THE CASE Fairly Stated between the
TURKY
Company AND THE
Italian
Merchants.
By a MERCHANT.
LONDON.
Printed in the Year 1720.
THE CASE Fairly Stated between the
TURKY
Company AND THE
Italian
Merchants.
T HE
Turky
Company wou'd be but ill Charg'd with so much Art in the Conduct of their Trade, if they were capable of using no Art in the Defence of it.
No Man can charge them with want of Cunning in what they now push at, and had they us'd as much Honesty in their Argument as they shew Art in their Design, some plain Questions and Answers wou'd bring us all to the End of the Dispute; and the House of Lords had not had the Trouble of this Act.
The Papers they have hitherto publish'd, have generally aim'd at two Things, and both of them seem to be unfair, and something sophistical: I am loth to call it Shuffling, with respect to the Persons of the Gentlemen concern'd; but Necessity obliges me to say, That what they offer, evidently looks one Way but means another; the specious Pretences they make for the publick Good of Trade, Encouragement of Manufactures, and the like, are only Covers to conceal the grand End of separate Interest; which, 'tis manifest, is the Thing they aim at.
1. They pretend in their Papers, to advocate for the Good of their Country, against the Encouragement given by the
Italian
Merchant to the
French,
to sell their Cloth in
Turky,
by taking off the Raw Silk, which is the Return; whereas really, they are in their Capacity as a Company, the Reason of all the Encouragement the
French
meet with in the
Turky
Trade; and if it were not for the ill Conduct of the
Turky
Company, the
French
wou'd have no Silk to sell, nor vend any Cloth in
Turky
worth naming.
2. They pretend, that the supporting the
Turky
Company is the Interest of the Trade; whereas their being a Company, in the Sense of their present Management, is the great Obstruction of the Trade; and will, if not restrain'd, be the Ruin of it.
In their Papers, therefore, it is evident, they aim (1.) at suppressing the
Italian
Merchant's Trade to
Turky;
and (2.) at engrossing the Trade of selling Cloth in
Turky,
and of Silk in
England,
in order to imposing their own Price upon the Buyers of Cloth Abroad, and the Manufacturers of Silk at Home. Both which would, if obtain'd, effectually declare them a Monopoly, in the grossest Sense of that Word.
Their Oppressions Abroad, their unfair Dealings with the Merchants, who from
Leghorn
interfere, as they call it, with their Trade; their By-Laws, their arbitrary Proceedings upon them, and all the rest of their ill Conduct, they give up, and seem to plead Guilty to them all, so they can but get this Bill.
With so much Eagerness they push for this Bill, that they not only manag'd their Introduction into it with the utmost Art, and push'd it on with unweary'd Application, to hinder their Books being look'd into, but they said they were willing to consent to any future Laws, to limit, nay, even to punish their Exorbitance, so they may but be indulg'd with the Advantages they drive at in this Bill.
In a Word, they were in such a Passion for this darling Bill, that they are willing to give up their Reputation as a Company, submit to all the Parliament may think fit to do with them, or all the Punishment that may be inflicted upon them, provided they may but save THIS BILL.
It is their own Expression in one of their Cases:
Possibly the
Turky
Company may have committed Faults, and made unfitting By-Laws: If they have done both, yet
THIS BILL
may be necessary.
And in another Place,
All that can be objected against the
Turky Company,
may be remedy'd by a
BILL
in another Parliament, and they may take
ANOTHER TIME
for the remedying of it. If a Company oppresses, the Parliament may curb and restrain it by
FUTURE LAWS. And the like.
I wou'd not treat the Company with Indecency, but this seems to me to be little more than that of a Man detected of a grievous Trespass, craving Leave for an immediate Power to oppress and injure his Neighbour, and putting off the Examination and Punishment of his own Crime to another Season; as if the remedying the Grievance on one side, had not the same Justice in it, and did not call for the same Concern of the Publick to rectify, as the other. I might have illustrated this by a more severe Simily, if I were willing to carry Things to the heighth.
But let us take these Gentlemen in their own Way, and use their own Words, as above:
Possibly the Company have committed Faults, and made unfitting By-Laws:
It is most certain they have, (and I inter what I believe every one will grant,
viz.
) Therefore it is not reasonable, those that have already abus'd their Power, shou'd be now enabled to abuse it farther. And I humbly hope that the Nature of the Companies By-Laws and Orders may be inspected.
What they now ask, is neither more or less, than to have a Power granted them to oppress and injure the Traders to
Turky
by way of
Italy;
who, they grant already, they have injur'd and oppress'd. As to the Bill they demand, the Nature of it shall presently appear, when the Fraud of the Design is more effectually laid open. Something extraordinary must sure be the Case, that these Men are so very earnest to have the Examination of the Conduct of the
Turky
Company put off; it is a shrewd Suspicion of Guilt, when Men are so extraordinary shy of coming to an Examination; see how it runs thro' all their Arguings:
If the Bill passes,
say they again,
the Conduct of the
Turky Company,
all their
By-Laws,
and
even their
Charter,
if lyable to any just Exceptions, may be examin'd afterwards by Parliament.
Very good, and why not now? Why must not the Parliament be allow'd to examine Now into their Conduct, their By-Laws, their Oppressions, their arbitrary Proceedings, and their Charter, if lyable to Exceptions, as there is some Reason to believe they all are?
