Chap. III. 
to believe, that 'theif Succefs, in regard to the Indian 
TradCj may become very beneficial to us, unlefs we are 
wanting to our felves. 
The iaft Objection that I can forefee, muft be taken 
from the Nature of their Government, and in Refe- 
rence to this it may be furmifed, that there is no guard- 
ing againft the ftiort Turns that may be made by a very 
felfifti and a very arbitrary Power, and in fupporc of this, 
I know that feveral Matters of Fa6t may be urged, fuch 
as, that Peter the Greats when he made his laft Jour- 
ney to Holland, ordered all the Ritffia Leather to be 
delivered to his Factors at a certain Rate, and then fold 
by them at a fet Price to fuch as would pay for it in 
Bills drawn upon Amsterdam, But this was in the firfi: 
Place a very fingular Thing, and if we ftay till a Ruf- 
fion Sovereign makes fuch another Journey, it is not 
very likely to happen again. In the next Place it is 
very certain, that the Czar himfelf foon found the In- 
conveniency of that Proceeding, and revoked his Or- 
der, fo that allowing it to be a Precedent, it appears 
at the fame Time, a Precedent not like to be followed. 
Some certain Commodities there are which belong to, 
and are entirely appropriated to the Sovereign, who 
fells them to the higheft Bidder. This will hardly be 
the Cafe of Indian Commodities, for that would cramp 
the Trade, and turn to the Prejudice of the Sovereign. 
The new Trade to Perfia has been already once fuf- 
pended, which looks like a Cafe in Point. But when 
we remember, that this laft Sufpenfion was occafioned 
by an Englijhman^^ entering into the Service of Shah 
Hadir, and undertaking to build Ships of Force for 
him upon the Cafpian Sea, we fhall not be much fur- 
prized at fuch an Event, or fall into any Fear of our 
Countrymens traverfing Siberia, and the Countries be- 
yond it, or tranfporting themfelves from Kamfchatjka, 
into Japan, and creating Difturbances there. With- 
out doubt Difficulties may happen in this and in all 
other Trades ; but for all this, Treaties of Commerce 
wifely made, and pun6tually executed on our Part, will 
(ecure us from any real Danger, in cafe we are once 
pofTeffed of this Traffick, from ever having it taken 
out of our Hands. 
Thus far we have infilled only upon the Reafonable- 
nefs of Things, but there would be no Difficulty in 
Ihewing, that Experience is alfo in our Favour. In 
Reference to the firft Objeeftion we ought to refledl, that 
the Swedes and Danes adually difpofe of all their Indian 
Commodities to Strangers, and confequently fo muft 
the Riilfians. If we do not buy from them, it is becaufe 
it is not our Intereft, and if we ffiould deal with the 
Ruffians, it has been ffiewn, that it muft be our Intereft 
to buy, and theirs to fell. As to the fecond Objection, 
Treaties of Commerce have been fet on Foot between 
Rujffia and France, and between Ruffia and Spain, but 
the Jealoufy of the Minifters at Petersburg, and the 
Inconveniencies that were forefeen, and in fome Mea- 
fure felt from thofe Treaties, have rendred them inet- 
fedlual, whereas nothing of that Kind has happen’d to us. 
Wit|i Refpeft to the laft, we are towards the Clofe of the 
fecond Century of our Correfpondence with this Empire, 
and in that long Space, have not experienced any confi- 
derable Inconveniencies, from the ffiort Turns made by 
their arbitrary Government, and confequently there is 
the lefs Room to fear for the Time to come ; more 
efpecially as the Ruffians are fo much altered, as their 
Cuftoms are fo much changed for the better, as the 
Interefts of the two Nations are fo thoroughly concilia- 
ted by repeated Alliances, and as we have all the Rea- 
Ibn in the World to apprehend, that their Minifters 
will confult the Interefts of their own Country, which 
while they do, they muft be always Friends to ours. 
We will now take a View of thofe Objedlions that 
it may be fyppofed may arife on our Side, and as I 
have ftated the former in their full Force, fo I fhall 
do the fame Juftice to the latter, as I have no other 
Thing in View, than to find Truth, and to point it out 
to others. It is not at all impoffible, that, notwith- 
ftanding all that has been or can be offered upon this 
Sybjedl, the old Objedion will ftart up, and we fhall 
be told, that fuch a Trade as this, would be altoge- 
1037 
ther unnecefiary, that the Nation has no Need of it, 
that little Profit could be drawn from it, and that there- 
fore it is wild and chimerical to talk about it. As this 
is abfolutely begging the Queftion, I might very fairly 
difpenfe with giving any Anfwer to it at all. 
