532 A. D. 1667. 



of, being the only one i-elating to America, or any particular com- 

 mercial point, runs in the following flrain, viz. 



' We do mutually agree to remain on the fame footing with regard 



* to our American commerce, upon which the ftates-general of the 



* United provinces of the Netherlands were put by the fixth article of 

 ' the treaty of Munfter, between Spain and the flates-general in the 

 ' year 1648, which runs in the following words, viz. 



* As to the Weft -Indies, the fubjeds and inhabitants of the faid lords, 



' the king and the ftates-general refpedively, fhall forbear failing to and 



' trading in any of the harbours, places, &c. pofTeiTed by the one or 



' the other party, viz. the fubjeds of the faid lord the king (hall not 



* fail to, or trade in, thofe held and poflefled by the faid lords the ftates, 

 ' nor fhall the fubjeds of the faid lords the ftates fail to or trade in^ 

 ' thofe held and poflefled by the faid lord the king of Spain.' 



This eighth article, though thus loofely exprefl'ed, was at leaft a tacit 

 agreement of the utt pojfuietis in America, and was introdudory of an- 

 other more explicit treaty three years after. 



About this time France, in the miniftry of the fharp-fighted Colbert,, 

 fet on foot the famous tapeftry manufadure at the Gobelins in Paris,, 

 for this end, procuring from all foreign parts, drawers, defigners, paint- 

 ers, dyers, and engravers, alfo workers in gold, filver, ivory, brafs, &c. 

 which, under the diredion of the famous Le Brun, were brought to 

 great perfedion, and thereby much money kept at home, which before 

 was fent abroad for fuch ornaments and curiofities : as alfo every pof- 

 fible means was ufed for improving old manufadures and introdu- 

 cing new ones, and new branches of commerce. By fuch meafures, 

 France foon became the great rival and fupplanter of England and' 

 Holland in moft foreign markets, as in Turkey, Spain, Portugal, and 

 Italy, more particularly for v.ooUen goods, with which, till after this 

 time, the two former nations fupplied moft of the countries of Europe. 

 Yet in fome refpeds the French overlhot the mark, as even their coun- 

 tryman Huet, in his Memoirs of the Dutch commerce, obferves : for, 

 ' by laying fuch high duties on all foreign merchandize imported, and- 

 ' pretending to fell their own merchandize to other nations without 

 ' buying any from them, they vainly imagined that foreign nations 

 ' could not be without French wares, for which too, they would pay 

 ' ready money to France, whilft the French took off none of theirs. 

 ' This,' he obferves, ' made both the Engliih and Dutch fet up many 

 ' of the manufadures which they were wont to have from France, and* 

 ' who, efpecially the Dutch, fold them in imitation of thofe of France, 

 ' much cheaper than France could afford to do, fuch, particularly, as 



* broad ftlks, gold and filver brocades, ribands, laces, hats, hardware, 



* watches, toys, paper, &c. and have fince been wonderfully fuccefsfui 



* therein.' We may add, that in England our broad filk manufadure 



