A. D. 1736. 213 



11,000 hundred-weight of Brazil wood. 



450 hundred-weight of violetta wood. 



1737. — The French at this time were eagerly pufhing into an an uni- 

 verfal commerce, as the furer, though flower, way of coming at theij: 

 old darling fcheme of univerfal dominion, viz. 



In Africa they monopolized the gum trade at the river Senegal ; they 

 liad alfo encroached on the Englifli fettlement at the river Gambia, and 

 had largely increafed their flave-trade on that coalt for the encourage- 

 ment of their Weft-India fugar iflands : where 



They had at this time gained fo much ground on ours as to be the 

 great exporters of fugar, and alfo of indigo, cotton, and ginger, to many 

 parts of Europe. They had alfo gained a confiderable fettlement on 

 the coafl of Guiana, near Surinam in South-America, encroaching 

 both on the Dutch and Spaniards there. On the continent of North- 

 America, they now afliduoufly purfued old Louis's plan ot forming a 

 chain of forts and fettlements from the mouth of the great river Mifli- 

 iippi up to their province of Canada, thereby to cut oft our continental 

 fettlements from any commerce with the vaft Indian countries weft- 

 ward, and in time to get pofl^flion of them all. For that end they had 

 ftrongly fortified the ifland of Cape-Breton, at the entrance of the great 

 river St. Laurence, ferving as well to command that entrance as to pro- 

 tect a very great cod fifliery, which they have of late fo vaftly increafed 

 in the neighbouring feas. 



From Quebec, their capital of Canada, they had opened and fortified 

 a communication with the lakes lying behind, and properly as much 

 belonging to our province of New- York as any other part of that pro- 

 vince can be faid to be ; and had alfo taken polleflion of the fertile lands 

 round thofe lakes, much of which they had already cleared, and in part 

 cultivated, where they had plentiful crops of wheat ; and had alfo tound 

 lead mines, which farther enabled them to improve their trade with the 

 neighbouring Indians ; and (by already endeavouring to remove fuch 

 Indian nations from the neighbourhood of the river MilTifippi as might 

 endanger its navigation) defigning to carry their \\hcat, Sec. down that 

 vaft ftream to New-Orleans, their Miflifippi capital, from thence to fup- 

 ply their fugar colonies therewith, poflibly cheaper than our northern 

 plantations can at prelent do. They had alio planted tobacco in that 

 country, and had begun to faw timber for lumber, with a like view to 

 a trade from thence with their fugar iflands. Weftward they were laid 

 to have already extended their communication as far as the Spanifli pro- 

 vince ot New-Mexico, cafting, no doubt, a longing eye on the rich liiver 

 mines there. Eaftward from the Miflifippi, they had by this time fettled 

 fo tar up the river Albanus as to have forts on it within twenty days 

 march of Charkftown, our capital of South-Carolina. Of all which vaft 

 improvements and encroachments on the territories of other nations. 



