A. D. 1794. 309 



This account of the population of the empire, being about 256]- per- 

 fons for every fquare mile throughout the whole extent of the country, 

 may at firfl fight flagger belief. But as it is the refult of adual enum- 

 erations, taken in every divifion of ten families, and as the laws permit 

 no emigration, as there is no naval eftablifhment, as the army contains 

 only one man out of 185 of the inhabitants, and it is univerfally allowed 

 that the population is fo very redundant, that the deftrudion of infants 

 is authorized by cuftom, if not by law, there can fcarcely be any reafou 

 to doubt the truth of it. The fmall amount of the taxes is Hill more 

 remarkable, being only about 8-^^ fterling in filver, and not quite thir- 

 teen thoufandth parts of a meafure of grain, paid by each peribn. The 

 whole amount in money and grain is fir below what is paid by the 

 people of this ifland, whofe number is not much above that of the lead 

 populous, nor much above a quarter of that of the moll populous, of 

 the feventeen provinces of that very populous empire *, But in pro- 

 portion to our numbers, our commerce is prodigioufly more extenfive 

 than that of the Chinefe. 



The French government, anxious for the fafety of a fleet of 160 

 veflels from the Weft-Indies and America, loaded with Weft-India 

 produce, provifions, and naval ftores, the value of which was eftim- 

 ated at five millions fterUng, ordered out twenty-fix fliips of the line, 

 commanded by Admiral Villaret, to meet and protect them. Lord 

 Howe with a Britifti fleet, alfo of twenty-fix ftiips of the line, was 

 cruifing to intercept the fame rich fleet of merchant veflels. Neither 

 of the admirals fell in with the object of his fearch. But they met each 

 other. An engagement, or rather a fuccefiion of engagements, enfued 

 on the 28'" and 29'" of May and the i" of June, and in the final adion 

 fix of the French fliips were taken, and one was funk. Though the 

 French marine fuftained fo heavy a lofs, yet the great object, for which 

 the fleet was lent out, was accompliflied ; and the whole of the merch- 

 ant fleet got fafe into the port of L'Orient a few days after the engage- 

 ment. 



As foon as the news of the vidtory arrived, the underwriters at Llyod's 

 coffee-houfe, with that fpirit of benevolence and liberality which ufually 

 accompanies commercial profperity, and which they have fliown on fo 

 many fimilar occafions, immediately opened a fubfcription for the relief 

 of the widows and children of the leamen, who fell in the battle. Their 

 fubfcriptions, together with the donations of benevolent people of other 

 defcriptions, paid into the hands of Mr. Taylor, the keeper of the coffee- 

 houfe, amounted to ,^21,281 : 19 : 11. The corporation of the city of 



fufScient for the fubfiftence of a man for about * The whole revenue of the greatcll empire up- 



thrte days, ten meafures of rice being allowed to a on the face of tlie earth is fcarcely liifficient to pay 



foot foldier in a lunar month. Thofe provinces, half the inteiell of out national debt, with the cou-- 



-,vhich have N. in the column of grain, pay no tax comitaiit charges. 3 



of that kind. 



