the balance of trade was always on the English side,
to the loss and disadvantage of the French.”
It followed, upon the received commercial doctrines,
that the French King was making a great concession
in consenting to take off high duties upon English
goods. This was precisely what Defoe was labouring
to prove. “The French King in taking off
the said high duties ruins all his own manufactures.”
The common belief was that the terms of peace would
ruin English manufacturing industry; full in the teeth
of this, Defoe, as was his daring custom, flung the
paradox of the extreme opposite. On this occasion
he acted purely as a party writer. That he was
never a free-trader, at least in principle, will appear
from the following extract from his
Plan of the
English Commerce, published in 1728:—
“Seeing trade then is the fund
of wealth and power, we cannot wonder that we see
the wisest Princes and States anxious and concerned
for the increase of the commerce and trade of their
subjects, and of the growth of the country; anxious
to propagate the sale of such goods as are the manufacture
of their own subjects, and that employs their own
people; especially of such as keep the money of
their dominions at home; and on the contrary, for
prohibiting the importation from abroad of such
things as are the product of other countries, and
of the labour of other people, or which carry money
back in return, and not merchandise in exchange.”
“Nor can we wonder that we see
such Princes and States endeavouring to set up
such manufactures in their own countries, which
they see successfully and profitably carried on by
their neighbours, and to endeavour to procure the materials
proper for setting up those manufactures by all
just and possible methods from other countries.”
“Hence we cannot blame the French
or Germans for endeavouring to get over the British
wool into their hands, by the help of which they
may bring their people to imitate our manufactures,
which are so esteemed in the world, as well as
so gainful at home.”
“Nor can we blame any foreign nation
for prohibiting the use and wearing of our manufactures,
if they can either make them at home, or make any
which they can shift with in their stead.”
“The reason is plain. ’Tis
the interest of every nation to encourage their
own trade, to encourage those manufactures that
will employ their own subjects, consume their own
growth of provisions, as well as materials of commerce,
and such as will keep their money or species at
home.”
“’Tis from this just principle
that the French prohibit the English woollen manufacture,
and the English again prohibit, or impose a tax
equal to a prohibition, on the French silks, paper,
linen, and several other of their manufactures.
’Tis from the same just reason in trade that
we prohibit the wearing of East India wrought silks,
printed calicoes, &c.; that we prohibit the importation
of French brandy, Brazil sugars, and Spanish tobacco;
and so of several other things.”
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