Chap. II L ^fthetiurcn 
Maize and Corn, and fdme Yamsj and Potatoes i 
but th-eir chiefeft Bufmefs is about Cattle^ for this liland 
is plentifully flocked with Goats, and they fend great 
C^iantities every Year in Salt to Curacaoi There are fome 
Horfes, Bulls, and Cows, but no Sheep of Hogs all over 
the Bland, or any Animals, bilt thofe before-mentioned •, 
the South- fide is plain Low-land, and there are feveral 
Sorts of Trees, but none very large •, there is a fmall 
Spring of Water by the Houfes, which ferves the Inha- 
bitants, though it is brackiili i at the Weft End of the 
liland there is a good Spring of freftl Wafers and three 
or four hidian Bamilies live there, but there is no Water 
or Houfes in any other Place. 
On the South-fide, near the Eaft End, is a gciod Salt- 
pond, where Dutch Sloops come for Salt, which is now 
become a very confiderable Commodity, and the Dutch 
are contriving Methods for turning it to ftill greater Ad- 
vantage. The Bland of Aruba lies feVen Leagues Weft 
from Curacao, and is not very confiderable •, however, 
they breed fome Cattle there, and a great many Horfes, 
whidi makes it ufeful to their chief Colony •, to which 
it alfb furnifties a great Quantity of Garden-ftuff, with- 
out which the People, at Curasao, could not fubfift ; tor 
amongft other Methods they have of getting Money, one 
is, allowing Strangers to erebl Hofpitals alhore for their 
Sick, in v/hich they confume a great many Greens and 
Roots, and pay for them very largely, as indeed they do 
for every other Conveniency. 
6. As this Bland is not above feVen Leagues diftant 
from the Spanijh Coaft, a more convenient Station can- 
not be wiftied for the carrying on a clandeftine Trade ; 
it was firft introduced by the SBe of Negroes, brought 
thither by the Dutch, from their numerous Settlements 
on the Coaft of Guinea. Thefe the Spaniards brought^ 
in a Manner, openly, and have tranfported, in their own 
Veffels, fifteen hundred at a Time. But fince the En~ 
gliJJo, from Jamaica, have interfered in this Trade, it is 
funk very confiderably, though they ftill fupply the 
neighbouring Provinces, and reap a great Profit thereby, 
becaufe no body underftands the Management of this 
Bufmefs better than they do, can bring Slaves at a 
cheaper Rate, or vend them at a higher Price. Some 
Writers have aftertved, that in its moft flourifhing Condi- 
tion,' the Slave Trade alone drew from the Spaniards 
confiderably above a Million of Pieces of Eight per 
annum. 
The Dealers at Curasao, and their Correfpondents in 
Holland, Were too knowing, and too converfant in Bufi- 
nefs, to let the Declenfion of the Slave Trade rob them 
ol the Benefit of this Ifland. In order to replace what was 
loft by the Englijh interfering with them, they built vaft 
Magazines, and ftored them with European Goods, which 
had a very good EfFedl : In the firft Place, it preferved 
to them the Remainder of their Slave Trade, for the Spa- 
niards knowing that this, of all others, was m.oft winked 
at by their Governors, refolved to keep up a Pretence 
of buying Slaves, in order to have an Opportunity of 
purchafing other things. Secondly, It tempted the Spa- 
niards to run all Hazards, that they might, at a reafona- 
ble Price, obtain any Sort of European Merchandize they 
wanted, and that too whenever they pleafe. It is incre- 
dible what vaft Sums have been annually traded for in 
this Way ^ befides, the Inhabitants of Curasao, to keep 
up a good Correfpondence with their Neighbours, and, as 
far as poffible, to fix their Affeblions, refufed to fulfer 
any Privateers to enter their Ports ; nor would, upon 
any Terms, purchafe their Plunder, wdrich, at the fame 
Time, was publicly fold at Jamaica, where the Priva- 
teers ufually fpent their Money j this Spirit of Self-denial, 
however, did not hinder the Traders of Curasao from 
directing the Privateers to put into the Hand of St. Tho- 
mas, whither they inftantly fent Sloops with Money 
and Agents on board them, to purchafe what the Pri- 
vateers had to fell ; taking Care to fend the Effe6ls as 
foon as poflible to Europe, that the Spaniards might have 
no Intelligence of this Contrivance. 
