A. D. 1699. 707 



ploy two fuch frefh men for every boat kept by him. Alio every 

 mafter of a filhing fhip ftiall carry with him one that never was at fea 

 before, for every five men he fliall carry. And, for the prefervation of 

 timber on the ifland of Newfoundland, no perfon fhall rind any of the 

 trees, nor fhall fet on fire any of the woods, &c. 



Though the poft-office revenue of England be not accountable annu- 

 ally to the parliament, as other branches are, it being properly part of 

 the private revenue of the crown ; yet (as has been elfewhere obferved) 

 that revenue being a kind of politico-mercantile pulfe, whereby to judge 

 of the increale or decreafe of the nation's general commerce, we fl^iall 

 here therefor obferve, that in a printed letter to a member of parlia- 

 ment, concei-ning the debts of the nation, (publifhed in 1 701) the net 

 revenue of the poft-office for the year 1699 is faid to have been 

 L90,504 : 10 : 6 *. 



By D'Avenant's reports to the commiflioners of accounts, [anno 

 1 71 2, part ii, />• 71] there was exported from England this year, to all 

 parts, - - - L6,788, 1 66 



Whereof in our woollen manufadures to the value of 2,932,292 



This authentic view of the vaft importance of our woollen manufac- 

 ture exported highly merits the conftant remembrance of the public, 

 being confiderably above two fifth parts of our whole exports. 



The judicious Mr. Wood alfo, In his Survey of trade, [/>. 46] tells us, 

 that in the year 1662 the total exports from England were L2,022,8i2 



Ditto anno 1699, as per D'Avenant - 6,788,166 



Vaft increafe of our exports fince 1662 - 4,765,334 



Several authors think that the value of all the wool ftiorn annually in 



England may amount to - - L2,ooo,ooo 



The manufaduring whereof is computed to coft - 6,000,000 



And that, when manufadured, its total value is in- 

 creafed to - - - 8,000,000 



Of which many fince that time think we annually export near one 



* While the correfpondence of England pro- * bcit, after deliberation, gave up the grant, as 

 duced a confiderable revenue (which however is here ' thinking it difadvantagcous.' The revenue 

 over-rated) to the fovereign, tliat of Scotland ap- ariling to government from the portages of Scot- 

 pears to have been unable to fupport its own ex- land foon became confiderable. In our own times 

 penfe. ' In 1698, Sir Robert Sinclair of Steven- it has been very great ; and of late years it has in- 

 ' fon had a grant froin King William of the whole creafed prodigioufly. See Mr. Creech's letter in 

 • revenue of the poft-office of Scotland, with a pen- the Statijlkal account of Scotland, V. ii, p. 586. M- 

 ' fion of L300 a-year, to keep up the port. Sir Ro- 



4 U 2 



