THE Assembly's ordering their Votes to be printed daily, seems to be an Ap­peal to the Publick of the Reasonableness of their Proceedings; and at the same Time seems to demand the Advice and Assis­tance of any without Doors, who may perhaps have a better Knowledge of some Things, or have been at more than common Pains to consider any one Point.

[Page 4]Whenever it has been undertaken to Write upon any Subject, under the Consideration of the Parliament of England, with the View only to In­form, and with the suitable Deference that is due to the great Council of the Nation; the Parliament has been so far from discouraging such Attempts, that often the Person so doing, has been publickly rewarded for his Pains.

The Methods of Supporting the Go­vernment have, in the last Sessions of Assembly, occasioned more Disputes than have of late been usual in this Province: And therefore it is hoped, An impartial Enquiry into the Matters in Debate, may be acceptable, not only to those con­cerned in the Legislature, but like­wise to every One that has any con­siderable Interest in, or Concern for, this Country.

Whoever considers the vast Benefits which arise to Mankind from a well regulated Society, will be fully con­vinced of the Necessity of Supporting Government, and that the Security of our Lives and Properties entirely depend upon [Page 5] it. We have an Instance in the Indians round us and among us, of the Mise­ries they suffer by Want of a Go­vernment: How do their Nations in­sensibly wast away? and how like Brutes do those that remain live a­mongst us? We need not go far neither to see the Disadvantages of a bad Go­vernment: Those that have been in Canada, know the poor slavish State of the common People in that Country. Since then our Happiness so much depends on the Support of a good Government, I believe we shall find very few in this Country, that will be against a sufficient and honourable Sup­port for the Government here: The only Question is, How it may be effected with the least Burthen to the People, or with the least Prejudice to Trade and Industry.

What I undertake, is to shew how this may be done. In the first Place I shall lay down some Maxims, as the Foundation of the following Essay, and which may be likewise useful in ex­amining any Proposals made for that End.

[Page 6]The first Maxim is, That we should avoid, as much as possible, to add any Charge to the Trade, Industry or Labour of the People. This will meet with no Op­position, for every Man is willing to be free of the Burthen. But it is like­wise the Interest of the King and our Superiours, that this be, as much as is possible, observ'd: For the less Charge upon Trade, the greater the Profit to the Province: And the Riches of the King consists in that of his People.

When Trade is eas'd, the Merchant can carry the Produce of the Country to more Markets, and sell what he Im­ports for the Use of the People, at a cheaper Rate; by which the Pro­vince gains doubly.

There ought no less Care to be ta­ken to take off all Burden, if possible, from the Labour or Manufactures of a Country: For thereby, Industry, from which only the Riches of a Country are obtained, will be encouraged and encreased. By this Means the Mer­chant will buy his Goods for Exporta­tion at a cheaper Rate, and therefore [Page 7] will be able to make more Profit, and be enabled to carry them to Foreign Markets, which otherwise he could not do. The Merchant will likewise be enabled to sell what he Imports to a better Advantage; because whilst Labour and Industry are encouraged, the Coun­try People thrive, grow Rich, and are enabled to pay the Merchant for what they Buy.

The second Maxim which I propose is, That, if possible, the Support of Government should be wholly put upon Vice, and whatsoever else is prejudicial to the good of the Society. By this Means we shall have good Men, In­dustry, Trade, Labour and Frugality encouraged; all which encrease the Riches and Happiness of the Place: And at the same Time ill Men, Luxu­ry, Drunkenness, Idleness, Pride and Vanity discouraged; which only im­poverish and make a People mean and miserable.

This Maxim will be generally a­greed to.

The third Maxim which I propose, [Page 8] is upon Supposition, that there is a Necessity of laying Part of the Burthen of Supporting the Government, either upon the Trade, or upon the Labour and Manufactures of the Province; That it is more the Interest of the Province that the Charge of Support be laid upon the Trade, than upon the Labour or Manufactures of the People. This I believe will meet with more Contradiction than any of the former, because the Merchants will think that it strikes directly at their Interest; therefore I shall take the more Pains to set it in its proper Light.

