A. D. 1493. 5 



future hopes of making any new difcoveries, eafl, weft, fouth, or north, 

 in the whole habitable world ! 



In the fecond voyage Columbus vifited the confiderable ifle of St. 

 John de Porto Rico, where there was plenty of timber, but no Europ- 

 ean grain ; their bread being chiefly caflada root. There were faid 

 to have been wild grapes, but they never made wine of them ; they had 

 alfo pimento and cotton. The Spaniards are faid to have deftroyed moft 

 of the natives, very few now being left in that fine ifle, of late much 

 negleded by Spain, although its fituation be extremely happy, between 

 Hifpaniola on the weft, the Virgin and Caribbee ifles on the eaft, and 

 Terra Firma fouthward ; and its produ6lions, natural and naturalized, 

 faid to be equal to any of the other ifles, were they equally cukiva.ed. 



From this year 1 493, when they firft began to bring home any confi- 

 derable quantity of treafure from America to Spain, to the year 1724, 

 Uftariz, an eminent modern Spanifli author, alTerts, that the gold and 

 fih^er brought home amounted to five thoufand millions of dollars or 

 pieces of eight, being above twenty-one and an half millions yearly on 

 a medium, equal to upwards of five millions Sterling yearly : Yet as all 

 •this treafure neceflarily goes out every year to other European nations 

 for their manufadures and produd, with which Spain and its Indies are 

 fupplied in immenfe quantities, fome have been of opinion, that it had 

 been happier for Spain if flie had never planted in America, without 

 fhe had at the fame time cultivated manufadures of all kinds, where- 

 by fhe might have not only kept much of her American treafure with- 

 in herfelf for the fupport of her manufactures, but alfo thofe manu- 

 fadures would, by a necefl'ary increafe of people, have contributed to 

 make up the lofs of the native Spaniards tranfplanted in great numbers 

 to America. 



Authors compute, that foon after the planting of Mexico and Peru, 

 the quantity of money in Europe was doubled, in refped to what it 

 was before ; wherefore the rates or prices of all things were alfo doubled : 

 which proportionably decreafed the profits of Spain by her Ameri- 

 can colonies. Baron Montefquieu is of opinion, that in about little 

 more than 200 years, the fpecie or money of Europe has been doubled 

 five times ; and that it is now, to what it was before the Indian treafure 

 came amongft us, as 32 is to r. Yet this computation will probably feera 

 much exaggerated to many, who knov/ that a very great part ot the 

 filver annually brought from America has been every year tranlported 

 to Eaft-India, from whence no part of it ever reiurns to Europe ; nei- 

 ther do the advanced prices of provifions, &c. at this time, bear any 

 -near proportion to that author's fuppofition. Before this grand dilcov- 

 ery, the courts of princes in Europe had not the luftre of modern times, 

 though more crowded with attendants, who however were iuftained at 

 a much fmaller charge than could be done in our days. But when 



