A. D. 1 6i8. icji 



ufed violence towards them, is not, at this diftance of time, and through 

 partial reprefentations, fo eafily to be determined ; but it is certain that 

 the Indians deflroyed many Englifli people in thofe times ; and that 

 they, in retaliation, made great havoc of the Indians, who at firfl were 

 very numerous along that coaft. Certainly, whenever it can be done 

 with fafety, it is of vail: benefit to any fuch plantation to live well uath 

 the natives, who may be many ways fubfervient to their intereft, more 

 efpecially by driving a very conliderable traffic with them for furs and 

 fkins, in exchange for that fort of woollen cloth called duffle, guns, 

 gun-powder, lead-dior, hatchets, knives, fcifllirs, needles and thread, red 

 oker, for painting their bodies, &c. Alio, by engaging their friendihip, 

 in oppolition to thofe of the colonies of the other European nations at 

 variance with them ; of which our other colonies have fince had fufficient 

 experience. We ought however, on this occafion, to do the managers of 

 the Virginia company the juftice to obferve, that they had already 

 formed a defign to ered a college for the convtrfion of the Indians to 

 chriftianity, although it proved abortive. 



The Dutch went on very fuccefsfully in their captures of Spanirti and. 

 Portuguefe fliipping ; but of all their expeditions (fays Voltaire in his 

 General hiftory of Europe, K v\, r. ii) that of Admiral Peter Hen 

 was the moll profitable to them; he having this year taken the entire 

 fleet of galleons homeward bound, whereby he carried home no lefs 

 than twenty millions of livres.. 



The Dutch fortified the port of Jacatra (now called Batavia), which 

 is capable of containing looo fhips, in order to exclude the Englifli 

 from it. The Javans oppofing it, were allifted by the Englilh from Ban- 

 tam with cannon and fliips, wherewith they drove away the Dutch fliips 

 of war ; yet, in the end, the Dutch ftood their ground, and kept pof- 

 fefTion of Batavia, and alio of their fidory at Bantam, after many 

 ftruggles with the Englifli company's fliips, and much flaughter between 

 them, and alfo with thole of Bantam. After which, this new city of 

 Batavia increafed very m.uch in people and commerce, although it was 

 attacked by the king of Java by iea and land in the year 1630, and 

 again by the Bantaniefe in 1655. Hither they import vafl; quantities of 

 European merchandize for the Javans, and alio for the Chinefe, who 

 come hither in their large veflels. It is indeed a magazine for all the 

 productions of India, Jdpan, and the fpicc-iflands : it is the centre of 

 all the Dutch commerce : and its governor-general lives in the Hate of 

 a fovereign prince, his forces being reckoned 20,000 or more. And in 

 Java, the Moluccoes, Ceylon, and Malacca, fome have reckoned half a 

 million of people fubjed; to the Dutch company, who, in India, are 

 flrong enough to expell all the other European nations : and they fend 

 more European merchandize to India than perhaps all the reft of Eu- 

 rope do together. The Dutch governors of Batavia have from time-to 

 3 Qo 2 



