X 
. 1 . 
Commodore Roggewein. 
317 
a Debt upon the Company, as, in the End, compelled them 
to confent to a Diffolution. 
The new Weft India Company, warned by the Example 
of the r Predeceffors, have kept more within Bounds, and 
ha v e certainly managed their Affairs with great Oeconomy 
and Prudence. In the Year 1714, they formed a Project 
of a very extraordinary Nature, which, if it had taken 
pkce, might very probably have transferred the whole 
Commerce of Europe to the Dutch. This confifted in the 
Unit! gof the two Companies, I mean, thofe trading to the 
Eaft and IV ft Indies . In order to this, they offered to 
transfer all that they poifeifed in Africa and America to the 
Eafi India Company, in Confideration of about 120,000 1 . 
Sterling ; which Sum the Proprietors of the prefent Weft 
India Company were to have accepted in Eafi India Stock ; 
and nine Directors were to have been added to the prefent 
College or Board of Eaft India Directors, for the Manage- 
ment of this additional Trade. At the fame time they 
offered a Calculation, by which it appeared, that the Funds 
of the W eft India Company, which, according to this Pro- 
ject:, were to be transferred to the Eaft India Company, 
would more than defray all the Expence, that this Conjun- 
ction would create. The Benefits that would have arifen 
from this Incorporation of the two Companies into one were 
* many and great, and, which, perhaps, is of no Iris Confe- 
quence, equally vifible and certain j for, as Things now 
ftand, the W \ ft India Company purchased the Couris and 
Boejies , which are a fort of Shells that pafs for Money thro’ 
all the Slave Coafl of Africa , from the Eaft India Com- 
pany, who, on the other hand, purchafed from the IVeft 
India Company a great Part of the Gold they bring from 
the Coafl: of Guiney . This kind of Traffick, by this Scheme, 
would be intirely in the Eaft India Company, who would 
immediately ingrofs the Slave Trade into their own Hands. 
By the. erecting Fortreffes, and railing Settlements in feve- 
ral Parts of Africa, which would be eafy for them, tho’ the 
Circumftances of the W ft India Company would never 
permit them to attempt fuch things, luch a prodigious 
Wealth would accrue, on the one hand, by faving the Ex- 
penees of bringing home from the Eaft Indies Commodi- 
ties fit for the African Trade, and from Africa Goods pro- 
per for the Eaft Indies, which, according to this Plan, 
might be tranfported direfilly in both Cafes, without ever 
coming to Europe at all ; and, on the other hand, by inlarge- 
ing the Commerce both Ways, the Power and the Influ- 
ence of the Company would be fo increafed, that it would 
be Amply impoflible for other Nations to contend with 
them in either Trade. Thefe Settlements in Africa would 
alfo be attended with another extraordinary Advantage, that 
of difcovering feveral rich Mines of Gold ; of which what- 
ever Informations the IV ft India Company may have had, 
they never could attempt to work them, becaufe, knowing 
their own Weaknefs, they were apprehenfive, that fuch an 
Attempt, inftead of proving advantageous to them, might 
have induced other Nations to have attacked them, and 
thereby have expofed their Country to the Lofs of what 
might be certainly gained, if undertaken by fo powerful a 
Body as the Eaft India Company. The Commerce of the 
Grain Coafl of Guiney , tho’ of no confiderable Value to the 
W ft India Company, would prove of incredible Advantage, 
when in the Hands of the other Company ; becaufe the 
Grain tranfported from Africa is, a great Part- of it, con- 
fumed in the Eaft Indies , and is fo neceflary a Commodity 
there, that the Eaft India Company would have it in their 
Power to raife and fall the Price of Pepper, as they thought 
fit % which would enable them to bring about what they 
have fo long endeavoured, the getting into their Elands the 
Monopoly of that, as well as other Spices ; which, perhaps, 
will never be attained by any other Means. The proper 
Commerce of the IVeft Indies alio would become infinitely 
more connderable under their Management, than it would 
be any other way ; and this efpecially by erecting Maga- 
zines for Eaft India Commodities in the Ifland of Curasao, 
from whence they might be eafily lent into the Spanifh IVeft 
Indies, and would produce a mighty Profit, though fold at 
a much lower Rate than the fame kind of Goods, which are 
annually brought into that Country by the Manilla Ship. 
