om
Portugal than from any other country whatever." The practical policy
prevalent in 1713 is thus summarised by one of its enthusiastic
upholders--"We suffer the goods and merchandises of Holland, Germany,
Portugal, and Italy to be imported and consumed among us; and it is
well we do, for we expect a much greater value of our own to those
countries than we take from them. So that the consumption of those
nations pays much greater sums to the rents of our lands and the
labour of our people than ours does to theirs. But we keep out as much
as possible the goods and merchandises of France, because our
consumption of theirs would very much hinder the consumption of our
own, and abate a great part of forty-two millions which it now pays to
the rents of our lands and the labour of our people."[9] Thus our
policy was to confine our import trade to foreign luxuries and raw
materials of manufacture which could not be here produced, drawn
exclusively from countries where such trade would not turn the balance
against us, and, on the other hand, to force our export trade on any
country that would receive it. Since every European nation was largely
influenced by similar ideas and motives, and enforced upon their
colonies and dependencies a like line of conduct, many mutually
profitable exchanges were prevented, and commerce was confined to
certain narrow and artificial grooves, while the national industrial
energy was wasted in the production of many things at home which could
have been more cheaply obtained from foreign countries through
exchange.

The following example may suffice to illustrate the intricacy of the
legislation passed in pursuance of this policy. It describes a change
of detailed policy in support and regulation of textile trade:--

"A tax was laid on foreign linens in order to provide a fund for
raising hemp and flax at home; while bounties were given on these
necessary articles from our colonies, the bounty on the exportation of
hemp was withdrawn. The imposts on foreign linen yarn were withdrawn.
Bounties were given on British linen cloth exported; while the making
of cambricks was promoted, partly by prohibiting the foreign and
partly by giving fresh incentives, though without success, to the
manufacture of cambricks within our island. Indigo, cochineal, and
logwood, the necessaries of dyes, were allowed to be freely
imported."[10]

The encouragement of English shipping (partly for commercial, partly
for p