A. D. 1687. 629 



the laft, drove numbers of proteftant dilTenters to fettle in New-England, 

 New-York, &c. which brought a confiderable acceffion of flrength and 

 improvement to thofe colonies. 



Pont-Chartrain, the French prime minifter, being an enemy to their 

 Eaft-India company, it is no marvel that they did not profper. Their 

 importing vafl quantities of white cottons, and caulhrg them to be paint- 

 ed in France in the manner of the Indies, drew upon them the enmity 

 of the French manufadurers, who were much injured by the iale of the 

 company's cottons and filks. So that Pont-Chartrain this year procured 

 an edid againfl the unlimited importation thereof, whereby the com- 

 pany declined more and more ; and the war of the grand alliance 

 againfl France added to their diftrefs, from which they never recovered, 

 till after the peace of Utrecht ; in the meantime, having no ability 

 themfelves to carry on an extenfive trade, they were conftrained to let 

 out their privileges to fome private merchants of St. Maloes, who got 

 rich by a trade in which the company could not profper ; and thus it 

 remained till the regency of the duke of Orleans, in the minority of 

 Louis XV, and the year 17 19. 



1688 The gradual increale of the foreign commerce and home 



manufadures of England, the improvement of her lands and mines at 

 home, and of her foreign colonies and plantations, had occafioned very 

 much wealth to be accumulated in the fpace of about 150 years paft, 

 the nation not having been engaged much or long in foreign wars, and 

 thofe, too, moftly naval wars, which had not cauied much of our trea- 

 fure to be carried from us, any more than did our own civil wars. 

 Fi'om thefe, and fuch like confiderations, fome authors, who wrote foon 

 after this time, have been of opinion, that the Englifli nation was now 

 in its zenith of commercial profperity ; yet, iince that period, notwith- 

 flanding our many, and very expenfive, toreign land wars, the great con- 

 fumers of treafure, our commercial, as well as royal, fhipping, have 

 greatly increafed ; as have allb' manufadures and foreign plantations, 

 and almoft every part of our general commerce, both foreign and do- 

 nieftic. Neverthelefs, it mufl be acknowleged, that about this fame 

 year, 168S, we were arrived at a very great degree of profperity in all 

 thofe refpeds ; for the proof and illuflration of which, the following 

 brief memoirs of feveral very able authors, will afford us conliderable 

 light, viz. 



I) We have an eminent inftance of the increafe of England's com 

 merce and fhipping in only 22 years fpace, from Dr. D'Avcnant's Dil^ 

 courfes on the public revenues and trade of England, and alio from 

 Coluber's Hiftory of Englifh naval affairs, (odavo, fecond edition, 1739) 

 if the computations be abfolutely exad, viz. that the tonnage of the 

 iTierchant Ihips of England in this year i688 was near double to the 

 tonnage of the year 1666. 



