The Commerce Of Scotland And Ireland During The Sixteenth And Seventeenth
Centuries, Supplies Us With Very Few Materials.
In the year 1544, Scotland
must have had no inconsiderable foreign trade, as in the war which took
place
At this time between that country and England, twenty-eight of the
principal ships of Scotland, laden with all kinds of rich merchandize, were
captured by the English, on their voyage from France, Flanders, Denmark,
&c.; and in the same year, when the English took Leith, they found more
riches in it than they had reason to expect. While Scotland and England
were at peace, however, the former was principally supplied through the
latter with the commodities which Antwerp, during the sixteenth century,
dispersed over all Europe. The exports of Scotland to Antwerp, &c. were
indeed direct, and consisted principally, as we have already remarked from
Guicciardini, of peltry, leather, wool, indifferent cloth, and pearls.
The earliest account which occurs of the Scotch carrying on commerce to any
port out of Europe, is in the year 1589, when three or four Scotch ships
were found at the Azores by the earl of Cumberland. In the year 1598, it
appears, from a letter of king James to Queen Elizabeth, that some Scotch
merchants traded to the Canaries. There is evidence that the Scotch had
some commerce in the Mediterranean in the beginning of the seventeenth
century; for in the "Cabala," under the year 1624, the confiscation of
three Scotch ships at Malaga is noticed, for importing Dutch commodities.
The principal articles of export from Scotland to foreign countries
consisted of coarse woollen stuffs and stockings, linen goods, peltry,
leather, wool, pearls, &c. The principal imports were wine and fruits from
France, wine from Spain and Portugal, the finer woollen goods from England,
timber, iron, &c. from the Baltic, and sugars, spices, silks, &c. from
Antwerp, Portugal, &c.
The following statement, with which we shall conclude our account of Scotch
commerce, is interesting, as exhibiting a view of the commercial
intercourse by sea between England and Scotland, from the commencement of
the inspector general's accounts in 1697, to the Union in 1707.
England received from Scotland Scotland received from England
Merchandize to the value of merchandize to the value of
The earliest notices of Irish trade, to which we have already adverted,
particularly mention linen and woollen cloth, as two of the most
considerable articles of export from that country. Hides, wool, fish of
different kinds, particularly salmon, and the skins of martins, otters,
rabbits, sheep, kids, &c. are also specified, as forming part of her early
export. From Antwerp in the middle of the sixteenth century she received
spices, sugar, silks, madder, camblets, &c. Pipe staves were a considerable
article of export in the beginning of the seventeenth century; they were
principally sent to the Mediterranean.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 339 of 524
Words from 176579 to 177105
of 273188
