Chap. II. between the Inhabitants of Great-Britam, fijY. git 
pend either my own or the Reader’s Time, by endeavour- 
ing to explain it. There is certainly no Country in the 
Indies which abounds fo plentifully in Gold as this Ifland 
of Sumatra , if we except China and Japan , and that Me- 
thod muft certainly be the beft, by which rnoft of this 
precious Metal can be obtained. But the eftablifhing by 
Force any Settlements in that Country, is not like to prove 
the moft effectual ■ Means, for many Reafons, for, in the 
firft Place, the Natives will not work the Mines for them- 
felves, and confidering it as an intolerable Slavery to work 
them for others, have an unconquerable Averfion for fuch 
as would put them on fuch Labours *, fo that from the 
Time this Method is tried, there is an End of all free 
Correfpondehce with the People of this Country. 
In the next Place, the Mines are far from yielding in 
any Proportion to what is expedited from them, the Rea- 
fon pf which is not hard to difcern j for all the Nations on 
that extenfive Ifland, being employed in picking out of 
the Sands and Channels of the Rocks, fuch Gold as is 
forced into them by the Torrents, that pafs through the 
Mines, the Quantity of Metal obtained by the Induitry, of 
fuch Multitudes, all working for their own Benefit, muft 
exceed, in a tranfcendant Degree, what is dug out of a 
fingle Mine, under the Difcouragements before-mention- 
ed. Several Colonies therefore, in different Parts of this 
Ifland, the gentle Ufage of the Inhabitants, and the bring- 
ing them to confume and efteem European Commodities, 
is the true, fafe and certain Means of acquiring peaceably, 
and by their own Confent, the Gold that is thus gathered ; 
and thefe three feVeral Advantages arife from proceeding 
in this Way. 
Firft, the vaft Hazard of maintaining an abfolute Power 
over a numerous Nation with a Handful of Men, is avoid- 
ed. Secondly, an Intercourfe is eftablifhed, by which not 
only a vaft Quantity of Gold is returned to Europe ; but, 
which is a thing of no lefs Confequence, it is returned not 
by the Labour of Indian Slaves, but for Goods and Ma- 
nufactures belonging to, or wrought amongft ourfelves. 
Thirdly, by this Means a great Quantity of Shipping is 
employed ; whereas the Pofteffion of Gold or Silver- 
Mines requires only a few Ships, and as it is acquired by 
Tyranny abroad, fo fuch a Return of this Wealth can only 
ferve to promote Idlenefs and Luxury at home. From all 
which Confederations, I conceive the Point I firft laid 
down to be fully eftablifhed, viz. that the Policy of our 
Eaji-India Company, efpecially if confidered in a national 
Light, is much preferable to that of the Dutch ; and I 
make no queftion, that the Experience of future Times 
will abundantly juftify this Obfervation. We had for- 
merly Settlements on the Coafts of Cochin-China, and in. 
the Kingdom of Tonquin , which have been ftnce with- 
drawn ; but we have ftill an occafional Trade there, and 
efpecially in the laft- mentioned Kingdom. 
As to our Trade to the Eaftward to China and the Ma- 
nillas, I have not much to fay of it here. The former is 
fo well known in every RefpeCt, that there is no Need of 
dwelling upon it ; and, as tor the latter, there is fo little 
can be laid with Certainty, that I can fcarce perfuade my- 
felf to meddle with it at all : However, for the fake of 
Method, and that I may not feem to conclude this Matter 
abruptly, I fhall juft touch upon both. As to the China 
Trade, it has been found, by Experience, that we manage 
it as well, or better, at Canton than we did formerly at 
Amoy or , when we had a Factory in the Ifland of Chufan. 
To fay the Truth, the Affairs of our Company were in fo 
good a Condition thirty Years ago, that we bid fair for 
monopolizing this Trade •, but the high Duties laid upon 
Teas and other Chinefe Commodities, defeated our Indu- 
ftry abroad, and gave Encouragement to the pernicious 
Practice of Smuggling, which, in a very fhort time, put 
our Trade in China almoft on a Level v/ith that of other 
Nations-, but, perhaps, by a right Management, and a 
due Regard 'fhewn by the Government for the Intereft of 
the Company, Things may be fet right again. 
