A. D. 1703. 729 



In this fame year John Methvcn Efquire concluded, on the part of the 

 queen of Great Britain, a famous, though concife, treaty of commerce 

 with Peter king of Portugal, much to the benefit of both nations, viz. 



Article I) ' The king of Portugal, on his part, flipulates, for himfelf 



* and his fucceflbrs, to admit forever hereafter into Portugal the wool- 



* len cloths, and the reft of the woollen manufadures of the Britons, as 



* was accuftomed till they were prohibited by the laws ; neverthelefs, 

 ' upon this condition : 



II) ' That her royal majefty of Great Britain Ihall, in her own name 



* and that of her fucceflors, be obliged for ever hereafter to admit the 



* wines of the growth of Portugal into Britain ; fo that at no time, 



* whether there fliall be peace or war between the kingdoms of Britain 



* and France, any thing more fliall be demanded for thefe wines, by the 

 ' name of cuftom or duty, or by whatfoever other title, directly or indi- 



* redly, whether they fhall be imported into Great Britain, in pipes, or 



* hogfheads, or other caflcs, than what fhall be demanded for the like quan- 

 ' tity or meafure of French wines, deduding or abating one third part 



* of the cuflom or duty. But if at any time this dedudion or abate- 

 ' ment of cuftoms, which is to be made as aforefaid, ihall in any manner 

 ' be attempted and prejudiced, it fliall be juft and lawful for his facred 

 ' majefty of Portugal again to prohibit the woollen cloths and the reft of 

 ' the Britifti woollen manufadures*.' [Dated at Liftjon, 27th Decem- 

 ber 1703.] 



By this treaty, fiys Mr. King, the editor of the Britifti merchant, in 

 his dedication to Sir Paul Methven, the ion of the minifter who nego- 

 tiated it, ' we gain a greater balance from Portugal than from any 



* other country whatever. By it alfo we have increafed our exports 



* thither, from about L300,ooo yearly to near L 1,500,000. 



It was by no means the intereft of Britain, during a war wuth France 

 and Spain, to ufe the wines of thofe countries, which, doubtlefs, could 

 have been imported by neutral fhips : and as Portugal's red wines were 

 therefor become in ibme fort the only kind we could then convenient- 

 ly and reafonably come at, this treaty was beneiicial to both countries, 

 though perhaps fomewhat exaggerated by the above author, efpecially 

 as Portugal has, in return for our taking fuch vaft quantities of their 

 wines, conftantly taken off a greater quantity of our manufadures, fo 

 as to occafion a confiderable yearly balance in our favour. And our 

 palates being long fince fo well reconciled to Portugal wine, the Por- 

 tuguefe, for our fupply, have turned great quantities of their lands into 

 vineyards. 



The bullion exported from -England to Eaft-India in fix years, viz. 

 from 1698 to 1703, both years included, was infilver L3,i7i,404 .17:8, 



» 



Thefe are pretty nearly the very words of this famous treaty, as it is publiflied from a copy in the 

 bcoks of the board of trade, by Mr. Chahners in his CaHidion of treaties, V. '\\, p. 303, ed. 1790. M. 



Vol. n. 4 Z 



