A. D, 1650, 441 



rump parliament In the year 1650, by their act [c. ^6] eftablifhed a 

 corporation of the worfted weavers of the city of Norwich, in the county 

 of Norfolk, for rectifying abufes therein, and keeping up the goodnefs 

 of that valuable manufadure : which corporation was again farther con- 

 firmed in the years 1653 and 1656, fmce which, the reputation of thofe 

 fluffs, both for beauty and goodnefs, has greatly increafed ; and very 

 great profit has accrued to the nation by their large exportation to fo- 

 reign parts. 



De Witt in his Interefl of Holland [pari iii, c. 2] relates that Amfler- 

 dam was now increafed to 600 morgens (or acres) of ground, and con- 

 tained 300,000 fouls. In the year 1571 it contained only 200 mor- 

 gens ; fo that in 79 years it had increafed to three times its former mag- 

 nitude. 



That great author, who being the firft minifter of fiate of Holland, was 

 undoubtedly perfecTily well acquainted with this fubject, farther obferves, 

 that the whole province of Holland contains fcarcely 400,060 profitable 

 morgens of land (downs and heath being excluded). And that there- 

 for the eighth part of its inhabitants cannot be fufiained by what h 

 raifed in it ; and they are therefor indebted for their bread to the prodi- 

 gious granaries of Amfterdam. On this fubjecT: the anonymous author of 

 the Happy future ftate of England, [p. 10^, fo/io, 1689] obferves ' how 

 ' meanly the achievements of Venice, and the efforts to aggrandize 

 ' their republic appear in hiftory, notwithftanding the longevity of that 

 * ftate, when compared with thole of Holland ; feeing from the fame 

 ' great author (De Witt) it appears, that in the year 1664 the province 

 ' of Holland alone paid near one million and an half ilerling to the 

 ' public charge of the whole feven United provinces, over and above 

 ' the cuftoms and other domains :' and ' that the very religion of 

 ' popery occafions the Venetians to be more circumfcribed with regard 

 ' even to their regulations of traffic than the Hollanders are.' Yet this 

 author, in m.aking fuch a parallel, might have more minutely confidered 

 the very different circumftances and fituation, &c. of thofe two famous 

 republics. Venice fhut up in a deep gulf, remote from the main ocean, 

 bordering for above three centuries pafl: on the Turkifh empire, during 

 which it has thereby been kept in perpetual alarm, as well as by the 

 Earbary corfairs in the Mediterranean. Holland, on the other hand, 

 placed as it were in the very midll: of Europe, and therefor much bet- 

 ter iituated for correfponding, both by fea and land, with mofi: countries 

 of the world, as well as happily fituated alio for its immenfe fifheries ; 

 whereas Venice has no fuch advantages. 



The Caribbee ifland of Anguilla was now firffc fettled on by fom^e Eng- 

 liOi people, whofe poflerity ftill hold it. It is reckoned of much the 

 lame nature with Barbuda, viz. cliiefly for breeding cattle and raifing 

 com. The people are reckoned few in number, poor and lazy, with- 



VoL. II. c; K 



