Ballance of Trade with FRANCE. 
3°9 
5 'h. If french cambrics, and lawns, with lace, and occa- 
fionally rich stuffs, trinkets, and all other manufactures, 
amount to the fum of ^200,000, is not this near equal to the 
amount of all the manufactured goods which France takes of 
us, one year with another, India goods not excepted, granting 
that thefe laft have fometimes amounted to great fums ? If the 
negative of this queftion could be proved, the general propor- 
tion might ftill be fupported. 
I have ever confidered it as a misfortune to this nation, that 
no clear and well-attefted account of our commerce with 
France is made out, fo great a part of it confifts in articles 
which are contraband. In the legal way France takes of us, 
muflins and other india goods, coals, tobacco, and horfes, to- 
gether with the lead and tin juft-mentioned : the five laft are 
constant articles, which they can hardly do without. We 
take of them, in a legal wav, only wine and indigo; for the 
laft of which, if we are attentive to the produce of Carolina,. 
we fhall fave/* 100,000 that we have annually paid to France. 
With regard to illegal articles of commerce, the french. 
take confiderable quantities of our ufeful and rich manufactures 
of filk, printed callicoes, and Birmingham ware, but not 
near to fuch amount as fome reprefent ; againft all thefe their 
laws are extremely fevere. But if the advantage in manufac- 
tures, or in legal commerce, were on our fide, it would not 
compenfate for tea, it would not be an equivalent for brandy; 
nor would it counterballance the injuries we fuffer by the raw 
and comb’d wool they fteal from us. The smugglers who are 
con- 
5 
