THE HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN. BOOK I. CHAP. VI. The biftory of commerce, coin, and fhipping in Great THE commer cial hif tory. HE innumerable advantages of commerce Importare fo fenfibly felt by all the inhabitants of ance of this happy ifland, that it is quite unneceffary to enter upon a formal proof of its great importance, or to make any apology for admitting it to a place in the hiftory of our country. This is a distinction to which it is well intitled, and from which it hath been too long excluded. It is almost as difficult to discern the first beginnings of the British commerce, as it was to Antiquity merce. of com Gradual increase of cominerce. of barter. discover the fources of the Nile. For as the greatest rivers fometimes flow from the fmalleft fountains, fo the most extenfive commerce fometimes proceeds from the moft trifling and imperceptible beginnings. The truth is, that commerce of fome kind, and in fome degree, hath been coeval with fociety, and the diftinction of property, in all parts of the world'. As foon as the inhabitants of any country were formed into focieties, under any kind of government, and had any thing that they could call their own; they were prompted by neceffity, conveniency, or fancy, to make frequent exchanges among themselves of one thing for another. Thus, in the very firft ftage of fociety, the hunter who had caught more game than he needed, or could ufe, willingly gave a part of it for a fhare of the herbs or fruits which another had gathered. This kind of commerce was certainly carried on in this ifland almost as soon as it was inhabited. · When the people of any country proceed from the favage to the paftoral life, as their properties in the way become more various and valuable, so their dealings and trafficking with one another become more frequent and extenfive. But when they join a little agriculture and fome neceffary manufactures to the feeding of cattle, the materials, opportunities, and neceffity of commerce among the members of a ftate are very much increased, though it is ftill carried on for fome time in the way of exchange and barter of one commodity for another. It was in this way, as we are told by Solinus, that the people of Britain, particularly the Silures, carried on their trade in his time. "They make no use of money in commerce, but exchange one thing for "another; and in making thefe exchanges they pay a greater regard to the mutual neceffities " of the parties, than to the intrinfic value of "the commodities." In this state of commerce there were no merchants by profeffion; but every man endeavoured to find out, in the best manner he could, another person who wanted the things which he had, and had those which he wanted. This, we may well imagine, was fometimes no eafy tafk; and while commerce was carried on in this manner, in any country, it could not be very extenfive. Such was the very limited, imperfect state of trade among the ancient inhabitants of this ifland for feveral ages. Ignorant of the arts of numbering, weighing, and measuring, and unacquainted with the ufe of money, they knew only to exchange, by guess, one thing for another. But even this was of very great advantage, and formed one of the ftrongest ties by which the members of infant focieties were united. Com merce, or In the first periods of fociety in this, and perhaps in every other country, commerce was al- ginally confined within the limits of each ftate, gradually enlarged its circle. moft wholly confined within the narrow limits of every little state. The intercourfe which the members of one state had with thofe of another, was for the most part hoftile and predatory, rather than mercantile and friendly. The petty ftates of Britain were almoft conftantly at war with one another, which made their mutual depredations to be confidered as juft and honourable enterprises. Too like the ancient Germans in this, as well as in many other things, "they "did not efteem those robberies in the leaft "difhonourable that were committed without "the limits of their own ftate, but rather ap"plauded and encouraged them, with a view "to keep their youth in the conftant exercise " of arms"." It is not improbable that the profpect of obtaining those things by force from the people of a neighbouring state, which they could not obtain without an equivalent from their fellow-citizens, contributed not a little to keep the flames of war almost constantly burning. But when some of the British ftates began to apply to agriculture and other arts, their ferocious and predatory difpofitions gradually abated; the rage of war was often fufpended for a confiderable time, and the people of these different ftates carried on a commercial intercourse with each other for their mutual advantage. By this means the circle of commerce was enlarged, and it became a bond of union between different 3 Cæfar de Bel. Gal. 1. 6. c. 23. ftates; ftates; as it had formerly been between the members of each state. But though it was more extenfive, it was ftill of the fame kind, and carried on by way of barter and exchange*. Befides this internal commerce which the people of Britain carried on among themfelves from the very commencement of civil fociety, and which gradually increased as they improved in civility, industry, and arts; they had commercial dealings with feveral foreign nations in very ancient times. The first of these nations which vifited this inland on account of trade was unqueftionably the Phoenicians. This is pofitively affirmed by Strabo, and acknowledged by many other authors'. That people are generally believed to have been the inventors of navigation. and foreign trade, and the inftructors of other nations in these most useful arts. This much at least is certain, that they were the boldest and most expert mariners, the greatest and most fuccessful merchants of antiquity'. After they had made themselves perfectly well acquainted with all the coafts of the Mediterranean, had planted colonies and built cities on feveral parts of thefe coafts, and had carried on, for fome ages, a prodigious and moft enriching trade with all the countries bordering on that fea; they adventured to pafs the Straits of Gibraltar about 1250 4 Plin. Hift. Nat. 1. 33. c. I.. 5 Strabo, 1. 3. fub fine. I Foreign with the Phoeni commerce cians. |