For this End let us consider, That Labour and Manufactures are the Foun­dation of all Trade without which it cannot be carried on: And therefore if we should encourage Trade, we must also for the same Reason avoid bur­thening that without which no Trade can be carried on. If We had no La­bourers, no Plowing and Sowing, what could the Merchants do? What could they send out of the Country? Or to whom could they sell their Merchan­dize which they Import? How could [Page 9] the Shopkeepers live, or the Trades­men? Or how could any of their Fa­milies be supported? In short, what would become of the City of New-York, and all the Riches in it.

Now if a total Suppression of the Labour and Manufactury would certain­ly entirely destroy all Trade, whatever lessens the Labour and Manufactures of the Country, will consequently les­sen Trade and the Profits by it: And therefore any Tax or Burthen upon, or Discouragement to the Labour or Labouring People, will, in its Effects, be really a Hurt to the Merchant.

Let us take a View of the Town and the Traders in it, on one side, and the Country and Labouring People in it, on the other. We find the Country People Labouring hard from Morning till Night, from one End of the Year to the other, earning the Necessaries of Life with the Sweat of their Brows: We find them poorly Cloath'd, glad if they can defend themselves against the Cold with the coursest Cloathing. If we go into their Houses, we find no Superfluities, they [Page 10] are glad of a poor Cottage to defend them and their Children from the scorching Heats of the Summer, the Dews of the Night and the peircing Colds of the Winter. Let us View their Table, we shall find there no Dainties, no high Sauces, no rich Wines; we shall see them sit down with good Appetites, to Suppaun, to a Dish of Roots, or to salt Beef and Pork: At Night we shall see them glad to repose their weary Limbs on a hard Bed; and early in the Morning we find them begin their Labour again.

Now let us return to the Town and see how they live there; if we go in the Morning to the Markets, there we see the poor Country-Folks sitting with the choicest Beef, Mutton, Veal, Turkies, Wild-Fowl, Fish, and all the Dainties which they denyed their own Appetites, to satisfy that of the rich Townsmen, in order to get a little Money to buy Cloaths for them­selves and their poor Children. If we look into the publick Places, how many Idle People shall we see walking at their Ease? If we look along the Streets, in what rich Silks, Head-dresses and [Page 11] unnecessary Cloaths shall we see the Women walking from House to House a visiting, to put off the Time that Idleness makes hang heavy upon them? If we look in­to the Publick-Houses, shall we not find in many Places, People Gameing or Drin­king to Excess, spending both their Money and Time in a Manner wholly Useless to the Good of the Country, if not highly prejudicial to it? If we can get to the Rich-men's Tables, what a Superflu­ity of Victuals and Liquor shall we see there? What Time is spent in Eating and Drinking? If we take a View of their Houses, How much unnecessary sumptuous Furniture? How much of the Money of the Country is Expended thus, with­out any Profit or Advantage to it? Will then any Fair Equitable Man think that these People should be excused from Supporting Government, that can be­stow so much upon Superfluities, and the Burthen lye upon the Country Peo­ple who hardly find Money sufficient for the Necessities of Life.

We find all wise Nations have done otherwise. We find that in England [Page 12] Labourers and Manufactures, are not only freed from Burdens, or Taxes, but likewise in many Cases encouraged by Bounties. When Wheat comes un­der a certain Price, there is a Reward paid to encourage the Merchant to give a higher Price for Exporting it. They have found by long experience, the Necessity of Encourageing Labour: And when the Necessities of the State requi­red heavy Burdens, they have always spared the Labourers and the Manu­factures; and have laid the Burden upon Trade which could bear it. There is no doubt but that the People of England do all they can at the same time to encourage Trade, in which the Nation is so much concern'd; and they have made many Trials, and have much Experience to make them judge what methods are most for the Advan­tage of the Country: And therefore we may safely follow their Example, in the methods of supporting Government; in rather laying the Burthen upon Trade, which we also know can bear it, than upon the poor Labourers who cannot.