But as I defire to leave nothing unanfwered, I fhall 
not make Ufe even of this allowable Advantage, but 
fhall confider it, as far as it is poffible, fuch a Suggeftion 
can be confidered. We have already explained the 
Caufes from whence it is probable, that, if ever a 
Trade is eftabJifhed from Ruffia to China, or the Indies, 
the Produce of that Trade will come cheaper than in 
the prefent Courfe of Things, and I prefume, it will 
be no difficult Matter, for an intelligent Reader to 
perceive, that it will behove us to think of finding out 
the cheapeft Marker, when fo many new Companies 
are fet up, by which it will be put out of our Power 
to vend the Commodities we bring diredly from the 
Indies at a high Rate. An Opinion is propagated with 
great Warmth, that however is altogether erroneous, 
which is this, that the Swedijh, Daniffi, and other new 
Companies are under very great Difficulties for th? 
Want of Settlements, that this renders their Trade very 
precarious, and has alfo a great Effedl in dimihiffiiqg 
its Profits. All this is very plaufible, and ferves to give 
us hope, that thefe new Companies cannot long fubfift^ 
but in Reality the Cafe is far otherwife. The Want 
of Settlements is fo far from being a Difadvantage in 
Refpedl to National Commerce, that it is quite other- 
wife. We know very well, that the OJiend Company, 
fo long as it fubfifted, made large Dividends -, we know 
that the Swedijh Company have fometimes divided near 
Forty per Cent, and if this is thought at all incredible, 
or if credible, that there is fomething of Art in if, let 
the inquifitive, impartial, and judicious Reader, confult 
the Table of Dividends of the Dutch Eadi-India Com- 
pany, inferted in the firft Volume of this Colleclion, 
and he will find, that in the fame Proportion the 
Dutch Company became potent in the Indies, their 
Dividends to their Proprietors have leffen’d. My Infe- 
rence from this, is, that when there comes to be a real 
Competition in Trade, the new Companies will be 
able to underfell the old Ones, and then I fuppofe the 
Neceffity will pretty plainly appear, of having Recourfe 
to the cheapeft Market, if we intend to preferve this 
Trade at all. Now it has been ffiewn, that whenever 
the Ruffimns can bring their Defigns to bear, they will 
have very great Advantages over their Neighbours j 
for either they will not be obliged to make any Settle- 
ments at all, or if they are obliged to make them, 
they will be made in their own Dominions, that is, 
either at the Mouth of the River Amur, or upon the 
River of Kamfchatjka. In either of thefe Cafes, the 
Expence will not be very large, and whatever it may 
be, as it will be entirely laid out amongft themfelves, 
it will in Effed be no Expence at all, as to the Na- 
tion. Thefe Circumftances therefore maturely confi- 
dered, will I prefume, go a great Way towards fatis- 
fying the candid Reader, that there is nothing chime- 
rical, in fuppofing that before the End of the prefent 
Century, the Ruffians may divert to themfelves, a very 
large Proportion of the Ead-India Trade, and when 
this comes to be the Cafe in Fad, which is now fo 
only in View, what I have advanced ’ upon this Subjed, 
will be thought very well worth the Reading. ’ 
The fecond Objedion that may be railed in refped 
to ourfelves, will be taken from what is ftiled a Funda- 
mental Law in refped to our Commerce, by which 
I mean the Ad of Navigation, which I very readily ad- 
mit, is diredly in the Teeth of what I propofe, fince 
the Britifh Subjeds are reftrained by this Ad, from im- 
porting Goods from other Countries, than thofe in which 
they grow. Now in Anfwer to this, I do not pretend 
to fay, that the Ad of Navigation ought to be repealed, 
or that the Principle upon which it was made was wroncj* 
in it felf, or miftaken by thofe who made it ; but this 
I fay, that all Laws made upon a general Principle, are 
ever liable to fome neceffary Exceptions, as this Ad 
has often been, and for that very Reafon has been dif- 
penfed with, As for Inftance, in the firft Dutch War, 
under 
the Russian Difeovetks. 
