A LETTER TO A Member of Parliament CONCERNING Clandestine Trade.  
Showing how far the Evil Practices at the Custom-house at London tend to the Encouragement of such a Trade.  
Written by a Fair Merchant.  
LONDON, Printed, and sold by A. Baldwin. 1700.   

A LETTER TO A Member of Parliament CONCERNING Clandestine Trade.  
SIR,  
THAT the Trade of this Nation is the chief Support thereof, is visible to any Person, that considers the vast Supplies which have been given to his Majesty by Funds laid upon Trade during the War. And the great Importance of maintaining the Trade of the Nation necessarily follows upon the Consideration of the Premises, which cannot be done while the Fair Merchant is unfairly dealt with, and indeed the whole Affair of Commerce embarassed throughout the whole Kingdom. The intrinsic Value of the Lands of this Realm will not defray the Charge of a long and expensive War, without the Auxiliary Assistance of Merchant's Traders, who are not only the Support of the Realm at such a Juncture, but in times of Peace are the Support of the Civil List, and their Stocks the Funds of his Majesty's Revenue. His Majesty is very sensible of the Advantage of Trade, who in his Gracious Speech to both Houses of Parliament at the opening of this Sessions was pleased to assure his People, he would make it his business to encourage it, and as an advantage to it, proposed the preparing of some good Bill for the more effectual preventing and punishing Clandestine and Unlawful Trading, which does not only tend to defraud the Public, but prejudices the Fair Merchant, and discourages our own Manufactures.  
There is nothing conduces more to the Encouragement of clandestine Trade than the Discouragement of the fair Dealer; for the Fortune of the one is built upon the Ruin of the other; 'tis the same in Trade as in Government: Where Knaves and ill Men are in favour and preferred, and Men of Probity and Honesty discountenanced, that Government looks with a languid and sickly Aspect. The Clandestine Trader is a Creature bound neither by the Laws of God nor Man he robs Cesar of his due, and makes a Nullity of Human Laws; he sacrifices his Soul, Conscience, Honour, Reputation, and all that is dear to Mankind, to his insatiable Avarice; while the Fair Trader languishes under Oppression, and becomes a Sufferer by dealing honestly.  
But what shall we say? Where lies the fault? Have we no Laws restraining Clandestine Trade? Yes, a great many; but what signify Laws if they are laid aside by Noli Prosequi's, Letters of Licence, or Orders of Composition from above? These are Encouragements to the Clandestine Trader, while the Fair Merchant is harassed by perpetual Delays at the Custom House, by the irregular working at the Waterside, by the new Gimcracks and Methods introduced instead of Regulations in the Custom-house, by the trouble they meet with in passing their Entries, attending many times several days together upon the Officers: these are all Hardships and Discouragements to the fair Dealer, while the Smuggler eases himself of these Perplexities, and the Payment of his Duties at the same time.  
To illustrate the thing more plainly, I shall begin with the latter, and show how the Innovations in the Custom-house are a common Grievance and Perplexity to Merchants. After a Merchant has learned his Trade, he has one thing yet more difficult to understand, viz. the manner of passing his Goods at the Custom-house, and paying the King's Duties; and by that time he is pretty well instructed in this Affair, come new Commissioners, new Laws, new Methods, and new Practices, and he is as much at a loss as if he had never learned. I shall only touch a little at the Innovations lately made in the Custom-house at London; for my Trade lying very little in the out Ports, my knowledge of their Management there is as small.  
In the year 1695, the Wharfingers belonging to the Keys adjoining to the Custom-house entered into a Combination to bring all their Wharves into one Interest, that by that means they might the better manage the Merchants to their own advantage, which succeeded to the no small trouble of the Merchants. Out of this sprang a Combination amongst the Land-waiters and King's-waiters, which proved more fatal to the fair Trader than that of the Wharfingers. These combined to lessen the number of the Land-waiters: this Plot was under the care and management of seven Directors, and their Interest in this management was to have the working of all Ships to themselves, with all the Profits thereby arising. At this time two or three of that Board being either dead or removed, they prevailed upon the Commissioners (one part of which were new ones) to discontinue at least thirty of those they now call Key-men from their Employments, which was done seventeen days before the Lords of the Treasury gave any Directions in that Affair; and they did this at a juncture when the greatest Virginia Fleet that ever was known, joined with a great Fleet from other Parts, arrived in the River: and how prejudicial this was to his Majesty's Revenue, cannot be easily imagined; besides the vast Credit of several thousand Pounds was at this time given upon account of Post-Entries. Had some sort of People entered into a more innocent Combination than this in the late Reigns, they would have been decently hanged for their pains. It is at least thirty years ago there were eighty Land and King's-waiters in the Port of London, when Trade was less considerable than now it is, and then thought few enough to discharge so weighty a Trust.  
