THESE Gentlemen have Petition'd the House of Commons ; and have delivered a Printed Paper , Intitled , The Case of the Refiners of Sugar in England . By which they mean , the Sugar-Bakers of London and Bristol : there being few of them elsewhere in England . 't is the Sugar Bakers of London and Bristol that make all this Noise . But they thought there was great weight in those words , in England . As if the English Parliament did not take care of the whole English Nation : that is , of all the People of England , as well as of those in England . And as if the Plantations were not England to all Intents .

They say in their Petition , that their Manufacture in England is of antient standing . Whereas it is well known , that when our Plantations fell to making of Sugar , there were but four or five Refining houses in England . And forty years before , there was hardly one . Also they say , that they employ great numbers of People . But for one Man that the Sugar-Bakers employ , the Plantations employ a hundred , even here in England : beside the mighty Navigation . And yet these Men think to be favour'd , against the Plantations .

They say in their Paper , That formerly they exported great Quantities of White Sugar into the Parts beyond Sea : which Trade , for about ten years past , hath been taken away by Forrainers . But what new thing happen'd about ten years ago , that brought our Sugar-Bakers into these ill Circumstances ? Truly it was the Additional Duties upon Sugar , imposed by King James : a thing of their own contriving , and promoting , and procuring . 't was these Additional Duties , that one the one hand ruined the Plantations , ( more particularly Barbadoes ; the most flourishing of all the rest ) ; and on the other hand disabled our Refiners from exporting their white Sugars .

Here two things may be demanded : First , what Inducement should the Refiners have , to drive on a Design so pernicious , to ruin the Plantations ? Secondly , How the Additional Duties did hinder the exporting their own White Sugars ?

In answer to the First , 't is plain they were led by their Interest , and a violent pursuit of their own Profit and Advantage . They had a great desire to engross the whole Trade to themselves , of making Brown Sugars white , and fit for Use . That so , being sole Buyers of the Browns , and sole Sellers of the Whites , they might buy and sell at their own Prices . But they saw this could not be , as long as white Sugars were suffer'd to come from the Plantations . And therefore they must endeavour to shut them out . Not by direct Prohibitions , ( for that had been too gross and too foul ) ; but by high Duties : that is , higher in proportion upon the Whites , than upon the Browns . Which they thought with good reason would keep out the Whites . And this was their way before , in the Sugar-Duties of King Charles the Second : which these Men contrived likewise . They made the Duty upon the Whites more than treble to the Browns , when as their Price is seldom double . And because King Charles his Duties did not sufficiently keep out the Plantation White-Sugars , they got that heavy Addition of King James : by the help of Sir D. N. their great Friend , to whom ( 't is presum'd ) they were not ungrateful .

As to the second Question , How those Additional Duties came to hinder the Refiners Exportations , it may have this general Answer . That as doubling the Excise lately ( for one year ) upon Beer and Ale , did cause such disorder and damage in that Affair , as perhaps will never be repaired . so the doubling the Duties upon Sugar for eight years , ( and indeed they were more than doubled ) , did utterly rout and confound the whole Sugar Trade . To the infinite prejudice both of particular Persons , and of the Kingdom in general . And therefore it is no wonder , if even the Sugar-Bakers , who had procured these Duties , did suffer by them in some respects . It being also found , that Projects extremely violent and griping , do often meet with disappointments , and contrary Effects .

But the particular Answer is this . King Charles's Duties were and are , eighteen pence per Hundred upon brown Sugar , and five shillings upon white , ( to say nothing now of Refined ) ; with a Draw-back of half upon Exportation . King James's Addition was , upon the Brown , seven groats ; and upon the White , seven shillings : but with a Draw-back of the whole . Which great new Draw-backs gave such advantage to the forrain Refiners , that Ours were beaten out of the Trade of Exporting white Sugars . And so by grasping at a Monopoly of the Home Trade , they lost the Forrain . But those Additional Duties being now determined , and the great Draw backs with them ; nothing seems to hinder , but that the Sugar-Bakers of London and Bristol may recover their forrain Trade . They being now in the same Condition , that they were before those Duties were imposed . Only they must have patience till the Plantations be healed of those wounds which the Sugar-Bakers gave them by the Additional Duties , and Sugar becomes plentiful again .

But to go on with their Case or Paper ; They in it set down the several Duties that are now on Sugar . White Sugar , they tell us , pays inwards five shillings a Hundred , and Brown or Muscovado pays one shilling six pence . But they make no mention of Refined , or Loaf-Sugar : which ( by their special Care and Contrivance ) pays sixteen shillings per Hundred . By which terrible Duty these Men have got a Monopoly of that sort of Sugar . None of it is here sold but Theirs : and that of Barbados is quite shut out . Tho the Barbados Refin'd is the best in the World , and Theirs the worst : and tho that of Barbados , if it were permitted to come , would be afforded much cheaper . So that then we might cleerly undersell both Hamburgers and Hollanders . But otherwise the French ( whenever they have a Peace ) will undersell us all : they refining upon the Place . They 'll make us leave our Fooling , and go the nearest way to work .

Then in their Paper they Note ; That three Hundred weight of Muscovado when Refined , makes one Hundred of White . And so it does , and a good deal more ▪ beside the Scum , Syrups , Bastards , and other Offal : which are considerable .

