SOUTHERN AFRICA. 241 
Tittle. incident that may involve the nation carrying it on, in 
its relations with contending powers, that no degree of sta- 
bility can be assigned to it. As long as the Portugueze main- 
tained their territories and tlieir dominion in the East, the 
Portugueze navigators were the first among Europeans in 
reputation ; but no sooner had the Dutch deprived them of 
the best part of their possessions, than the whole of the carry- 
ing-trade fell into the hands of the Dutch ; and the Dutch 
flag maintained the superiority in the East, and was respect- 
able in the West. 
As the Dutch began to lose their colonies, the Americans 
snatched the remains of their carrying-trade, which, while 
they preserve a state of neutrality, they will not only main- 
tain but improve to a very great extent ; but, having no 
foreign possessions, the instant they go to war with a nation 
that has, their carrying- trade will in all probability fall to 
the ground. Such will be the case also with the Danes and 
the Swedes; and such has France found, by experience, to 
be her fate from the moment she lost her best colonies. 
The number of hands that are required to work the ships 
employed in transporting to England the produce of our 
colonies furnish for the navy, in time of war, an immediate 
supply of skilful and able-bodied seamen : giving it, at once, 
a decided superiority over that of all other nations. The 
French, the Dutch, and the Spaniards can construct their 
ships fully as well as, and some of them, perhaps, better than, 
the English ; but none of them can make such good seamen. 
The rough and resolute character that is necessary to form 
VOL. II. I I 
