on a Trade to the Prejudice of England; As for the Freeholders, they would be supply'd with Necessaries on as cheap terms as now, and find Chapmen for their Product, which would be bought up by Factories setled from England, or they might send them hither themselves if they thought fit, and by this means all would be manufactured here, and Foreign Markets must be supply'd hence as they are now thence.
This is the way to prevent transporting their Wool for other Places to the Prejudice of our Manufactures, and Importing Tobacco with other of our Plantation Commodities directly thence to the prejudice of our Customs and Merchants; this also would imploy our Navigation, and by its short Voyages make Multitudes of Seamen; In short, we cannot imagine the Advantages it would bring to this Kingdom till Experience hath shew'd us.
Act of Prohibition.But then the Act of Prohibition must be repealed, there must be free Liberty to bring in Cattle both alive and dead, and all things else which that Land produces; and here I must again renew the Question, What is Truth? 'Twill be as difficult to perswade the Gentlemen of England that this is their true Interest, as it is those of Ireland that theirs does not consist in Trade and Manufactures, one being byassed by the breeding part of this Nation, as the others are by their Merchants, who represent their private Profits as the Nations; and it is not to be wondred they have Success therein when it carries so much the face of a present advantage; but that the Gentlemen of England should be still fond of that Act after so many Years smarting under it seems to me very strange, than which I know no Law in my time hath been more pernicious to the Traffique of this Kingdom; 'twas this first put those of Ireland on that Trade which hath since almost eat out ours; 'twas this set them on Manufactures, which were so far advanced before the late troubles, that the sales of one Market as I have been informed came to a Thousand Pounds per Week; for so long as they had Liberty of Importing their Product hither, and found a constant Sale when Imported, they were contented therewith, but being put on a necessity of finding out Foreign Markets for their Provisions, this made their Merchants (who were before generally Factors to those of England, and are to give them their due an ingenious prying People) dive deeper, and since we refused to take the Flesh, they chose to keep the Fleece, and either to Ship it to Foreign Countrys where 'twould yield a greater Price, or by a Manufacture to render it fit for those Markets wherein they vended the other; 'Twas this that hath produced such great Quantities of Wool in Ireland as have at least equalled if not exceeded England, for the greatest part of the Lands of that Kingdom by reason of the thinness of its Inhabitants being turned rather to pasture than Tillage, and this Prohibition discouraging the raising black Cattle, put the People on stocking them with Sheep; which Overplus would again decrease if Ireland becoming better peopled in its Inland Parts by laying aside Trade fell more on Tillage, or by repealing this Act the Inhabitants received Encouragement to betake themselves again to breeding black Cattle; now if it be true that not the quantity of a Commodity at Market but the Demand when there makes it bear a Price, it will appear that the Makers of that Law were out in their Politiques, by not considering that the Product of Ireland must be consumed somewhere, and if sent to Foreign parts formerly supplied hence 'twould abate the Exportation of ours, the Consequence whereof would be the lessening their Expence abroad more than it was increased at home; nor did they at the same time take care to put us on any footing equal with the others by abatement in the Customs on Exportation, and thereby enabling the Merchants of England to sell suitably with those of Ireland, but still continued Three Shillings per Barrel on Beef, and Four on Pork, whilst the others paid much less there, the same on Butter, Bread, Flower, and other Provisions, so that a Stander by would have thought this Law had been contrived for the Advantage of Ireland; all which proceeded from the mistaken Interest of one part of the Kingdom, which (were it true) ought not to prevail to the Detriment of a National Trade, and the true Interest of the Remainer.