Distilling is an Art so exceedingly improved, that had it not met with discouraging Laws, ’twould by this Time have attained to a very great Heigth, and brings great Profit to the Nation; for next to making something out of nothing, is the making something that is Valuable out of what would otherwise be worth nothing; therefore this Art ought to have been handled charily, to have been trained up with a great deal of Gentleness, and not loaded with Taxes in its Infancy, by which Means we were like to discourage it in the beginning; however it hath still bore up under all the Weight laid upon it; ’twas a great mistake to appoint Measures by Act of Parliament to the Distillers in their Workings; Mens Knowledge encreases by Observation, and this is the Reason why one Age exceeds another in any Sort of Mistery, because they improve the Notions of those who went before them; Therefore confining the Distillers to Corn only, was an Error, (’Tis true, other Things were allowed to be used, but on such Terms and Restrictions, as were next to a Prohibition) who by degrees would have made Experiments on that themselves, using it with other Mixtures, and thereby drawing from it a cleaner Spirit than it doth of itself afford, which they might in Time have rectified to such a Fineness, as to have encreased very much its Use; no Kingdom can give more Encouragement to Distilling than this, whose Plantations being many, and well Peopled, where those Spirits are so necessary, and useful for the Inhabitants, and these depending wholly on us for all things, would have caused a Consumption of very great Quantities, besides what is used in our Navigation; we have many Materials of our own to work on, such as are Molosses, Cyder, Perry, Barley, and others, all which in Time they would have used; for as they found their Sales increased, they would have made new Essays; it was a very wrong Step, to discourage Distilling from Molosses, Scum, Tilts and Wash; an Error the _Dutch_, nor no Trading Nation, would have been guilty of, and proceeded from ill Advice given the Parliament, by those, who under Pretence of advancing Corn, design’d to discourage Distilling, only offered it by that handle they thought it would be best received in the House; Trade and Lands go hand in hand as to their Interest, if one Flourishes so will the other; Incourage Distilling, and it will spend Hundreds of Things now thrown away. [Sidenote: Sugar-Baking.] Refining of Sugars have given Imployment to our People, and added to their Value in foreign Markets, where we found great and profitable Sales, till the _Dutch_ and _French_ beat us out, occasioned by the Duty of 2 s. 4 d. _per Cent._ laid on Muscovado Sugars, 1 Jac. 2d. to be drawn back at Exportation, whereby they were wrought up abroad cheaper then they could be at home; but that Law being now expired, and the Parliament have since granted a draw back on refined Sugars when shipt out, hath very much helpt that Manufacture.