CHAP. XXVI. Of the inland trade of England; its magnitude, and the great advantage it is of to the nation in general. The vast consequence of London to the whole king- dom. Of the increase of this commerce CHAP. XXVII. Of credit in trade; and how a tradesman ought to value and improve it. That our English tradesmen excel all others in the management of credit. How easily lost, and how hard to be recovered. CHAP. XXVIII. Of the tradesman's punctual pay- ing his bills and promissory notes, and the credit he gains by it. Of protesting bills. Error of the country manufacturer in over- loading the factor. A tradesman ought not to suffer himself to be overdrawn. What punctualities are required in bills of exchange and promissory notes. Of the three days of grace. The nature of foreign bills of exchange, and the niceties to be observed in them. Advantages to a trades- CHAP. XXIX. Of the tradesman in distress bor- rowing money at interest, whether by bond or otherwise, to carry on his trade. Rules and cautions to be observed by such. In- terest, though legal, a canker-worm. The true nature and sad effects of it. The still more dreadful effects of taking up money Page CHAP. XXX. Of discounting and endorsing bills, and of the scandalous practice of passing promissory notes, on purpose to borrow money by discount. Its ruinous conse- quences exemplified in the ruin of a clubof tradesmen, who joined in coining money, as they called it. The discounters to be deemed as birds of prey, which are to be CHAP. XXXI. Of the tradesman's keeping his books, and casting up his shop. A re- markable story of a man keeping his ac- counts in a large business, without being able to write. The necessity of exact book-keeping. Of balancing the cash- book. Cautions on this head necessary to be observed. Exact book-keeping indi- cates a man is determined to thrive, if pos- sible; as negligence in this respect de- notes the contrary. The credit a man gains in the former case, even though he prove unfortunate. Numberless lawsuits preventable by exact book-keeping. Next to taking care of his soul, a tradesman should take care of his books. The com- THE COMPLETE ENGLISH TRADESMAN. INTRODUCTION. BEING to direct this discourse to the tradesmen of this nation, it is needful in a few words to explain who it is we are to understand by the word 'tradesman,' and how he is to be qualified in order to merit the title of complete.' The term tradesman is understood in several places in a different manner; for example, in the North of Britain, and in Ireland, a tradesman is taken to be a mechanic; as a smith, carpenter, shoemaker, and the like, whom we call here handicraftsmen. Abroad, they deem tradesmen such only as carry goods about from market to market, or from house to house, to sell; which we usually here call 'petty chapmen,' in the North 'pethers,' and in our ordinary speech, ' pedlars.' 6 But in England, and especially in London, all sorts of warehouse-keepers, shopkeepers, whether wholesale dealers or retailers of goods, are called tradesmen; such are our grocers, mercers, linen and woollen-drapers, Blackwell-hall factors, tobacconists, haberdashers, glovers, hosiers, milliners, booksellers, stationers, and all other shopkeepers, who do not actually manufacture the goods they sell. On the other hand, those who make the goods they sell, though they keep shops, are called handi C. E. T. I. B crafts; such as smiths, shoemakers, founders, joiners, carpenters, carvers, turners, and the like; those who only make goods for others to sell, are called manufacturers, artists, &c. As there are several degrees of people employed in trade below these, such as workmen, labourers, and servants, so there is a degree of traders above them, which we call merchants; where it is needful to observe, that in other countries, and even in the North of Britain and Ireland, as the handicraftsmen and artists are called tradesmen, so the shopkeepers, whom we here call tradesmen, are all called merchants; nay, even the very pedlars are called travelling merchants. But in England the word merchant is understood of none but such as carry on foreign correspondences, importing the goods and growth of other countries, and exporting the growth and manufacture of England to other countries. Besides these, we have a very great number of considerable dealers, whom we call tradesmen, who are properly called warehouse-keepers, who supply the merchants with all the several kinds of manufactures and other goods of the produce of England, for exportation; and also others, who are called wholesalemen, who buy and take off from the merchants all the foreign goods which they import; these, by their corresponding with a like sort of tradesmen in the country, convey and hand forward those goods, and our own also, among those country tradesmen, into every corner of the kingdom, however remote; and by them to the retailers; and by the retailer to the last consumer, which is the last article of all trade. These, by whatever particular circumstances distinguished, are the people understood by the word tradesmen in this work, and for whose service these sheets are made public. Having thus described the person whom I under stand by the English Tradesman, it is needful to inquire into his qualifications, and what it is that renders him a finished or complete man in his business. 1. Then, it will be found that our Complete Tradesman ought to understand all the inland trade of England, so as to be able to turn his hand to anything of the manufacture of his own country, as his circumstances may require; and may, if he sees occasion, lay down one trade and take up another, or extend his dealings when he pleases, without serving a new apprenticeship to learn it. 2. That he not only has a knowledge of the species or kinds of goods, but of the places and peculiar countries where those goods are produced or made, and how to come at them at the first hand. 3. That he understands all the methods of correspondence, returning money or goods for goods, to and from every county in England; what goods are generally bought for ready money, and what for time; what are sold by commission from the makers, what bought by factors, or by giving commission to buyers in the country, and the like; what markets are the most proper to buy everything at, and when; and what fairs or marts are proper to go to, to promote his own particular business. In order to complete the English tradesman in this manner, the first thing to be done is to lay down such general maxims of trade as are fit for his instruction, and then to describe the English or British product, being the fund of its inland trade, whether we mean its produce as the growth of the country, or its manufactures as the labour of her people; then to acquaint the tradesman with the manner of the circulation where those things are found; how and by what methods all those goods |