A. D. 1637. 401 



At this time James duke of Courland made a confidei-able figure in 

 naval power and commerce ; he built a good number of flout fliips of 

 war, and alfo fome forts on the coaft of Guinea, where he fettled facto- 

 ries ; he alfo fettled a colony on the iOand of Tobago in the Weft-Indies ; 

 fo that King Charles Guftavus, of Sweden, is reported fonaetime after 

 this to have pleafantly faid, ' my coufin of Courland is too great for a 

 ' duke and too little for a king.' But as that duchy had not a fufficien- 

 cy of materials and manufactures for a great commerce, and the fuperior 

 genius of that prince died with him, Courland after his death funk to 

 its former proper and intrinfic value. 



By an order of King Charles and his council, in this fame year, as 

 appears by all the London hiftoriographers of that age, that king, who 

 delighted too much in copying after any arbitrary order of other na- 

 tions, commanded all the London filverfmiths to live in Goldimiths- 

 row, being the fouth fides of the two fimous ftreets of London named 

 Cheapfide and Lombard-ftreet. The cruelty and abfurdity of this or- 

 der is fo obvious to every one, that it is needlefs to make any further 

 animadverfion on it. Pollibly fuch as were to be indulged in this cafe 

 paid fufficiently for it. 



The fir ft Europeans who fettled in that part of America, fince named 

 New-Jerfey, and in part of Penlylvania, were Swedes ; we cannot fix 

 the exa6t year, although probably about 1637, but it was however 

 in Queen Chriftina's reign. They are faid, through our unaccount- 

 able fupinenefs, to have erected three towns therein very early, whofe 

 names ftill remain, viz. Gottenburg, Helfingburg, and Chriftina. Yet 

 the Swedes, not being fo induftrious as their neighbours the Dutch of 

 New-Nidderland, (now New-York) were by them diipoflelfed of the 

 north part, which they named, in Latin, Nova-Belgia. But as neither 

 Swedes nor Dutch had any right to fettle there, that country being part 

 of our province of Virginia, as then fo called, the duke of York, as 

 we fliall fee, made no fcruple to difpoflefs them both in the year 1664. 



1638. — In the year 1638 King Charles incorporated Thomas Horth, 

 and other mafters of n^ips, who were empowered to buy all coals ex- 

 ported from the ports of Sunderland, Newcaftle, Blithe, and Berwick, 

 paying to the king i/per chaldron cuftom : and to fell them again to 

 the city of London, at a price not exceeding 17/ per chaldron in fum- 

 mer, and ipy in winter; provided they had a free market andajuft 

 raeafure at Newcaftle, &c. As this is not the lame grant as that in the 

 preceding year, it is probable the later was revoked. [E/i^lan^rs Griev- 

 ance, l^c. ch. 22.] 



The French fleet, under the archbifhop of Bourdeaux, now beat the 

 Spanifh fleet of galeons, of which they took leveral ; and, in the fame 

 year, the galhes of Marfeilles vanquifhed thofe of Spain, near Genoa. 



Vol. II. 3 E 