And now they come to their Discouragements : whereof the first and principal is this . That the English Refiners paying the Duties on Muscovado inwards , and the half Duty being drawn back on Exportation ; the Forrainers pay but the other Half : so that the English Refiners white Sugar stands them in more than the Forrainers . Here it is confess'd , that there is that Draw-back on Exportation . But the question is , whether the Refiners pay those Duties inwards . And this is the Hinge on which their Case turns . If it be true , that those Duties are paid by the Refiners ; they are under a great Discouragement , and ought to be relieved . But if this be a notorious Falshood , ( as it is most notorious ) ; they should suppress their Case for shame , and withdraw their Petition for shame : Begging pardon also of that Honourable House , whom they have endeavour'd to abuse so grosly . Nothing is more notorious , than that the Importer ( whether he be a Plantet or Merchant ) pays those Duties . And if he be a Merchant , he had paid so much less for his Sugars upon that account , when he bought them in the Plantations . So that every way , the people of the Plantations bear the burden . But it may safely be affirm'd , that all the Sugar-bakers of London and Bristol , put together , never paid one Farthing Custom for Sugars imported . And whereas these Men would insinuate , that Forrainers have the advantage of the Drawback , it is no such Matter ; For the Drawback is for the Ease and Benefit of them that paid the Duties : who are the English Importers . And if these sell their Sugar to Exporters , whether Forrainers or English ; they do not give away their Right to the Drawback ; but they sell it , by having the better price for their Sugar .

The Second Discouragement is , the high Duty upon Spirits drawn from Molosses . And this is a real Discouragement . But the Duty was laid in favour of Corn-Brandy . If the People in and of England might do their best , and had encouragement ; they would make such Brandy , and afford it so cheap , as to beat the French Brandy out of the World . and so we should wrest from them one of their best Trades . But when we would Rival it with Forrainers , we should not ( with all humility be it spoken ) favour some of our people by hindering others , but leave and encourage all men to do their best .

The Remedies they propose are three .

I. That they may draw back 2s . 6d . per Hundred , on the Exportation of their White Sugars . And truly it is but reasonable , that they should draw back half the Duties they have paid . Since therefore they have paid Nothing , let them draw back half that Nothing . But in good earnest , for them to expect a Draw-back when they have paid no Duties ; is a strange piece of Confidence , to give it no worse a word . They do in effect desire a Law , that the King should give them half a Crown for every Hundred of White Sugar they export .

II . That a Duty of five shillings a Hundred ( no less than that of white Sugar ) may be laid on Plantation Molosses . These Sugar-bakers cannot leave off their Griping Monopolizing humour . And they will play at small game , rather then sit out : as one said of the Devil , when he enter'd the herd of Swine . Since they cannot engross the Sugar Trade to their mind , they will try what they can do at Molosses . But they say , that this Duty will much help their Molosses . That s very true . And so a good Duty upon the Provisions of Essex that come to London Market , would be a great help to the Provisions of Middlesex . If all other Molosses were kept out , they might sell theirs at their own Price : They would then have a Monopoly of Molosses . Further they say , that this Duty will not hurt the Plantations . But the People of the Plantations know , that it will hurt them . Then they Note , that the Dutch prohibit the importation of Forrain Molosses . But that which comes from their own Plantations , they do not account forrain .

III . That a Duty of eighteen pence per Hundred be added to the Duty on Clay'd Sugar under the degree of White . Here they are at Monopolies agen . As Cacus of old breath'd Fire , so these Men breath Monopolies . Their Monopoly upon Refined Sugars has been compleat these many years : and upon the best Whites pretty well . And it grieves their hearts that the Course Whites should escape them . But a little Addition of Duty would bring that sort likewise into their Net ; which they are now endeavouring to accomplish . But how doth this , or the other Project upon Molosses , remedy the Evil complain'd of : which is , that their Trade of white Sugars exported , is lost to Forrainers ? Truly not at all : it only advances their Home Monopoly . And it seems these Men are more intent upon that , than upon recovering their Forrain Trade .

As for the Course Whites before spoken of , they are made by the People of the Plantations , and likewise by the Sugar-bakers . The Planters work by Spring water , soaking gently ( from fine Clay ) through the Sugar , and carrying the Dross and Molosses away with it . The Sugarbakers ▪ work by Fire , tormenting their Sugar in Stoves and Ovens : whence they have the name of Sugar-bakers . But whereas the Planter gives his Sugar a colour , by purging it ; the Sugar-baker give His a colour , without purging it : and leaves it as foul as it was before . as any one may see , that puts some of it into a Glass of Water . And this filthy Balderdash they impose upon unskilful people . which also to put off the better , they would now have the Clay'd Sugar ( which is so clean and wholesome ) kept out by high Duties .

But 't is humbly hoped that a Project so unreasonable will never be suffer'd to take effect . 't is hoped likewise , that the Plantation Refined will be permitted to come in , paying the Duties of other Whites . The Sugar-bakers got it shut out by a high Duty , because it might be afforded cheaper then theirs , and is likewise much better . It goes almost twice as far , sweetens almost twice as much , and its Relish is much more delicious . It hath therefore been a strange Self-denyal in the People of England , that when a Commodity that is so useful , and so great a means of good living , might ( from their own people ) be had cheap and good , they would have it bad dear . And all to set up the Sugar-bakers of London and Bristol .

As matters now stand , the coming of Refined Sugar from the Plantations seems highly needful ; in regard it is so good and so sure an Expedient for restoring that Trade , which the Sugar-bakers have lost to the Nation . Let the Sugar-bakers , if they can , shew some other Expedient : so it be not that which they have offer'd already , that themselves should have a Drawback when they have paid no Duty . for that is abominable . In the mean time a Proposal will be made , which will give them a good Title to a Drawback . The Proposal in short is this .

Note , that the Sugar-bakers share of the Duty will be very easily Collected : like the Duty on Salt .

By this means our Trade of Exporting White Sugars will be restored and preserved , the King will be a Gainer , the Plantations no Losers , and the Sugar bakers will have no just Cause to complain . And these things are offer'd to Consideration , with all humility .