J54 -A. D. 1571. 



According to Meteranus [L. iii], Queen Elizabeth, in order to quiet 

 the un^afinefs of her fubjeds for the feizure of their efFeds in the Ne- 

 therlands in the year 1568, concluded a treaty of commerce with King 

 Charles IX of France at Blois, wherein the Enghfli obtained ample pri- 

 vileges for the vent of their merchandize. But this author adds, that 

 the horrid maffacre of the French proteftants at Paris, &c. perpetrated 

 on St. Bartholomew's day this year, rendered the treaty ineffedual, by 

 the terror it ftruck into the EngUfh merchants. The admiral Coligny, 

 and the reft of the proteftants, were decoyed to Paris, on pretence of 

 the nuptials of the king of Navarre, and were moft inhumanly butcher- 

 ed. The French papifts gloried fo greatly therein that medals were 

 ftruck in its commemoration. 



By that treaty [^article xxiv] the Englifli were to be allowed a maga- 

 zine or ftorehoufe in France, for depoliting their cloth, wool, &c. as 

 they were wont to have at Antwerp, Bergen-op-zoom, and Bruges ; and 

 alfo [<7r;?V/^ xxv] a place for affembling themfelves, in order to chufe 

 their governors and other officers, &c. \_Colk£lion of treaties^ V. ii, ed. 1 732.] 



The queen being at this time on bad terms both with Spain and the 

 emperor (the later partly on account of the Hanfe towns), thofe two 

 articles feem to have been intended to induce them to be more favour- 

 able to the Englifli commerce; for in the 16th article the French king 

 ftipulates, that in cafe any prince ftiall hereafter moleft the EngUfli in 

 their trade and merchandize in the Netherlands, or in Germany, or 

 Prullia, he fliall interpofe for their relief; and by the 17th article, he 

 ftiall, in caie of refufal and delay, arreft the perfons and goods of the 

 merchants of fuch prince being in his territories, till the Englifli and 

 Irifli fo arrefted be reftored. And in article 20, the queen obliges her- 

 felf to perform the like fervices for the fubjeds of the French king in 

 iimllar cafes. Yet fome think that neither of thofe monarchs were fm- 

 cere in this treaty, Charles's aim being to hoodwink Elizabeth, whilft 

 he was perpetrating that horrid maflacre ; and Elizabeth's, by this treaty, 

 to bring Spain and the emperor to trad:ability. 



From Hakluyt's fecond volume we learn, that in this year there refid- 

 ed at Conftantinople confuls from the P>ench, Venetians, Genoefe, and 

 Florentines, but none from England ; the trade in the Levant having, 

 it feems, been quite difcontinued from the year 1553 to the year 1575. 



The fame indefatigable author has pubhfhed an Englifliman's letter 

 to him from New Spain, fignifying, that feven years before this time 

 the Spaniards tirft found out the pafl^age from Acapulco to the Philippine 

 ifles ;.that the city of Mexico contained 50,000 families, 6000 of which 

 were Spaniards; that the city of Tlafcalla contained i6,coo families, 

 near which place all the cochineal grows ; that the beft filver mines 

 were north of the city of Mexico ; and that the refining of filver with 

 quickfilver was then hut a late difcovery, it having before, been done 

 with lead.' 



