A. D. 1695,- 66^ 



all the Englifli colonics, ftrictly prohibiting, under the feverefl penalties, 

 their holding any correfpondencc witli, or giving any afllflance to, the 

 Scots at Darien. The news of this proclamation, and of the temper of 

 the Englifh parliament and people, thunderftruck the colony, who had 

 before that time received fupplies both from Jamaica and New- York, 

 and till now depended on the continuance thereof, until their own from 

 Scotland fliould arrive : of which now defpairing, and being alfo denied 

 any from Jamaica, whither they had fent for a frefli fupply, they were 

 neceflltated to abandon their fettlement on the 20th of June 1699, which 

 they had bravely defended againft troops of Spaniards who had attacked 

 it ; and, being now ftarved out of it, it is generally aflerted, that, out of 

 fo many flout men who went thither, fcarce one hundred ever got back 

 to Scotland, where this fad difafter greatly inflamed the parliament and 

 people againft their neighbours of England. The company petitioned 

 the king for redrels, while they were endeavouring to repollefs their 

 colony, by fending out fliips with men and flores, when, to their far- 

 ther forrow, a fecond fet of proclamations, in the later end of the year 

 1699, came out in all the Englifh colonies againft the Scots : fome of 

 whole fhips, driven thither in diftrefs, were denied any necefTaries ; one 

 of them, with a valuable cargo, being driven under the walls of Cartha- 

 gena, was feized by the Spaniards, who from that place had now block- 

 ed up the remains of the Scottifh fettlement both by lea and land, and 

 forced the few people left therein to furrender. King William anlwer- 

 ed the company's petition with a condolement for their lofles, and with 

 a general declaration of being always ready to prote(fl and encourage 

 the commerce of Scotland. But the king's anfwer to the lords addrefs 

 feemed now the only proper expedient, ' for healing the rancour of the 

 * minds of both nations, by uniting them more completely ; that, after 

 ' they had lived near one hundred years under the fame head, they 

 ' might at length become one people ; which he therefor earneftly re- 

 ' commended to their conlideration.' ^^^hereupon the lords palled a 

 bill for an union ; which, however, the commons at that time rejeded. 

 This laft effort of Scotland was fo confiderable, and carried in it fo many 

 inftrudive hints relative to commerce and plantations, that we thought 

 it well merited this fummary account of it. 



The Scots were more fuccefsful in their firft bank, ereded this year, un- 

 der the fandion of an ad of their parliament, by the name of the Governor 

 and company of the bank of Scotland. And though its capital flock was 

 only Li, 200,000 Scots, or Li 00,000 fterling, which in England has but 

 a mean found for a national bank, it has, neverthelefs, proved very ad- 

 vantageous to the comn>:^rce of that country. It was projeded by INIr. 

 William Paterfon, who projeded the bank of England. Mr. John Law, 

 who afterwards made fo great a figure at the head of the finances of 

 France, and who may be prefumed to have been well acquainted with 



