The Sun.
London, England, 1825-05-27 00:00:00

FOREIGN TRADE.

The following curious catalogue of the mer-
cantile productions of every state in Europe in
the year 1430, is taken from an account, written
by HALUYT, a poet, in poor rhyme, but with
much good sense ; the intent of the Poem being
to inculcate the absolute necessity of England's
keeping the sea, and its title, " The Process of
English Policy." It exhibits a brief state.of the
productions and manufactures of the different
states of Europe, at the period to which it relates,
and affords the means of contemplating the -ex-
traordinary progress of commerce, as well as the
altered condition of the several states in the in-
terval between that period and the present :--
1. From SPAIN comes wines, figs,raisins,dates,
liquorice, oil, grain, soap, wax, iron, wool, wad-
mol, red skins, saffron, and quicksilver ; all
whith are transported to Bruges, the then cm-
porium of Flanders, by her haven of Slays, where
are so many fair and large ships ; but then, says
our poet, they must all pass between Dover and
Calais.
2. From FLANDERS, -the Spanish slips lade
homeward tine cloth of Ypres and of Courtary,
of all colours, much fustian, and also linen cloth.
Thus (says he) if we •be masters at sea, both
Spain and Flanders, who depend so mutually on
each other, must necessarily keep measures with
us ; and if England should think fit to deny to
Flanders her wool and tin, and should also pre-
vent the Spanish wool _.(which they work up
with English wool) from getting to Flanders, the
last-named small country would soon be starved.
3. PO RTUGA L is our friend; it sends much
merchandizeinto England, and our people resort
thither. for trade. They have wines,-- osey, wax,
grain, raisins, dates, honey, Cordovant leather,
hides, &c., all which are carried. in great quan-
tities to Flanders (which our author terms the
then staple for all Christendom) and, as Portugal
is counted changeable, they are in our power,
whilst we are masters of the narrow seas.

. _
4. BRETAGNE supplies Flanders with salt,
wines, linen, and canvas. The Britons, espe-
chilly those of St. Maloes (whom their Duki's,
who were generally friends to England, could
seldom keep under due subjection), have been
great robbers, and have often done much hurt on
our coasts, landing, killing, and burning' to our
shame ; whereas, would we keep well the narrow
seas, they durst not be our foes.
5. SCOTLAND'S commodities are wools` wool-
sels, and hides ; their wool is sent to Flanders
to be draped, though not so good 'as the English
wool, with which it is there worked up. The
Scots must pass by the English coast in their way
to Flanders, and may therefore be easily inter-
cepted. Scotland brings from Flanders small
mercery (which, in those times, meant many
kinds of small wares) and haberdashery wares
in great quantities. Moreover, one half of the
Scottish ships are generally laden home from
Flanders, with cart-wheels and wheel-bafrows. •
6. The EASTERI.INOS, PRUSSIA, and GERMANY,
send beer and bacon into Flanders, Ormond
copper, bow-staves, steel, wax, peltry,'-pitch and
tar, oak-boards, Cologne-thread, wool-cards, fus-
tian, canvas, and buckrim. And they bring hack
from Flanders, silver plate, and wedges of silver,
which come to Flanders in great quantity from
Bohemia and Hungary., also woollen cloth of all
colours. They also (says our author) venture
greatly into the bay (of Biscay) for salt, so
necessary for them. All which they could not
do without our permission if we kept the narrow

seas.
7. GENOA resorts to England, in her huge ships
named Carricks, bringing many commodities ;
as cloth of gold, silk, paper, much wood, wool
(of Spain probably), oil, cotton, rack, rack,
allum, and gold coin. And they bring back
from us wool and tioollen cloth, made with our
own wool ; they often go from England to Flan-
ders, where their chief staple is. So that the
Genoese we have likewise in our power.
8. The VENETIANS and FLORENTINES, in their
great gales, bring all sorts of spiceries and
grocery wares, sweet wines, and a great variety
of small wares, trifles, drugs, sugar, &r. And
from us they carry home wool, cloth, tin, and
our gold coins. They also deal much in usury
both in England and Flanders. (This shows
the balance was against us with those Italian
Republics.)
9. To the BRABANT nr. rt,3 (which we call fairs)
we send English cloth ; and bring hack mercury,
haberdashery, and grocery.
To those marts repair the English, French,
Catalans, Lombards, Genoese, Scots, Spaniards ;
and the Irish also live there, and deal in great
quantities of hides, &c. He also adds, the 'En-
glish buy more goods at those marts than all the
other nations together. Wherefore (says he) let
us keep the sea well, and they must be our
friends.
10. BRABANT, HOLLAND, and ZEALAND, af-
forded little merchandise properly of their own,
but madder and wood for dyers, garlick, onions,
and salt-fish ; for the other rich merchandise
which the English buy 'at the said marts, come in
carts over land, from Burgundy, Cologne, Stc._
1 1. IRELAND'S commodities are hides and fish,
as salmon, herrings, and hake-wool, linen cloth,
and skins of wild beasts. Here we may re-
mark the antiquity of the linen manufacture in
Ireland.

To keep IRELAND in obedience to us is of great
importance, and cannot be done without our being
masters at sea. And the like may be said as to

CAI.A Is.