[Page 13]It may be Objected to this, that we find in England frequently Land-Taxes; which may seem contradictory to what has been advanced. To this I answer, That the Land-Taxes are not employed in the ordinary or common Support of Govern­ment, but only in extraordinary Cases, when there is a War, or the Debts contracted in time of War are to be paid. But besides, there is a vast difference betwixt Land-Taxes in England, and the Land-Taxes in this Country; for in England it is not the Labourer, or Farmer that pays them, it is the Gentleman to whom the Lands and Rents belong who pays them out of his Rents. So that even in this Case, the Labourer and the Manu­factures are entirely free. In this Coun­try there are very few or no Rents of Lands: All the Taxes on Lands fall upon the Farmers, the Labourers and the Manufactures of the Province: So that if Land-Taxes were constantly used in England, there would not be the same reason for them here, as there.

Another Argument which has been used against this, is, That if the Duties were [Page 14] taken off from Merchandize, the Country People would buy what they want much cheaper: and by encourageing Strangers to come, would sell their Produce much dear­er: So that by paying Forty Shillings, or Four or five Pounds only in a Year, they would gain Forty or Fifty Pounds, in the Cheapness of what they buy and the Dearness of what they sell.

To answer this, we need only take notice, who they are that use this Argument. The Merchants tell the Country People, how they are to buy Goods Cheaper, and to sell their Wheat and Flower Dearer. Pray when were they found so Self-deny'd? Their more usual Maxim is, to sell as dear as they can to the Country People, and to buy as Cheap. But to convince every one, that this is all Sham; I have heard the fol­lowing Argument put to some of them. If it be really so, you Merchants have no Reason to complain of the Duties; if you sell your Goods so very much Dearer, and buy so much Cheaper, you are great Gai­ners by them. The Merchant was not upon his Guard, and he therefore spoke [Page 15] out the Truth. We do not sell our Goods proportionably Dearer. The price of Goods is not according to what they cost us, but according to the Market, the quan­tity of Goods to be Sold, and the number of Buyers. The Trade in this Place is over-done, there is too much brought in, and too many Ships to load.

The Country Man that put the Question, then stopt the Merchant and told him, I've found you out, you would have us pay the Duties for you, and to buy your Goods at the same Rate we did be­fore; for if already there be more Goods brought in, than the Country can take off your Hands, and already too much Ship­ping for our Produce, all your first Argu­ment falls to the Ground, of our buying Cheaper and selling Dearer by the Duties being taken off. Tho' we be Poor, we are not such Fools as you think us: You can much better afford to pay the Duties than we can: You grow Rich, notwith­standing that you pay the Duties, and we have much ado to support our Families now we are free of them. You want to encrease our Necessities by encreasing our [Page 16] Poverty: You fancy thereby to make us your Slaves and Drudges, and to get all our Lands Mortgaged to you. You will be mistaken in your Aim; and if you could accomplish it, at last you would de­ceive your selves; for you make now more Profit by us, while we have something that we can call our own. We are Laborious and Industrious while we work for our selves, but if we were only to work for you, we shall be mere Negroes, grow lazy and careless, neglect both your Interest and our own. If you Love your selves and your Country, encourage the Industry of the Farmers, for it is by them that you get all your Money.

Now I shall apply what has been said in general, to the particular Duties by which this Government is Supported.

