540 A. D. 1669. 



return home; which he accordingly did by the fame Magellanic ftraits^ 

 which probably none after him has ever attempted, as the voyage round 

 Cape Home into the South feas is everywhere fo far better. He arriv- 

 ed in England in the year 1671 ; and his obfervations and draughts 

 were afterwards publifhed. Such a fettlement as was hereby propofed 

 to be made in fo remote a part of the world from England, in fo tem- 

 peftuous an ocean, and with fo obftinate a people as the Chilefe, would 

 have probably been attended with almoft infuperable difficulties ; fince 

 Spain itfelf, though poflelfed of the countries north and eaft of Chili, 

 has had enough to do to preferve their footing there. 



After an obftinate iiege of 20 months, the Turks took the capital of 

 Candia (or Crete) from the Venetians, and thereby completed their 

 conquefl of the illand. As Candia lies diredly in the way of the navi- 

 gation to and from Conftantinople, the Turkifh ifles of the archipelago, 

 Egypt, &c. it was a great eye-fore to them whilft in the pofTeflion of 

 Venice. It is commonly remarked that, ever fince this conquefl, the 

 naval power of Turkey has greatly decreafed ; poilibly, becaufe, fince 

 being pofl^efi^ed of Candia, they are more fecured and uninterrupted in 

 their communication with Egypt and their other levantine provinces. 

 Formerly the Turks were very formidable in thofe feas ; and indeed 

 fundry parts of their dominions afford great abundance of materials for 

 (hip-building and naval ftores ; but as they never were much, and now 

 lefs than ever, addided to commerce, this reafon alone is fufficient to 

 account for the prefent decayed flate of their marine. 



It was about this time that the French Eaft-India company abandon- 

 ed their fettlement in Madagafcar, as not finding it worth keeping, and 

 transferred their principal refidence to Surat in India. Soon after, the 

 king, by the patronage of Colbert, granted them the haven of Port 

 Louis in Bretagne, for their fliips ; in virtue of which grant they after- 

 wards eftabliflicd their warehoufes, fhips, and magazines, at what they 

 named Port L'Orient, near Port Louis. Colbert alfo obtained for this 

 company a remiffion of 3 millions of livres due to the king, and an ex- 

 emption from all duties on their imported merchandize ; notwithftand- 

 ing all which, at his death, in the year 1683, their affairs were in a de- 

 clining condition. 



1670 It was about t'lis time that the wear of the flimfy muflins 



from India was firft introduced into England : before which time our 

 more natural and utual wear was cambrics, Silefia lawns, and fuch kind 

 of fine flaxen linens, from Flanders and Germany, in return for our 

 tvooUen manufadures of various kinds, exported to thole countries in 

 very confiderable quantities. 



An additional adl of parliament was pafled for rebuilding London, 

 uniting fundry pariflies, rebuilding the cathedral of St. Paul, and the 

 parochial churches, whereby Pater-nofler row, Warwick lane, Watling 



