THE Goods Imported from the East-Indies, for several Years after the East-India Com­pany was first Established, were Drugs, Spices, Salt-petre, &c. and some Course Callico's, which were most Exported again: The Members of that Company being then afraid to adventure on other Manufactured Goods, because they well knew they would prejudice our own, and raise a Storm against the Company, as they oftentimes declared.

The Charter of the East-India Company was Confirmed by King Charles II. in the Thirteenth Year of his Reign: and the Law for permitting Bullion to be Exported, was made soon after, at the Solicitation of that Company; and till then, little Silver or Gold was Exported. After that Law was made, begun the great Exportation of Bullion to India.

In Anno 72, or 73, several Artificers were sent over by the Company, with great quantities of English Patterns, to teach the Indians how to Manufacture Goods to make them Vendible in England, and the rest of the European Markets. After which began the great Trade in Manu­factured Goods from the Indies.

This was complained of, and proved before several Lords appointed by King Charles II. in Anno 1680, or 81. Whereupon the Company received some discouragement; but finding great Gain by Wrought Silks, Bengals and Callico's, would not desist Trading in them: upon which great Complaints were made in Parliament, against the growth of the East-India Trade, which was grown so large, that about 500000 l. in Bullion, and but small quantities of our Manufactures were Yearly Exported; and vast quantities of Manufactured Goods Imported, for several Years before the War, which were most spent in England, and our Plantations, in the room of our own Manufactures, viz. their Wrought Silks, Bengals, Painted and Dyed Calli­co's, in the room of our Silks, Half Silks, Worsted Stuffs, Say's, Perpetuano's, and divers other Commodities, not only for Vestments for both Sexes, but for Hanging of Rooms, Beds, &c.

But this was not all the Mischief these Indian Manufactures did us, for by our using Muslings, Romalls, and Callico's, they have beat out the Use of fine German Linnens, Silesia Cambricks, and Lawns, which we had in return of our own Wollen Cloth, &c. which Trade is now almost wholly lost: For the Silesians, when we would not take off their Linnens, could not take off our Cloth, but were compell'd, by Necessity, to Set up the making Woollen Manufactures, with which they now Supply both themselves and other Places, which heretofore we were wont to furnish, (and, as we are Credibly inform'd, in Flanders they are now about doing the same thing)

By which means, the E. India Trade was encreas'd to a very great height, and their Manufactures in so great request, that they (from being a Scandal to be worn a few years before) soon became the general Wear of almost all sorts and degrees of Persons, while our own were neg­lected, and our Manufacturers thereby under great discouragements; being not able to carry on their Trades, many were forced to give over, whereby the Poor wanted Employment, the price of Wooll reduced very low, and great quantities of Wooll could not be Manufactured: Where­upon the Parliament thought it necessary to make a Law for Burying in Woollen, thereby to con­sume some of the Wooll that lay heavy upon the Growers Hands.

The Indians have Provisions and Materials very cheap, and Work for a Peny a Day; which disables us, and the rest of the European Traders, to contend with them: and for this reason, their Trade did encrease apace, until the late War; and unless restrain'd, will most certainly encrease, to the ruining of our best Fabricks, and the vast number of People that have their Livelihood and Dependance thereupon.

Since this late War, the East-India Company have laboured under some Discouragements, and but small quantities of their Manufactur'd Goods, in proportion to what they formerly brought in, were Imported; by reason whereof, great Encouragement was given to the Manufactures of Silk, Half Silk, and Worsted, which have been very much improv'd in a great variety of Figur'd, Strip'd, and other sort of Stuffs, which were made not only in London, Norwich and Canterbury, in much greater quantities than ever; but these Manufactures were spread to Bristol, Newbury, and divers other parts of the Kingdom, whereby greater numbers of Poor have been employ'd, and greater quantities of English Wooll consum'd; so that the Price of the Wooll advanc'd, and the Labour and Wages of the Poor encreas'd, which enabled them to live comfortably, and consume the Product of the Land, to the great Advantage of the Landlords and Tenants, and Benefit of the Nation in general.