The first is the Duty on Wines and Rum. I think, by all the Maxims a­fore-mentioned, this Duty seems to be the most reasonable: The Labouri­ous Industrious Part of the Country feel nothing of it; it falls only on the vicious Part of the People. How many Families have these Liquors ruined? [Page 17] How many good Trades-men have by Drinking become Useless to their Coun­try? How much Idleness and Mis­spending of Time does it occasion, both in Town and Country? Certainly there is nothing that prevents Industry and Labour more than Drinking, and con­sequently that Impoverishes the Coun­try more: And therefore we find that very wise Nations have entirely pro­hibited the Use of Wine and Strong Liquors. And in this Country, seeing it is only the Richest of the People, or the idlest and most useless Part of them, that make the great Consumption of Strong Liquors, it seems highly rea­sonable that such should bear the great­est Part of the Burthen of Supporting Government; because the Rich are most able to pay, and enjoy the greatest Benefits from the Government: And such Taxes are a kind of Punishment to the Idle and Vicious Part of the People.

But even, supposing that Strong Li­quors produce none of these ill Effects upon the Industry and Minds of the [Page 18] People, if we consider the Importation of them as a Branch of Trade only, which either encreases or lessens the Stock of Money in the Country; we shall find this Trade prejudicial like­wise in this Sense.

The Traders to Madera know well enough, that the Goods exported to that place, are not sufficient to purchase all the Wine consumed in this Country; and that they are obliged yearly to send Gold or Silver, or Bills of Ex­change on England to ballance their Accompts: By which it is evident, that that Trade drains this Country of so much Money yearly, as that Ballance amounts to. If so great a Loss were occasion'd by the Impor­tation of necessary Commodities that we could not be without, we must then sit down contented, and endea­vour to make up our loss another way the best we could: But as it is other­wise, that the Importation of so much Wine is prejudicial in it self as before shewn; the Country can never be hurt by any Burthens, Duties or Discou­ragements [Page 19] put upon it; but on the con­trary they will be an Advantage to it.

And herein we have the Example of England, who have laid a double Duty on French Wines, because the Bal­lance of Trade must be paid to France in Money; and only a single Duty on Spanish and Portugal Wines, because those Nations pay the ballance of Trade to England in Gold or Silver: But even this single Duty is very considerable, amounting to about Five and Twenty Pounds the Tun; as the double Duty does to Fifty Pounds.

I believe the Country Folks may readily join so far with me, as to Wine; but they'l not so readily join as to Rum, because it is, what they tell me they cannot be without in their hard Labour, to support their Spirits when wasted with Sweat in the hot Seasons of Harvest and Hay-Time, and to de­fend themselves against the piercing Colds in Winter. To this I answer, that if only so much were to be used as is necessary for those Ends, a quarter [Page 20] part at most of the Rum now imported would serve: And tho' we paid dearer for it, seeing we used so much less, the Country and every Man in it would be Gainers. But again, I say, we have no Use for Rum, in any of these Cases; we can make a better Spirit of Cyder of our own Produce, and enough for to serve all the necessary Uses: And if so, then all the Rum that is Im­ported, is so much unnecessary Expence to the Country. How much excellent Cyder and Beer do we now make in this Country, wholesome and generous Liquors, and how cheap are they Sold! What Folly then would it be in the Country-Man to encourage the Impor­tation of Foreign Liquors, merely to give the Profit that is got by them to the Merchant and to Foreign Countries? When by the same means, he lessens the Profit of the Industrious part of our own People, and the Stock of Money in the Country. For it is plain, that if there were less Wine Imported, we need not send out any Money to pay the Ballance of our Trade with Madera: [Page 21] And if less Rum were Imported from the West-Indies, Gold and Silver would be Imported in its room: And the poor Country-Man would have a better price for his Beer, Cyder and Spirits made in the Country. By this means, these Manufactures would be encreas'd, and our Skill in making of them would daily grow better and better: So that in time, we should not only lessen our Consumption of Foreign Goods, which certainly saves so much Money as they cost, but we would be able to send our Beer, Cyder and Spirits to Foreign Mar­kets; by which we should gain as much Money as their Nett Proceeds amount to. Upon the whole, I think it is evi­dent to a Demonstration, that the more Duties we lay upon all Foreign Li­quors, the more Profit and Advantage there is to the People of this Province.

