HISTORY OF

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Hutch not only vie with all the world in trade, but really eclipse them ?What but their vast conveniences of inland navigation, by which theproduce of all the internal parts of the provinces becomes an external-commodity, and is carried to the furthermost parts of the globe, re-turning to the industrious labourer (who was the original proprietorof what would have been of no value at his own home) triplefold, andthe returns made in things the most useful to his family ? It was theeasiness and practicability of making canals that first led the Dutch to thedesire of trade and commerce, in which it must undoubtedly be allowedthey exceed all other nations, and entirely owing to their inland navi-gable canals. The trade of Great Britain may claim some place underthe shield of commerce; but it seems astonishing to a cool consideratemind, that Britons should never heretofore have attempted inland navi-gations, nor endeavoured to effect an easy and mutual intercoursethrough the whole island, and let each subject share the gifts of naturein a more equal degree ; by which means the exports would be doublyincreased, and there would be a greater demand for the imports.”—

" The advantages from these canals to this nation will be very great,as every person must allow that the stamina of our trade is the internalproduce of the kingdom; and the nearer each manufacturer is to hismarket, the greater price his goods will take : for instance, if a personmanufactures a piece of cloth (such as is usually sent abroad for sale toAmerica, or elsewhere) in the county of Stafford, where he lives fortymiles from the merchant’s ship that is to carry it abroad, will he not beobliged to fell it, upon the account of heavy charge of land carriage,for a much less price than if he could convey it at an easy rate to a sea-port by means of this canal, and there fell it at the same price that afactor would ? Let us only consider, that the factor buys up the goodsor manufactures of perhaps fifty poor persons, and conveys them to amerchant at a considerable large profit, which falls into the hands ofthe factor alone, and enriches only one; whereas, were each manufac-turer to have a conveniency of conveying his own goods directly to the. 2 merchant,