644 A. D. 1689. 



as well as of riches and people, fince that happy period, notvvithflanding 

 our having been fince engaged in feveral very expenfive and bloody 

 wars, in vindication of our invaluable liberties, civil and religious. 



We may here farther note, that the parliament of Scotland, about 

 the fame time, made a like ad:, claim, or declaration, of their rights 

 and liberties, when they recognized King William and Queen Mary, 

 for king and queen of Scotland. 



King James's net revenue, when he abdicated, was L2, 061, 855 year- 

 ly ; for which yearly revenue, though granted by parliament, neither 

 he, nor any of his predeceflbrs, deemed themfelves accountable to their 

 people or parliament. It is, therefor, one of the great bleflings of this 

 happy revolution, that exad; boundaries are fet by parliament to the ex- 

 penfe of the civil lift ; and that, excepting the poft-office revenue, and 

 the fmall remains of the hereditary crown rents, the application of the 

 fupplies granted annually by parliament, have conftantly and pundtually 

 been accounted for in every fucceeding leflion of parliament. 



The ground on which the llreets called the Seven Dials, in the parifh 

 of St. Giles's in the fields, in the weftern fuburbs of London, ftand, was 

 not begun to be built on till about this year, as appears by the continu- 

 ator of Rapin's Hifi:ory of England, [F. iii, p. 97, notes.'] It was crown 

 land, and granted by King WiUiam to the earl of Portland. 



In Dr. D'Avenant's Eflay on way and means, (publiilied in 1695) 

 he tells us, that the ordinary revenue of France was, before this war, 

 yearly, about one hundred and fifty millions of livres, or about twelve 

 millions fi;erling. ' We all know' (fays he), how hardly this great fum 

 ' was extorted from the people ; but they were enabled to pay it by the 

 ' balance that arofe to them from the vent of their commodities and 

 ' manufadures. Their mofi; fi:aple trade was in wine, oil, fait, linen, 

 * and paper; their other manufaftures are innumerable: and a vafl pro- 

 ' fit they did conftantly make by the refort of ftrangers to their coun- 

 ' try, and likewife by furnifliing all Europe with their fineries and va- 

 ' nities.' 



It is not very certain how long the Englifla Eaft-India company have 

 been fettled on the famous river Ganges in the kingdom of Bengal. 

 Their firft fadory in that kingdom was at the town of Huguely, on a 

 river of that name, being a branch of the Ganges, 160 miles from its 

 mouth. About this year the company removed to Calcutta, on the 

 fame river, where they built Fort William, for proteding their vcfTels 

 coming down that river from Patna with piece goods, raw filk, and 

 faltpetre, being the principal ftaple commodities of Bengal, otherwife 

 the rajas, whofe dominions lie on that river, and who are either tribu- 

 taries to, or elfe powerful governors under, the mogul, were apt to 

 make, and fometimes have made, arbitrary demands of duties for pail- 



