A. D. 1638. 405 



portance of which the French Weft-India idands would prove, even be- 

 fore they had any fugar-canes planted in them : and having the glory 

 and intereft of France very much at heart, he laboured to give his fo- 

 vereign, Louis XIII, favourable impreflions of them, although they 

 produced nothing yet but cotton, ginger, and bad tobacro. Whercfor 

 he, at this time, got hs king to appoint the governor of thofe iflands 

 to be his own lieutenant-general there. By fuch means the French 

 iflands were foon much improved, and more particularly Martinico, and 

 their moiety of St. Chriftophers. 



The Englifli Weft-India iflands were alio encouraged at this time, and 

 had much the fame produftions ; yet it is eafy to conceive how incon- 

 fiderable they were before they fell into the fugar trade. They made 

 fome indigo, and alfo cotton and ginger ; but their tobacco was bad, 

 and that of Barbados was deemed the v/orft of aU. 



1639 — The S})anifli monarchy, though viftbly declining, in the year 

 i6;^g, made the greatell effort at lea that it had ever done fmce the fam- 

 ous armada in 1588 ; for it confifted of 67 large fhips from Corunna, 

 carrying 25,000 feamen and 12,000 foldiers. This great armada, in- 

 tended to relie\'e Dunkirk, before which the Dutch fleet lay, and other- 

 wife to fupport their Netherland provinces, was firft encountered in the 

 Englifli Channel, and afterv/ard in the Downs, by the Dutch fleet of 

 100 fliips under Van Tromp, who in the end gained an entire victory, 

 and deftroved moft of their fliips, amongft which was a great Portu 

 guefe galleon of 1400 tons, 80 cannon, and 800 men, though King 

 Charles had fent his admiral, Sir John Pennington, v/ith 34 ihips of war, 

 to preferve a neutrality between thofe two huge fleets, whilft they lay 

 w\atching each others motions, for near three weeks, on the coaft of 

 Kent. This terrible blow, followed by feveral fubicquent defeats at fea 

 by the French, entirely broke the naval power of Spain, to as never to 

 recover it in any degree till our own times. Theie difafters induced 

 Spain to come into terms with the Dutch at tlie treaty of Munfter. 



In this year a treaty of peace and commerce between King Charles I 

 of England and Chriftian IV of Denmark, was concluded by Sir Tho- 

 mas Rowe at Gluckftad : the following are the articles relating to com- 

 merce. 



III) No warlike fuccours, either in money, proviflons, arms, ammu^ 

 nition, machines, guns, &c. fliall be fupplied to the enemies of either 

 party. 



IV) If any power fliall attack either of the contracting parties with- 

 out provocation, or fliall make any prett-nflons to a right to, or lupe- 

 riority over, any of his countries or dominions not adually pofllfll-d by 

 the claimer, then the other party, if not at war himfelf, ihali, in four 

 months at fartheft, fupply him with the ffllowing fhips of war, viz. 4 

 of 150 or 2CO tons each, and 150 or 200 men,- and zc pieces of ord- 



