An answer to the most material objections made by the Linnen-Drapers, against the bill which restrains the wearing East-India wrought silks, &c. in England; humbly submitted to the consideration of the most honourable House of Lords.

AN ANSWER TO THE Most Material Objections Made by the LINNEN-DRAPERS , Against the Bill which restrains the Wearing East-India wrought Silks , &c. in England ; Humbly Submitted to the Consideration of the Most Honourable House of Lords .

Object . THAT the Weavers are now so full of Employment , That if this Bill should pass , there would be so great a want of Hands , they would raise the prices of their Goods to an Extravagant Rate .

Answ . That in the Spring of the Year , the Weavers of London , Norwich , Canterbury , &c. ( since the scarcity and dearness of East-India Silks ) have been well Employed ; but in the latter part of the Year , there is generally in these Places great Numbers which want work ; besides there are a great many large Towns in England , where there is no Manufacture of any sort , in which there are vast Numbers of Poor which want Work , and wholly subsist on the Bounty of their Neighbours and Parishes , which if this Bill pass may be Employed in these Manufactures : And it s morally impossible for such Multitudes of People , at so many differing Places , and of so many different Interests to combine together to keep up Prices for Goods , beyond their real value ; and as our Manufactures encrease , the Merchants will give larger Orders for raw Silk , and thereby Export more of our Woollen Manufactures ; the Farmers will encrease his breed of Sheep all over the Kingdom ; there being large tracts of Land ( which now are useless ) very proper for that purpose , to the great Encouragement of the Owners and Proprietors thereof .

Object . That the wearing our own Manufactures at home , does not make us the Richer ; and that it s the Interest of the Nation to wear East-India Goods which are cheap , and Export our own which are dearer .

Answ . It 's true , That what we consume at home of our own Manufactures does not make us the Richer . But it is as true , that whatever we consume at home of Forreign Manufactures purchased with our Bullion ( as East-India wrought Silks and Callicoes , &c. ) does really make us so much the Poorer , as is the Cost of those Manufactures . And for the other part of the Objection , there can be no Argument in it , unless the Linnen Drapers could make out , that the more we consume of East-India Goods at home , the more we should send abroad of our own , which they have not , nor cannot pretend to Demonstrate . But the contrary is manifest , if it be considered , that Turkey and Italy , which takes off most of our Woollen Manufactures , can send us nothing in return of our Manufactures , but Raw Silk , and Grogorum Yarn , which can be of no use to us , if by wearing East-India Silks , &c. we destroy those Manufactures which work up this Silk and Yarn ; so that the plain Consequence will be this : Wearing East-India Silks , &c. at home , will force us to quit those profitable Trades of Turkey and Italy , which take off vast quantities of our Woollen Manufactures , and leave them to the Dutch and French , and will thereby greatly destroy the Exportation of our Woollen Manufactures abroad , and impoverish Four or Five Hundred Thousand Persons , who depend on these Manufactures at home .

Object . That if India Silks , and Printed Callicoes are not worn in England , we shall use Dutch and Italian Silks , and German and Scotch Linnen in their Place , which will cost the Nation Dearer .

Answ . The Parliament of England , has at all times had such a particular Care of the Manufactures of England , that there has been such Prohibitions and Impositions on Forreign Manufactures , that the Manufacturors do now labour under no great difficulties from any Place but India . For about Seven Years since there was an additional Duty laid on all Dutch and Italian wrought Silks ; that with what was paid before , there is now 20 per Cent . on all Silks from those Countries , which has so hindred the Dutch from Importing flowred Silks upon us , that there has not been so much as one Case of these Goods Imported these Six Years ; nor is it possible for them to do it , whilst this Duty continues . And for the Italians , their Imports on us since this Act , has yearly declined , and are now so inconsiderable , that they are not worth the Name of Importation , the English Manufacturers being now come to so great a Perfection , that they make them better , and ( by vertue of the Duty ) do also afford them Cheaper than the Dutch or Italians can possibly do . And since those Countries which take off so many of our Manufactures , are already taken care of by the Parliament , that they cannot hurt us . The Manufacturers make no question , but that this most Honourable House will join with the Commons of England in passing this Bill , which only hinders the home Consumption of those Goods which are bought with our Money in India , and will inevitably destroy so many Thousand Families : And for the Scotch and German Linnens , what they object will be used instead of Painted Callicoes , and will cost the Nation dearer . There is no necessity for their use ; for we now make such variety of things in England , with Silk and Worsted , and with Cotten Yarn from our Plantations , that do in a great measure supply the uses of those Linnens . Besides it 's Humbly Submitted , Whether it be not much better to Encourage the Linnens of those Nations ( though dearer ) which take off our Woollen Manufactures , as Scotland and Germany does in considerable quantities ; then the Painted Linnens from India ( though cheaper ) which does not , nor cannot Consume any quantity of our Manufactures ; there being now within these few days , Letters from India which give an Account , that the Cloth which has been sent thither , is so burthensome , that they know not what to do with it , there being no Sale for it in that Hot Country . And whatever is Exported by the Company , must of necessity be sent into Persia , which will consequently oblige the Turkey Merchants to send the lesser quantities into those Places , and so no Advantage to this Kingdom .

Object . That this Prohibition will abate the King's Customs .

Answ . The Abatements in Customs in these Goods will be but small , in regard there will be much greater quantities of China Raw Silk , Cotton and Bengal Imported , then would otherwise be done ; and the small Abatement that may be will be inconsiderable , if compared with the greater Loss that will be on the Customs of Tobacco , Brandy , &c. and Excise on Beer , &c. if the Employment of the Poor be taken away , and they obliged to go to Foreign Nations for want of Work .

Arguments might be Raised for the Bill ad Infinitum , but the Manufacturers of England , do so entirely depend on your Lordships , that they will only add their Prayers , that the Blessings of Heaven may always accompany your Lordships and your Posterity , for the constant encouragement that has been ( and we trust will be ) given by your Lordships , to the Multitudes of Poor Families of your own Native Country .