1 88 ^he DISCO FERT and CO N^E S T Book I 
Contentions, is the Thirft of Gold in both Parties, and 
the Defire that each has of becoming foie PoffelTors of 
that large Ridge of Mountains which are the Weftern 
Boundaries of this Province and that of St. Vincent ^ and are 
fuppofed to be full of Mines. Some fpeculative Polh 
ticians have infinuated, that it is not impoffible that the 
Bpaniafds may, fome time or other, carry their Point 
but if they do they muft begin with reducing the Para^ 
guay Indians, who are at prefent fubjedt only to the 
Jefuits for otherwife it is very certain, that they cannot 
iraife Men enough to give the Portugueze any Uneafmefs, 
who, though they have not People to fpare for fettling this 
iaft Diftrift in Brazil, have however fuch Numbers in the 
adjacent Captainfhip oi St. Vincent, as would very foon 
repel any Invafion from their Neighbours, who, after all, 
it is very certain, are on this Side rather weaker than 
themfelves. So that Struggles of this Nature if ever this 
IhoLild happen, may be reputed at a great Diftance, and 
if the Portugueze were as free from any Apprehenfions of 
inteftine Diforders, it might be affirmed that fcarce any 
Colony is more fecure than that of Brazil. 
ty. Thus we have given the Reader, according to 
Our Promife, a full and methodical Hiftory of this Coun- 
try, from the very firft Difcovery thereof to this Day ; 
that is, for upwards of two hundred Years •, and have 
fhewn by what Methods it was firft peopled, from a 
Country fcarce equal in extent to one of its Captainfhips ; 
how the new Planters grew exceffively rich ; and how the 
Envy of the French brought them to attempt an Eftablifli- 
ment on the fame Coaft, with all other Tranfaftions relative 
to this Colony ; fo that, what we have to fay by way of 
Remarks, will be but very ftiort •, but we hope, notwith- 
ftanding that, they will afford the Reader both Pleafure 
and Profit. When the Spirit of Trade and Difcovery, 
which exerted itfelf in Portugal in the fifteenth Century, 
firft appeared, the Crown made no other ufe of its Pre- 
rogative, than to point out, proportion, and procure, fuit- 
able Rewards for fuch as diftinguifhed themfelves in pro- 
moting the public Intereft 5 and then every Enterprize 
was carried on with Vigour, every Expedition was at- 
tended with Succefs. . The little Country of Portugal, 
which had hitherto made fo inconfiderable a Figure 
among the Kingdoms of Europe, began to take the Lead 
of them all; and, from creeping along the Coafts of 
Africa Yivd\ a few little Veffels, her Fleets began to ftretch 
to the Eafi Indies, and to embrace that Trade which was 
the Objedt of AlemndePs Ambition. The Eajl Indies, 
by the Rout of the Cape of Good Hope, was their proper 
Difcovery ; and, though Columbus had a little the Start of 
them, yet the finding and fettling of Brazil plainly 
proves that America could not have lain long hid from 
their Refearches. The Fruit of thefe great Difeoveries 
and Conquefts, was a prodigious Trade, immenfe Riches, 
and an amazing naval Power, all deduced from a right 
turn in the Government, which eftabliftied its Power in 
the Extention of that of its Subje6ls, without exerting a 
tyrannical Authority over them. This created Fleets, 
Armies, and a Dominion fuperior to any thing the 
had enjoyed, from the Deftruftion <A VX\t Roman 
Empire. But as a true and laudable Ambition raifed the 
Portugueze to fuch a Height, a falfe and baftard Ambi- 
tion made way for their Ruin. SehajUan King Portu- 
gal was a Hero, he bad all the Virtues incident to that 
Charafter; but they took a wrong Turn: He embarked 
the whole Force of Portugal in a War upon the Continent 
for his own Glory, and to ferve no national Purpofe 
whatfoever ; there he perifhed, and all his Army with 
him ; which, in itfelf, was a great Misfortune to his 
Subjects, but in its Confequences a much greater ; for 
this threw them under the Dominion of Spain, which, 
as we have abundantly fhewn in the foregoing Sedlion, 
was the greateft Mifchief that could befal them; for, 
after this, there appeared no public Spirit in the Govern- 
ment ; all their Conquefts in the Eafi- Indies were either 
given to Men who had an Intereft at the Court of Spain, 
or to fuch as that Court defired to get out of their 
Way. 
