It might be expected that Gentlemen, for their own Advantage, and the Benefit of their Families, should plant Timber enough;but we find it so much otherwise, that Laws have been made to oblige this to be done, and yet the End hath not been attained;which I ascribe to these Causes: First, the Rents having been rising of late Years, from the considerable Demand there hath been for Land, hath been one Reason that planting Timber hath not been sufficiently regarded. Secondly, Planting Timber regards Posterity rather than ourselves immediately, and this hath occasioned the Neglect of it; and if we continue to go on thus, an Observation the Spectator No 583 recites, that the Nation if a few Years will be at a Loss to supply itself with Timber sufficient for the Fleets of England, will certainly be verified.(4*) Wherefore, to make Plenty of Timber, I would propose, that a Law be made, which shall effectually provide, and oblige all the Lands throughout the whole Kingdom, at all times, to maintain a Timber Tree in every Hedge and Bank, at 100 Feet Distance or thereabouts, which Distance I suppose sufficient to admit the Sun and Wind, so that the Fruits of the Earth may receive no Prejudice by the Trees that should thus grow in the Hedges and Banks.
Further, all Lands that are infertile, or not so fit for Cultivation; and likewise all waste Land, as far as it's possible to effect if, should be well planted with Timber. For it's well known that all Lands, where Woods have been cut and grubb'd up, are always fruitful; for a Wood, by the Fall of the Leaves, etc.
and retaining the Rain much longer on the Ground than otherwise it would, always renders the Ground it grows on more fruitful;besides that Woods always produce the finest and best Timber, Whilst the Hedges produce the strongest and crookedest; which therefore would be exceedingly useful for shipping, and especially for small Vessels. Thus Timber may be made plentiful enough, and then, if Labour be made cheaper, Ships may be built so cheap, as to enable us to cope with any Nation in the World in all maritime Affairs. But there is no other Way in Nature to do this; and till 'tis done, we must be content, not only to see the Ships of other Nations the principal Carriers of the World, but to employ many Ships ourselves which are not built in this Kingdom.
But it will be objected, This can't be effected presently, because Timber takes many Years to grow to any Perfection. So much the more Need is there that it be done; and if effectual Provision be made for Futurity, the present Stock of Timber in the Kingdom will answer the End sufficiently, whilst the Supply is growing to prevent any future Inconvenience, provided Labour be, as speedily as possible, made cheap enough to contribute to that End: For the same Means which alone can make Labour cheaper, will make every other Thing cheaper. And this may be fully effected in a very few Years, and will be sensibly felt by all, from its very first Attempt, if Land enough be, as fast as may be, put into Cultivation to answer the Purpose. For with this, every Trade will infallibly flourish, without any Inconvenience but falling the Rents, which I have before shewn will be really the present Interest of every Gentleman, besides the sure Foundation of the Happiness of his immediate Offspring.
And as to the Purchase of Estates,which is always governed by the Interest of Money, they will be valued at as many Years Purchase as they would if Rents had not fallen; and tho' the Sums they sell for must be less, in proportion as the Rents shall be lowered, yet the Money will have, at least, all the same Effects, apply it how you please.
The Spectator No 200, asserts, That if the Fruits of the Earth could be increased one Tenth above all Possibility of Consumption, it would reduce the Price of them half. But such an Increase is absolutely impossible, the World having never yet, Ibelieve, produced an Instance of it. Besides that the Author of the World hath, undoubtedly, observed as nice and exact a Proportion in the Wants of Mankind, and what the Earth will produce to supply them, as he hath done in all the rest of his Works; and then such an Excess, as I said before, is impossible;and this I shall prove hereafter.
But a greater Excess than this is become a Fact, as to the Houses within the Bills of Mortality,(5*) and will certainly be attended with that Consequence, of reducing the Rents one half, if the Method I propose be not applied to prevent it. And if, as he reasons in another Part of the same Spectator, the Cities of London and Westminister pay a Fifth of the whole Revenue of the Crown, beside the Rent and Taxes they enable the Country to pay;what Care ought to be taken to make Money plentiful amongst the People in general, which alone can make Trade flourish, and fill the Houses, and prevent so great and certain a Diminution as the Revenue must suffer in all Parts of the Kingdom for want of this Care!
But I am sensible the great Number of empty Houses is ascribed to the Increase of Building since the Peace. But whoever considers, that there are not less then 6 or 700000 People in the Bills of Mortality; and that, according to the natural Increase of Mankind, at the lowest Computation of doubling in 360 Years, the Increase will be near 40000 People since that Time,(6*) he will be necessarily obliged to ascribe the empty Houses to other Causes, and not to the Increase of Building solely. But however since they are built, and their being inhabited, or standing empty, will certainly have such an Influence on the Rents of the Kingdom, and the Revenue likewise, it behoves us to take the proper Methods to fill them, which I am confident will soon be effected by cultivating Land enough to make a Plenty of Money amongst the Trading Part of the People in general, but not otherwise.