مع

Engraved for Murray's History of the American War

Pollard scalp.

FREDERICK lord NORTH.

Printed for T. Robson Newcastle upon Tyne.

to purchase a fourth, if a tenth part of the neceffa, ries they want. There are but two ways for any people to fubfift, to wit, by the produce of lands, or of labour; that is, by agriculture, or manufactures; and if they can make nothing by the first, they muft neceffarily apply to the other, which is the prefent ftate of the colonies. They now confume the chief part of what their lands produce, and have no way to get manufactures but by making them. To thefe two refources many will add trade; but that can only be carried on in the produce of lands, or manufactures; without which, you lofe by trade, as the colonies do; which will foon oblige them to trade in their own manufactures, if they depend on that, in ftead of agriculture.

"The plenty which many perceive in the colonies proceeds from their land, and not from wealth; they are only rich in flocks and herds, like the patriarchs of old, and not in money. If any man fhew a greater fign of opulence, it all proceeds from the labour of flaves; who are fo chargeable, that they rather give their owners credit than wealth, till they are no longer able to pay their debts, which is their present condition. Hence they who go to the colonies, and fee figns of opulence in them, as they imagine, only deceive themselves, and impofe upon the whole nation, when they pretend to be mighty well acquaint ed with them.

"Upon all thefe accounts, it must appear to be abfolutely impracticable ever to raife a revenue in the colonies in Sterling cafh, in which they were to have paid their taxes. They pay their own taxes either in ftaple commodities, or their paper currency; and no one can expect to get money, where there is none. If they may have a little current cash, it is not proN

per

perly theirs, but belongs to the merchants of Britain, to whom it is due. This is a stock of the nation in trade, left there by the merchants, in order to improve it; and to apply that to any other purpofe, is like a merchant who lives upon his capital, instead of improving it by trade: which foon brings them both to an end. But if Britain thus ruins her trade, in order to maintain standing armies in time of peace, this must become a very different nation from what it ever has been, or ceafe to be one.

"The advantages of the North American trade feem not to be confidered in a public light; their commodities are of fo fmall value, that they are very unprofitable either to make, or to trade in them, but they are on that account more profitable to the pubfic; if they are vile and cheap, it is because they are grofs and bulky, by which they are fources of navigation, and fupport the maritime power of the nation. If you calculate the freight, commiffion, and charges, on the products of North America, they amount to half their value; which is all gain to Britain, but is fo much deducted from the income of the colonies. From a particular account of the whole trade of North America, too long to be here inferted, it appears, that the grofs proceeds, including freight and all charges, amount in value, to Britain, to three millions a year, when the net proceeds to the planters do not exceed a million and a half: and as thefe charges are all paid by the planters, out of the first produce of their commodities, this nation certainly does not enjoy any trade fo profitable as this "If we examine into the circumstances of the inhabitants of our plantations, and our own," fays a very good judge, it will appear, that not one fourth

* Gee on Trade, p. 149.

fourth part of their product redounds to their own profit." and ends as spil: v

C

"Thus the colonies, which produce ftaple commodities for Britain, are a much greater advantage to the nation than feems to be apprehended. They pay, one with another, one half of all that they make, for tranfporting and vending the reft, which is all expended in Britain. By that means you get their all. and cannot poffibly have any more. Neither can it be expected, that any people can ever be worth money in their fituation. Were they to have the profits only of transporting and vending their own products, their income would be double of what it is; but as these are now all reaped by Britain, it is to rob the nation of its beft income, to deprive it of this. This is the advantage of the colonies, and the tax which they pay for their protection; which muft appear a very confiderable one,, as it amounts to one half of all they make; and is much more advantageous to the nation than a petty revenue, which they cannot poffibly have money to pay, as that all centers in Britain.

"Befides this deduction on their products, and the heavy duties upon them, the colonies pay all the taxes of Britain on every thing they consume; as it is well known, all taxes fall on the confumers, whoever may first pay them. Now, as thefe taxes on British goods amount at least to fifty or fixty per cent. and the colonies pay fuch a great part of what they purchase them with, is not this much more advantageous to the nation than a petty revenue? Were they to pay 100,000l. in taxes, they muft fupply themfelves with manufactures to that value; this would eftablish manufactures among them; the public would lofe the taxes and duties on thefe goods; the merchants their profits, and the nation the benefit of the

trade