A Discourse on Trade, and Other Matters Relative to it — John Shaqi
A Discourse on Trade, and Other Matters Relative to itCary, John
History
A Discourse on Trade, and Other Matters Relative to it
Cary, John
Great Britain -- Commerce -- Early works to 1800; Great Britain -- Commercial policy -- Early works to 1800
And that we may the better perceive the Mischiefs that attend the
carrying abroad of Wool unwrought to other Nations, let us consider the
Consequences thereof in what is shipt to _France_; whose Wool being very
coarse, and fit only for Rugs and Blankets, and such ordinary Cloth, is
by mixture with ours and _Irish_, used in the making of many Sorts of
Stuffs and Druggets, whereby the Sales of our Woollen Manufactures are
lessened, both there, and in other Places whither we export them; and by
this Means, every Pack of Wool sent thither, works up two besides itself,
being chiefly combed, and combing Wool, which makes Wool for the _French_
Wool, and the Pinions thereof serve with their Linnen to make coarse
Druggets, like our Linsey-Woolsey, but the Linnen being spun fine, and
coloured, is not easily discerned; also our finest short Wool, being mixt
with the lowest _Spanish_, makes a middling Sort of Broad-cloth, and
being woven on Worsted Chains, makes their best Druggets, neither of
which could be done with the _French_ Wool only, unless in Conjunction
with ours or _Irish_, _Spanish_ Wool being too fine and too short for
Worsted Stuffs, and unfit for combing, so that without one of those two
Sorts, there cannot be a Piece of Worsted Stuff, or middle Broad-Cloth
made; no other Wool but _English_ or _Irish_ will mix well with _Spanish_
for Cloth, being originally raised from a Stock of _English_ Sheep, the
Difference, arising from the Nature of the Land whereon they are fed; of
this we have Experience in our own Nation, where we find, that _Lemster_
Wool is the finest, next, Part of _Shropshire_ and _Staffordshire_, Part
of _Gloucestershire_, _Wilts_, _Dorset_ and _Hampshire_, Part of
_Sussex_, _Kent_, _Somerset_, _Devon_, and _Cornwall_, these are proper
chiefly for Cloth, some Part for Worsted; _Sussex_, _Surry_, _Middlesex_,
_Hertfordshire_, and some other Counties, produce Wool much coarser and
cheaper: But then _Berkshire_, _Buckingham_, _Warwick_, _Oxon_,
_Leicester_, _Nottingham_, _Northampton_, _Lincoln_, and Part of _Kent_
called _Rumney_ Marsh, the Wool in most of these Counties is so proper
for Worsted, that all the World (except _Ireland_) cannot compare with
it, therefore requires our greater Care to prevent its Exportation; and
more particularly from _Ireland_, whence it is exported to our
Neighbouring Nations, and sold cheap.
As for the Wool of _North-Britain_, I am not sufficiently verst therein,
to give a true Account of the Nature of it.
[Sidenote: Methods to prevent the Exportation of Wool.]
I know many Methods have been thought of to prevent this pernicious
Mischief, but all the Laws I have yet seen, seem to reach but half Way,
they depend too much on Force and Penalties, and too little on Method; we
must begin deeper, and secure the Wool from the Time of its growing, till
’tis wrought up into Manufactures, and I think nothing less Than a
Register, to be kept in every County, will do it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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