A. D. I701. yi^ 



' ports diredly. About forty years ago' (i. e. about the year 1661) ' the 

 ' French were little verfed in conimerce and navigation : it was there- 



* for then thought neceflary to form companies, to engage them to 

 ' flrike out tracks of commerce for the king's fubjeds, which then were 

 ' unknown to them. Yet fuch exclufive grants ought only to be for a 

 ' limited number of years*.' They go on to inveigh againft fuch 

 exclufive grants; as, ' ift, that to the port of Marfeille, for the 

 ' fole trade to the Levant ; 2dly, the Eaft-India company ; 3dly, 

 ' the prohibiting of foreign raw filk to be carried to Nilmes, Tours, 



* Paris, &c. till it had palfed through Lyons ; thereby tending only to 

 ' make it dearer; 4thly, divers firms of certain merchandize in trade, 

 ' &c. deflruftive to the freedom of commerce.' 



In treating of France's trade to Spain, we learn the vaft quantity of 

 merchandize of all kinds then carried thither. Concerning which coun- 

 try, they truely remark, ' that the Spaniards, who have within them- 

 felves wool, filk, oil, wine, with an excellent foil, producing many 

 things proper for the fuftenance of life, and for the eftablifliment of 

 noble manufactures, and are in no want of good ports, both in the 

 Ocean and Mediterranean, do, neverthelefs, negled: all thofe advan- 

 tages ; whence it follows, that they ftand in need of the ailiflance of 

 all other nations, who thereby exhauft them of their gold and filver, 

 and fetch away their raw materials for their own manufactures, as the 

 raw filk of Valencia, Granada, Murcia, &c. to France ; the wool of 

 Caflile, Arragon, Navarre, Leon, &c. to England, Holland, France, 

 and Italy, for the very manufactures with which they afterward fup- 

 ply Spain. That in return for the French manufactures, &.c. fhipped 

 for Cadiz, and thence in the galleons to Peru and Mexico, they have 

 cochineal, indigo, Vigonia wool, hides, &c. and, in peaceable times, 

 over and above, before the laft wars, they received in money a ba- 

 lance of eighteen or twenty millions of livres, and by the flotas feven 

 or eight millions more. But for fome years paft, fince the Englifh, 

 Dutch, Haniburghers, and others, have imitated fome of our manu- 

 factures, it is certain that our returns' (i. e. the balance in France's 

 favour) ' are reduce to a fmall matter. They wifli his Catholic ma- 

 jefty would lay afide entirely the Spanifh garb, and introduce French 

 fafliions, and abolifh the ufe of Engliflr bays, fo much worn in his do- 

 minions both in Europe and America, &c. for the benefit of France.' 

 In fpeaking of the French Levant trade, they fay, ' that the Englifli 

 carry on that trade to much more advantage than the French, their 

 woollen cloths being better and cheaper. The Englifli alio carry to 

 the Levant, lead, pewter, copperas, and logwood, which are goods 

 they are maflers of, together with a great deal of pepper ; and, that 



* Several fuch arc, however, in force in Fiance to this day. jf. 



Vol II. 4 X ■ 



