45 8 A. D. 1654. 



for that purpofe, and returned back to England dyed and drefled. This 

 accounts for an affertion in an ingenious and judicious pamphlet, entitled, 

 the Intereft of England coniidered, [p. 5, ed. 1694] viz. ' that not above 

 ' 40 years before, our nobility and gentry were furnifhed from Holland 

 ' with the fineft cloth.' Yet, foon after, our dyers and cloth-dreiTers got 

 the better of this defect, although the Dutch fcarlets and blacks are faid 

 by fome dill to retain a fuperior credit even to this day. 

 - In this fame year fome of Cromwell's fhips reduced the forts in Nova- 

 Scotia in the bay of Fundy, &c. which, in his treaty with France in the 

 following year, he could not be brought to reftore. Yet upon a re- 

 monftrance to him from Monfieur de la Tour, fetting forth, that he had 

 before made a purchafe of Nova-Scotia from the earl of Stirling, Crom- 

 well confented to its being given up to him. In our times, fuch bar- 

 gains of a fubjeft to alienate to one of another nation any fuch con- 

 fiderable part of the crown's territory would not be deemed legal : but 

 that country's great importance was not well underftood till long after 

 this time. Monfieur de la Tour, however, foon after fold Nova-Scotia 

 to Sir Thomas Temple, who was both proprietor and governor of it till 

 the refloration of King Charles II. 



In the fame year Cromwell concluded a treaty of peace with Chriflina 

 queen of Sweden at Upfal ; which, relating folely to the general free- 

 dom of commerce and navigation on both fides, requires no particular 

 recital. \Gene?-al colle£lion of treaties, V. iii, p. 89.] 



This year Cromwell, for the fupport of his own peculiar interefi, 

 though much againfi; the true interefl: of England, joined with France 

 in a war againfi: Spain, which by this time had been already too much 

 deprefled. This ill-advifed v/ar occafioned large feizures of our effeds 

 in Spain, with great lofies at fea, and interrupted our profitable com- 

 merce with that country, thereby alfo enabling the wifer Dutch to get 

 furer footing in the Spanifli trade ; and moreover, introducing into 

 England a relifli for French frippery, and, which was worfi; of all, de- 

 flroying ftill more, in favour of France, the jufi: equilibrium of power 

 in Europe. 



In this remarkable year, after the Dutch Weft-India company had 

 gradually loft all their other ftrong holds in Brafil, their capital fort and 

 port of the Receif was taken from them by the Portuguele, whereby, 

 after 30 years pofi'eflion of a great part of that country, they wei'e now 

 quite expelled from it. Yet this fame lofs bringing on a war between 

 thofe two nations till the year 1661, the Dutch Eaft-lndia company's 

 iliccefi'es againft the Portuguefe in India more than countervailed the 

 other company's lofies : they having defpoiled the Portuguefe of almoft 

 all their valuable pofiTefiions in India. By thofe conquefts in Brafil, 

 Angola, St. Thome, Sec. which the ftates and the prince of Orange 

 perluaded the Weft-India company to xindertake, the greateft part of 



