| Description | (Directed to Mons. Delessert, rue Cogheron. Noted on the outside as having been forwarded on 20 Nov. by Welch, Wilkinson, & Startin.)
Dear Friend,
I fear you did not receive the letter I sent you the 10th instant from my worthy friend Thornton of Hamburgh, which I did not keep copy of; it contained copy of an answer to a letter Mr. Vivian had wrote to him, and which said that English copper is prefered to Swedish at Hamburgh, but the tenor of the letter did not imply that the quantity sold at Hamburgh was very great and, as I remember, did not encourage the sending more than ten ton. He offered to advance money at 4 per cent.
In my letter of the 10th I wrote to you as under:
I very much approve of the note in which you spoke to Mr. Rose. We will not now confine ourselves to the copper coinage but say "that we will annihilate the expences of the Mint and yet keep the same checks and same efficient servants, and at the same time make such a sort of coin as to put an end to counterfeits."
My son left me on Friday. He would make an eminent character if he had the charge of extensive business; his attention and force of mind in conducting anything he undertakes is very uncommon. If Carron had been under his guidance we should have been affluent.
I am sorry you did not read Mr. Necker's Treatise on the Administration of the Finances of France; it contains a wonderful fund of extensive knowledge; his remarks are intelligible on intricate subjects, as common sense pervades the whole. It exhibits a mind evidently benevolent, and is infinitely superior to anything I ever read upon finance or politicks. I am astonished that the King of France doth not avail himself and his country of the noble firmness and ability which Mr. Necker possesses for carrying his plans into execution. The neglect will be an eternal blot upon his reign instead of the honor he might acquire by supporting such a prodigy against the folly and vanity, to say no worse, of those who oppose the great projects he has formed for the honor and happiness of his King and country. Untill I read Mr. Necker's Treatise I had a very faint idea of the power and riches of France; the splendour of them astonishes me, for I consider his account of the outlines authentic.
I see they have ironfounderies in many provinces (annexed I send you extracts I made of them, as it's possible some of them may be within your notice); but in a few years the Russians will certainly be the most considerable manufacturers of ironmongery, and whether it is judicious in France and England, by the Treaty of Commerce now depending, to open their ports to them (by indirect commerce) ought to be considered.
Ironfounderies and fire arms at Metz.
Extensive ironfounderies, La Chausade.
Buttons at La Charité.
Cutlery at Montins.
Ironfounderies the principal commerce in the province of Nancy.
A great number of ironfounderies in the province of Berry.
Extensive ironfounderies in Burgundy.
Extensive ironfounderies in Limousin.
Iron stamp duties in many provinces. But Lille, Bordeaux, and some others are free of
duty on iron. Query, what are all the duties on iron?
Foreign iron is imported into France.
A considerable manufacture of arms and hardware at St. Eticume.
Cutlery of Langres in Champagne.
Iron, copper, and lead in Dauphine.
Balance of commerce in favour of France estimated at 70 millions of livres annually (say
about 3 millions sterling).
The annual coinage in France from 1763 to 1777-fifteen years of peace-was on
average 40 million of livres (say about 1,600,000£ sterling).
Exports of manufactures and American produce 3/4 of the whole exports of France.
250,000 officers of revenue in France.
23,000 men in the brigades appointed to prevent smugling, and 1/3 of the galley slaves
were smuglers. 300 sent there every year, and 1700 are the usual number of smuglers
in prison.
Salt 2 or 3 livres per C. in some provinces, and 60 livres in others.
Tobacco at first farmed for 500,000 livres annually, and now at near 30,000,000 livres.
France paid 300,000 livres annually for tobacco, which they will not purchase from
America with products.
The King collects a larger revenue from Paris than the Kings of Sweden, Sardinia, and Denmark obtain collectively, and the whole annual amount of taxes 24,000,000£ sterling.
Mr. Necker reccommends the prohibitting the exportation of tools.
Mr. Necker says, there was no new taxes (not one) in France in 1777, 1778, 1779, 1780, 1781, and part of 1782 (in England from 1778 to 1781-only four years-new taxes to 54 millions of livres), and during that period the funds advanced. Exchequer bills payable to bearer in 1776 were 23 per cent. discount and when Mr. Necker resigned in 1781 were only 8 per cent. discount. In the same period English funds fell 30 per cent.
Mr. Necker says, a proper choice of those taxes which bear the nearest proportion to the difference of the circumstances of individuals, a strict attention to discover those that are contrary to the increase of the wealth of the state, a just assesment of each of these taxes, a proscription of all arbitrary forms, and an attention to economy in the expence of the collections-such are nearly the various obligations which every government ought to exert itself to fulfill.
I had wrote thus far, and was sat down to dinner with your lovely daughter and Mrs. Watt, when your welcome letter of Wednesday gave a sweet relish to the meat. We had been lamenting your confinement at Dover and expressing concern about your venturing to Bolougne. I am glad to see your sea sickness has not been so bad as I expected, and that you could hope a good dinner would set all right again. Thank you for writeing instantly. Mrs. Sarah Turner is a little recovered, but almost confined to her chair; her spirits quite good. She heartily joins Miss Boulton and Mrs. Watt in affectionate wishes for health and happiness to you and your son. Remember us kindly to Mr. Watt. Mrs. Watt wrote to Paris by last Monday's post.
This day I receive from the General Chamber of Manufacturers a copy of the commercial treaty in French and English, desiring our Commercial Committee to send their sentiments upon its probable effects on the manufactures of this place; to which I shall answer that we have attentively considered the same and have wrote our sentiments to the Lords of Council and have no doubt the treaty will be finally settled to our satisfaction, and therefore that we hope the General Chamber will think it prudent in us to forbear entering into particulars on the subject.
Lord Lansdown writes me that he is informed the treaty is disagreeable to the French in general, except at Paris, which I am heartily sorry to see, as amity between France and Britain would be securing peace in Europe; the principles on which the treaty are made forms the true ground for all treaties and is an honor to the age.
Remember me kindly to Mrs. and Miss Capper, and to Doctor Gem if you should meet with him, and say I have reason to complain of his passing my door.
That health and happiness may attend you is one of the first wishes of your gratefull and affectionate friend,
S. Garbett
[Edited transcript.]
Letter. Richard Thornton (Hamburg) to Samuel Garbett (Birmingham). 31 Oct. 1786.
(Forwarded to Matthew Boulton at Paris on 10 Nov. Includes a transcript of a letter by John Thornton to John Vivian at Truro, dated Hamburg, 20 Oct.)
Draft letter. James Watt [? Paris] to John Vivian [Truro]. c. Nov. 1786. (2 ff.) |