194 "^' ^' '59<^* 



been hitlierto unknown to Ruflia, as lying in a violently-cold climate, 

 oppofite to Nova Zembla. Thofe new tributaries are now faid to have 

 agreed to pay two fable (kins yearly per head to the czar, whereby the 

 trade to Ruflia was greatly increafed. 



The country of Siberia lying fouth of Samoieda had been difcovered 

 and reduced a little before this time, and has fince been greatly im- 

 proved, and thereby has confiderably increafed the revenue of Rulfia, 

 not only from their fine furs of many kinds, but from their excellent 

 iron-works, as alio from their fturgeon, falmon, &c. in great quantities, 

 to the confiderable increafe of the commerce of Ruflia. 



Qiieen Ehzabeth now farmed her cufloms at £42,000, and afterwards 

 at L5 0,000, to Sir Thomas Smith, who had long had them at the rent 

 of Li 4,000. Such an advance is a good evidence of the great increafe 

 of the commerce of England. 



Till about this time, fays Sir Philip Medows, (in his excellent Obfer- 

 vations concerning the dominion and fovereignty of the feas) from 

 the Memoirs of the duke de Sully, the whole naval ftrength of the 

 crown of France was about half a dozen of fliips of war (fuch as they 

 were) at Brefl; and Rochel, and about a fcore of galleys in the Mediter- 

 ranean. But this king (continues he) drefTed a new plan of the French 

 monarchy ; and though his great defigns were interrupted by an imma- 

 ture death, and alio by a fucceeding minority, yet the great Cardinal 

 Richlieu refumed it again. He firfl: taught France that the fleur de 

 luces could flourifh at fea as well as on land, and adorned the flerns of 

 his new-built (hips with this prophetic infcription : 



" Florent qucque Win ponto." 



Queen Elizabeth, knowing the good effecls of a potent navy, made 

 feveral prudent regulations therein. Mr. Burchet, in his Naval hiftory, 

 relates, ' that fhe afligned L8970 yearly for the repairs of her fleet.' 

 How mean fuch a fum would be thought at prefent for fuch a purpofe 

 needs not to be obferved •, her own fliips (as we have i'een) were but 

 few ; and money in thofe days went much farther for all things than 

 in our days. 



It is undoubtedly true that the number, wealth, and fplendour of 

 large and populous cities are in genei-al the beft fymptoms of the flate 

 of commerce every where ; neverthelefs, in great arbitrary monarchies, 

 as in France, Ruflia, Turkey, Pcrfla, &c. the cities, which are the ufual 

 refidence of their monarchs, and of their courts, nobles, guards, &.c. 

 may be large and fplendid without having a generally-profperous com- 

 merce in their refpeftive countries. Giovanni Botero, an eminent Ita- 

 lian author, who about this time wrote an excellent fmall treatife on 

 the caufes of the magnificence and greatnefs of cities, gives us the 

 feveral caufes or means of making cities great and magnificent ; fuch 



