A. D. 1 701. 711 



of their commerce and colonies, it will, at the ilime time, afloid us very 

 ufefiil and interefling hints and notices, for putting us on our guard 

 againfl the growing commerce of fo adive and enterprifing a people. 



' They juflly remark, that the commerce to Guinea has fo clofe a rc- 

 ' lation to that of their Weft-India ifles, that the later cannot fubfift 

 ' without the former. 



' By thofe trades we have deprived our competitors in traffic, of the 

 ' great profits they drew from us*. And we may put ourfelves into a 

 ' condition, by their example, to draw profit in our turn from them ; 

 ' and efpecially from the Englifh. 



' That we may incrcafc thofe trades confiderably, feeing that nation,' 

 (i. c. England) ' in their iflands, with lefs advantage than we, and in 

 ' territories of lefs extent, as well as in much lefs time, have found 



* means to employ annually above 500 fail of fliips, whilft vee fcarcely 

 ' employ 1 00 in the fame trade. 



* Every one is fenfible of the benefits of navigation ; and that the 

 ' happinefs and glory of a ftate very much depend on it. No one is ig- 

 ' norant, that the navigation of France owes all its increafe and fplen- 

 ' dour to the commerce of its iflands, and that it cannot be kept up 

 ' nor enlarged otherwife than by this conimerce, which is more bene- 

 ' ficial than all others of the long voyages which are driven by the 

 ' French ; becaufe carried on without the exportation of money, as well 



* as without the aid of foreign goods and manufadlures ; fo as none 

 ' but the fubjeds of France reap the profits of it f.' 



Next follows a brief reprefentation of the prefent ftate of the French 

 American iflands, viz. 



' I. The fmall ifland, with the terra firma, of Cayenne' (on the coaft 

 of Guiana) ' comes firft in view. Its coaft is about 60 leagues in ex- 

 ' tent ; though not above 12 are inhabited : its foil is very good, and 



* its fugars near equal to the white fugars of Brafil : it has not above 

 ' 600 white people, and about 2000 negroes ; fo that this large trad of 

 ' land is almoft uninhabited. And being fituated nearly in the parallel 

 ' of the Moluccos, where the fine Ipices grow, it is believed it might be 

 ' eafy to cultivate them there, and thereby fave the purchafing of them 

 ' from the Dutch : the rather, in that the Portuguefe on this fide of 

 ' the river of Amazons, in a fituation more diftant from the equinodial 

 ' line, have cinnamon if.' 



' 2. Granada is about 25 leagues in circuit. Its white inhabitants 

 ' about 200, and negroes 600 : produces fugar, excellent indigo, cotton, 



* Meaning our fugar, cotton, and ginger land will foon be fiifiicicnt to fupply the aflfortments 



trade. ^. of linen-drapery for our Wtlt-India illands. yi. 



\ The great linen manufacture of France en. J That cinnamon is a bailard kind, and worth 



abled them to make thii icm:\rk. Ii is to be very little. j4. 

 hoped that the mannlaClures of Britain and Irc- 

 1 