Nor is the examining into these Things so incongruous to the Bill depending as they would insinuate: I alledge, and undertake to make it appear, that the Bill they seek cannot be rational, if the other Conduct of the Company is fully examin'd into; and therefore it is not at all unreasonable to demand, that both be enter'd into together; 'tis a great Mistake to say, that the Conduct of the Company has no Relation to this Bill. On the contrary, if the Company have misbehav'd, if they have oppress'd and injur'd the Fair-Traders, if their by-Laws are unjust, and they are a real Monopoly, and ablove all, if they seek to be able to act as a Monopoly by Virtue of this Bill, then 'tis absolutely necessary to examine their Conduct before this Bill should pass.
As for Example.
If this Bill in its Nature tends to making the Company a Monopoly; if it is evident, that in soliciting
this Bill,
they aim at a Power to monopolize; if it appears, that
this Bill,
if pass'd, will put that Power into their Hands: Then, with humble Submission to the House, it is absolutely necessary to examine into the Abuse of the Power they have, and the Reason of the Power they seek, and of their seeking it, and all before this Bill be suffer'd to pass.
And what can it be, but this plain Dependance of these Things, one upon another, that makes these Men so backward to have their Conduct examin'd? But that they are sensible, that if the House should ransack their Behaviour and the Use they have made of the Powers and Privileges which they have been entrusted with, they would see very good Reason to consider well of it before they entrusted them any farther.
Nor is this an unjust or an unfair Reflection, because we that are oppress'd by the Company, and have Reason, feelingly, to mention the Abuse of the Powers they have been entrusted with, have much more Reason than other Men to conclude what Use they would make of it, if farther Powers were committed to them as a Company.
And here, because I am necessarily to enter with Plainness and Freedom upon the Detecting a general Scheme of Fraud and Injustice, which evidently seems to run thro' the whole Course of this Matter, and that, as above, much less Honesty than Art shews itself in the earnest Solicitations which are and have been made for this Bill, I must be allow'd to distinguish between the Gentlemen concern'd in their personal and private Capacities, and in their Capacities as a Company.
In their former Capacities, I have nothing in the least to say; here is no personal Satyr intended, nor do I direct any Reflection, in this Affair, to this or that particular Man. There are, without Doubt, many worthy and honourable Persons in the
Turky
Company.
But their Conduct, as a Company, is another Thing; and no Man's private Reputation is concern'd in it; and yet I must acknowledge my self to be of the same Mind which King
Charles
IId gave as his Opinion to a certain Lord Mayor of
London,
(
viz.
) That it was not possible for a Man to act in a Society with the same Honesty and Jussice as in their separate and private Capacities; but that all Societies and Companies were Tyrants and Oppressors by the Nature of the Thing.
Having made these Postulata with the Gentlemen-Members of the Company, as private Persons, I shall, with the more Freedom, speak to their Behaviour as a Company.
I have mention'd how strange it is that these Gentlemen should be so very Earnest for this Bill, and for its passing, without enquring into their Conduct. I shall now unravel this Mystery, and lay it open to the World; and when I have done so, the Wonder will cease.
1. The first Reason is, because enquiring into their past Conduct, will necessarily discover the True, but conceal'd Design of
the Bill.
2. It will discover the Reason for endeavouring to obtain it.
3. It will discover the Consequences of it, if obtain'd.
That the Discovery of any, or of all these Things, would most effectually overthrow the Bill, seems reasonable for me to conclude, from the Knowledge I have of the certain Application of the House of Peers, to detecting all clandestine Measures, Projects, and Attempts, couch'd under the specious Pretence of Right, Property, Publick Good, and the like; by which the Subjects are frequently impos'd upon, the Publick abus'd, and private Persons injur'd.
It will be impossible the House can see the exact Connection that there is between the former Conduct of that Company and the Attempt couch'd under the Cover of
this Bill,
and not see how artfully they seek to protect their past ill Conduct, by obtaining an Authority for worse; and to support the Oppressions of their former Measures, by enlarging them in those they should now get Power to act by. To bring this Home to the Point in Discute, that is to say,
the Bill.
The Pretences of the Bill are specious, (
viz.
)
1. That the Raw Silk which the
Italian
Merchants import from
Leghorn,
is
French,
and the Return for their
French
Cloths sold in
Turky.
2. That the Quantity of the said Silk imported into
England
is very great.
3. That it is injurious to the
Turky
Trade.
If these Things were really so, every Man should grant the Consequence at the first Word, (
viz.
) that
the Bill was necessary,
which is what they alledge.
But, as was said in one of the
Italian
Merchant's Cases, These Things would go a
great Way in the Charge;
but for one Misfortune
attending them, which is,
that
they happen not to be TRUE.
The chiefest Evidence they bring of it, is, That in the Years 1714 and 1715, a very great Quantity of Raw Silk was bought in
France,
brought to
Leghorn,
and shipp'd to
England.
Now, tho' I should grant this, that in those two Years a great deal of
French
Raw Silk was brought from
Marseilles,
yet that will neither prove that it has been so in other Years, or that it can ever happen so again: Nor if it were to happen again, can they argue from it any Advantage to the
French
Trade, or Disadvantage to the
English,
but just the contrary, as will appear in the following Heads:
1. From the Reason and Occasion of the
French
Merchants having that great Quantity of Raw Silk upon their Hands at that Time (
viz.
