encouraging the culture of hemp and flax at home, would be more fuccefsful, than for encouraging the culture in America, where the price of labour is exceffively high, not to talk of the freight *? The encouragement given to foreign linen-yarn, by taking off the duty on importation, is a measure that greatly concerns Britain; and how far falutary, shall be strictly examined, after ftating fome preliminary observations. The first is, That as the price of our own commodities can never rise above that of foreign commodities fold here, the price of imported linen must regulate the price of home-made linen. The next is, That tho' the duty on importation is paid by the merchant at the first instance, he relieves himself of it, by raising the price on the purchaser; which of course raises the price of the fame fort of goods made at home;

:

* Between the mother-country and her colonies the following rule ought to be facred, That with respect to commodities wanted, each of them should prefer the other before all other nations. Britain fhould take from her colonies whatever they can furnish for her use; and they should take from Britain whatever she can furnish for their use. In a word, every thing regarding commerce ought to be reciprocal, and equal between them. To bar a colony from accefs to the fountain-head for commodities that cannot be furnished by the mother-country but at fecond-hand, is oppreffion it is fo far degrading the colonists from being free fubjects to be flaves. What right, for example, has Britain to prohibit her colonies from purchasing tea or porcelane at Canton, if they can procure it cheaper there than in London? No connection between two nations can be fo intimate, as to make fuch restraint an act of justice. Our legislature however have acted like a stepmother to her American colonies, by prohibiting them to have any commerce but with Britain only. They muft land first in Britain all their commodities, even what are not intended to be fold there; and they must take from Britain, not only its own product, but every foreign commodity that is wanted. This regulation is not only unjust but impoli tic; as by it the intereft of the colonies in general is facrificed to that of a few London merchants. Our legislature have at last so far opened their eyes, as to give a partial relief. Some articles are permitted to be carried directly to the place of deftination, without being first entered in Britain, wheat for example, rice, &c.

and

and accordingly a duty on importation is in effect a bounty to our own manufacturers. A third obfervation is, That the price of our linen-cloth ought to be divided between the fpinner and the weaver, in fuch proportion as to afford bread to both. If the yarn be too high, the weaver is undone; and if too low, the fpinner is undone. This was not attended to, when, for encouraging our spinners, a duty of three pence was laid on every pound of imported linen-yarn; which had the effect to raise the price of our own yarn beyond what the weaver could afford. This mystery being unvailed, the duty was first lowered to two pence, and then to a penny: our spinners had tolerable bread, and our weavers were not oppreffed with paying too high a price for yarn.

Some patriotic gentlemen, who had more zeal than knowledge, finding the linen-manufacture benefited by the feveral reductions of the duty, rafhly concluded, that it would be ftill more benefited by a total abolition of the duty. The penny accordingly was taken off (a), and linen-yarn was permitted to be imported duty-free; which, if matters had continued as at the date of the act, would have left us not a fingle spinner by profeffion; because it would have reduced the price of our yarn below what could afford bread to the spinner. Lucky it has been for our linen-manufacture, that the German war, which foon followed, fufpended all their manufactures, and spinning in particular; which proved a favourable opportunity for diffufing widely the art of fpinning, and for making our fpinners more and more dexterous. And yet, now that the war is at an end, it is far from being certain, that our yarn can be afforded as cheap as what is imported from Silefia. We have good authority for afferting, that the English fpinners have fuffered by that ftatute: from the books of many parishes it appears, that foon after the ftatute, a number of wo

(a) 29° George II.

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men,

men, who had lived by spinning, became a burden upon the parish. One thing is evident, that as spinning is the occupation of females who cannot otherwise be fo usefully employ'd, and as more hands are required for spinning than for weaving, the former is the more valuable branch of the manufacture. It ought then to be the peculiar concern of our legíflature, not to destroy that branch by impolitic regulations. And yet very little attention feems to have been given to the public intereft, in paffing the act under confideration. Why was it not enquired into, whether the intended reduction of the price of yarn, would leave bread to the British fpinner? The refult of that enquiry would have been fatal to the intended act; for it would have been clearly feen, that the Scotch spinner could not make bread by her work, far less the English. Other particulars ought also to have been fuggested to the legislature, that flax-fpinning is of all occupations the fittest for women of a certain class, confined within finall houses; that a flax-wheel requires lefs fpace than a wheel for wool; and that the toughness of British flax makes it excel for fail-cloth, dowlas, ticking, and fheeting. The British spinner might, in a British statute, have expected the caft of the scale, had it been but a halfpenny per pound on importation.