Now let us a little consider the Effects of this Combination; the Loss thereby acruing to his Majesty's Revenue, and the Trouble it brings upon the Fair Merchants. By former Instructions, no Officer was allowed to work without his Partner, nor to have more than one Ship at a time upon his hands; but since this Combination they have had six or seven Ships at a time, and one Officer has often worked two or three Ships at once without his Partner, which renders them uncapable of doing either the King or Merchant Justice; and the fair Merchant for want of Officers cannot get his Goods ashore, during which time the Interest of his Money is lost, his Time spent to no purpose, and perhaps for want of his Goods he loses the Sale of them, which is worse than all the rest. See now the Keys all in a Confusion, one Officer running from one Ship to another working both at one time, another staring about him to find his Ships out, having so many he knows not half of them; here the Porters cursing and swearing, there the Merchants fretting and vexing for want of Officers: here is the most exact Picture of Disorder and Confusion; the disorderly Crowd seem more like a Gang of Babel Bricklayers than regular Workers at the Keys. This hurry makes well for the Clandestine Trader, who has now an opportunity of doing his business, who, like the Pickpocket, carries on his Trade most securely in a noisy busy Crowd. To corroborate this we may add, that very few Seizures have been made since the aforesaid Officers have been discontinued; for how can a Person that works alone, and perhaps upon two or three Ships at one time, have leisure to examine Packs and Bales of Goods? so that Goods prohibited, or charged with a higher Duty, may pass in such Packs or Bales for want of inspection. It is worthy Remark, that as soon as this Combination was detected, and the Combinators Books and Papers ordered to be sent for, they had time enough given them to make away the Book of their Accounts, which contained the Particulars of their Disbursements; for all Plots are carried on by Subscription, and Money raised for that purpose. Whether an Oath of Secrecy, as some have hinted, was administered or no I can't tell, but I understand that a Sum of Money was laid in Bank for the Security of the Combination; and some have been heard to say they have been 20 l. out of Pocket towards the carrying on of the Design; and I am told one Article of the Combination was, that no Person, upon pain of divers Penalties therein mentioned, should ask or inquire how the Money was disposed of, or to whom it was paid: which looks as if some Persons of a higher rank than themselves were in the Combination.  
It would be worth enquiry to know to whom the Money has been paid, and what Sums they have levied upon themselves since the Commencement of the Combination; and such a Power as that of your House may command the original Instrument of Combination to be laid before you, which I understand is yet in being. And I humbly conceive it a thing worthy your Notice to inquire into Matters of this nature; for a Combination that lessens the King's Revenue, increases the Taxes upon the good People you represent; and what is lost by this means, must be made good by additional Supplies from you. And 'tis a just Query, Whether those Men who combine to lessen the King's Revenue, would not do the same to shorten his Life? for taking away Life and Livelihood are very near akin.  
Tho it is not much my business to inquire into the Managery of the Customs, any farther than it relates to the passing of Goods and payment of Duties, yet what lies in a Man's way he may better take notice of than stumble over it: It is certainly visible to a very mean Capacity, that the Retrenchment of Officers at this time can be no ways serviceable to the King nor Merchants, when the increase of Trade requires an addition of many more. The abundance of Officers added in the long Room at the Custom-house, is no Indication that any should be discontinued upon the Keys: this Practice is obvious to no man's Reason, but must be left as a Riddle and Mystery to be unfolded only by those that have power to examine into it.  
The Lords of the Treasury did indeed examine into the Affair, and thought fit to discharge Colchester, one of the Principals in the Combination: But this Combination is a Monster of many Heads, and to take off one is just the cutting a Sucker from a Tree, which makes it grow the better; this is true in fact, for the Combination is still in force, which appears by the visible Effects of it, for the thirty Officers are still discontinued, and the Merchant labours under the same Hardships. The discontinuance of these Officers was the effect of the Combination, which rationally demonstrates that the Cause is not removed; if it were, the Effect would cease.  
