fil The V O Y 
Commerce, and the Exportation of the Goods and Manu- 
factures of the Country in which it is fettled. We have 
feen what Advantage the Dutch draw from having a Com- 
pany-King arriorigft the Indian Princes of every Ifland *, and 
therefore we cannot be at a Lofs for the Benefits, that muft 
refult from the having the Nation's Company amongft 
thofe esclufive Companies, erected in every Nation. Upon 
this 'Principle it was that the States General, in the prefent 
Cafe, fo much favoured the Weft India Company •, for a 
little Attention will fhew, that, in this Inftance, they w r ere 
the Nation’s Company ; that is to fay, by endeavouring to 
'difcover new Countries, which muft have been attended 
with an Increafe of Commerce, and of Shipping, they pur- 
fued their Country’s Intereft, as well ks their own. And, 
as this is a Point that deferves to be illuft rated, give me 
Leave to fuppofe, that, in confequence of this Voyage, a 
Settlement had been made in Rafter IJland : In order to fup- 
port this, . another Squadron muft have been feht, together 
With a frefii Supply of People for. the Colony ; and, in Pro- 
cefsofTime, as their Trade and Difcoveries increafed, an- 
nual Squadrons would have gone, and returned ; which 
muft have been highly advantageous to HolUnd. BefideS, 
it is a great Matter to revive a Spirit of Trade and Difco- 
very ", for let an^ one cdnfiddr how foon all the Continent 
and Iflands of America were as well known as they are at 
prefent, after they were firft fdtind by Columbus, and he 
will be at no Lofs to difcern the Probability of eftablifhing 
a large Trade in thofe Southern Countries, which are fo im- 
perfectly known at prefent. 
Add to this-, that there cannot be a more true or certain 
Maxim than this; that tho’ particular Perfons, arid efpeci- 
ally Companies-, gain moft by old and fettled Trades, yet 
a new Commerce contributes moll to the enriching of a 
People, becaufe it increafes the Number of Workmen in 
all Manufactures at home, occaiions the building new Ships; 
heightens the Number of Seamen, arid, in one Word, 
inlarges and ftrengthens that Spirit of Induftry, which is fo 
heceffary to the Well-being of a trading Nation. Another 
Reafon that might poffibiy engage the States to favour 
the Weft India Company in this Defign, was the Tendency 
it had to promote that kind of Navigation, which, for this 
laft Century, has fallen almoft into Difufe ; I mean, the 
Navigation round Cape Horn into the South Seas, upon 
the Difcovery of which our Anceftors piqued themfelves 
with fo much Juftice. The more one reflects on this, the 
more one is amazed at the Indolence of the prefent Age; 
efpecially considering the ill Confequences that plainly refult 
from it already. The Storms about the Cape of Good 
Hope were not more terrible to our Anceftors, in the very 
Dawn of Navigation, than the Doubling Cape Horn is to 
fome People at this Hour, after fo many Voyages have 
been made round it, and that too by their own Countrymen, 
as well as others. Captain Cowley palled it twice, Dampier 
thrice, Clipperton as often ; and yet now, after twenty 
Years Difufe, it is become a greater Bugbear than ever. 
It was therefore high time for the Dutch , who faw the 
French yearly bringing large Sums out of the South Seas, 
to try, whether their Subjects could not be as fortunate, 
without engaging in a contraband Trade with the Spaniards. 
It is a great Pity, that we can’t have Commodore Rogge - 
weid s Propofals to the Weft India Company, in which, no 
doubt, there are abundance of curious Particulars *, but, as 
this is not to be hoped for, we muft content ourfelves with 
endeavouring to Supply this Deficiency, by attending clofely 
to his Voyage. 
