43 6 A. D. 1649. 



with them. To all which the earl of Carlifle replied, that it was well 

 known that many of the Englifh in Rulfia were loyal, and teftified an 

 abhorrence of their king's murder ; that Nightingale was an impof- 

 tor, and was never employed by the king ; and that our company had 

 never negleded to furnifli the czar's treafury with cloth, tin, lead, pew- 

 ter, and all other Englifli commodities, at a cheaper rate than either the 

 Dutch or the Hamburghers could do, although they hardly could ever 

 be paid without bribing the czar's officers. He alfo utterly denied the 

 company's being guilty of importing tobacco, of trading in prohibited 

 goods, of carrying foreign goods through the country cuftom-free. And 

 with refped to the allegation, that as the firfl merchants were dead, their 

 privileges died with them, thofe privileges were ever underftood to 

 have been granted to the Englifh nation, and not to any particular per^ 

 fons, and were therefor perpetual. The czar's commiffioners trifled 

 moft egregioully in their conferences with Lord Carlifle : fo that being 

 tired with delays, he got a private audience with the czar, in which he 

 reprefented in the ftrongeft terms the reafonable grounds of King 

 Charles's defiring the refloration of the company's privileges, confirmed 

 by this very czJir at his accefllon in the year 164^ ; that the Englifli 

 firfl opened a profitable trade for Ruflia as well as for England, at the 

 expenfe of many Hves, and the lofs of fliips and money ; that the Eng- 

 lifh had fought the enemies of Ruffia in the Eaft (or Baltic) fea, when 

 the neighbouring princes had leagued together to fhut up Narva; that 

 they had lent fums of money for the wars, furniflied foldiers and com- 

 manders to fight the enemies of Ruffia, and had made peace for them 

 with the neighbouring princes. Yet after a great deal of pains taken 

 by that lord, the czar and his minifters perfifted in their refufal of re- 

 ftoring our company's exclufive privileges. So he returned unfuccefs- 

 fully home in 1669 : and all that could be obtained was only, that the 

 company might trade to Ruffia on the fame footing as the Dutch. And 

 thus from thenceforth they have remained a regulated company, much 

 refembling the other regulated ones of the Hamburgh and Turkey com- 

 panies ; each member trading on his own private bottom, paying a fmall 

 fum on admilfion, and certain annual dues, for defraying the general 

 e.xpenfe of the company. 



The Caribbee ifland of St. Croix had, it feems, in early times been fub- 

 jed to many mailers in a fhort fpace. The French hiftorian of the 

 Garibbees obferves that the Englifh and Dutch had long contefted 

 the property of it ; and that at length they divided it between them : 

 yet in the year 1649 the Englifh obliged the Dutch inhabitants to quit 

 the ifland. Soon after, the Spaniards of Porto Rico invaded it, burnt 

 their houfes, killed all the Englifh who refifted, and obliged the reft to 

 tranfport themfelves to Barbuda. But whilft thofe Spaniards were about 

 ts> r.eturn back to Porto Rico, two arm.ed French iTiips arrived there 