) That they had a Prospect of an open Trade with
England
for their Wrought Silks,
the Treaty of Commerce being then on foot here;
Which failing, and the Alteration of their Coin happening at the same Time, they were oblig'd to sell off the Silk Raw at a very great Loss; so that half the Banquiers of
Paris,
half the Banquiers of
Lions,
and almost all the Merchants at
Marseilles
were ruin'd by it, and became Bankrupt, having lost above one third of the Value of their Capital Stock. If this be the Way that the
Italian
Merchants shall always encourage the
French
Trade, the
French
will have little to boast of, and the
Levant
Company little to complain of.
2. It is well known that the
French
did not receive that great Quantity of Silk, which was then upon their Hands, in Return for Cloth, or any Manufactures; all the Cloth that cou'd have been in
France
cou'd not have purchas'd it; but they sent away Ready Money, and bought up such a Quantity,
upon the Prospect
of Advantage by the Treaty of Commerce in
England, as above;
the Disappointment of which was the Ruin of so many Merchants there.
3. When the Raw Silk in
France
was thus cheap, and bought by us so much to their Loss, it was greatly wanted in
England;
and the Price in
January
17 14/15, refus'd by
Turky
Merchants here was 30
s.
and 32
s.
per lb.
and there was not Silk enough to be had in
England
to employ our Weavers, or to carry on our own Silk Manufacture;
so that
at this Time, which these Men dwell so much upon, the Importation of
French Turky
Silk, was infinitely the Advantage of our Trade, and in Proportion ruinous to
France.
And the Silk so Imported was about
June
1715 sold to our Manufacturers in
London,
at 23
s.
And the Price will be always kept low, so long as there can be two Importations.
This sufficiently answers the great Importation in the Years 1714, 1715, on which these Men insist so much; and proves that it was a Circumstance of Trade which can never happen again; and if ever it shou'd, wou'd, every Bale of it, be an incredible Advantage to
England,
and a Disadvantage to
France.
And 'tis hop'd that an extraordinary Case, which can never in the ordinary Course of Trade happen again, will not be look'd upon a sufficient Reason to break into an Act, which is the support of our Navigation.
That it cannot be thus now, is plain, and the
Italian
Merchants have made it appear so, by the Calculation of the Price of Silk at
Leghorn
and at
London;
which generally is, and for the last three Years has been, from 1
s.
6
d.
to 2
s.
6
d. per lb.
cheaper in
London
than at
Leghorn;
which is a sure Rule to judge by, why this Importation cannot be considerable; for that Merchants never extend or continue a Trade that they cannot carry on but to Loss. Nor, indeed, can there ever be any considerable Importation of Raw Silk from
Leghorn,
but when the
Turky
Company, by their oppressive Limitations, and other monopolizing Arts, restrain or with-hold the Importation of a Quantity sufficient for the Market, on purpose to advance the Price for their private Gain. And this Engrossing is so easy to them, such a Grievance to Trade, and so injurious to our Manufactures in
England,
that even the Possibility of their doing so is an unanswerable Reason against their Bill, and proves, that it not only is not NECESSARY, as they pretend, but that it is absolutely necessary their Power of imposing upon the Market, as above, should be restrain'd.
The
second Head,
is the Quantity which they pretend is Imported, to which the
Turky
Merchants have annex'd no Evidence, expecting to be taken upon their Words. This Quantity they alledge to be about an hundred Bales a Year; but this the
Italian
Merchants deny, and appeal to the Custom-House Books for their Proof: Also they have prov'd, at the House of Commons, that in the current Year, all the Raw Silk imported at
Leghorn
from
France,
amounts to no more than thirty six Bales: And that
Italy,
for expence of their own Silk Manufacture, annually uses two or three hundred Bales of
Turky
Raw Silk.
The last is, That this is injurious to the
Turky
Trade; and this they explain two Ways:
1. That it is the Return of the
French
Cloths sold in
Turky,
and consequently assists the
French
in their Sale of Cloth in
Turky.
2. That it ruins the Market for the
Turky
Raw Silk here at
London,
by sinking the Price of it so, as to make the Merchant lose by his Goods, or keep them on his Hands unsold.
The
first
is incumbent on the
Levant
Company to prove, which they only barely asserted; when, on the contrary, the
Italian
Merchants prov'd, that from
Leghorn,
according to the constant course of Trade, all the
Turky
Raw Silk imported from
Italy,
was the Return of
English
Manufactures: And to this they offer'd to call Merchants who had resided there for these Forty Years last past.
To the
second,
the
Italian
Merchants say, That the affording all Commodities to our Manufactures cheap, is a General Benefit; and the Importing them dear, will make our Neighbours under-sell us.
Now, neither of these being true, as above, how will it appear that this Trade is injurious to the
Turky
Trade from and to
England.
The Appearance of these Things being thus, and all these Pretences for the Bill being thus repeal'd and expos'd, it leads me to the original Design of the
Turky
Merchant's pushing this Affair so warmly, and to enquire what must be the true Reasons for their desiring the Bill to stop the Importation of so small a Quantity of Raw Silk, as,
communibus annis,
is brought into
England
from
Leghorn.
And this Question necessarily carries me back to view the State of the
Turky
Trade, which I shall study to do as clearly and with as much Brevity as I have done the
French.
