.^4 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book IL 



ferent from our own. In one of thefe fettlements at Bencoolen, In 

 the Ifland of Sumatra, I have elfewhere* taken notice of a dreadful 

 deftrudtion of our people, by a peftilential difeafe which came among 

 them, but which did not afFed the natives of the Ifland. And not only 

 at Sumatra, but in other diflant countries lying under another fun^ as 

 the Poet expreflfes it, we carry on trade by means of colonies that we 

 have fettled there, which we are obliged to maintain often at the ex- 

 pence of a great many men ; and fometimes a military force is ne- 

 ceflary, particularly in India, where we have not guards and garrifons 

 only, but armies to the amount fometimes of 10,000 Britifh, as in 

 the late war in India, befides a very much greater number of troops of 

 the country in our pay. And, as to manufadures, it muft be admitted, 

 that all fedentary arts are more or lefs hurtful to health; efpecially if 

 they are carried on in fadories in great towns, where fo many men 

 are confumed by vices and difeafes. There is one manufadure par- 

 ticularly, very much pradifed at prefent, which makes women of 

 men, that is makes fpinfters of them ; and begins at fo early an age, 

 that if they were afterwards to purfue the occupations of men, they 

 would not have fize or (Irength for them. The reader will readily 

 underfland that I mean the cotton manufadure. 



In all trade to diflant countries there muft be a commerce, not 

 only of manufadures and other commodities, but of difeafes, which 

 will be both exported and imported. But, in this part of the traf- 

 fic I thmk, the balance is on our fide; for unlefs it be with refped 

 to India, from which thofe of our people, who return, bring with 

 them bilious or liver complaints, of which they die, from other 

 countries we import no difeafes, but export to them vices and difeafes, 

 by which many thoufands of people in thofe countries are confumed ; 

 particuhirly to North Anerica, we have exported the fmall-pox, and 

 the ufe of fpiritous liquors, by which we have defolated fome part of 



that 



* Vol. 3. of this work, p. 187. 



