A. D. 1 649. 4 JO 



ward chriftianizing tlieir pagan Indians. To fecond fuch endeavours 

 the rump parliament this year ereded a corporation for propagating the 

 gofpel amongft thofe Indians, confiding of a prefident, treafurer, and 

 fourteen afliftants: and by an ad: of that fame feffion of parliament, col- 

 ledions were made all over England for that end, whereby that corpo- 

 ration was enabled to purchafe an eftate of about L600 per annum*- 

 This corporation was legally eftabUfhed and incorporated at the reftor- 

 ation of King Charles II, the famous philofopher Mr. Boyle being then 

 appointed their firft prefident. And it remains a corporation to this 

 day, continuing to fend over miffionaries to the frontiers of New Eng- 

 land, &c. with treatifes of inftrudion and devotion for the ufe of the In- 

 dians. They have alfo ereded fundry fchools for inftruding the children 

 of the Indians. There is alfo continued to this day an annual colledion 

 all over New-England for the fame purpofe. 



The falt-ponds of the ifland of St. Martins in the Weft-Indies induced 

 the Spaniards to build a fort on it : yet about this year they difmaiitled 

 it and quitted the ifland ; whereupon the Dutch from St. Euftatia took 

 pofTeflion of it. The French, however, pretending to have been poflefs- 

 ed of it before the Spaniards, fent alfo a colony thither. And their 

 countryman, whom we have already had frequent occafion to quote, 

 fays, (in 1658) that the French and Dutch then lived there friendly to- 

 gether. 



1650. — The Englifh colonies of Virginia, Ba,rbados, Antigua, and 

 Bermudas, being in diforder on account of their zealous attachment to 

 the royal family, the rump parliament, in the year 1650, by an ordinance 

 prohibited all correfpondence with them, unlefs by fpecial leave from 

 the council of ftate. That ordinance alfo granted penniflion to all mer- 

 chant-fhips, as well as national fliips of war, to feize on the fhips and 

 merchandize of thofe, then ftiled rebellious inhabitants. And whereas 

 many difaffeded royalifts reforted thither in foreign fliips, a claufe vi^as 

 inferted for prohibiting (under forfeiture of fl^iips and goods) any fo- 

 reigners from reforting to, or trading thither, without a ficence, on any 

 pretext whatever. This prohibition was probably on a temponu-y and 

 political confideration ; yet we fliall foon fee this Englifli republic en- 

 deavour abfolutely to confine the commerce with our colonies to the 

 people of England alone. 



By this time the commerce of the feven United provinces of the 

 Netherlands was arrived at its zenith ; for teftimony whereof we have 

 the authoritative opinion of Sir William Temple, in the 6th chapter of 

 his Obfervations on the United provinces, v/ritten in the year 1673. 

 ' I am of opinion (fays that great author) that trade has for fome years 

 • ago paft its meridian, and begun fenfibly to decay among them : 

 ' whereof there feem to be feveral caufes ; as firft, the general applica- 

 ' tion that fo many other nations have made to it within thefe two or 



