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Tudor Princes. Amongst them were the suppression of the 

 Monasteries, hy which 50,000 men, possessing a certain 

 degree of education, were dispersed through the country, 

 and compelled to take part in various occupations to secure 

 themselves a living; the opening of the trade with Arch- 

 angel, then the chief port of Eussia, and with the Turkish 

 empire, which was at that time in its highest glory, under 

 the rule of Suleyman, the Magnificent ; the voyages of 

 Drake and other great navigators ; the settlement of Virgi- 

 nia ; the increased security for life and property at home; 

 the frugality of the virgin Queen, and the energy of the 

 merchant Princes like Sir Thomas Gresham. Under these 

 causes, and a variety of others, all lending to direct the 

 energies of the British race to the pursuits of industry, 

 population increased rapidly, and the commerce of the 

 country rose to be of so much importance, that the trade 

 of the country, soon after the close of the glorious reign 

 of Elizabeth, were of the value of .£2,487,435 for exports, 

 and £2,141,157 for imports. Mr. Yates then proceeded to 

 point out a variety of causes which had come into operation 

 — or which had acquired additional force subsequent to the 

 reign of Elizabeth — all of which tended to check the deve- 

 lopment of the natural energies. Amongst these were 

 monopolies of every kind, conferred, either for sums of 

 money or as marks of Court favour, on individuals or com- 

 panies. These were shown to have extended to every thing, 

 great and small, from the trade with an empire to the 

 publication of an almanac. In addition to those were, also, 

 forced loans, chiefly extorted from the merchants of London 

 Custom-house exactions, connived at by men in authority, 

 and a system of insult and oppression calculated and 

 designed to destroy security for property and personal free- 

 dom. As an instance of this he mentioned the case of 

 Richard Chambers, a citizen of London, who, for a few 

 hasty words, provoked by the exactions of the underlings 