We fee, that, before he thought of Refrelhment, he 
ilretched as far as the Coaft of Brqfil , and did not loiter 
away his Time at the Cape de Verde , or any other Iflands : 
And this was certainly the right Way ; for a Voyage to the 
Coaft of Brafil is undoubtedly no very hard or difficult Na- 
vigation, as the former Voyages, efpecially thofe of Dam- 
pier and Funnel , plainly fhew. But the Dutch Commodore 
took no fmall Pains to difcover fome Ifland upon that Coaft, 
where a Settlement might be made, that his Countrymen 
might, for the future, have a Place of their own, without 
troubling the Portuguefe at all. When this was found im- 
practicable, his next Care was, to reconnoitre the Ifland of 
St. Lewis , which had never been throughly difcovered be- 
fore ; and therefore he thought he had a Right to impofe 
AGES of Book I 
tin it a new Name ; which he did : And, if he had fettled on 
it alfo, as he propofed, it had certainly anfwered the End 
of his Voyage effectually for the Climate and Soil appear 
to have been fuch, as leave no Room to doubt, that, if the 
Dutch had fixed there, and been Well fupported, , they might 
make it as commodious a Place as the Cape of Good Hope , 
which had been flighted, as not worth inhabiting, by other 
Nations, tho’ it is now acknowledged for one of the fined 
Countries in the World. He formed the fame ProjeCt with 
refpeCt to Juan Fernandez , which is certainly one of the 
wholfomeft and pleafanteft Iflands in America, and from 
whence, if it was once fettled, the difcovering of the South- 
ern Continent and Iflands muft with Eafe follow. To fay 
the Truth, I think the firfh Error that he committed was 
the poftponing thefe Settlements, but more efpecially the 
laft, becaufe the Benefits that muft have refulted from it 
are apparent. 
We have fo many Accounts of the Beauty and Fertility 
of that Ifland, that, I think, it may be laid down as an un- 
deniable Truth, that & Propofal for fettling it would not 
meet With many Difficulties, either here, or in Holland. In 
both Places People are to be met with, who, either for the 
fake of getting Bread-, or from the Hopes of acquiring a 
Fortune, would readily confent to Vi fit the moft unwholforiie 
Countries, and to remain in the Worft Climates. There 
would not therefore certainly be wanting enough to offer them- 
felves, upon proper Encouragement, to go and refide there % 
and the Expence of fortifyirig the Ifland, and providing 
them in every refpeCt with what they wanted, would require 
no great Sum : Yet, whatever Nation fhall take this Step, 
and be at the Expence, will hare it abfolutely in their 
Power to profec'ute this Scheme of Difcovery ; after which, 
perhaps, it may be time enough to think of fettling the 
Ifland of St. Lewis on the other Side of the Cape* The 
raffing a Fort, and putting in Order the Plantation of the 
Ifland of Juan Fernandez , might employ the firft Year, 
whenever this important Defign is properly purified ; and, 
if two or three fmall Veffels were left with the Inhabitants 
of that Ifland, they might, by the Arrival of a new Squa- 
dron the next Year, be able to report fomewhat as to the 
Probability of a Difcovery from thence *, becaufe there are 
undoubtedly feveral Iflands, which lie at no great Diftance 
from thence ; and all of them in fo good a Climate, that no 
Hardfhip need be feared in endeavouring to difcover them. 
In confequence of their Report, and of the Affiftance re- 
ceived from the new Colony, where the Sick might be put 
on ffiore, and their Places fupplied by frelli Men, a great 
Part of the South Continent might be difcovered in one 
Summer : For, when the Seamen were once fecure of a 
good Retreat, as the Ifland of Juan Fernandez , well fettled, 
would be, they would not be uneafy, or afraid of wanting 
Provifions, if they cruifed a few Weeks, more or lefs, in the 
South Seas. Befides, there would be no Occafion for re- 
ducing them to fhort Allowance ; and, while they lived in 
prefent Plenty, and without Apprehenfion of future Wants, 
they would certainly be in Efficient Spirits to undertake any 
thing their Officers could reafonably expeft from them. 
The V oyages of Schovten and Dampier , as well as that which 
occafioned thefe Remarks, plainly fhew, that it is the Dread 
of fo long a Run as to the Faft Indies , which intimidates 
the Sailors in thefe Seas, and occafions fuch frequent Mu- 
tinies, fuch perpetual Diffenfions, as muft neceffarily im- 
pede, and even defeat, the beft-laid Projeft for Difcoveries. 
Add to all this, that, in two or three Years time, there is 
the higheft Probability, that the Produce of the Trade that 
might be eftabliffied in thefe Southern Iflands, would not 
only defray the Expence of the Undertaking, but make 
confiderable Returns-, and then all Difficulties would be over. 
There would be enough ftruggling to fhare in the Advantages 
of a Commerce fo long negledted ; but the Settlement at 
Juan Fernandez would prevent this, and fecure, for at leaft 
thirty or forty Years, the greateft Part of the Profit to the 
original Proprietors. 
This, or fomething like it, was undoubtedly Mr. Rogge - 
weird s Plan ; and it muft certainly add fome Degree of Cre- 
dit to his Scheme, that it was twice approved by the W ft 
India Company in Holland , the Directors of which are 
always Men of Bufinefs,. and of diftinguiftied Abilities, and 
who undoubtedly would not have been at fo great an Ex- 
pence 
