302 A General View of TEA. 
with regard to their felling at home, to a much greater amount 
than they export to china for the purchafe of it. 
The Danes, swedes, and Prussians, carry out filver as 
well as merchandize, but they alfo buy the inferior tea : they 
are contented with fmall profits, but they sell at home a much 
greater value than they consume, and confequently thefe na- 
tions are fupplied with tea, gain on their cargoes, fupport their 
companies, and breed up feamen at other peoples coft, and 
particularly at the coft of the English. Sweden is not lavifh 
of her gold and lilver ; a fumptuary law in that country forbids 
the ufe ot thofe metals in cloaths, and confequently {he chufes 
even to check the increafe of fome of her manufactures, rather 
than drain off the little treafure fhe is miftrefs of. 
We cannot arraign our rulers for our condudt in refpedt to 
tea ; they do not encourage drinking it, much lefs the fmug- 
gling of it; nor does the east-india company ufe any arts to 
countenance this cuftom. ’Tis the effedt of our own folly ; 
’tis the prevalency of example, for which you and many other 
fine ladies are anfwerable to the public. And how will you an* 
fwer it? — For heaven’s fake refrain from this enormous abufe : 
rule yourfelves, and your own families : exert the power which 
god and the laws have given you : be the friends of your coun- 
try ; and reftare us to fafety, wealth, and honor. 
It is generally apprehended, that india and china are fuch 
gainers on their trade with Europe, that they draw away, by 
fenlible degrees, all the gold and filver which are not consumed, 
or retained in utensils, in this quarter of the globe. Be this 
as 
