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Calais, the only Fragment of it that remained till her Time. So forcible is a Poffeffion in the Crown, that People are apt to fuffer it to turn to a Right. But this Miftake coft K. Charles I. dear; it was the firft Grievance of his Reign, and disposed a knowing, a refolute Generation of Freeman (whofe Spirits were not broken by Taxes and Standing Armies) to examine every Thing with Rigour. Yet not all the Difficulties and Misfortunes of his Reign could deter his Son, King James II. (tho' he did not want the Money) from levying the fame Revenue before it was given by Parliament. I think we have one Inftance in the English Hiftory, of the Monarch's taking less than the Subject gave, and that was in the Days of good Queen Elizabeth, who chose to reign in the Hearts of her People, who depreffed Monopolies, and particular Schemes of robbing the Publick, and esteemed the Wealth and Honour of the Nation as her own.

If Farmers in their Tillage and their Diet, Merchants in victualling their Ships, Potters in their Manufacture, but above all, the Fifhery (that Diu multumque defideratum of Great-Britain) require fuch immenfe Quantities of Salt, that it is impoffible to maintain the Officers, and to make any confiderable Profit of that Revenue, if we allow Draw-backs for all those Purposes (not to speak of the frequent Frauds upon Exportation) and as on the other hand, we would not have our Neighbours Till their Land, Navigate their Ships, Cure their Fifh, and even be able to fell an earthen Pitcher cheaper than we can; it is really amazing to confider how this Tax came first to be granted in this Nation; but it is much more aftonishing that the Experience of its Mischiefs had not long ago awakened the Legiflature to redeem it. It is

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not strange that the People fhould gladly embrace the Opportunity of Deliverance from this Oppreffion; the Miracle is, that a firft Minifter fhould give his Voice for fo confiderable a Reduction of his Myrmidons, fhould concur in abolishing a Tax which feems calculated to create Ministerial Dependencies, and to corrupt Voices for Parliamentary Elections. Perhaps, like Sylla, he knows he has fo well convinced the World of his tranfcendant Ability for Mischief, that he may retire in Safety with the Spoil of Nations, and deferve the Thanks of Mankind for plaguing them no longer. But if he defigns to purfue the Plan which he has hitherto proceeded on, the Trained Bands of the Salt-Duty are an ill-judged Reduction of his Forces: He does not usually commit fuch Blunders in Domeftick Politicks, whatever his Enemies object to his Skill and Addrefs in Foreign Treaties. Taxes, burthenfome as This is, make Standing Armies neceffary; and great Armies cannot be maintained without burthenfome Taxes; they are Bawd and Punk to each other, but the poor Nation is always the Cully.

It is a Propofition as demonftrable as any in Euclid, that heavy Taxes must naturally deftroy this or any other trading populous Nation, which depends greatly on its own Manufactures. Yet neither the fmall Vulgar nor the Great can comprehend this Truth. If France can maintain her Manufacturer, in proper Provinces, at Ten Pounds per Annum, when ours muft coft Twenty, and if the Value of 30 l. in Wool will employ at least fix Perfons, at a Medium, per Annum, the English Account will ftand thus, For Wool 30%. for Work 120. Total, 150l. The French may ftated thus, For Wool, 401. for Work, 60 l.

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Total, 100l. fo that the French may fell Wares of equal Goodness at 100l. which we shall not be able to fell under 150 l. and this upon a Suppofition too, that they pay 20 l. for one third Part of their Quantity of Wool, which costs us only 10 l. Thus if we fuppofe that they use two Thirds of their own Growth, they can afford to give for what they buy from us, or from Ireland, double the Price of our Market, and yet fell fo much cheaper than we can, as is already stated.

Our Manufacturers make a Noife about the running of Wool, and about that only, as if this were their only Evil. They are affifted in their Clamour, and mifled in their Reasoning, by those whofe Business it is to raise a Duft, and to hide the true, the principal Cause of the Declenfion of the British Trade; that is of the British Grandeur.. This affigning non caufa pro caufa, is (when it can *pafs upon People) the moft dangerous Kind of Sophiftry; the Principle being falfe, the falfe Deductions from it may be numberless.

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If a Mafter-Weaver, who returns Twenty Thoufand Pounds a Year in his Trade, fhould complain that Wool is rifen Ten per Cent. by clandeftine Exportation, and that the Manufacturer is ruined by it; it would be in vain to tell him, that there is a fingle Evil that prejudices his Manufacture in a much greater Degree: He would laugh at me, as an ignorant Pretender, to prefume to be wifer than a Man in his own Trade. And yet I may venture to fay, that the Duty on Soap and Candles is an heavier Clog on the Manufacture, than any probable Advance in the Price of the unwrought Commodity can amount to. But here is the Difference, the Mafter knows when he pays an advanced Price for Wool, but he forgets

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forgets that he pays the Candle-Tax in the Wages of the Workman.

I do not mean upon the Whole, that France will be able to cut us out from every particular Branch or Article of the Woollen Manufacture. I doubt not that we are in Poffeffion of a Manufacture of fome Sorts both of Cloths and Stuffs, which they cannot equal; efpecially without the Help of our Wool, or that of Ireland. But then this must be admitted, that tho' we could totally cut off the clandeftine Exportation, yet the French would ftill be able to increase in the Manufacture of vaft Quantities of coarse Goods; and let us remember, that tho' a Yard of fine Cloth may be worth a Guinea, yet the Proportion of that Export is but fmall. It is the Cloathing of the Millions that makes Millions of Money; and if the French are to fupplant us in foreign Markets for the Sale of coarfe Goods, tho' perhaps the Fountain of our Wealth will not be quite exhaufted, yet I fear it will run miferably low. It is idle to fay, that their coarse Manufactures will not be as good as ours, if they fell at a lower Price, that will more than compenfate the Difference. The Multitude do not affect the niceft Goods, they are glad to be warm at a cheap Rate, and I think our Merchants have faid fomething like this in their Complaints of the Irish Trade to Lisbon. They fay, that the Irish Goods are not comparable to ours, but because they can underfel us, they have a ready Market, while ours lye unfold upon the Factors Hands.

It would be proper to apply this Complaint against Ireland, to France, and to Pruffia too; for the Pruffian has fupplanted us very lately in our Trade to Muscovy, to the Value of many Thou

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fand Pounds a Year for coarfe Cloathing for the Ruffian Armies. Does all this depend on the Running of Wool from home? Has the Almighty given fleecy Sheep only to England and Ireland? We may poffibly hinder Foreigners from getting our Wool, but what Act of Parliament fhall prevent their working up their own? Why do not we make a Law to forbid their Grafs to grow, and to intercept their Sun-fhine.

Nothing but the true Foundation of the Growth of the Wealth of private Dealers, can make a trading Nation flourish. We must fell great Quantities, and that cannot happen unless we fell at least as cheap as our Neighbours: It is easy to fee, that we cannot effect this, while we are plunged in Debt: It is no Wonder that we are thus in Debt, fince, after our devouring Land War, we continue to fupport a great Army at home and abroad ever fince; and that by Taxes which were half devoured by those who collected. them. It is natural for People to flock out of the Mortgaged-Kingdom to America, France or Holland, or any other Place where their Industry may feed and cloath them, which it cannot at home And thus (just as it happens in the Cafe of private Perfons) the Increase of the Nation's Debt occafions the Decrease of the Means of paying it. The Lofs of the Nation by maintaining a great Army, is not yet fufficiently ftated, befides the pofitive Lofs of paying them, there is alfo a negative Lofs of at least 200,000 l. per Annum, which they would and ought to get, if they were left to labour for their Subfiftence,

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