The only Objection that can be made to this is, that the Liquors which are Imported into this Province, are not all Sold in it; but that we Export a good Quantity to Jersey, Maryland and Vir­ginia.

[Page 22]Now if the Charges upon these Goods be encreased so much, as a heavy Duty necessarily must do, the Mer­chants here will lose all the Benefit of that Trade, because they can be cheaper supplied from other Places that are free of such Duties. The Truth of this is very certain; and yet I think that it is as certain, that if by encou­raging this Branch of Trade, we can­not do it by any Methods but what will occasion otherwise a greater Loss to the Province; we are not to consi­der the particular Advantage of a few Men in it, but the general Good of the whole; and that these few men must be contented with that particular Loss; when thereby there is a greater Advantage to the Country in general. However, I think there is no Need of making this Supposition, for I am of Opinion that this Branch of Trade may be saved to the Merchants, not­withstanding of the Duties laid upon all Foreign Liquors. For Example; sup­pose there were a publick Store for all Liquors design'd to be exported, into [Page 23] which the Merchants were allowed to put their Liquors, without paying any Duties, or only so much as the Store­age in like Cases would amount to; and that this Store were under the Custody of two different Persons, who should have different Locks and Keys, the one to be appointed by the Govern­ment, and the other chosen by the Merchants: in this Case, whenever the Merchant finds a Market for Ex­portation, he may ship off his Goods at as cheap a Rate as any of our Neigh­bours: Or if he finds it better to sell what he has, in the Country, he may take out of this Store what he pleases, upon paying the Duty. To prevent the Abuses which may happen by Running of Goods, and bringing back what is exported, the Merchant ought to be ob­liged to return sufficient Certificates of their being landed: High Penalties should be put upon the running of such Goods, and sufficient Rewards given for discovering Frauds. This is the Method now used in England, as to se­veral Goods, and therefore I propose it [Page 24] as likely to be a good Method; but per­haps a better may be found.

The next Duty I shall consider is that on Molossus.

As this Duty falls chiefly upon a Commodity only used by the poorer People, and doth not encourage any Vice, as the Foreign Liquors do; but only serves the poor People to make their course Diet more agreeable to them, and furnishes them with a small Liquor at a cheap Rate; there is less to be said in Support of a Duty upon this, than upon the Liquors which Encourage Vice, Luxury, Drunkenness and Idleness: However, as I think that it is a Commodity we can entire­ly be without, and hinders our In­crease of a much better Commodity of our own Country, for all the Uses that it can be applyed to, (I mean Ho­ney and Cyder-sweets) the Importa­tion of Molossus, I think, ought to be discouraged, as a Thing that occasi­ons a needless Expence to the Coun­try, and hinders the Encrease of our own Commodities: Therefore the small [Page 25] Duty laid upon Molossus, seems to me very Reasonable and Useful.

The same Reasons prove the Ne­cessity of putting a Duty on the Cocoa consumed in this Province. As to that which is to be exported again, the Method before proposed, as to Rum, may serve, if it should be found that it cannot bear the Duty.

I come now to the Duty upon Salt.

This indeed I think Injurious to the Country, for many Reasons; It falls heaviest upon the poor People that can least bear Taxes: The Rich Peo­ple Use but little Salt Meat: The poor People only live upon Salt Beef and Pork, besides the Salt they are obliged to give to their Cattle. This Duty likewise is a considerable Injury to our own Commodities, and the Trade of the Place. Salt Beef and Pork are a con­considerable Branch of our Exporta­tion; and nothing ought to be done which may any way discourage our own Manufactures and Exportation. It seems therefore to be more reason­able [Page 26] to take off all Duty upon this Commodity, and to lay it upon Li­quors, the Importation of which can­not be too much discouraged.

