Thence They Go To The New Bourse, Or
Principal Exchange, Where, For Another Hour Each Time, They Transact All
Matters Relating To Bills Of Exchange, With The Above Six Nations, And With
France; And Also To Deposit At Interest, Which Is Usually Twelve Per Cent.
Per Annum."
"They send to Rome a great variety of woollen drapery, linen, tapestry,
&c.:
The returns are in bills of exchange. To Ancona, English and Flemish
cloths, stuffs, linen, tapestry, cochineal; and bring in return such spices
and drugs as the merchants of Ancona procure in the Levant, and likewise
silks, cotton, Turkey carpets, and leather. To Bologne they export serges,
and other stuffs, tapestry, linen, merceries, &c. and bring in return for
it, wrought silks, cloth of gold and silver, crapes, caps, &c. To Venice
they send jewels and pearls, English cloth and wool, Flemish drapery,
cochineal, &c. and a little sugar and pepper: thus, with respect to these
two latter articles, sending to Venice what they formerly obtained from
her. For, prior to the Portuguese discovery of the Cape, the merchants of
Antwerp brought from Venice all sorts of India spices and drugs: and even
so late as the year 1518, there arrived in the Scheldt, five Venetian
ships, laden with spices and drugs, for the fair at Antwerp. In 1560,
however, the imports from Venice consisted of the finest and choicest
silks, carpets, cotton, &c. and colours for dyers and painters."
"To Naples they export great quantities of Flemish and English cloths and
stuffs, tapestry, linens, small wares of metal, and other materials: and
bring back raw, thrown and wrought silk, fine furs and skins, saffron and
manna. The exports to Sicily are similar to those of the other parts of
Italy: the imports from it are galls in great quantity, cinnamon, oranges,
cotton, silk, and sometimes wine. To Milan, Antwerp exports pepper, sugar,
jewels, musk, and other perfumes, English and Flemish woollen manufactures,
English and Spanish woollinens, and cochineal. The imports are gold and
silver, thread, silks, gold stuffs, dimities, rich and curious draperies,
rice, muskets and other arms, high priced toys and small goods; and
Parmesian cheese. The exports to Florence are nearly the same as to the
other parts of Italy, but in addition, fans are specified. Besides the
usual imports of silks and gold stuffs, there are also fine furs. Household
furniture is exported to Genoa, besides the usual articles: velvets, which
were then the best in the world; satins, the best coral, mithridate, and
treacle, are the principal or the peculiar imports. Genoa, is the port
through which Antwerp trades with Mantua, Verona, Modena, Lucca, &c."
"Besides all these articles, Antwerp imports from Italy by sea, alum, oil,
gums, leaf senna, sulphur, &c. and exported to it by sea, tin, lead,
madder, Brazil wood, wax, leather, flax, tallow, salt fish, timber, and
sometimes corn. The imports from Italy, including only silks, gold and
silver, stuffs, and thread camblets and other stuffs, amount to three
millions of crowns, or 600,000_l_. yearly.
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