was to favour copper-mines: but did it not alfo favour foreign cop-. per-manufactures? Goods and merchandise of the product or manufacture of Great Britain, may be exported duty free (a). Alum, lead, and fome other commodities fpecified in the ftatute, are excepted; and a duty formerly paid on exportation is continued, for encouraging fuch of our own manufactures as employ any of the articles fpecified. In Ireland to this day, goods exported are loaded with a high duty, without even diftinguishing made work from raw materials; corn, for example, fish, hops, butter, horned cattle, wrought iron, leather, and every thing made of it, &c. &c. And that nothing may efcape, all goods exported that are not contained in the book of rates, pay 5 per cent. ad valorem. When Sully entered on the administration of the French finances, the corn in France was at an exorbitant price, occafioned by neglect of husbandry during the civil war. That fagacious minifter discovered the secret of re-establishing agriculture, and of reducing the price of corn, which is, to allow a free exportation. So rapid was the fuccefs of that bold but politic measure, that in a few years France became the granary of Europe; and what at prefent may appear wonderful, we find in the English records, anno 1621, bitter complaints of the French underfelling them -in their own markets. Colbert, who, fortunately for us, had imbibed the common error, renewed the ancient prohibition of exporting corn, hoping to have it cheap at home for his manufacturers. But he was in a grofs mistake; for that prohibition has been the chief caufe of many famines in France fince that time. The corn-trade in France lay long under great difcouragements; and the French miniftry continued long blind to the intereft of their country. At last edicts were issued, authorifing the commerce of corn to be abfolutely free, whether fold within the kingdom or (a) George I. cap. 14. act 8. exported. year exported. The generality however continued blind. In the 1768, the badness of the harvest having occafioned a famine, the distresses of the people were exceffive, and their complaints univerfal. Overlooking altogether the bad harvest, they, from amazing partiality, attributed their mifery to the new law. It was in vain inculcated, that freedom in the corn-trade encourages agriculture: the popular opinion was adopted even by most of the parliaments; fo difficult it is to eradicate established prejudices. In Turky, about thirty years ago, a grand vizir permitted corn to be exported more freely than had been done formerly, a bufhel of wheat being fold at that time under feventeen pence. Every nation flocked to Turky for corn; and in particular no fewer than three hundred French veffels, from twenty to two hundred tons, entered Smyrna bay in one day. The Janiffaries and populace took the alarm, fearing that all the corn would be exported, and that a famine would enfue. In Conftantinople they grew mutinous, and could not be appeafed till the vizir was ftrangled, and his body thrown out to them. His fucceffor, who refolved not to fplit on the fame rock, prohibited exportation abfolutely. In that country, rent is paid in proportion to the product; and the farmers, who faw no demand, neglected tillage. In lefs than three years the bufhel of wheat rofe to fix fhillings; and the diftreffes of the people became intolerable. To this day, the fate of the good vizir is lamented. We have improved upon Sully's discovery, by a bounty on corn exported, which has anfwered our most fanguine expectations. A great increase of gold and filver fubfequent to the faid bounty, which has raised the price of many other commodities, must have alfo raised that of corn, had not fill a greater increase of corn, occafioned by the bounty, reduced its price even below what it was formerly; and by that means our manufactures have profited by the bounty no less than our husbandry. The bounty is fill more important in another respect: agriculture in France lies under many difcouragements; the greatest of which is, that our wheat can be afforded as cheap in their markets as their own; and by prohibiting exportation, it is in our power during a war, to dash all the French fchemes for conqueft, by depriving them of bread *. This bounty therefore is our palladium, which we ought religiously to guard, if we would avoid being a province of France. Some fage politicians have begun of late to mutter against the bounty, as feeding our rival manufacturers cheaper than our own; which is a mistake, for the expence of exportation commonly equals the bounty. But fuppofing it true, will the evil be remedied by withdrawing the bounty? On the contrary, it will difcourage manufactures, by raifing the price of wheat at home. It will beside encourage French husbandry, so as in all probability to reduce the price of their wheat, below what we afford it to them. In France, labour