The Duty of Tunnage upon Foreign Vessels has had more said for and a­gainst it, than any of the others; and therefore may deserve a more strict Enquiry. The following Ar­guments are urged against it.

1st. It discourages Strangers in gene­ral to come to our Markets, seeing they can go to others with less Charge to themselves, where they can buy the same Commodities.

2dly. It encreases the Dearness of the Freight of Goods; for it is well known That the Bermudians carry Goods much cheaper than any others, and they being by this Duty discouraged to come hither, our Neighbours can ex­port their Commodities to a foreign Market cheaper than we can, and can consequently undersell us.

3dly. The Discourageing of Strangers, especially those of the West-Indies, who often send their Vessels to the [Page 27] Main to be repaired, is a loss to many Tradesmen; the Ship-Carpenters, Joy­ners, Rope-makers, Sail-makers, But­chers, Bakers, Tavernkeepers, in short, all Tradesmen and Labourers in the Country receive, more or less Benefit by every Vessel that comes in.

On the other Hand it is said for the Duty. That if we encourage Strangers to run away with all, or the greatest Part of the Freight of Goods, we will certainly decrease the Number of our Shipping and of our Sailors, and will cause an Exportation of a consi­derable Quantity of Money, which other­wise would have been saved to the Country; that is, all the Money which is given to these Strangers for carrying our Goods to and from the West-Indies, or any other Market, except so much as they spend in the Harbour, which every one knows is a very inconsiderable Part of the whole: Suppose there are Ten Vessels, or ten different Freights of Vessels to and from the West-Indies, and at the Rate of six Pounds the Tun, for­wards and backwards, and that these [Page 28] Vessels carry one with another thirty five Tuns, then the Freight of these Vessels would amount to Two Thousand one Hundred Pounds: It is a Question if these Bermudians, considering what little they spend and how they victual, that they would leave much more than the odd one Hundred Pounds in the Place; so that the Country would actually lose near two Thousand Pounds in a Year, that would have been saved to the Country if our Merchandize had been carryed in our own Vessels. It is pro­bable that the Merchant-Adventurer may save more to himself by Freighting of Strangers, than by Freighting Vessels belonging to this Place; but then it is to be considered, That we are not to have this or that Mans particular Profit in View, but the general Ad­vantage of the Country. Now it is plain, That what the Freighter loseth, the Owner of the Vessel gets; and when they both belong to the Place, it is no Odds to the Country, whether the Freight­er or the Owner of the Vessel gets: But when the Vessel belongs to another [Page 29] Country, then very near all the Freight is lost to this Country.

Now if we consider that all Trades­men get more Advantage by Building of one new Vessel than by ten Strangers, Bermudians especially: That if Ship­building were left off or discouraged, we would lose a very considerable Manu­facture; and that the Consequence of it would be, our losing even that small Benefit which we now think we want, viz. The Repairing foreign Vessels; be­cause the Ship-Builders, for Want of Encouragement would go to other Places.

If we consider how precarious our Trade must be without Shipping and Sai­lors, when we depend entirely upon Strangers, how much this will Weaken our Country and its Trade; For Ship­ping and Sailors are the Bulwark of all Maritime Countries, and the Foun­dation without which no considerable Trade can be carried on: Whoever, I say, considers these Things and the cer­tain Loss to our selves of all the Freight which Strangers make, must be convin­ced. That it is much more the Ad­vantage [Page 30] of our Country, to have our Merchandize transported by our own Vessels than by Strangers. How this can be done, but by a Duty upon Fo­reign Vessels, I know not: And there­fore, I think it is plain, That the Tun­nage Duty, as it now stands, is extreme­ly Usefull to the Place, and the Trade of it.

We may be still further convinced of the Truth of this, by Observing that all Trading Nations, both the Dutch and the English, encourage Transpor­tation in their own Bottoms, and dis­courage that in Strangers: And there­fore we may be satisfied of its being Beneficial to the Country. They have had a long Experience; if it had been found prejudicial, they had altered this Practice long before now: But we find to the contrary, That the Di­stinction between their own Vessels and Foreigners is still kept up.