The Trade to
Turky
is carry'd on in a Company; their Charter, their Privileges, their Manner of carrying on their Trade is known. The Number of Persons concern'd in their Trade, or Free of their Company, is great; they tell us, they are above Two Hundred; and others may, and indeed all, even the
Italian
Merchants themselves, may be Free of this Company, paying the usual Fine at their Admission, and taking the Freedom of the City also.
But, I suppose, it will not be contended, that the Gross of the Trade to
Turky
is carry'd on by a very few Men, and even of those few, a yet fewer Number have the governing Influence of the Trade, and can go far, very far, to limit the rest by their Interest, to Ship or not to Ship, Trade or not to Trade, as their Quantities of Goods, Abroad or at Home, want a Market, or want a Price.
And as this is an Article which renders the Company a most effectual Monopoly, when they make Use of it; so it is evident, that it is but a little while since they did effectually make Use of it, to the great Injury of the Trade; and this Power, together with an Oath every Merchant must take, if he will come in to be Free of this Company, and which subjects him to be subject to such monopolizing Arts as those, is the Reason why the
Italian
Merchants have always declin'd the Company, and carry'd on their Trade to
Turky
by the Way of
Leghorn.
In Favour of this Trade, which, as it is a fair and just Branch of Commerce, and was found to be very considerable; but above all, as it was found to be a just Check upon the
Turky
Company, and calculated to prevent the Encroachment they were always apt to run into for their private Ends, to the Injury of the
English
Trade and Art of Navigation, a Law particularly calculated for the Encouragement of Trade, and the Encrease of our Shipping, thought fit, by a Clause on Purpose, to make Provision for the Trade of the said
Italian
Merchants, and that they shou'd be allow'd to import the
Asiatick
Goods by Way of
Leghorn.
And here, I must say, lies the whole Stress of the Bill now depending: It is this Trade to
Turky,
by the Way of
Leghorn,
that the
Turky
Merchants push at. The bringing some
French
Raw Silk by Accident, and on an extraordinary Occasion, when it may be very cheap in
France,
and very dear in
England;
this is made the specious Pretence, but is nothing in the Case; it is the
Italian
Merchant's Trading to
Turky, Viâ Leghorn,
that is the Grievance. This is that they shoot at, tho' they set up the other as a Blind.
To clear themselves of this, and if they would have the House believe them to be as good Patriots as they pretend, why do they not declare openly, that they desire nothing but to prevent the bringing in
Turky
Raw Silk bought of the
French,
that the
French
may not be encourag'd to carry on the
Turky
Trade to their Disadvantage, and to send greater Quantities of
French
Cloth to
Turky,
and the like?
Had this been the real and only Thing they had sought, what Need had they to strike at the Root of the
Italian
Trade, which is so much more considerable and advantageous than their own? Why Petition for the Repeal of a Clause, which admits them to bring Home the Returns of their Trade to
Turky?
Why had they not only pray'd, that an ACT might pass to prohibit Raw Silk from
France
being imported by Way of
Leghorn?
in which all the
Italian
Merchants would readily have concurr'd, and are still ready to do it.
Or, on the other hand, if they were not asham'd at thus publickly aiming to monopolize both the Cloth Trade in
Turky,
and the Silk Trade in
England;
I say, if they were not asham'd of such an open Attempt to engross an exclusive Trade, and that they could think a House of Commons, the Guardians of Liberty, could be capable of being brought into such an Invasion of the Liberties of Trade, why did they not petition fairly, That the
Italian
Merchants might not carry
English;
Cloths, and Tin into
Turky Viâ Leghorn;
or, in a Word, that, if they did, they should not be allow'd to bring back the Returns of it into
England.
This had been, indeed, to have acted with less Cunning, but with more Honesty, than to aim and strike fairly at this Prohibition, under Pretence of prohibiting bringing in
French Turky
Silk; a Thing, which, as it is prov'd, is seldom done, so it is plain it can never be done, but to our Advantage, and the Loss of the
French
Merchants;
unless it be,
as above,
when the
Turky
Merchants have put the Dice upon
the Market,
and rais'd the Price to an unreasonable and injurious Heighth;
and then the Refuge of a
French
Market, or of any other Market, would be but a Justice to the Manufactures, and a just Check upon the Engrossers.
It seems necessary, in the next Place, to give a short State of this
By-Trade,
as they would call it, from
Italy
to
Turky,
or from
England
to
Turky,
by Way of
Italy.
The
Turky
Merchants take much Pains to represent this Article as very small and inconsiderable; but why then do they not propose to the Parliament, that in the Bill they solicit for, a Clause be reserv'd for leaving this little, small, inconsiderable Trade entirely free, and its Returns free to be brought Home? If it be small, the Damage to them must likewise be small: Why is it so hotly oppos'd and attack'd, if it were really so small and inconsiderable, as they represent it? I can answer for the
Italian
Merchants, that they would not have struggled with them for the preserving it; and even the Opposition made to them by the
Italian
Merchants, is an Evidence to all the World, that it is very far from being a small and inconsiderable Trade.
By this very Thing the whole Quarrel may be decided: If the
Turky
Merchants aim only at, and desire only the preventing the bringing
French Turky
Silk hither, and are willing to leave the
Italian
Trade to
Turky,
and back to
England,
by the Way of
Leghorn,
open, as it always was, let them say so; ask for that, and the
Italian
Merchants will heartily join with them; but, while they thus push at one Thing, under Pretence of another, they most plainly discover what they endeavour to conceal.
