© ® © 
via 
Me INTRODUCTION, 
ttiuft' firft examine what the natural Commodities are of the Country, the Trade of which we con- 
fider, the Quantity , Value and Demand for thefe Commodities in other Parts, and the Manner in 
which they are difpofed of by the Natives of the Country where they are found. This is the firft 
Step in the Hidory of Commerce. The next is the Enumeration of their Manufactures, whether 
they are of their own Commodities, or of thofe imported from abroad : And with regard to this Head 
we mud attentively confiderthe Number of the People employed, the Nature of their Employments, and 
the Effeds which their Indudry produces to themfelves and to the State. The third Plead in this En- 
quiry fhould be the Sea-Ports in the Country under our Confideration, the natural and artificial Con- 
veniences of each of them, and the particular Advantages and Difadvantages attending them, in point 
of Situation and otherwife. 
Thefe three Things throughly and fully underdood, we may, with tolerable Certainty, judge of the 
Probability or Improbability of their becoming confiderable by their Commerce in Naval Power, fince 
a Nation bleffed with thefe Conveniencies will be able to conquer almoft any Difficulties, and for a 
Nation deficient in thefe Refpeds, it will be in a Manner to no Purpofe that (lie druggies, becaufe 
whatever the Power or Policy of one Adminidration might gain her, mud be lod by the new Turn 
of the next; fince whatever is unnatural, or contrary to the Genius of a People, can never lad long. 
The fourth Head will be the Number and Nature of their Shipping, and the Seamen employed on 
Board them : For the Wealth and Power of a Nation is much effected by various Circumdances at- 
tending thefe. For Indance, Spain and Portugal derive great Riches from Commerce : And yet, by 
their Management of that Commerce, are far from being confiderable, either by the Number of their 
Shipping, or of their Seamen, which is owing to their ill Policy, and to that ridiculous Didindion, 
between the Wealth of the Prince and the Wealth of the People; a Didindion that cm ferve no 
other Purpofe than keeping the one weak, and the other poor. 
The lad Point that merits Examination, is that of Colonies or Plantations ; with regard to which, 
we are to enquire, not how many, or how powerful they are, fo much as how they contribute to the 
Wealth and Grandeur of their Mother State. There is in this fomething fo commendable in the 
Dutch , that I cannot forbear fpeaking of it. The common Phrafe for Holland , in all their Colonies, 
is Father-land) which is an Expreffion fo pathetic, fo full of true Patriotifm, and fo expreffive of 
filial AffeCtion, that we may from thence difeern the true Ufe of Colonies, which is to feed and fup- 
port the Country from whence they are derived. In this RefpeCt we excel the Spaniards , and the 
Dutch excel us : For there is a Conformity between the Interedof that State and of all her Plantations, 
which is difeerned no where elfe, and which is the true Source of the mighty Power and immenfe 
Wealth of that flourifhing Republick. 
So much for the commercial Part of our Work ; let us now turn to the Hidory. The original 
Settlement and fubfequent Changes that have happened to every Nation, are the Subjed of their Hif- 
tory. This mud be tolerably well known to have an adequate Notion of their Concerns, but at the 
fame Time, there is no fort of Occafion for entering too deeply into this, in order to an Acquain- 
tance with their prefent Circumdances. There cannot, certainly, be either a more ufeful, or a more 
pleafant Study, than the general Hidory of all Nations. But then this requires much Leifure, the 
Knowledge of many Languages and great Abilities ; a great Statefman, an accomplifhed Scholar may, 
indeed mud, apply himfelf to this fort of Study, in order to attain that Excellence, at which he aims. 
But the general Knowledge of the World, which is fo requifite to every Man, who would make a 
tolerable Figure in it, does not require any fuch laborious Courfe of reading, but may be acquired, 
by affording a reafonable Attention to a few of the mod remarkable Fads. In this Work therefore, 
without totally omitting the antient Hidory, we fhall treat of it fo co.nciiely, as to conned it with, 
and yet leave fufficient Room for the Modern. The Spring of Adion in one Age, feldom rifes higher 
than the Tranfadions of that which went before it; and therefore it imports us more to be perfedly 
acquainted with what has fallen out within thefe lad hundred Years, than with what was done many 
Centuries ago, tho’ the Adions of thofe Times might be of greater Eclat than in thefe. 
It was from a drid Attention to this, that we have taken fo much Pains to enquire into, and fet 
forth the State and Condition of the feveral trading Companies fubfiding in Europe) the Nature of 
whofe Commerce brings them within the Compafs of this Part of our Work, as hoping thereby, not 
only to lay the Foundation of a competent Stock of Knowledge for the prefent, but to open to the 
indudrious and intelligent Reader, a clear and eafy Method of regidering and preferving whatever 
fhall occur of the like Nature in later Books. The fame Care has been taken with regard to the Di- 
vifion of this Work in both Volumes, fo as to render it riot only as perfed as poffible, by digeding 
therein whatever has been hitherto publifhed of fuperior Value, and didinguidied Worth, but alfo 
leaving the Road open to future Continuations, without any fort of Neceffity of new modelling, or 
recompofing the whole; fo that it is hoped, fuch as are poffeffed of this Work, need never find them- 
felves obliged to purchase another Colledion falling within the fame Space of Time, but may be fur- 
n idled with all they want, by proper Supplements, as future Difcoveries are made, or new Books of 
Voyages and Travels are publidied, in our own, or in other Languages. 
Another Advantage that will refult from the plain and eafy Method we have made ufe of, and which 
is fully deferibed in the Preface, is, that as this Work will be perfed for the prefent, without any Sup- 
plement, fo any Supplement that fhall be made hereafter with Judgment, will likewife be perfed in 
its kind, and be a compleat Work in itfelf, and thereby totally remove an Inconveniency that has hi- 
therto attended all Colledions of' this fort, from their not being properly digeded. Thus we have 
compleated the fird Part of this Introdudion, which is intended to enable the Reader to underftand 
all that is contained in the following Sheets, with refped to Difcoveries and Defcriptions of Countries, 
without having recourfe to other Books for Indrudion ; it remains, that in the fecond Part, we ihew 