As to the Manilla Trade, the French fay, that we carry 
on a eonfldefable Part of it under Irijh Colours •, but I muft 
confeis, I believe there is no good Authority for this, 
though it is very highly probable that fomething of this 
fort may be done under .Mocrifh, or rather under Porlu - 
Numb/ 63. 
gueze Colours for the Spaniards , contrary to their Cm 
Horn in all their other Colonies, have laid open this Trade fo 
all Nations, the Englifh and Dutch only excepted, which 
Exception by the Government is of no great Confequence, 
where it is the Intereft of their Subjects, as well as ours, to 
break through it. But, with refpeCt to Japan , which lies 
ftill farther to the eaft, we have, as I have already fhewn at 
large, loft all Correspondence therewith, and whatever Com- 
modities of that Country are brought into ours, we derive 
from our Trade with the Chinefe and Dutch. 
Thus, according to the cleared: Lights that I have been 
able to obtain, I have performed my promife, and given 
the beft Account that was in my Power, not only of the 
Rife and Progrefs, but alfo the prelent Stare of our Com- 
merce to the Indies , which, I hope, appears to the Reader 
to be in a much more flourifhing State than ever-, and that it 
may ftill continue, or rather that it may yet improve 
beyond what it has hitherto done, it is abfolutely neceffary 
that three Points fhould be univerfally well underftood ; the 
firft is, that this Trade is highly beneficial to the Na- 
tion ; the fecond, that as Things now ftand, it cannot 
be effe&ually carried on otherwife than by fupporting the 
prefent Company andlaftiy, that the Objections heretofore 
made,, and which are ftill circulated among the common 
People, are falfe and groundlefs j fo that if we fhould 
grow carelefs enough to lofe this Trade, it will go near to 
carry all other Trade with it. We will fuccinctly de- 
monftrate each of thefe Points, and fo conclude this 
Section. 
Firft, then, I am to ftiew that it is a Thing advanta- 
geous to this Nation, that the Eaft- India Trade fhould be 
carried on. If we confider this generally, there is nothing 
eafier, nothing more certainly to be made out than this ; 
for have we not feen that the Hebrews , Tyrians , Egyp- 
tians, Greeks, and Romans in ancient Times 5 and that the 
Venetians , Genoefe, Portuguese and Dutch, among the 
Moderns, have all raifed themfelves to immenfe Wealth, 
and to a furprifing Degree of naval Power, by being pof- 
feffed of this Trade ? What Need then of arguing to 
perfuade the People of this Country, that what has en- 
riched all others, muft be beneficial for them, that what has 
bellowed the Dominion of the Sea in Times paid and pre- 
sent, is neceffary to them, and that if in a Matter of this 
Nature, we are guided by Experience, it is fcarce poflible 
that we fhould be miftaken. But, to defcend to Particu- 
lars, the Eaft- India Trade, I fpeak in reference to this 
Kingdom, has all the Marks and Characters of Advan- 
tage that any Trade can have. 
In the firft Place, its Navigation is very confiderable 
it maintains a vaft Number of Seamen, more indeed than 
can be eafily computed : But to place this Point in a pro- 
per Light, we muft, firft of all, confider the Number of 
Ships that are annually taken up by the Eaft-India Com- 
pany 5 we muft next call to Mind the Number of Seamen 
continually employed in the Indies, in trading from Port 
to Port and laftly, we muft refleCt on the Shipping em- 
ployed in exporting Eaft-India Goods to all the different 
Parts of Europe, and then we fhall have a competent No- 
tion of the Value of this Trade in this refpeCt, provided 
alfo that we bear in Mind the great Improvement that fuch 
long Voyages naturally make in thofe who are employed in 
them, and the great Confequences of this to a Country, 
the Power and Welfare of which depend upon a maritime 
F orce. 
In the next Place, there is nothing more certain, than 
that we derive a great Part of our Wealth from this Com- 
merce, which brings in large Quantities of Gold and other 
intrinfick Riches immediately from the Indies in its ordi- 
nary Courfe. It is no lefs evident, that private Men 
make vaft Fortunes in the Indies , which, fooner, or later, 
they bring home : And all thefe Eftates are confequently 
Accefiions to the Wealth of this Kingdom. We muft 
add to this the Ballance that accrues to the Nation from 
the exporting of Indian Commodities and Manufactures, 
which is in irielf fo vaft a thing, that it would require Vo- 
lumes to explain it thoroughly. But this is not my pre- 
fent Bufmefs ; all l aim at is, to give a general Notion of 
the Advantages derived to us from this Commerce ; and, 
in order thereto, it is Efficient that 1 put the Reader in 
1 1 B mind. 