It is meet, therefore, to put this Affair in a clear Light. The
Italian
Merchants Trade to
Turky
by Way of
Leghorn,
is far from being small or inconsiderable; they export and sell in
Turky
from 40 to 50 Thousand Pounds a Year in
English
Cloth, and in Tin, Lead,
&c.
a considerable Sum, and they bring back the Returns of it to
Leghorn.
Great Part of those Returns being sold in
Italy,
the Produce of which must be clear Gain to the Publick Stock of
Great Britain,
it would be very hard, if they should be deny'd the Privilege of
English
Men, and of bringing Home the rest to sell in their own Country, as Markets may present.
Except in the Cases already mention'd, they bring no Silk from
Marseilles,
and nothing but the Exorbitances of the
Turky
Company imposing upon the Markets, as before, can make it practicable. If the House thinks fit, even to prevent it under those Exorbitances, they submit it wholly to the Wisdom of Parliament; but they humbly hope they have a Right of Property, in common with the rest of his Majesty's faithful Subjects, to bring back, and vend in open Market, the Returns of the
English
Woollen Cloths, and other Products of their own Country, which they export, and without which they cannot carry on their Trade.
While the Company oppose so just a Request, how can they take it ill, that we say they are a dangerous Monopoly? and how can they clear themselves of the Charge, while they seek to be the only Exporters of Cloth to the whole
Turkish
Empire, and the only Importers of Raw Silk to the King's Dominions? Is it not plain, that in this Case they would consult their own Advantages rather than the Demands or Occasions of the Manufacturers?
This is the Article the Company visibly press for; and it cannot be deny'd but it is of great Consequence to them, that is to say, to them personally, and as a Company: but the more it is so, of the more fatal Consequence would it be to the Trade in general, seeing they would, as above, put their own Price upon their Woollen Cloth at home, to the Impoverishing, if not Destruction of the Manufacturer; and their own Price upon their Silk at Home: Nor would it weigh with them, that by this Conduct they would lessen the Consumption of
English
Cloth in
Turky;
and, to hold it up to a Price, for their private Gain, keep it always scarce at Market, forbidding their Members in
England
to ship but in general Ships, sometimes once a Year, sometimes once in two Years, or more, as they think fit; without regarding, that by this Means there would be many Thousands of Cloths less exported than the Markets would otherwise carry off, to the irreparable Damage and Discouragement of Woollen Manufactures, and the Encouragement of the
French;
and the Ruin of the Clothiers, who, when they had made large Quantities of Cloth for the
Turky
Trade, must be oblig'd to keep them on Hand, or, perhaps, sell them under Price to two or three rich money'd Men, who make Use of the Necessities of the poor Clothiers for that very Advantage; all which still proclaims them a Sett of Monopolizers, in the worst Sense of the Word.
And this very Practice throws another Charge back upon them, which they never can get off from, and which they now endeavour to put upon the
Italian
Merchants,
viz.
That whereas they alledge, that the
Italian
Merchants are the Supporter of the
French
Trade to
Turky,
(the contrary of which is manifest,) the
Turky
Company, by not duly supplying the Markets, by laying Mulcts and Restraints upon the
English
Cloth which comes there by Way of
Leghorn,
by swearing their Factors and Servants not to sell any of their Goods, but for present Payment; whereas the
French
give Credit, where there is any Certainty or Security of being paid. By these, I say, and many such like Methods, they are themselves the Encouragers, and, indeed, the Supporters of the
French
Trade to
Turky,
who, on the contrary, were the Markets constantly and fully supply'd, and proper Measures for Trade pursu'd, as would be, if the Trade were open'd, as it might be, would not be able to vend one quarter Part of the Cloth which they now sell there. I do not mean by this, totally to lay open the
Turky
Trade, but humbly hope your Lordships, in your great Wisdom, will put it on the foot the
Russia
Company was, by an Act of the 11th of King
William
and Queen
Mary;
and I do believe such an Act would effectually drive the
French
out of the
Turky
Trade, and have the same effect that had,
viz.
That instead of six or seven Sail of Ships the then
Russia
Company annually employ'd, and the now
Turky
Company annually employs, the next Year the
Russia
Merchants sent 40 Sail of Ships, and do now annually employ above a hundred and twenty, and our
English
Manufactories are now carry'd to Places where before they were never so much as heard of: And this would be the Case of the
Turky
Trade, were the
Levant
Company regulated by a like Act of Parliament; and the Honour of the
English
Nation kept up with a much less Charge on our Manufactures than it now is; for the Trade being more diffusive, half
per Cent.
instead of two, would be sufficient to defray the necessary National Charge.
So that, in a Word, it is the
Turky
Company who encourage the
French;
and many Ways this may be made out: As for Example, the 23
d
of
May,
1707, by laying a Mulct of five Dollars
per
Cloth on all
English
Cloth, which comes thither from
Leghorn,
when the
French
Cloth comes in Free, forbidding
English
Cloth from
Leghorn
to come in
English
Ships; but permitting
English
Ships to bring
French
and
Dutch
Cloth Free, as above. They tell us, if we
stop the
French
Silk from coming hither, we destroy them at once.
How can they impose this upon Mankind, when 'tis known, that all the Cloth the
French
Merchant can send to
Turky,
will not supply the Demand they have for Silk in
France?