From Anno 88 (for several Years) there were frequent complaints in Parliament against the Old East-India Company, and very ill things proved upon them; and extraordinary Clamours against the Trade being driven by a Joynt-Stock, exclusive of all others, by the same Men that are now some of the Directors of this New. And great indeavours were used, and, as some say, ill Practices, to obtain a new Charter from the King; and after they had obtained a Charter with great Industry, they solicited for an Establishment by Act of Parliament, and in Anno 93. a Bill was brought in, but did not pass.

In Anno 95. the East-India Company indeavour'd again to get a Settlement by Act of Parliament; whereupon, the Weavers of London, Norwich, Canterbury, and the Woollen Manufacturers in many other places, petitioned, That some Restraint might be laid upon the Importation or Consumption of these Indian Manufactures: Upon which, a Bill was brought in to Restrain the Wearing Wrought Silks, Bengals, and Printed Callicoes; which Bill was soon past, almost unanimously in the House of Commons, but being strongly opposed by the East-India Com­pany, and Linnen-Drapers, it was stopt in the House of Lords.

The next Sessions, the Manufacturers again Petitioned, and the same Bill again brought in early in the Sessions; but by reason of more importunate business, it did not meet with so quick a dispatch as the poor London Weavers expected, (which were at that time in great di­stress for want of Employment) they grew uneasie, and by false rumours raised by those that were Enemies to the Bill, great multitudes of those poor People went to Westminster in a Tu­multuous manner, to pray for the passing the Bill; which gave such disgust, (as in reason it must needs do) that several Members, who were friends to it before, were now against it: so that the Bill past with some difficulty in their House, and was again stopt in the House of Lords by a very small majority.

The chief Arguments used by the East India Men were, That though they Export great quan­tities of our Bullion, yet they bring in more by their Goods Exported. That it's the Interest of this Nation to wear East India Goods, because Cheap, and send our own to Forreign Markets, where they may be Sold to more Advantage. Both which Arguments were denyed, and they were challenged to prove their Assertions, which to this day they have not done, and till they do, it's hop'd, their bare asseverations will not be taken for granted truths.

The Advocates for and against this Trade were very numerous at this time, and several other Reasons offered Pro and Con. For the East-India Trade, there was an Essay writ by a great Master of the English Style, who, with extraordinary Computations and Rhetorical flourishes, endea­voured to represent this Trade Profitable to England; but his Computations, and Observations, being many of them not well grounded, several Answers were given thereunto; however the Discourse was admired, and did Service at that time. But the same Gentleman since treat­ing on another Subject, has either altered his Opinion, or else unfortunately wrote something in a late Essay (on the probable methods of making a People Gainers in the Balance of Trade) that makes many Men think so.

The Ladies in general, shew'd a great aversion to this Bill, whether from a dislike taken at the Word Restraining, or from a strange delight for far fetch'd and dear bought, prefer the Indian be­fore the English Manufactures, unless the Seller will solemnly declare they are Indian made, not considering how impossible it will be for their Rents to be paid, if the English Manufactures be ruin'd, which must be the necessary consequence of such unaccountable fancies; which if they did, we verily believe they would soon restrain their Aversion. And what force such Advocates had, we will not pretend to determine, but hope they'll now be Advocates for this Cause.

The beginning of the last Sessions, further Applications were made; and the Manufacturers ap­prehending that the Method proposed by the former Bills would not fully Answer the Prohibi­tion design'd, offered another Bill, by which all Silks, Bengals and Callico's, which were to be Prohibited being worn in England, should have been confin'd to certain Ware-Houses, and not thence removed till Exported; but this Method not being well understood, or judged reasona­ble, was opposed, and the Bill stopt thereupon.

Towards the latter end of that Sessions, certain very rich Merchants, and others, proposed to lend the Government two Millions, upon condition to have 8 per Cent. per Annum, and liberty to Trade to the East-Indies exclusive of all others: The Necessities of the Government for Money at that time, induced a compliance, and a Settlement of that Trade was made accordingly.