How it came to pals, that this Propofal was rejefited, does 
not concern my prefent Purpofe j and therefore I Mil only 
Numb. 22, 
obferve, that, after this Proppfition was rejefited, the Dh 
refitors of the IVeft India Company very wifely turned their 
Thoughts another Way. It is very probable, that the En- 
couragement they gave, to Mr. Roggeweinf s Propofition 
might be, in fome meafure, owing to the ill Treatment, 
which this Project had received : For what was more natu- 
ral, after failing in their Scheme of uniting their Company 
to that of the Eaft Indies , than to aim at coming in for a 
Share of thefe Commodities, fo neceflary for their Com- 
merce, by fome other Way ? And what Way fo proper as 
thatpropofed by this Voyage, which would, in effefit, have 
put the moft valuable Part of the Eaft India Trade into 
their Hands ? And this too accounts for the extraordinary 
Heat and V iolence of the Eaft India Company againft thofe, 
who were concerned in this Difcovery. 
The Reader will eafily recoiled! an Inftance of the fame 
fort of Spirit, which they had (hewn long before, in the 
Cafe of James le Maine ; and what Pains they took to dis- 
credit his Difcoveries. Here we fee the true Secret of that 
Difpute, which was fo warmly managed by both Compa- 
nies, and fo wifely 'decided by the States General. When 
the Eaft India Company per Ecu ted and deftroyed le Maine , 
the Government did not interpofe, becaufe, at that time, 
the Maintenance of the Power of the Eaft India Company 
was of the higheft Confequence to the States ; but fuch as 
were concerned in that Expedition appealed to the Public - 
againft the Injuftice they had received, and were heard with 
all the Favour they could expefit : But, by degrees, as the 
Government of Holland became more fettled, and efpeci- 
ally fmce fuch have had a Share in the Adminiftration of 
public Affairs as were well acquainted with Trade, the 
Concerns of the Eaft India Company are Confidered in a 
new Light. 
That confummate Statefman and Patriot, John de Witte , 
was the firft who explained the Matter dearly ^ and his 
Words are fo applicable to this Subjefit, that I cannot for- 
bear citing them, as moft worthy of the Reader’s Attention : 
When the Eaft India Company, fays he, had attained 
“ to a certain Extent of Power and Grandeur, their Inter- 
“ efts came not only to clafh with, But grew abfolutely op- 
pofite to, thofe of their Country : For whereas the Ad- 
<c vantage of the Dutch Nation confifts in the Increafe of 
“ their Manufactures, Commerce, and Freight of Ships, 
the Intereft of the Country inclines them to promote the 
Sale of foreign Manufactures, and that with the leaft: 
<c Traffick and Navigation that is in their Power. Elence it 
is a fettled Point, that, if the Eaft India Company can 
“ gain more by importing Japan Cloths, Indian Quilts, 
Carpets, Chintzes, than raw Silk ; or if the Company, 
“ by creating a Scarcity of Nutmegs, Mace, Cloves, Cin- 
namon, and other Spices, can raife the Price of them, 
fo as to gain as much by 100 Tons, as they would other- 
wife get by 1 000 ; we are not to expefit, that they fhould' 
import thofe raw Silks, or be at the Expence of tranf- 
porting 1000 Tons of Spice, tho’ the former would affift 
our Manufactures at home, and the latter increafe our 
Navigation.” 
This is fo plain, and agrees fo evidently with the Intereft 
of all Nations, as well as of Holland , that it is impoflible for 
any unprejudiced Perfon not to difcern, that all excMve 
Companies deftroy, inftead of promoting, the Commerce 
of the Countries where they are eftabliftied. The fame great 
W riter obferves, that the more any Company extends its 
foreign Conquefts, the more of their Stock miift, of Ne- 
ceffity, be fpent for the Prefervation and Defence of fuch' 
Conquefts ; and comcquently the greater their Dominions, 
the Jefs the Company is able to mind the true Intereft of that 
Trade, for the promoting which they were erefited. The 
Reader, from the large and accurate Account, which we 
have lately given him of the State of the Dutch Company’s 
Affairs in the Eaft Indies , will the more readily enter into, 
and ice, the Juftice and Force of this judicious ObErva- 
tion. 
This leads me to remark, that, in all Countries where 
fuch Companies are already eftabliftied, the only Method 
that can be taicen to prevent the Coniequences that muft 
attend them, is to play one Company againft another ; that 
is to lay, the State ought always to encourage and proceed: 
that Company, which is Aloft inclined to promote national 
4 Coral 
