Spain.This brings me to the Spanish Trade, which I take to be very profitable to this Kingdom, as it vents much of our Product and Manufactures, and supplies us with many things necessary to be used in making the latter; I shall divide it into three parts, Spain, Biscay, and Flanders.
To begin with Spain; by which I mean that part from the Bay of Cadiz Eastward into the Streights of Gibralter; whither we send all sorts of Woollen Manufactures, Lead, Fish, Tin, Silk and Worsted Stockings, Butter, Tobacco, Ginger, Leather, Bees-Wax; and in Returns we have some things fit only for Consumption, such as are Fruit and Wines; others for our Manufactures, such as are Oyl, Cochineal, Indigo, Anato, Barilia; with some Salt; but the greatest part is made in Bullion, both Gold and Silver, with which this part of the Kingdom abounds, being supplied therewith from their large Empires on the Main of America, whither they again Export much of the Goods we carry thither.
The Spaniards are a Stately People, not much given to Trade or Manufactures themselves, therefore the first they drive on such Chargeable and Dilatory terms both for their Ships and Ways of Navigation, that other trading Nations, such as the English, French, Dutch, and Genoese, take advantage thereby, only that to the West-Indies is on strict Penalties reserved to themselves, but having no Manufactures of their own, the Profit thereof Returns very much to those who furnish them; indeed of late they have made a small beginning on Bayes, but will not be able to hold it when the War is ended; Nor have they so well secured the West-Indies but that it is very plentifully supply'd by us with Manufactures, and many other things from Jamaica, which is accompanied with greater Advantage than when sent first to Cadiz; for whereas we generally sold them there at Twenty per Cent advance, we do by this Means make at least Cent per Cent, all paid for in Bullion, which adds to the Wealth of the Nation; this I take to be the true Reason why our Vent for them at Cadiz is lessened, because we supply New-Spain direct with those things they used to have thence before.
By Biscay I mean all that part under the Spanish Government which lies in the Bay of that Name; the Commodities we send thither are generally the same; likewise formerly great Quantities of Refined Sugars, till we gave the French and Dutch leave to undermine us, partly by the Advantages they had by the late Imposition on Muscovadoes, and partly by the Imprudence and ill Management of our Sugar-Bakers, who would not take Pains to comply with the humours of that People as the others did; but I hope if due care be taken, that profitable Trade may be recovered again.
The Commodities we have thence are very advantageous, such as Sheeps Wool, Iron, and Bullion, whereof the first is the best, as being the subject Matter of a great Manufacture, which could we secure wholly to our selves (tho' it cost all Bullion) 'twould be of great Advantage to the Nation, but both the Dutch and French come in for their Shares.
The third part of our Spanish Trade is that to Flanders, whereby I mean all that part of the low Countrys now under its Government; whither we send Commodities much of the same nature with those we send to the other Parts, tho' not in so great Quantities; and among our Woollen Manufactures more course Medlys; also Coals from Newcastle; but not so much Leather, being supplied freely with raw Hides from Ireland, which are tann'd there; This might be prevented were that Kingdom reduced to the State of a Colony, and the Profit thereof would then return hither; We have thence Linnens, Thread, and other things, which are used at home, and shipp'd off to the Plantations.
Portugal.The next is the Trade we drive to the Kingdom of Portugal; where we vend much of our Product and Manufactures, little different in their Kinds from what is sent to Spain; and from thence we have in Returns Bullion, Salt, Oyl, Woad and Wines; of the latter we have lately imported great Quantities, which as they take well with the People of England, so its more our Interest than to have them from France, whence our Imports are more than our Exports, and to this Kingdom our Exports are greater than the Product thereof can make us Returns, especially since we have desisted from bringing home their Sugars, a Commodity wherewith we are more advantageously supplyed from our own Plantations, and did before the War furnish Foreign Markets cheaper than they could.
This People were formerly the great Navigators of the World, to whom we are indebted for their many Discoveries both in the East and West-Indies, besides the several Islands of the Azores, Cape de Verde, and also Maderas; to these Islands they admit us a free Trade, but their remoter Settlements on the Continent of America they reserve more strictly to themselves, whither they Export many of the Commodities we send them, and in Returns have, Sugars, Tobacco, with some other things, which are again Transported to the European Markets, tho' little of them hither; Their Islands we supply direct from England with our Manufactures, and from the Azores load Corn, Woad, some Sugars, Wines and Bullion, all received in Barter for them, but chiefly the first, which we carry to Maderas, where 'tis again Barter'd for Wines, shipp'd thence to our Plantations in America; in all these the Inhabitants live well, and are very rich, but those residing on the Cape de Verd Islands are generally a poor despicable People, made up of Negroes, Molattoes, and such like, who having but little Product to give in Returns are therefore but meanly supplyed with Commodities, and those very ordinary, so that they have scarce wherewith to cover themselves, much less for Luxury; Asses Bieves and Salt being all we have from them, which we generally carry to our Plantations in America; Beife might be made very cheap there could it be saved, being purchased for little, and Salt for less, but the Climate will not admit it; the chief of which Islands is St. Jago, very rich, well governed, and a Bishops Sea, where they are well supplied, because they have Money to pay for what they buy.
The Portugueze as they are now become bad Navigators, so they are not great Manufacturers; some sorts of course Cloth they do make, and did once attempt Bayes, for which they drew over some of our Workmen, but it soon came to an end, and they returned home again by Encouragements given them hence, so prudent a thing it is to stop an Evil in the beginning.
Since this War they have had great Advantages in their Navigation, for being engaged on neither side they have by that means drawn Imployments from all; Lisbon hath also been as it were a free Port for several Commodities to be thence Transported to France, whence among other things it hath been supply'd with Lead, which occasioned once an Order of Council here for stopping all Ships bound thither with that Commodity, esteem'd so useful to them in carrying on the War, but on second Thoughts it was recall'd, for which Order there seem'd to be no good Ground at first, as if the French King, who doubtless would not refrain taking the Plate out of his Churches to support the Charge of his War, should out of Reverence spare the Lead that covered them if he wanted it, and could not elsewhere be supplyed with it, which was not probable, since 'twas so plenty in every part of his Kingdom, one Tun whereof according to a moderate Computation making above Thirty Thousand Bullets; I wish he were better furnish'd with our Product and Manufactures, and we had his Money for them, which would much more weaken him, than the other would enable him to carry on the War; Ireland supplies Portugal with tann'd Leather and Woollen Manufactures, which would be sent hence if the Trade of that Kingdom was well regulated.