1000000030

e o

0,.11

here give fome acconot nf the principal

companies of merchant', fome of which trade with

.ioiot ftocks, and all nf them enj"y by chmer m:lny

xdur.ve

privi leges: for h<lwc\'er injuriolls th,.fe COm–

panies may, .t

thistim~

of d,y. be rcckoned tOthe oa·

lioo io

~eneral,

1el il is cenain, Ih" they were the

origioal pareots of

,11

our

forti~n

COllllllel ce: printe

tr.ders upoo their "wo boltom bciog difcou"ged

fr~m

hnardiog thei r fonuoes io foreign cOllntries, till the

melhods of mllic had beeo feuled bv jniot-flock com–

paoies : aod from this vel1 priociple it is, ,hal \Ve

r.od

f.veral oations at prefeot

codeavllnrin~

extend

Iheir trade hy the f.lme

me.os

. Th,e mol! aocien, tra–

ding company, in Hritain, i, the

II lmbur~h

comp.ny

!>rigin.lly "lIed merchan" of the Ilaple. and

after~'ard,

merchanl-,rlventurers : Ihey were incorporated by king

Edward IV, from which time rhey tradCli with fucrefs

lill ,he

r~igo

of queen Eliz,"e,h, who, for a ftrlher

cocouragement of their indullrv, nlll only cllnfirm–

ed: but iolarged thl'ir privileges, However, il

olll:hl lO be obCcrved. that this trade is nllIV open

tOpri. ..e merch,nts, upoo p:lying a verv fmall fum tO

Ihe

com~any,

The comp'oy of this

krn.!,

nexI io–

corpnraled, was rhal of the Rulli,-merchaols; who

h,vlOg improved Iheir trade aod comOl<rCr. in thofe

(em;)le pam, were incorrOl'ated by Edward

\'1.

,gre.t–

eoco!l,,~ed

by queen Mary, aud had Iheir cnor.lma–

lioo, wnh an enlarg,:menr of Iheir privilegrs, from

EI,ube,h, This companv is no'

very

r.nnflderahl.

pltfeO! ; ,he trade of Ihof. pam being molll y'tarried

on by privale merchaots,

paying Ihe fum of 51.

Ihe company,

The EalllMd.company, formerly called merchants

of Elbin, IVere encnrpolated by queen Elizabelh, and

by her greatly encourAged; bu" like the former

compaoy, il is now become inconr.dcrable, the trade

of Norway and Swedeo beiog laid open by aa of par–

liament.

The Turkey, or Levant.company, was likewife in–

corpomed by the fame princefs, and its charter con-

6rmed and enlarged by king James

who impowered

Ihem

trade tO the Levanl, or eanero pans of the

Mediterranean ; particulady to Smyroa, Aleppo,

A–

lexandria, Grand-Cairo, and the other pans (,f the

T urkifh dominions. But Ihis mde is now alfo laid

open to private merchants, upoo paying a fmall con–

fideration_

The next in order is ,he Eafl·India company, firn

incorporated in Ihe year t600, and impowered tOtrade

all countries Iying eanlVard of ,he cape of Good

Hope. Towards the end of king William's reign, an

aa of puliamenl palred, grantiog all private Oler–

ch,nu, \Vho fhould raife a certain fum for the fupply'

of the governmenl, the privilege of trading to thefe

ramo Accordingly,

great many fubfcribed, and were

called the ne\V Ean lodia.eompany; which foon found

il oecelrary 'o unite with the old one, and trade with

ooe joint Oock: r.nce which time, ,hey have been

Ilyled Ihe uoi,ed Ea!!-lndia-conlpaoy; and are at pre.

fent in a flonrofhing condltion, and in polrellion of

many confiderable fom and faaories

Ihe coall of

VOL.

Il. No.

40,

e o

Malabar, the CoroOlandel·coafl, the bay of Rengal,

&<,

Thc royal Afl ican-company was

r.rO

erefled in Ihe

yeu 1(,6" with an exclufive privllcr,e

lI.trle frollt

c'pe Blanc, on ,he coa!! of Afri", In 20· .

l.tt

. a.

far as the cape 01 Good Hope. Hut this trade IS now

laio opcn by afl

01'

padiaOlent.

T he Eaflland·company,

Ih~ Greenl~nd. company.

111'

Hudfon

's.ba

y company, rhe Soulh.fc.t.comp.,nv, have

likewift tbeir feveral eham" and privilcRtS lar tr.

ding

111

Ihe places from which they take their denonu–

naliaos.

T hefe are the principal tradiog company's

bclon~

og 'o the crOWn of Great Rritain; and uf ar.mil., na–

ture are the DUlCh Ea!! and

\Vd l

India companies,

the French Ea!! and Well lndi. companie"

Óc.

Coneorning thefe companies, it may be rroper ro

remark, that however nlcenary Ihey ,"Igh, be in the

infancy of ,rade, Ihey are now looktd 1I11'In hy molf

men in ,he light of monopolies: hence it is, th,1t

,hetr

privlieges have from IÍme tO time becn le/lenee!, in

01-

der

eflablifh an abfollllely free

a"d

gellcral trad,' ;

and experience h31h Ih.",n, that the trade

01'

the n.–

tion has adv,nced iD p.roportion as monopolies have

beed laid .fide. Indeed, 'o carrv on trade '",ith

0'–

f1ant countries, where forc=, and 'rom ale to be maio–

tained, a company wi,h a joiO! Oock feeOls nrcelral

oro al

I~all,

certain dlltits oughl to be

p,,,t

hv all

who trade Ihilh", ,owaros defraying the I:'id e'-pe,, –

ces: for nOI 'o fpeak of Ihe Eafl,lndia, Hudfon's

~'"

&c.

companies, Ihe expence of OIai",aining whuie

forts mu!! be very confiderahle, even ,he Turkcv

Hamburgh, Mufcovy, and Eam,"t! compani"s,

whi~t:

do nOI trade with a join, Ilock, are ncverthelefs ob.

liged tO be al confidcrable chargcs. in making prefent.

to ,he¡,)lrand feignior and his A,inillc!'s, maiO!aining

confuls.

Óc.

It would therefore be injunice that

any Ihould liade

the place, within their ehanCl!.

wilhout paying the fame dUlies tOwards the company's

charge, as Ihe prefent ad'tnturers pay; but then there

appem to be no reafon why any

01'

the king's fubjcas

Ihould be bmed from trading to Ihofe places, Or for–

ced to paya grea, fine for admillion, th,t are williog

to pay the cOO1pany's dOlies, and fuhnllt to Iheir

regulations and orders in o,her refpe<'ls.

On the \Vhole, as all rell riaions of trade are found

be hurtful, no,hing can be more eoident than that

no company whatfoever, whether they trade in a joinl

Ilock, or only under regulation, can he

rQt

Ih¡¿ public

good, except il may be eal)> for all ot , ny of his ma–

jeOy's

fubje~s

to be ad01ined into all or any of the

f..d companles, at any tIme, and for a .ery inconfi–

derable fine.

CO.IPAWV, in military , alrairs, a f01all body

01'

fOOl,

commanded by a captatn, who has under him a lieute–

nan' and enfign.

The' number of eenlinels Or private foldiers io a

company, may be from 50 to

8o:

and a bmalion COn–

r.f1s of ,' himen fuch companits, ?ne of which isalway.

grenadlen, and pofled on the

rI,~h t:

next thcOl

lI.nd

Ihccldel[ company, and on thelelt the fccoodcumpany;

Q..

the