^^2 A. D. 1670. 



have we increafed in tlie exportation of them to other parts of Europe, 

 but more efpecially to our American plantations ? which, according to 

 Sir Jofiah Child, in his chapter on plantations, ' did (even in the year 

 ' 1670) employ near two thirds of ah our Englifli ihipping, and there- 

 ' by gave conftant fuflcnaix-e, it may be, to 200,000 perfons here at 

 ' home.' How greatly are our manufactures of filk, iron,glars, Hnen, &c. 

 increafed of late years ; and of fine toys of gold, filver, fteel, and ivory, 

 and alfo watches. See. in the memory even of many thoufands ftill living ? 

 Our cities and port-towns generally much increafed in buildings and 

 iliipping ; not only in England, but in Scotland and b-eland. 



Though one of Sir Joliah Child's principal aims was to point out the 

 increafing commerce of Holland, yet in the clofe of his preface he 

 obferves, that the French and Swedes were as induilrious and careful in 

 promoting their commerce as even the Dutch themfelves : for belides 

 the many impofitions of the French on our (hips and goods, fo high, 

 particularly on our woollen cloths, as 50 or 60 per cent, the Swedes have 

 laid liich high irapoticions on their own merchandize, unlefs they be car- 

 ried in Swedifli bottoms, as amounts to almofl a navigation-aft in Sweden. 

 We have at this time, from De Witt's hiterefh of Holland, a fumma- 

 ry account of the fliipping employed in their filheries by the fingle pro- 

 vince of Holland alone, viz. ' .the herring and cod filheries employ 

 above a thoufand bufles, from twenty-four to thirty lafts each ; and 

 above one hundred and feventy fmaller ones, that fifh at the mouth of 

 the Texel. And fince the Greenland monopolizing company was an- 

 nulled, that whale-fifliery is increafed from one to ten. So (fays he) 

 when we confider that all thefe filhing vefl^els are built at home, and 

 the ropes, fails, nets, and cafks, made here, as well as the fait furnifli- 

 ed from hence, we may eafily imagine there muft be an incredible 

 number of people who live thereby ; efpecially when we add that all 

 thofe people muft have food, clothes, and houfmg, and that the fifh, 

 when caught, are tranfported by the Hollanders in their own vefiels 

 throughout the world. And indeed if* that be true, which Sir Wal- 

 ter Raleigh affirms (who made diligent inquiry thereinto in the year 

 161 8 f, to inform King James of it), that the Hollanders fifhed on 

 the coafts of Great Britain with no fewer than 3000 fhips and 50,000 

 men; and that they employed and fet to fea, to tranfport, and fell the 

 fifti fo taken, and to make returns thereof, 9000 Ihips more and 

 150,000 men; and if we hereunto add what he faith farther, viz. 

 that 20 bulTes do, one way or other, maintain 8000 people X, and that 

 the Hollanders had in all, no lefs than 20,000 fiiips at fea. And, as* 



* The dubitative conjunftion //", vfherewith De Witt ufhers in a foreigner's exaggerated account of 

 vhat he ought to have known better himfelf, gives reafon to beh'eve that he took it up as molt con- 

 venient for his puipofe. M. 



f The date ought to be 1603. M. 



\ Is thtic no millakc iu this number ? ilf. 



