Sk. VIII. 7.

Finances.

3i5

on the fubjeCts of Spain ; for the prohibited goodswill be fmuggled, difcouraging as much as everthe intended manufacture. The prudent meafurewould have been, to lay a duty upon printedcottons and linens imported , fo fmall as not toencourage fmuggling; and to apply, that duty fornulling the infant manufacture. A foreign manu-facture ought never to be totally prohibited , tillthat at home be in fuch plenty, as nearly to fup-ply the wants of the natives. During ignoranceof political principles, a new manufacture wascommonly encouraged with an exclufive privilegefor a certain number of years. Thus in Scotland ,an exclufive privilege of exporting woollen andlinen manufactures , was given to fome privatefocieties 7 . Such a monopoly is ruinous to a na-tion ; and frequently to the manufacture itfelf *.I know no monopoly that in found policy can bejuftified, except that given to authors of booksfor fourteen years by an aCt of Queen Anne *.

y Act 4.2. par!. 1661.

* See Elemens du Commerce, tom. 1. p. 354.

* That a<ft is judicioufly contrived, not only for thebenefit of authors , hut for that of learning in general. Itencourages men of genips to write , and multiplies bo ksboth of tnftruCtion anl amufement; which, by concurrenceof many editors, after th-. monopoly is at an end , arefold at the che»pelt rate. Many well difpofed perfor.s com-plain, that the exclufive privilege bellowed by the ftatuteupon authors, is too fhort, and that it ought to be per-petual. Nay, it is afferted, that authors have a perpe-tual privilege at common law ; and it was fo determined