But they buy a great deal with ready Money, as was the Case those two Years 1714 and 1715, when they lost so much Money by it, as almost ruin'd them all. And what must our poor Manufacturers have done in
England
in those two Years, had they not been supply'd by the
Italian
Merchant's buying that Silk cheap? Is it not evident their Goods must have cost them here 40
l. per Cent.
more than the
French
and
Italians
cou'd have imported them at; the Consequence of which must have been, that our
English
Manufacturers must have been starv'd, and Wrought Silks, from all our neighbouring Manufactories, instead of
Turky
Raw Silks, wou'd have been run in upon us from Abroad.
It is deny'd and has already been explain'd that
Turky
Raw Silk ever did or ever can come from
France
hither, by Way of
Leghorn,
in the ordinary Course of Trade: 'Tis plain, it can never come but when their Markets in
France
are so full, and so low, as that they must sell it to great Loss; or when our Markets, starv'd by the Cunning of the Company, are so extravagantly dear, that to reduce the Price will be our Gain; so that, in short, to bring the
Turky
Silk in either of those two Junctures, will be always to our Gain, and to the Loss of the
French.
And in which of these two lies the Advantage to
France,
I would fain have these Gentlemen answer.
But let us examine next, what Disadvantage the
Turky
Company can pretend to suffer from the
Italian
Trade: Can any Merchants complain of the Competitors, who cannot trade under them, but at a Disadvantage of 10 or 12
per Cent.
and, if they please, 20 or 30
per Cent.
unless Means can be found to evade the Force of their Impositions; it cannot be, the Advantage must lie somewhere else, and it is manifest it does so,
viz.
in the having Power, by an exclusive Trade, to impose other Rates and Prices upon the Markets Abroad and at Home, than they have ever yet been able to do: This it is they aim at, and this they find they can come at no other Way, but by putting a Stop to the Merchants sending Cloth to
Turky,
by Way of
Leghorn,
and bringing back the Silk to
London;
and this they cannot expect, but by perswading the World to believe, than which
nothing can be more false,
that this Silk comes from
France.
Again, to prove the Inconsistence of this Pretence, I would desire those Merchants to calculate the Price which this Silk costs the
French
Merchants in
Turky,
whether it be bought for Cloth or for Money; let them add to it the Charges of carrying first to
Marseilles,
then bringit from
Marseilles
to
Leghorn,
then shipping it again for
England,
Commission in all those Places, and Charges of sundry Sorts, also Insurance, and the like; and then let them take the Price in
France
and at
London,
at the same Time, and tell us if the
French
gain, or lose, by the Trade: If the
first,
let them prevent it, by such legal Methods as they shall think fit; If the
last,
which I affirm is true, what can be the Meaning of so warmly engaging against a Trade which the
French
lose Money by.
I observe, in several of the Cases given out by the
Turky
Company, they would be thought very popular, and claim it of the World, that they are the great Encouragers of the Woollen Manufacture, and that they not only export great Quantities, but that they take all proper Measures to encourage the Consumption of it in the Country whither they carry it.
But, were this true, how comes it, that there are so many By-Laws for the Discouraging any one to bring it thither but themselves; such as laying a Mulct, or Duty, of 25 Dollars
per
Bale, upon all the
English
Cloth that shall come by Way of
Leghorn,
not allowing it to be brought in
English
Ships, when, at the same Time,
as before,
the
Dutch
and
French
Cloth,
as I have observ'd already,
may come in
English
Bottoms; also forbidding their Factors there to sell any
English
Cloth, but for the Company, and the like.
Let any indifferent Person judge, whether this is encouraging, or whether it is not rather a visible Combination to discourage and destroy the Trade of our
English
Cloth in
Turky.
With what Assurance can these Men bring a Rabble of Packers and Cloth-Dressers, Clothiers, and Dyers, and other Mechanicks, up to the Door of the House to solicit in their Cause, as if the whole Manufacture was concern'd? which is making the poor ignorant Clothworkers and Manufacturers so many Soliciters against themselves, and bringing them to be Parties to their own Destruction, as Manufacturers.
So also they bring the Pewterers and Dealers in Tin; insinuating, that they are great Benefactors to the Tin-mines; supposing, perhaps, that this may have some Influence on such Members as represent the Stannary Towns, and who are suppos'd to have Estates in the Mines of Tin in the Counties of
Devon
and
Cornwal:
But are they so ignorant as to imagine, that the
Cornish
Gentlemen do not know that the
Italian
Merchants are much greater Exporters of Tin than the
Turky
Merchants, even to above double the Quantity, and that as well to
Turky
as
Italy?
Which Things if duly known, and if the
Italian
Merchants were as much enclin'd to make themselves popular, and needeed it as these Men do, would presently bring the Manufacturers, Dyers, Dealers in Tin, and the like, to appear on their Side, rather than on the other.
But I leave all these little Things, as Artifices too mean to be taken Notice of, and fit only to assist a bad Cause. I come next to enter into the Merit of this Question, with Regard to the Navigation. It must be of some Concern to let the World see how many Ways this Company, who value themselves so highly, are an Obstruction and Discouragement to our Navigation, and to the employing both Shipping and Seamen, even in this very Trade, in which they would pretend to recommend themselves.
