Further REASONS for Inlarging the TRADE to Russia, Humbly offer'd by the Merchants and Planters Trading to, and Interested in the Plantations of Virginia and Maryland.
I. HIS Czarish Majesty Himself, and the Great Men of his Court do already take Tobacco, and 'tis certain if the Trade were open, that they might have it upon as easy Terms as our People in England, the Czar would grant a Liberty to Import it into his Dominions, where the People would be very forward for the Consumption of it, when besides their own strong Natural Inclinations to it, they should be Influenced by the Example of the Court.
II. If the Trade be restrained to so few hands as at present it is, 'tis not reasonable to expect that a Liberty will be granted by the Czar to Import Tobacco into his Dominions; because He will see that His People cannot be supplyed but at such Rates as those Merchants please to set upon it, the Monopoly being in so few hands, and He will be the more induc'd to inlarge or restrain the Trade as He shall see the President set by the Parliament of England, who are better acquainted with Trade.
III. If such a Liberty of Importation should be granted without the Enlargement of the Trade, it would be of no advantage to any body, but those few Merchants of the Company, who would not regard so much the Quantity exported from England, as the Profit they could get by it to themselves, and might always have Tobacco lying by them there, and yet not over-trade (as they say) nor would the Consumption increase; As for Instance, If Spice were cheaper, more would be spent, but the Dutch East-India Company would not get more Profit.
IV. In a Free Trade to the Czar's Dominions by a moderate Computation, there might be consum'd yearly 20000 Hogsheads of Tobacco, the advantage of which to England would be as follows, viz. The first cost of the Negroes, to make it in the Plantations, will bring in One hundred and sixty thousand Pounds Sterling; those Negroes will consume yearly above Twenty thousand pounds sterling in Goods carry'd from England; It will imploy yearly 40 Sail of Ships (of Two hundred Tuns each) to the Plantations, and ten or twelve more to Russia, which Ships will imploy 1500 Seamen; the Manufacturing this Tobacco in England before it is Exported will Imploy about Ten thousand poor People, besides all the Charge of Importing and Exporting, which will Imploy many more; All which will be so much in Price to those that Buy it after the Exportation, and will add so much to the Ballance of the Trade of England.