Xvi PREFACE. 



ed from offices in various parts of the Britifli empire by the applic-. 

 ations' of friends, and by my own correfpondence. And much has 

 been obtained from the communications of refpedlable merchants 

 and other gentlemen unconne6led with office, by perfonal appUc- 

 ation and by correfpondence with various parts of Great Britain 

 and foreign countries. Of the friends who thus contributed their 

 affiftance, there are fome who do not chufe that their names fhould 

 be made pubUc, and others whofe favours have been acknowleged 

 in notes in the proper places : but the perfevering kindnefs and at- 

 tention of my worthy friend, Mr. Ellis, late member of parliament 

 for Seaford, and well known in the literary world by his Specimens 

 of the early Englifh poets, which I could not acknowlege upon any 

 one occafion, particularly deferve my warm and lading gratitude. 

 And my acknowlegements are dvie to my good friends, Meffieurs 

 George and William Nicol, bookfellers to his Majefly, for procuring 

 jne permiffion to confult fome of the books of the royal library, not 

 elfe where attainable, and for many other kind attentions to me and 

 my work. 



I have now laid before the reader a brief account of the nature 

 and plan of a work, to which I have devoted the affiduous labours 

 of a confiderable portion of my life. The accounts and fa6ls con- 

 tained in it prefent to the philofophical and fpeculative politician 

 the furefl; bafis for calculations in political arithmetic, and the fureft 

 precedents for commercial arrangements: and, as they are given 

 merely in their due order, whether they may be found favourable 

 or unfavourable to any particular dodrines or opinions upon na- 

 tional or commercial policy, they can never millead. And here I 

 may be permitted to obferve, that, though I pofTefTed the greateft 

 elegance of ftile, to which I make no pretenfion, the nature of the 

 work prefents but few opportunities, of which our mofl brilliant 

 Tfriters could avail themfelves to difplay the captivating graces of 



