252 



A. D. 1608. 



including therein Martha's vineyard and Eh'zabeth's ifland, now part of 

 New-England, to certain Hollanders ; who thereupon fet about planting 

 and improving very fafl. They named the countiy New-Netherland, 

 and built there the city of New-Amfterdam, (fince named New- York,) 

 and the fort of Orange (now Albany) about 150 miles up Hudfon's 

 river. 



In this manner did the Hollanders go on improving their New- 

 Netherland, without any effedual check from England even until King 

 Charles II's firll war with Holland. Ttie Hates-general, in the placart 

 or patent eftablifhing their Weft-India company, exprefsly included 

 New-Netherland therein ; which, however, we fliall fee in its proper 

 place, they were unable to keep. 



1609. — Captain Hudfon made a third attempt for a north weft paf- 

 fage to China ; but being again obftrucled by ice, fogs, and crofs winds, 

 he failed back to the ifland of Faro, and thence to Newfoundland, Sec. 

 and fo home. 



James was the laft king of England who took the benefit of the fta- 

 tute, [25 Edw. Ill] for levying an aid of 20/ on every knight's fee 

 immediately held of the king ; and the like fum on every L20 yearly 

 in lands, held immediately of the crown in foccage, for making the 

 king's eldeft fon a knight : the aid being in favour of Prince Henry, 

 King James's eldeft fon, not yet created prince of Wales, though fifteen 

 years old. [Foedera, V. xvi, p. 678.] 



Mr. Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, with fixty perfons, fettled on the 

 river Weapoco, in Guiana, where Captain Ley had fettled in 1605 ; and, 

 returning to England, he obtained, by Prince Henry's intereft, a pa- 

 tent for all that coaft, together with the river of Amazons, for him and 

 his heirs. But that colony could not ftand it for want of fupport from 

 home ; which had likewife been the cafe of Captain Ley's fettlement 

 four years before. {Smith's Voyages, V. ii.] 



King James having iffued a proclamation, prohibiting all foreigners 

 from fifliing on the coafts of Great Britain, the Hollanders v/ere obliged 

 to enter into a treaty to pay an annual fum for leave to fifli on his coafts. 

 And when James would afterwards have broke this treaty, they fup- 

 ported it, by convoying and guarding their fiftiing veflels with ftiips of 

 war. 



After above thirty years war between Spain and the United Nether- 

 lands, at length, principally through the mediation of the kings of Eng- 

 land and France, a truce was concluded for twelve years, which was 

 highly honourable and advanta'^eous to the ftates ; and though difreput- 

 able to Spain, yet it gave- that crown a breathing time from a war, 

 which, according to Mezeray, had coft Spain more treafure and the 

 lofs of more ir,en than all thofe provinces were worth, and which, had 

 it continued longer, would have utterly ruined their trade to the Eaft- 



