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rile country, or a better foil. I have applied my- 

 felf particularly this winter to learn what advantages 

 may be drawn from this colony, and I mall now 

 communicate to you the fruit of my enquiries. It 

 is a complaint as old as the colony itfelf, and not 

 without foundation, that Canada does not enrich 

 France. It is likewife true that none of the inha- 

 bitants are rich ; but is this the fault of the country 

 itfelf, or rather of its firft fettlers ? 1 fhall endea- 

 vour to put you in the way of forming a judgment 

 on this article. 



The original fource of the misfortune of thefe 

 provinces., which they have honoured with the fine 

 name of New France, is the report which was at 

 firft fpread in the kingdom, that there were no mines 

 in them, and their not paying furficient attention to 

 a much greater advantage which may be drawn from 

 this colony, which is the augmentation of trade ; 

 that in order to bring this about fettlements muft 

 be made ; that this is done by little and little, and 

 without being fenfibly felt in fuch a kingdom as 

 France ; that the two only objects which pre fen t 

 themfelves at firft view in Canada and Acadia, 1 mean 

 the fifhery and fur trade, abfolutely require that 

 thefe two countries mould be well peopled ; and that 

 if they had been fo, perhaps, they would have fent 

 greater returns to France, than Spain has drawn 

 from the richeft provinces of the New World, efpe- 

 cially, if they had added to thefe articles the build- 

 ing of fhips ; but the fplendor of the gold and fil- 

 ver which came from Peru and Mexico, dazzled 

 the eyes of all Europe in fuch a manner, that any 

 country which did not produce thefe precious metals 

 \yas looked upon as abfolutely good for nothing. 

 Let us fee what a fenfible author who has been on 

 the fpot fays upon this head, 



The 