The English Manufacturers, with dejected Countenances and aking Hearts, beheld this mighty Structure, (which was raised by the help of some of their Principal Pillars) and foreseeing the dismal consequences, complain'd; but were told, 'Twas not then time, nor must they oppose or clogg the Bill, the two Millions being absolutely necessary for Supply of the Government; but were likewise told, That care should be taken of them. And the chief Promoters of the Bill, as Mr. Samuel Shepherd, mr. Heathcote, and many others, declared at that time, to divers Members of Parliament, London Weavers, and others, That they were as sensible as they, or the Weavers could be, that the Manufactur'd Silks, Bengals, and painted Callico's, were very prejudicial and destructive to the Manufactures of England, and promis'd, with a great deal of seeming Since­rity, That they would very readily agree to any reasonable Restraint afterwards, but nothing must be then done, for fear of disturbing the Loan so necessary to be raised by that Bill.

The Manufacturers having all along shewed their Zeal for the Support of the present Govern­ment were from these Considerations induced to be quiet, and wait a more favourable juncture; and the London Weavers were so allured with the fair Speeches, and charming Promises of these New East-India Merchants, that upon calling this Parliament, they thought none so fit for their Representatives as they; so that by their Interest and Industry, two of the Principal Directors were very near carrying the Election for the City of London.

But now the Tables are turned, and the New East-India Men as zealously oppose all Restricti­ons as the Old; and tho' they made shew of consenting to some Restraints, and some Meetings and Discourses were had thereupon, yet they never proceeded further, but lately neglected to meet several Members of Parliament, and others, at Time and Place agreed on by their own Ap­pointment. By which practises they plainly shew, That all East-India Traders have the same Principals and Interest, to Support and Carry on.

This New Company being thus Settled, and the Old getting in for a considerable share, are now striving hard which shall Ride on the Fore-Horse, but both agreed to drive on to our Ruine, if not Restrained by the Legislative Power of the Nation: For, if when they had a Stock but of Three hundred seventy two thousand Pounds, and no Act of Parliament to Support them, they drove so great and pernicious a Trade as is herein before recited, what can any Rational Man think will be the consequence of a Stock of Two Millions, which is more than is used by all the Manu­facturers of England? The very prospect makes many, true Lovers of their Country, Hearts ake.

The great quantities of East-India Manufactures lately Imported, and the prospect of much greater in a very short time, has been the great occasion of the ruine of the Canterbury Trade, which is reduced in less than three Years time, above Seven Parts in Eight; And have also necessitated most of the London Silk-Weavers to give over their Trades; many of them are gone to Ireland, and other Foreign Parts; and a great many of those left behind are fallen to Comb, Card and Spin Wooll, and make Worsted Stuffs, Druggets, Says, Serges, and almost all other sorts of our Woollen Manufactures, which have, and must of Necessity, hinder the Weavers and Clothiers, in the several Counties and Places where these Manufactures have been for a long time made. The sad Effects whereof are already so sensibly felt in the Cities of Norwich and Can­terbury, that great multitudes are there out of Imployment; and being so, are reduced to great Necessities, and thereupon grown very uneasie and burdensome to those Cities and Neighbour­hoods: And although the East-India Advocates pretend and insinuate, That the reason of the London and Canterbury Weavers leaving off, proceeds from the want of Raw Silk, which is now very scarce and dear; this, tho in some measure is allow'd to have lessen'd their Trade, yet the principal Cause proceeds from the East-India Silks, Bengals, and fine painted Callico's: For were they not brought in, and so generally worn here, the Weavers cou'd still very well have gone on with their Trades in Slight Silks, Half Silks, and the like. And that which adds still to their misfortune, is, That there has been (as we are told, and fear it's too true) above 600,000 l. in less than Ten Months, sent to the East Indies, the Returns being most in Manufactured Goods, destroys their future hopes, unless some restraint be put upon the Expense of these Indian Commodities.