the Expediency of an abfolute Prohibition, or, instead thereof, a Duty on Wool exported, (a Question agitated in the Reign of Car. II.) 4. In regard to Eaft India Silks, and Calicoes. 5. To Irish Manufacture, Woolen and Linen. 6. To the French Trade. 7. To the Use and Wear of Calicoes painted and printed in England; with all the Laws relative to each of these particularly, and to the Woolen Trade in general; and a Number of Schemes for preventing the Exportation of Wool from Great Britain and Ireland. To which are added many Custom-Houfe Accounts, of Imports and Exports: Alfo Accounts of the Price of Wool, at different Times, and in different Places, in England and elsewhere. The whole difpofed into a regular History, as the Subject would bear.

Among the English Writers made ufe of in this Work, may be mentioned more particularly, as a principal one, The British Merchant; of which it is faid by the Editor, Mr. King, that it contains many valuable Papers, and fo much Knowledge in Trade, as would never have appeared in the World, ⚫ had it not been upon a particular Occafion (a pernicious Treaty of Commerce with FRANCE) extorted from fome worthy Per'fons (eminent Merchants of LONDON) the Authors.'

،

Yet is The British Merchant but Three Volumes, of more than Two hundred, larger and leffer, which have been collated towards the

forming

forming of these Memoirs of Wool, &c.; and the greater Part of which The British Merchant does not appear to have been at all acquainted with.

The BRITISH MERCHANT is, it's true, incomparably the best of all our English Writers in this Way; contradicting most materially the Bulk of thofe his Countrymen, who had gone before him upon that Subject - But, for that Reafon; and, because (as may be conceived) the Title of the Work does not point directly to the Bufiness of WOOL; therefore, all fucceeding Writers on that Head, have had as little regard to the Facts and Sentiments therein contained, as if no fuch Work had ever been published for the better Information of this King

dom.

In fhort, a Spirit of Romance on the one Hand, and of Credulity on the other, had for a long time before, poffefs'd both the Englife Writers and Readers upon the Woolen Trade. And, as a Bone which has been too long out of its Place, is not to be reduced, but with uncommon Difficulty and Pain, after repeated Efforts; fo the fingle Attempt of The British Merchant, for want of being properly followed up, has had in this Particular, it may be faid, no Effect at all. For there is not fo much as one Writer, that the Author of thefe Memoirs hath met with, fince him, who (instead of correcting inveterate Errors by a Work of fuch good Authority,

and

and by other Helps that were to be had, and as might have been expected in an Age of more Light and greater Accuracy in all other Matters) has not ignorantly or obftinately perfifted in the old beaten Path of their other Predeceffors; or rather exceeded them, by wandering ftill further from Sobriety, Senfe, and Truth. Infomuch, that a Series of Tracts (from one particularly, intitled, The Golden Fleece, &c. (Ann. 1736-7) to another, or rather the fame in Subftance, under the Title of The Danger of Great Britain and Ireland becoming Provinces to France, &c.: By the fame Author, Ann. 1746) are penned with fo much Extravagance and Ignorance; containing fuch a Heap of Falsehood and Chimera's, as are even a Difgrace to the English Name, juftly renowned for masterly Productions in every other Part of useful Knowledge.

Not only Pamphlets, fuch has have been mentioned, but, which is far worse, fome Books of Price, that would be thought to convey the moft folid Intelligence, and which are very good Authorities in the Main, as to most other Matters, have erred egregiously in this. Among these are particularly, The Atlas Maritimus Commercialis, and Chambers's Dictionary. Upon the latter lies the greatest Strefs; because that Work has defervedly obtained a Place in moft Libraries; and befides, to many private Persons, is, itself, in the Place of a Library; and however

however useful in other Regards, yet in respect of this Subject, it has only a Tendency to footh the Nation in a Folly to which it has been long habituated, and to buoy up the People in Notions, falfe (and therefore unprofitable) which they have already too strongly imbibed.

In general, As the Care of our National Free• Commerce redounds more to the Riches and holder. Profperity of the Public, than any other N° 41. Act of Government, [on which Account] it ' is a Pity that we do not fee the State of it 'marked out in every particular Reign, with

greater Diftinction and Accuracy, than is ' ufual among our English Hiftorians. So, that Defect, in regard to this greatest Branch of English Commerce, is, in fome measure, here fupplied; and perhaps, to a Degree, beyond what could well have been expected; confidering how much, Thofe Authors b Vol. 1. 'who have heretofore applied themselves to Pag. 7. preserve the most confiderable Events, have neglected this Part of Hiftory. And con- §. 6. fidering alfo that the Custom-Houfe Books (which are our most faithful Registers in this Cafe) are not fearchable at Pleasure, like fome other Public Offices.

Notwithstanding which, fome CustomHoufe Accounts having occurred in one occafional Tract or another; and others having, at Times, and of late efpecially, been exhibited to Parliament, the Author of these Memoirs has been careful to collate all he could

fo

Note.

Ch. 3.

fo meet with; and tho' they are but few in Comparison, yet the Light thefe do afford, is not inconfiderable.

The Publication of the Bibliotheca Harleiana, with the Sale of that Library, and of fome other very large Collections of Books and Pamphlets, hath alfo furnished Helps for this Work, which, otherwife, fo far from procuring, a Perfon could not have known, either where to have fought, or how to have afk'd for. And tho' fome of the scattered Materials, fo gleaned up, if viewed and confidered apart from other Matters, and from one another, would not have been much to any Perfon's Edification; yet, as several Fragments of one and the fame Body, when collected and rightly difpofed, do make something of a fignificant Figure, although not a compleat one; Jo, thefe, upon the fame Subject,

Juxta fe pofita magis inclarefcunt;

being placed, as they are, chiefly according to their respective Dates, they borrow Light from what goes before, and help to render that which follows, perfpicuous.

Upon the whole, if any Gentlemen fhall (and fome methinks there fhould be found that will) think it worthy of their Time and Pains, to make themfelves Mafters of this Subject: In that Cafe, they have here, the Matter fully before them; at leaft, they have a much larger Fund of Materials here, to exercife