310 A. D. 1758. 



An acl for vefting certain mefluages, lands, tenements, and heredita- 

 ments, for better fecuring his majefty's docks, fliips, and ftores, at Portf- 

 mouth, Chatham, and Plymouth, and for fortifying the town of Portf- 

 mouth, and the citadel of Plymouth, in truftees, for certain ufes ; and 

 for other purpofes therein mentioned. [31 Geo, IF, c. 38.] 



By a flatute of the year following, compenfation was to be made to the 

 proprietors of fuch lands as were purchafed for the purpofes of this aft. 



About this time, an ingenious piece was publiflied at Paris, intitled, 

 Les interets dc la France mal entcndus (the true intereft of France not 

 rightly underllood), principally defigned for promoting the hufbandry 

 and agriculture of that kingdom, alleged, very truely by the author, to 

 have been too much neglefted, both in the reign of the prefent French 

 king, and alio by his predeceflbr Louis XIV, for the fake of manufac- 

 tures and of military glory, while the French remained dejiendent on 

 England for their very bread or corn : he fuppofes, for argument's fake, 

 the value of the riches of France to be one thoufand millions of livres, 

 which would produce 50 millions of livres yearly intereft, which being 

 divided among feventeen millions of people, it would fupply 59 fols (or 

 two livres nineteen fols) towards the lubiiftence of each individual per- 

 fon. He alio fuppofes the w'hole expenfe of every one of the faid feven- 

 teen millions of people, on an average, to be 160 livres yearly, w'hich, 

 at lo^d fterling per livre, is, in Englifli money, L7 *. Upon this fuppo- 

 fition, France, for fupplying her full fubfiftence, fliould receive from its 

 agriculture the yearly value of 2720 millions of livres, unlefs fupplied 

 by art and induftry. Of the feventeen millions of people, he fuppofes 

 twelve millions to refide in cities and great towns, while the country 

 w^ants people to till the ground. That this defeft is, in part, owing to 

 Cardinal Richheu's fyftem in vmiting the fupreme authority in one 

 fmgle point, the king: whereas, before, France was divided into many 

 fovereignties, under particular lords, which kept the people at a greater 

 diftance from each other. But now men crowd to court, from whence 

 flow all favours. Another caule is the unequal diftribution of lands ; 

 for were all the lands of France equally divided, there would be nine 

 acres and an half for each perfon. 



This efl^ay is rather a curious and fanciful piece of fpeculation, than 

 a fcheme entirely reducible to practice ; yet fundry ul'eful inferences 

 may be drawn, by ftatefmen, &c. from fuch politico-arithmetical eflays. 



This year, by the diligent and provident application of his Britannic 

 majefty and his minifters ; the good fortune of the nation, in its Ame- 

 rican provinces, began to be coni'picuous againft France : 



By reducing the town and fort of Louifbourg, with the ifles of Cape- 

 Breton and St. John ; whereby we were once more put in pofleflion of 



* Whether he borrowed tin's coiii{,ut;'tion from our EngKfh po'iticnl writers, cr not, it exadly cor. 

 refponds with them In tliis rcfpeft. yi. 