But instead of punishing the Combinators, as a Terror to succeeding Officers that should attempt any thing of this nature, two of them since that time have been preferred to be Surveyors, when at the same time it is generally noted that the Officers discontinued are Men of the best Characters in the Customs in relation to their knowledge in Business, and their Integrity and Affection to his Majesty and Government. It could be wished that none but such were employed in the Customs; for the King's Interest would be better considered, when the King's Duties are under the Care of such Men as think themselves bound by Principles of Honesty and Conscience to do the King Justice.  
But in this Office we have Men employed that have paid double Taxes to the King as Nonjurors; and I remember some time since I read two Papers concerning one Dassel a Land-waiter: one Paper recites an Order of Council for discharging the said Dassel from his Employment for trading and corresponding with France during the War; and the other, two Acts of Parliaments expressly prohibiting his being employed in the Service of the Government for the future: and yet the said Dassel (notwithstanding other Complaints against him in the Execution of his Office) is continued a Land-waiter to this very day.  
I should not, Sir, have enlarged so much upon the Subject of this Combination, could I have found out any way of redressing so great a Grievance but by the Power of Parliament. The weekly Observations of the irregular working at the Waterside are constantly laid before the Commissioners; the discontinued Officers complain, the Merchants complain, and the honestest of the Land-waiters themselves murmur at the multiplicity of Business they have on their hands: but all signifies nothing, for it seems the Merchants and King's Interest must both be sacrificed to the greedy Avarice of a parcel of self-interested Persons.  
And upon the whole, the Premises considered, may we not rationally conclude that this Combination subsists by the influence of some greater Persons than the Combinators themselves? In former days no such thing was aimed at, though then there was more room for such an Attempt than at this juncture, when the Increase of Trade requires an Addition of Officers; and how ill a thing must this seem to any disinterested Persons, that the King's Interest should be conspired against, and destroyed by Men that eat his Bread? Had such a Retrenchment of Officers been for the King's Interest, the Lords of the Treasury would have encouraged and not discharged Colchester: But the thing is condemned and exploded by all hands, yet kept afoot only for Reasons best known to the Pocket of some body or other.  
Should I mention the many other Abuses in the Customs, as in the King's Warehouse, in the Warehouse belonging to the East-India Company, etc. I should too far exceed the limits of a Letter, and shall therefore conclude with my Sentiments concerning the Cause of those Irregularities.  
Not only the Misfortunes of Nations and Governments, but of particular Persons, often do arise from Interest and Avarice: From hence had the Combination its undoubted Original: And by my Converse with the Officers of the Customs I find most of them came in by Interest of Friends, without any farther Recommendation of Merit, or Testimonials of their Affection to the Government, or their Services to their Country. But because they have served in the quality of a Footman, Valet, or in any other Capacity to the Lords of the Treasury, or are related to the Commissioners, or have had some other dependence upon them, therefore they are made Officers of the Customs. Now should we Merchants manage our Stocks as the King's Revenue is managed, every week would produce at least a Column of Advertisements of Commissions of Bankrupt in the Gazette. If I have a Relation that is a Carpenter, I will employ him to build my House, but not to keep my Books: I will not send him my Factor into a Foreign Country, nor will I make him Super-cargo of my Merchandise; and certainly as great Care ought to be taken of the management of the Public Revenue as of a Private Concern. Is a Person just come from cleaning of Shoes, and rubbing of Horse's heels, or carrying a Cloak, fit to be employed in the management of so great a Concern? And are not Men of a servile Education (how fawning and creeping soever they may be to their Superiors and Benefactors) the most imperious and insolent in the Execution of their Office?  
Such Promotions as these seem at the very first view opposite to the King's Interest, for the ignorance of the Persons employed can never fail of Miscarriages; and if wilful Crimes are added to their Sins of Ignorance, no notice is to be taken of either, for they have Advocates at hand, whose Interest it is to bear them out in their Mismanagements: And to complain against such Men is beating the Air, and knocking Heads against Stonewalls.  
I shall enlarge no farther, but since I have given you the Clue that leads into the Maze of the Custom-house, shall leave the Improvement of the whole to your better Understanding, and remain,  
Your most humble Servant.  
FINIS.