all Occafions took great Pains to render this popular Clamour fubfervient to the pernicious Design of destroying the Proteftant Establishment. The Prince on the Throne, though defcended from the Blood Royal of England, was a Foreigner by Birth. And the Acclamations he at firft received from Men of all Ranks and Conditions, for faving the Nation from Popery and arbitrary Power, were foon turned by many into Libels and Invectives. Even in the Senate House, a* Person was found, who had the Decency to propofe to kick all the Foreigners out of the Nation. This polite Expreffion hath been, of late, quoted with fuch Applaufe by Perfons of the fame Stamp, and echoed throughout the Kingdom in fuch a Manner, as if he deferved to have a Statue erected to his Memory, for the Service he had done his Country. He was the Reprefentative of the City of Bristol: I fhall therefore take the Liberty to give an Inftance of his great Capacity as a Legiflator, and Knowledge in Commerce as a Merchant;and will leave his private Character to his Friends to record, if they think it will be of Advantage to his Memory, or their own Caufe, to do it.:

Most of the Lands in Somerfetfhire, and the lower Parts of Gloucestershire, are fitted by Nature for feeding great Numbers of Cattle, during

*Sir John Knight, Member for Bristol in feveral Parliaments,

during the Summer Seafon. And long Experience had proved the Utility of importing lean Cattle from Ireland, early in the Spring, for the Benefit of the Summer Feeding. But this warm Patriot, whofe Zeal against Foreigners was truly English, took it into his wife Head to think, that this beneficial Branch of Commerce ought to be entirely put an End to; his Reason was, Because the IRISH received Advantage by it; though the Advantage to England was much more extenfive and confiderable. For, by the Way, it must be observed, that tho' three Parts in four of the Gentlemen of Landed Eftates in Ireland, are really the Defcendants of the English, fettled in that Kingdom; yet we affume to ourselves the Prerogative of ftiling them Irish, treating them as Foreigners, and a People whose Interefts are not connected with ours; nay, as if our Welfare depended on their Depreffion and Impoverifhment. Therefore in the Warmth of his noify Zeal, this able Patriot got one Bill to pafs into a Law, and then another, to prohibit the Importation of Irish lean Cattle; and at laft fucceeded in his hopeful Project.The Irish could no longer bring them into England; but what were they to do with them? Why, truly, either to knock them on the Head, lean as they were, or to fatten them for the Slaughter House. They chose the latter; and then the whole Stream of the Victualling Trade was turned into another Channel: The Confequence

H 2

fequence of which was, that the City of Briftol (in which before center'd all the Profits arifing from the Hides, Leather, Tallow, the Curing, Confumption, and Exportation of Provifions, Freight, Rent of Lands, &c. &c.) could no longer even victual the Ships failing from its own Port, fo cheap as could be done at Cork. Thus did this doughty Champion for England, this Hero against Foreigners, to ufe his own decent Phrafe, intend a Blow at the Irish, but fo miferably took his Aim, that he k-k'd his own Conftituents. Men of wifer and cooler Heads oppofed this rash Attempt, and foretold the Confequence, both to the City of Bristol, and the neighbouring Counties. But it is the Characteristick of Perfons of his Turn, to rufh Headlong into Things they leaft understand, and to think, that if they can but obtain a Law upon their own narrow Views, it must be obeyed by all the World. For how dare Foreigners to think of making Reprisals against an English Law? The intelligent Reader will readily forgive my not entering into more Particulars of this famous Oration;-lately reprinted, only to prove, that the Prejudices and Folly of fome People are not to be removed by Experience itself.

A s

*If the prefent Contagion among the Cattle fhould fpread into the Weft of England, the Inhabitants would be in the most deplorable Condition, as they cannot repair their Lofs by the Importation of Cattle from Ireland: This would have been the most commodious Refource; but this is prohibited.

As to the Topick of PARTY AND DISAFFECTION, the little Tract, hereunto annexed, will beft fhew the Sentiments and Reasonings of the Author upon that Matter. This Piece was first published during the Height of the late Rebellion; and I am willing to leave it to the impartial and thinking Part of Mankind, for whose Use it was then written, to determine concerning it.

IN the Reign of Queen Ann, there feemed to have been a Mixture of four diftinct Principles in the Oppofition made to the Naturalizing of foreign Proteftants, viz. The inbred National Averfion-The narrow Monopolizing Views of Short Sighted Tradesmen-Superftitious Fears about the Danger of the Church

And the latent Schemes of the difaffected Party; each of which had their refpective Influences, and difpofed different Perfons to unite in one common Point.

BUT even this Coalition of Biaffes and Prepoffeffions would hardly have fucceeded, had there not been fome further Art made use of.

The Gentlemen of Landed Eftates were taught to believe, that their Intereft was dif tinct from, and even oppofite to the Commercial Interests of the Kingdom. And the little, low, unmeaning Jealoufy, fometimes fubfifting between the Country Gentleman and the Merchant,

Annexed to Part II.

Merchant, to the Prejudice and Dishonour of both, was now blown up into open Hoftilities. Schemes were fet on foot to leffen the National Commerce, which the Country Gentlemen unhappily confidered as a worthy Project, calculated to fupport their Grandeur and Distinction, and to humble the faucy Merchant. The Trade to Portugal was treated with Difdain; tho' it is the Means of giving Bread to fo many Hundred thousands of our People,of vending fuch vaft Quantities of all Sorts of Manufactures,of confuming the Produce of our Lands, and confequently, of paying to the Landed Gentleman his Rents ;-tho' it is alfo the chief Support of our Fifheries, the Nurfery of our Sailors, and the principal Source of the Riches of this Kingdom. Nay, the Memory of that able and honest Minister, who had the Address to perfuade the Court of Portugal to ratify thefe Advantages by Treaty, was vilified and infulted for the Service he had done his Country. Mr Methuen, it seems, "committed a Robbery, equal to the worst "of Treafons, for which he deferved to have "loft his Head, in making that Treaty.—It

was an Infringement upon the undoubted Privilege of the British Parliament, and de"ftructive of the very Being of the Britifb Liberty. It would therefore be worse than "Felony

*The Mercator, No XXXIX. and N° CXIII. as quoted by the British Merchant, Vol. III. Pages 3, 4› and 31. Edit, 1721.