A. D. 1781. 677 



dom to be two thoufand millions of livres (above eigbty-feven millions 

 Jlerling) in coin * ; and the yearly coinage of money to be forty or fifty 

 millions of livres. And he eftimates the population at twenty-four 

 millions of fouls. [Compte rendu, pp. 54, 68, 74.] 



The war with the Dutch appears to have funk, the price of the three- 

 per-cent confolidated funds, which fince the commencement of the war 

 with Spain were between 60 and 62, down to 57^. The depreflion in 

 the other branches of the funds was, as ufual, in proportion to that in 

 the three-per-cents. 



The Dutch iHand of S'. EuHathius (called by feafaring people Statia) 

 is not above fix miles long. It confifls of two hills of rock, with very 

 Uttle foil upon them, and has not a fmgle rivulet or fpring of frefti 

 water ; fo that it is not worth occupying for any purpofe of cultiva- 

 tionf or comfortable refidence. Yet the wonderful induftry, and com 

 mercial fpirit of the Dutch have made it a mofl valuable poileflion, and 

 of at leaft as much importance as any other of the windward iflands in 

 the Weft-Indies. By giving the greateft poftible accommodation to all 

 Grangers, of whatever nation, this barren ifland foon became an univer- 

 fal repofitory for the produce and manufactures of every quarter of the 

 globe : and, as the Dutch were not fo often engaged in hoftilities as the 

 other maritime powers of Europe, the feafon of war has at all times 

 been their peculiar and richcll harveft. There the Americans with 

 their cargoes of provifions, tobacco, lumber, and naval ftores, the French 

 with their wines, brandies, and manufadures, the Britifli with their in- 

 numerable manufadures, and the merchants and planters of almoft all 

 the neighbouring iflands, Spanifli, French, &c. flying with their pro- 

 duce to elude the grafp of monopoly, or fliun tlie dangers of warfare, as 

 well as the Dutch, whofe ftores were filled with every defcription of the 

 commodities and manufadures of all the world, met as in a great fair, 

 and without any reftraint, or taking the fmalleft concern in the quarrels 

 in which their refpedive fovereigns might happen to be engaged, tranf- 

 aded their fales and purchafes in this xx\.\t\y free port and general maga- 

 zine of all nations. Hence an ifland, which produces almoft nothing, 

 ufed to fliip more produce for Europe than many of the tertile lugar 



* Nccker [p. 6fe] fays, ' II n'cil aucunc con- was worthy of being tia:ifoiIl'cd cnlire. If the 



' quoit, il nVll aucunc alliance, qui puilTe val<>ir a kinj^, to wliom it was addrcffu!, Iiad rcgulalid lii» 



» votrc MajcH^ cc qu'cllc pourra lircr un jour du conduct by fucli maxims liis country mi^lit tlitu 



' devcloppcir cut lie IcTproprcs forces. LVfTor dc liave enjoyed pcjce with a nu>(l flourillim^ con>- 



* I'agricultureel dcl'mduftricpar hibonne reparti- meice; and he might have been rtill hMiig a.id 

 ' lion dc8 impots, TclTor du credit par la fapc reigning. M. de la Place, and fome other cal- 

 ' adminillratioM dcs linancis, voila tout ce qui culaturs, about the lame time calculated the popu- 



* manque a la puilTancc d'un royaunve, qui con- lation of France at confidcrably above t«cuty-fivc 



* tient vingt-quatrj miliions d'anics, et deux mil- millions. [Man. Jt I'lictJemif, A. JK \~^i, 



* liards d'argcnt monnoye.' A prodigious fum ! /-fi^.V] 



but the character of the man docs not allow us to t I'hert are, however, t«-o or thiee plantal oi:i 



impute any pait of it to gafconadc. This fen- in the valley between the two hill-, wlti<.h piohu-e 

 tence, containing fo much wifdom in fo few words, a fmall quantity of fuj^r. 