From the whole it follows, That seeing we have the Reason on our Side, and the Experience of all Trading Na­tions to confirm it, there can be no Doubt [Page 31] left, but that it is for the Benefit of a Country to encourage Navigation in their own Vessels, rather than in those of Foreigners; And that laying Discou­ragements upon Strangers for that End is useful.

Now that I have gone through all the material Branches of Trade, on which any Duties are laid in this Province: I shall in the last Place consider a Poll Tax that was proposed to be laid on all Negro Slaves in this Province. The Objections that I think may be reasonably made to this is, That it is a Tax upon the Labour and Manufactures of the Place, which, I have already shewn, are, by all Means, to be avoided. It is true that it were better for the Country if there were no Negroes in it, and that all could be car­ried on by Freemen, who have a greater Interest in promoting the Good of a Country, and who strengthen it more than any Number of Slaves can do: But the Want of Hands and the Dear­ness of the Wages of hired Servants, [Page 32] makes Slaves at this Time necessary; and seeing they are necessary, nothing that is necessary is to be discouraged.

The second Objection is, That it is a very unequal Tax, and which will fall more upon the Poor and Laborious Part of the Province than upon the Rich and Idle People; and therefore to be avoided, because discouraging to La­bour and Industry: And for this Reason it is, probable, that all Poll Taxes, of all Kinds, have been of a long Time disused in England. How many poor People have their Subsis­tance from their Slaves? How many People are improving Lands by their Slaves, which at present bring in no Profit to them? What an Expence is it to poor People to raise Negroe Children, in hopes to help them in their old Age who are forced to save out of their own Bellies and off their own Backs to feed and cloath them? And on the Contrary, how many rich People are there, that have not above one or two Slaves, and give away their Negro Children, because they [Page 33] don't think them worth the Charge of raising? Therefore it seems to me highly unreasonable to lay a Tax upon the Poor and Labouring People, with a Design only to excuse the Rich.

From all that has been said, I think it is plain, That Duties on Mer­chandize have been so contrived, as to promote the Interest of the Country, and are a Means of encreasing its Wealth; and consequently that they are so lit­tle to be thought a Burthen on the Inhabitants, that we may justly ad­mire the Wisdom of the Legislature of this Province, in Supporting the Government here, by such Means only, as are, at the same Time, ne­cessary to promote the Industry and Manufactures of the People, and re­strain the Idleness, Luxury, Vanity and unnecessary Expence of the In­habitants.

Now I have given my Thoughts on these Heads, with a Design to serve my Country; if I be mistaken, I should be glad that those that know better would shew my Mistakes, and [Page 34] inform their Country of its true In­terest. It is every Man's Duty to do so, and it's his Interest likewise; because every Man will in some Mea­sure partake in it's Happiness or Misery.

If Truth be on the other Side, it will not require much Labour or Skill to shew it; for Truth is plain, it wants no Cunning or Art to set it forth, and it is lovely and pleasant.

A Man that discovers any Thing for the Use of his Country, gains the love of his Neighbours and of his Country; and has much Satisfac­tion and Pleasure in his own Mind when he is promoting the Good of it.

I therefore again invite those who think, that I have mistaken the true Interest of my Country, to shew wherein it consists. But if instead of Arguments, those who are of a contrary Opinion, endeavour to gain their Ends only by Caballing, Drink­ing, Treating, and Whispering of Sto­ries, We may suspect that their Designs [Page 35] will not bear being openly defended: Whereas Truth is never ashamed of the Daylight: And he that thinks his Cause will bear it, commonly chuses to support it in the most pub­lick Manner.

I hope every Man therefore, having this in View, will lay aside Resent­ments, private Interest, and every Thing that stands in Opposition to the Good of his Country.