At the fame time, why fhould there be any inconfiftency in our commercial regulations, when the wifest heads of the nation are employ'd about them? Flax rough or undreffed, being a rude material, is imported duty-free, but dreffed flax pays a high duty; both of them calculated for encouraging our own manufacturers. Behold now a flat inconfiftency: tho' dreffed flax, for the reason given, pays a high duty; yet when by additional labour it is converted into yarn, it pays no duty. How abfurd is this! Further, foreign yarn is not only made welcome duty-free, but even receives a bounty when converted into linen, and exported to our plantations. Have we no reason to be afraid, that fuch indul

gence

gence to foreign yarn will deprive us of foreign rough flax? The difference of bulk and freight will determine the Germans to fend us nothing but their yarn, and equally determine our importers to commiffion that commodity only.

Goods imported, if subjected to a duty, are generally of the best kind; because the duty bears a less proportion to fuch than to meaner forts. The best French wines are imported into Britain, where the duty is higher than in any other country. For that reason, the best linen-yarn was imported while the duty fubfifted; but now the German yarn is forted into different kinds, of which the worst is reserved for the English market.

Regulations concerning the exportation of commodities formerly imported, come next in order. And for encouraging fuch exportation, one method practifed with fuccefs, is, to restore to the merchant the whole or part of the duty paid at importation; which is termed a drawback. This in particular is done with refpect to tobacco; which by that means can be afforded to foreigners at two pence halfpenny per pound, when the price at home is eight pence halfpenny. But by an omiffion in the act of parliament, a drawback is only given for raw tobacco; which bars the exportation of fnuff or manufactured tobacco, as foreigners can underfell us five-and-thirty per cent. Tobacco being an article of luxury, it was well judged in our legislature to lay a heavier duty on what is confumed at home, than on what is exported. Upon the fame principle, the duty that is paid on the importation of coffee and cocoa from our American plantations, is wholly drawn back when exported (a). But as China earthen ware is not intitled to any encouragement from us, and as it is an article of luxury, it gets no drawback, even when exported to America (7° George III. cap. 46.). The exporter of rice from Britain, first imported from

(a) 7° George III. cap. 46.

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America,

America, is intitled to draw back but half the duty paid on importation. Rice imported duty-free might rival our wheat-crop. But the whole duty ought to be drawn back on exportation: it ought to be afforded to our neighbours at the lowest rate, partly to rival their wheat-crop, and partly to encourage our rice-colonies.

Tobacco is an article of luxury; and it is well ordered, that it fhould come dearer to us than to foreigners. But every wife administration will take the oppofite fide with respect to articles that concern our manufactures. Quickfilver pays upon importation a duty of about 8 d. per pound; 7d. of which is drawn back upon exportation. The intention of the drawback was to encourage the commerce of quickfilver; without adverting, that to afford quickfilver to foreign manufacturers cheaper than to our own, is a grofs blunder in commercial politics. Again, when quickfilver is manufactured into vermilion or fublimate, no drawback is allowed; which effectually bars, their exportation: we ought to be afhamed of fuch an abfurdity. In the reign of Queen Elifabeth, dyers were prohibited to ufe logwood, which was ordered to be openly burnt. But the English dyers having acquired the art of fixing colours made of logwood, it was permitted to be imported (a), every ton paying on importation L. 5; L.4 of which was to be drawn back upon exportation. That law, made in the days of ignorance, was intended to encourage the commerce of logwood; and had that effect: but the blunder of difcouraging our own manufactures, by furnishing logwood cheapcr to our rivals, was overlooked. Both articles were put upon a better footing (b), giving a greater encouragement to the commerce of logwood, by allowing it to be imported duty-free; and

(a) A&t 13. & 14. Charles II. cap. 11. § 26. 27.

(b) A 80 George I. c. 14

by