460 A. D. 1655. 



greatly alarmed, confidering fuch a meafure as ruinous to their own 

 Eaft-India company. [Letter i^tb January, 1654-5, in "Thurloe^ V. iii, 

 p. 80.] 



This it feems was adually done about this time, but the damage 

 thereby done to that trade obliged the protedor to reinflate the com- 

 pany, as we fliall fee, three years after this time. 



The Dutch, who had fo great a fhare of the commerce of the coun- 

 tries bordering on the Baltic (hores, frequently interpofed in the quar- 

 rels between the northern crowns, the conllant policy of the republic 

 being to preferve an equilibrium between thofe northern potentates, as 

 the beft means to fupport the freedom of their great commerce to thofe 

 countries. Particularly in the year 1655 the Dutch, jealous of the 

 great fuccefs of the Swedes againft Poland, ftirred up the king of Den- 

 mark againft them. But the Danes being worfted in this war, the 

 Dutch fent a fleet, firfl: to the afliflance of the city of Dantzick, infult- 

 ed by the Swedifh fleet, and next to relieve Copenhagen, befieged by 

 the Swedifli fleet, with which the Dutch had a fea-fight, wherein they 

 lofl two admirals, but gained their main point of raifing the fiege of 

 Copenhagen. The Dutch alfo were aflifliing to the Danes in the follow- 

 ing year, in a fea-fight againfl: Sweden near the Sound, which, in the 

 end, brought about a peace between thofe two kingdoms. [^Puff'eiidorfs 

 IntroduElion, c. vi, § 16.] 



It is undoubtedly the intereft of all Europe, but more efpecially of 

 the free commercial ftates of it, that a juft balance be preferved between 

 the northern potentates, fo as no one of them be permitted to fwallow 

 up, or even to be greatly fuperior to, the refl:. 



We find by a book entitled, England's grievance difcovered in rela- 

 tion to the coal-trade, publiflied this year, that coals from Newcaflile 

 were ufually fold at above acythe chaldron. The fcope of this author 

 was, that the coal-owners of Northumberland and of the bidiopric of 

 Durham might have liberty to fell their coals diredly to the mailers of 

 fhips, and have a free market at Shields, with leave to lay ballad: there, 

 whereby, fays he, coals would be brought down to 20/" the chaldron all 

 the year round : whereas now the owners of coaleries mufl; firfl. fell their 

 coals to the magiftrates of Newcaftle, the magiftrates to the mafters of 

 fhips, the mafters of fliips to the London wharfingers, and thele laft to 

 the confumers ; every change of the property enhancing the price of 

 the coals. By having a free market at Shields, our author alleges, that 

 proviiions would be had cheaper for the, multitude of fliipping, being 

 above 900 fail, and alfo for the inhabitants there : and that coals being 

 bought directly from the firft hand, there might be as many more voy- 

 ages to London in a year as now they make. That there are account- 

 ed at Newcaftle 320 keels, or lighters, each of which carries yearly 800 

 chaldrons of coals, Newcaftle meafure, on board the fliips ; and that 