They were indeed enquir'd of at the Bar of the House, how many Ships they employ'd to
Turky
in a Year, and tho' I hear they answer'd falsly, and said, Ten; which is more than they employ, and in some Years send none at all; yet, at best, what Number of Ships is this to boast of, or to give them any Claim to be Encouragers of Navigation?
On the other hand, the
Italian
Merchants alledge, That they hinder, by their Limitations upon the Trade, ten times more Ships being employ'd than all the Trade they carry on employs. Tho' they have all the Grand Seigniors Dominions for their Trade, the others only
Italy,
they employ 6 or 7 Ships a Year, the
Italian
Trade near 150, to 200, many of which lie mouldring in Port, while the
French
and other foreign Vessels (Thanks to the Company's By Laws and Restrictions) run away with all the Freights to
Turky,
whilst our Ships, for want of Employ as usual in the
Levant,
are oblig'd to return home Empty.
Which Way shall these Men be discours'd with? Let impartial Men but hear their Argument: How incoherent! How inconsistent with itself! If they talk of our Importation to
England,
'tis exceeding great. On the other hand, if they talk of our Exportation from
England,
'tis exceeding small, tho' we vend and send 40 or 50000
l.
a Year in
English
Cloth to
Turky,
by Way of
Leghorn,
If we speak of our Trade to
Turky,
they tell us, one Ship a Year will bring all our Returns, and there is not above 500 Cloths a Year brought into
Turky;
and yet, at the same Time, speak of our Returns as a Thing fatal to their Trade. To avoid the Absurdity of these Things, they insist and affirm, That the Silk we import, is from
France;
offering nothing to prove it, but their affirming positively, that it is so; the Credit of which the
Italian
Merchants desire to be excus'd, as to their giving any Weight to, and as positively deny it.
But there is a Way how the
Turky
Merchants may obtain all that they ask'd, and which, if it may be obtain'd, no Cloth will be carry'd to
Turky, Viâ Leghorn,
any more; and no Raw Silk be brought from
France, Viâ Leghorn,
any more; no Clamour against the
Turky
Company's being a Monopoly, will be made any more; no Interruption to our Navigation will be made by the Company more; but the Trade will flourish, the Company will be enrich'd, and the Nation also: And this is but by
laying open the Trade
to all Mankind, on the foot of the
Russia
Company, to trade freely and unconfin'd; to send out Ships when they will, and by what Ways they will; and every body being left to push their own Trade, there is no doubt but the Grand Seignior's Dominions, and the Kingdoms and Countries of
Persia, Georgia, Armenia,
and the
Caspian
Sea, might, if Encouragement was given them, consume much more
English
Cloth than is now sold among them.
This, and no other, is the Way effectually to encrease the Trade, to Ruin the
French
Manufactories of Cloth, and to encourage both the
English
Manufacture and Navigation; and, in this Case, a few Years wou'd bring the
Turky
Trade not to employ seven Ships a Year, but seventy, and perhaps, sevenscore Ships.
For then wou'd all the Trade be encourag'd together, and those Ships that had a Hundred, and perhaps two Hundred Bales of Cloth on Board, wou'd run away, take in Freight for other Places, as for
Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Messina,
and so to
Smyrna,
or
Constantinople;
and thus, instead of few Ships; there wou'd be many Sail in a Year employ'd.
And then the Trade wou'd appear, as it indeed is, very considerable; whereas now tis contracted, 'tis limited; and indeed by those Limitations 'tis almost quite lost.
The
Russian
Company is an Instance of this, who, while they were under the like Limitations as the
Turky
Company, sent usually 6 or 7 Ships a Year to
Archangel,
whereas they now employ above 120 Sail of large Ships a Year, one Year with another; and they export infinitely more Woollen Manufactures to that Country, than ever they did before; and thus pushing the Trade on with all the Art, and with the utmost Diligence, they have brought Infinite Numbers more of People to use the
British
Manufacture, than ever used it before.
The like is before us, and the like Advantages offer themselves; for by this one Act, (
viz.
)
of laying the Trade open,
Industry wou'd have her Hands at liberty, to struggle and to push the Trade into Countries, and among Inhabitants that were never heard of before. Methods wou'd then be used by the vigilant Merchant, to send his Goods, and to sell his Goods, without exacting ready Money where Payment was sure; leaving the Factor a discretionary Power to act as for himself.
As The Trade wou'd thus be better'd, so the Encouragement to Shipping, the Encrease of Seamen, and above all, the Consumption of our Manufactures wou'd be enlarg'd, and then the Mock-Complaint of the Importation of Raw Silk from
Marseilles,
wou'd be at an End; neither wou'd there be any Occasion of a Bill to prevent the Importation of
Asiatick
Goods from
Leghorn;
every Merchant having a Liberty, in the Course of his own Business, to bring away the Returns directly.
Likewise as a far greater Number of Ships wou'd go to
Turky,
having but Part of their Loading thither, from
England,
and having the Liberty, to take in Goods for
Leghorn, Naples,
and
Messina,
in their Way to
Turky;
so, in their Return, having Part of their Loading for
Italy
or
England,
there being a constant Trade to and from
Turky
to
Italy,
the Freight of which is considerable, they will be enabled to take the rest of their Loading in
Italian
Goods at
Messina, Naples,
or
Leghosn,
as Opportunity presents, or as their Employers direct. So that in this Case, the End of the Act of Navigation, which, as I said before, was to encrease and encourage
English
Seamen and
English
Shipping, especially Ships of Force, wou'd much better be answer'd, than by carrying on a narrow contracted Trade, as now they do, manag'd by about thirty Merchants only; and those Thirty managd again by Two or Three, by which the whole Commerce is straighten'd, the Consumption of
English
Cloth hinder'd, and the
Dutch
and
French
encourag'd to carry Cloth to
Turky,
and worm us out of the Trade.