There was no longer any Spirit of Virtue, Generofity, 
pr Concern for public Good, either left or encouraged ; 
the enriching of private Families took Place of this'; 
and, while a few of thefe carried their Point, the Dutch 
ftript them of their Empire in the Eafi Indies, and bid 
fair for making themfelves Mafters of ErazU ; which, if 
they had, Portugal had remained a Province of Spain, 
and not a very confiderabie Province neither. When thb 
Portugueze recovered their former Government, we fee 
they recovered Spirit enough to preferve Brazil', but, 
fmee that Time, the Court has been infefled with the 
Spanijh Policy ; and, the Defire of extending their royal 
Power has, in a great Meafure, extinguifhed that Spirit 
which once made them a great People. But, to confine 
our Refiedtions to Brazil, the great Point in the Portu-^ 
gueze Councils at prelent is, to fecure this Trade, or at 
leaft the Profits of it, to the Crown ; in order to which 
the feveral Fleets deftined for Paraiha, Fernambuca, the 
Bay of All Saints, and PIo Janeiro, lail as regularly as the 
Spanijh Galleons, and in the very fame Manner. If this 
Trade had been left more open, the Number of Ships 
would have been vaftly greater, and there would have 
been no need of Men of War to effort them, or of ano- 
ther Squadron being fent to look out for, and bring 
them home, as is at prefent the Cafe every Year, and yet 
the Algerines frequently pick up fome. This Method is 
the laft dying Effort of a maritime Power ; Convoys and 
Efforts are pitiful things ; the Flag of a maritime 
Power ought to be a fufficient Protedtion, and no Nation; 
ought to be efteemed fo that fuffers another to infult a 
Cock-boat. 
Yet all this Policy is far from producing mighty 
things, as we lhall fee from a few Examples ; Brazil 
Wood is now a royal Commodity, that is to fay, it is 
fold for the Advantage of the Crown only ; and it produ- 
ces about 100000 Crufades, which is fomething better 
than 15000 Pound, annually. We have already feen 
what the Diamond-Farm brings in ; and take the whole 
of the King’s Fifth from the Gold Mines, and it will 
never be found to exceed half a Million of our Money. 
To remedy thefe Miffhiefs, they had recourfe to Methods 
that increafe them ; for they have fet up feveral Companies 
for the doing what might be better done without any Com- 
pany at all : For inftance, they have an African Company 
for fupplying Slaves at Rio Janeiro, a Company to manage 
the Mines, and an Eafi India Company, now they have 
almoft loft the Trade to the Eafi Indies. But if, inftead 
of thefe Schemes, they would red refs the Grievances of 
their Subjefls in Brazil, encourage Plantations rather 
than Mines, open their Ports to all Nations, and allow 
of a free Trade thither from Portugal ; inftead of few- 
er than one hundred Ships that are now annually em- 
ployed in- that Trade, they would very foon have many 
hundreds, and Brazil would quickly have ten times as 
many Inhabitants as at prefent ; confequently the Country 
would be better cultivated, and their Dominions more 
extended, which would produce a much larger Revenue 
to the Crown than it enjoy S at prefent. 
There was, indeed, a Projedt of quite another kind fet 
on Foot for the Improvement, as they call it, of this 
Trade in Portugal, of which I fhall give a very ftiort Ac- 
count. In the Year 1709 the King of Portugal, perceiv- 
ing that the vaft quantities of Gold that came from .Bn?- 
2// did but juft touch. 2X. Lifb on, and then travelled over 
all the Countries of Europe, diredted this Matter to 
be very ferioufly examined in his Council : Suppofing 
that if a Method could be found out to prevent this Gold 
from ftraying, the Bufmefs would be done, and himfflf 
become, at once, the richeft Prince in Europe. His 
Council accordingly examined this Point very carefully, 
and they reported that the Englijh and Dutch ran away 
with all the Gold, in Conffquence of tlieir furniftiing 
the Goods and Manufadlures that were fent to Brazil-, they 
therefore propofed, that the ufing thefe Goods, and the 
wearing thefe Manufadlures, ftiould be prohibited in that 
Colony ; and that the People Ihould be content with what 
could be fent them from Portugal. This was confidered 
as a great Stroke of Policy, and was on the very Point 
of being put in Execution, when it was prevented by the 
following Method : 
The famous Lord Galuoay was then there on behalf of 
this 
