A. D. 1603. 233 



The Portuguefe in India had been in poffcfUon of the coafts of Cey- 

 lon (as we have related) ever fince the year 1505, when they ereded 

 their firfl fort at Columbo, where the befl: cinnamon on earth grows. 

 Zoares, the Portuguefe general, obliged the king of Ceylon to pay the 

 king of Portugal an annual tribute of 124,000 pounds of cinnamon, 

 twelve rings fet with mod pretious ftones, and fix elephants ; as on the 

 other hand, the Portuguefe engaged to allift him againft all his enemies. 

 But the Moors fettled in Ceylon, being jealous of the Portuguefe, found 

 means to interrupt the harmony between the king and them ; neverthe- 

 lefs the Portuguefe, in fpite of all oppofition, at length fortified them- 

 felves quite round that extenfive illand. The Hollanders, however, 

 doomed to be the perpetual fcourge of the Portuguefe in India, firft 

 landed there in this year, and went to Candy the capital, to wait on the 

 king, in order to contract a friendfhip with him, which excited the jea- 

 loufy of the Portuguefe, who were not, however, fo foon fupplanted as 

 they apprehended. [Cbufcbiil's Voyages, V. iii, />. 573] 



The Dutch Eafl-India company fent out this year twelve fliips, which, 

 however, mifcarried in attempting Mozambique and Goa ; yet they 

 took feveral Portuguefe fliips : they alfo drove the Portuguefe from Am- 

 boyna and Tidore in the Moluccos. This year their company divided 

 15 per cent on their capital of 6,459,841 guilders *. 



At this time Sir Walter Raleigh laid before King James a fmall efl^ay 

 in manufcript, intitlcd Obfervations concerning the trade and com- 

 merce of England with the Dutch and other foreign nations ; but being 

 not much regarded at that time, he got it a fecond time laid before that 

 prince a little before his execution, probably in hopes of pardon. Its 

 main drift was to demonflrate the five following propofitions, or how 

 many ways England fupineiy fuffered other nations (who had little or 

 no means or materials of their own to work upon) to carry away the 

 trade of the world. 



As, I) That foreigners, (he meant principally the Hollanders) by the 

 privileges they allowed to ftrangers, drew multitudes of merchants to live 

 amongfh them, and thereby enriched themlelves. 



II) By their ftorehoufes or magazines of all foreign commodities, 

 wherewith, upon every occafion of fcarcity, they are enabled to lupply 

 other countries, even thofe from whom they brought thofe very com • 

 modities. 



III) By the lownefs of the cuiloms of thofe foreign nations, (here he 

 ftill means the Dutch.) 



* Mr. Anderfon has occafionally given the fiib- all, and have given the whole at once in the com- 



fequent dividends of the Dutch Eaft-India com- prehenllve form of a tabic down to the year 1796, 



pany, but frequently from erroneous authorities, which will be found iufcrted under the year I799»- 



I have 'I.erefor taken the liberty of cancelling them M, 



Vol. n. G g 