This laying open the Trade may with Ease be so regulated, as that the Ambassadors, Consuls, and other Officers necessary to act there, may be still maintain'd, and all the necessary Expences of the Trade be supply'd, either by the Commerce itself, or by the Publick, for which suitable Provision may be made, as to the Wisdom of the Parliament shall seem meet. And for the compleat and easy Direction Whereof, a Scheme of suitable Measures shall be presented to the House, whenever such a Thing shall come upon the Stage; nor is there any Doubt to be made but that the
Italian
Merchants will be able to answer all the Objections that can be justly brought against such a Change of the Company's Constitution.
By the aforesaid Case (which I think I have stated impartially) it is humbly hop'd that the
Italian
Merchants, as
Englishmen,
have a natural Right to the Trade to the Grand Seignier's Dominions. I shall only give the Heads of some few restrictive Orders, and instance others, whereby they have Tax'd our Woollen Manufactures and Navigation, and prohibited even their own Members from Trading in such Manner and at such Times as they thought proper, and your Lordships may then judge, whether a Company with Power, or assuming a Power, to make restrictive Laws, be a Monopoly or not.
The
first
is, A Mulct of 20
per Cent.
upon all Cloth which should by Freemen be sent to
Turky,
other than in General Ships, laid about
Ap
1718.
2. Resolv'd that no Ship go to
Turky
till
October
1718, and that then they would consider when General Ships should go. That Order was continued for six Months longer, which produc'd a Motion in the House of Commons against the Exorbitant Power of the Company, to the Prejudice of the Woolleu Manufactures in general; and Sir
John Eyles,
Sir
Peter Delmé,
and others, in particular, had large Quantities of Cloth by them ready for the
Turky
Market.
3. An Oath against Trusting, which will be attested to be prejudicial to the Woollen Trade by their own Factors, who resided several Years Abroad.
4. Letters wrote to their Consul at
Smyrna,
in Case Mr.
Elliot
and Mr.
Smith
refus'd to take an Oath, ordering him to desire the Embassador's Warrant for seizing and sending the said Gentlemen home.
5. About the Year 1709, an Order to prevent their own Members sending Cloth by Way of
Leghorn
to
Turky;
and whereas no Penalty could be levy'd before without Conviction, the Words [
whereof you shall be convicted
] shall for the future be left out.
6. An Affirmation exacted from their own Members before they should be permitted to load their Goods on the Ships then bound to
Turky,
that they had not from the 26
th
of
October,
1710, to the 24
th
of
July,
1712, laden any Goods, or Merchandize for their own, or any others Account, during the said Time, for
Turky.
7. To prevent their Factors, tho' for
Italy,
trading with Unfreemen, the Affirmation to be taken. The Penalty, if refus'd to make the Affirmation, to be depriv'd of his Trade, and pay double Duties.
8. About the Year 1707, an Order to their Consuls, to Levy, before it should be Landed, five Dollars upon all
English
Cloth, which upon any
English
Ship, or Ships, for Account of Foreigners, should be Imported into the Grand Seignior's Dominions, from
Legborn.
9. The usual Consulage to be paid on all Goods and Money imported into
Turky
by
English
Ships, who come to load Corn; and over and above, the Commander, or Commanders of such Ship or Ships, to give Bond of 500 Dollars, to secure the Company from any
Avania
of the
Turks,
and upon Oath to give the Embassador or Consul, an exact Account of the Ship, and to pay one Dollar
per
Ton of 40
Killows
of Corn, if for Account of Unfreemen.
10. A Broke, or Duty, of 20
per Cent.
upon all
English
Goods or Manufactures carry'd into any Port of the Grand Seignior's Dominions, on
Engglish
Ships, from
Italy,
or any Port of Christendom, for Account of Aliens or Persons not Free of the Company, and the Lord Embassador, or Consuls, to require Payment before they suffer such
English
Ships to depart. This Order was made about the Year 1716.
11. An Order to their Factors not to load any Goods or Merchandize whatsoever, on any
English
Ship or Ships for
England,
which from
Italy
may or shall bring any
English
Cloth.
12. An Order made in the Year 1719, reciting, That whereas Captain
Beal
had by Freights in the
Levant
Seas gain'd a sufficient Sum to purchase a Loading of Currants, and had on the Value of the said Loading of Currants paid only the customary Consulage, it is order'd, That in Case Mr.
Porten
here, of whom the Company had made a Demand of double Consulage, should not pay it, that in such Case, if ever the said Captain
Beal
shall return to the Grand Seignior's Dominions, they desire their Embassador, and require their Consul, to Batulate both Ship and Captain. And it is further order'd, That no
English
Ship whatsoever, but such as belong wholly to Freemen of the
Levant
Company, or are Freighted by the
Levant
Company, shall for the future load any Fruit.
ERRATA.
PAge 24. lines 24, 25. for
House of Commons
read
Parliament.
And whereever it is called a
Bill
it should be
Act.