is cheaper than in England, the people are more frugal, they poffefs a better foil and climate: what have we to balance these signal advantages but our bounty? and were that bounty withdrawn, I should not be surprised to see French corn poured in upon us, at a lower price than it can be furnished at home; the very game that was play'd against us, during Sully's administration. The exportation of British manufactures to our American colonies, ought to meet with fuch encouragement as to prevent them from rivalling us: it would be a grofs blunder to encourage their manufactures, by imposing a duty on what we export to them. * Between the years 1715 and 1755 there was of wheat exported from England into France twenty-one millions of feptiers, eftimated at two hundred millions of livres. The bounty for exporting corn has fometimes amounted to L. 150,000 for a fingle year. But this fum is not all loft to the public; for frequently our corn is exchanged with goods that pay a high duty on importation. We We ought rather to give a bounty on exportation; which, by underfelling them in their own markets, would quash every attempt to rivalship. As the duty on foreign linen imported into Britain, is drawn back when exported to America, our legislature gave a bounty on our coarse linen exported to that country, which enables us to cope with the Germans in the American markets. The staining or printing of linen cloth, has of late become a confiderable article in the manufactures of Britain; and there is no fort of linen more proper for that manufacture than our own. The duty of foreign linen is drawn back when exported to America, whether plain or stamped: and as we lose the bounty on our coarse linen when stamped, none but foreign linen is employ'd in the ftamping manufacture. This is an overfight fuch as our legiflature is guilty of fometimes. It is not always true policy, to difcourage the exportation of our own rude materials: liberty of exportation, gives encouragement to produce them in greater plenty at home; which confequently lowers the price to our manufacturers. Upon that principle, the exporting corn is permitted, and in Britain even encouraged with a bounty. But where exportation of a rude material will not encreafe its quantity, the prohibition is good policy. For example, the exporting of rags for paper may be prohibited; because liberty of exporting will not occafion one yard more of linen cloth to be confumed. Lyons is the city of Europe where the greateft quantity of filk ftuffs is made it is at the fame time the greatest staple of raw filk; the filk of Italy, of Spain, of the Levant, and of the fouth of France, being there collected. The exportation of raw filk is prohibited in France, with a view to leffen its price at home, and to obftruct the filk-manufacture among foreigners. The first is a grofs error; the prohibition of exportation producing scarcity, not plenty : plenty and with respect to the other view, it seems to have been overlooked, that the commerce of the filks of Italy, of Spain, and of the Levant, is not confined to France, but is open to all trading nations. This prohibition is indeed fo injudicious, that without any benefit to France, it has done irreparable mischief to the city of Lyons: while the commerce of raw filk, both buying and felling, was monopoliz'd by the merchants of that city, they had it in their power to regulate the price; but to compel foreigners to go to the fountain-head, not only raises the price by concurrence of purchafers, but deprives Lyons of a lucrative monopoly. The fame blunder is repeated with respect to raw filk fpun and dy'd. In Lyons, filk is prepared for the loom with more art than any where elfe; and to fecure the filk-manufacture, the exportation of fpun filk is prohibited; which must roufe foreigners, to bestow their utmost attention upon improving the fpinning and dreffing of filk: and who knows whether reiterated trials by perfons of genius, may not, in England for example, bring these branches of the manufacture to greater perfection, than they are even in Lyons? Whether we have not committed a blunder of the fame kind in prohibiting exportation of our wool, is a very serious question, which I proceed to examine. A spirit for husbandry, and for every fort of improvement, is in France turning more and more general. In feveral provinces there are focieties, who have command of public money for promoting agriculture; and about no other article are these focieties more folicitous, than about improving the staple of their wool. A book lately published in Sweden, and translated into French, has infpired them with fanguine hopes of fuccefs; as it contains an account of the Swedish wool being greatly improved in quality, as well as in quantity, by importing Spanish and English sheep for breed. Now as France is an extenfive country, fituated between Spain and England, two excellent wool |