It is to be obferved, that in refpebl to this clandeftine 
'Commerce, it is chiefly carried on by the Spaniards 
themfeivesj who run all Hazards, come in Perfon to the 
Bland, and carry av/iy whatever they have bought, in tlieif 
own Ships. In procefs of Time, however, fome Mer- 
chants devifed another Way of carrying on the famie 
kind of Commerce, by Ships fent direftly from Europe 
to the Spanijh Coafts. Thefe Veflels were of fudi Force, 
that thofe aboard them ftood in no Fear of any Precau- 
tions the Governors could take; and, on the other Hand, 
as their Cargoes pafied immediately from their original 
Owners to the Spaniards, they coiild be afforded conii- 
derably cheaper than thofe configned to Fadtors in AmC'^ 
rica. The Method of trading, was by a Signal from 
the Ships, or from the Shore. The Long-boat was then 
fent off' well manned, brought the Merchants aboard with 
their Money, and carried them back with their Goods» 
The Reader has been elfewhere told, with what Obftinacy 
one of thefe Ships was defended againft tv/o Giiarda 
Coftas, and, to fay the Truth, thofe aboard them chofe 
rather to fink than be taken ; a very extraordinary kind 
of Courage, for which, however, it is not impoffibie to 
account ; and, as it may be ufeful as well as pleafant, I 
think it not amifs to enter into the Particulars thereof. 
At the Time one of thefe Ships is fitting out, Notice 
is given to all Sailors, that they ms ay have an Opportu- 
nity of entering ; which they do with ^reat Alacrity, 
there being, generally fpeaking, twice as many who of- 
fer themfelves, as can be made Ufe of; when the Pro- 
prietors have their Complement of picked Seamen, they 
not only allow every Man his proper Cargo to a certain 
Value, but alfo furnifii it themfelves on Credit, at prime 
Coft ; by this Means every private Man aboard becomes 
a Proprietor ; and if the Ship is attacked, , fights for his 
own Property, which is the Reafon that he will drown 
fooner than part with it, and is one Caufe why Guarda 
Coftas are not over-fond of meeting with thofe Veffels, 
but chufe rather to prey on fair Traders, who have fev.'er 
Men, and are of lefs Force. The Scheme I have men- 
tioned is certainly a right one, though in a WTong Caufe. 
The only Way to fupport the Spirits, and fix the Af- 
feClions, of ordinary People, is to confult their Intereft ; 
and thofe who imagine that Juftice, Honour, or any 
thing elfe, will anfwer the fame End, without a due re- 
gard to this, muff; not exped much Pity wHen they find 
their Miftake ; fo true in all Cafes is that divine Maxim, 
That the Children of this tVorld are wifer in their Genera- 
tion than the Children of Light. 
In a Time of full Peace, it has been computed that 
the Trade of this Ifland did not produce lefs to the 
Dutch than five Millions of Florins per annum, which 
is about half a Million Sterling ; and confidering that they 
derive this from a Parcel of Rocks; that any but they 
would fcarce think worth keeping, it is a prodigious thing, 
and muft, in the Opinion of every competent Judge, pafs 
for the cleareft Proof of the Dutch Skill and Induftry 
that can poffibly be given. In time of War the Profit is 
much larger ; for then every Article of their Commerce 
is vaftly increafed, they fell more Slaves, more naval 
and military Stores, and more European Goods to the 
Spaniards ; and the Governors are themfelves lefs ftrid in 
Point of Licences ; for thefe are things that muft be had, 
and there is fcarce any other Market. Befides, at fuch 
a Time, they drive a good Trade with the Englijh Squa- 
drons, that come upon thofe Coafts, and have alfo confi- 
derable Dealings with their Privateers, for which, in Time 
of W ar, they always keep a regular Faeffory at St. Tlhomas, 
as will be fhewn hereafter. 
The Reader may colledl from hence the true Reafon 
of thofe Difputes, fo often mentioned in the Dutch Ga- 
zettes, between the Crown cA Spain, and the Republic ; 
the former looking upon all the Commerce of Curasao 
as a kind of contraband Trade, which ought to fubjedl 
the Veffels employed in it to frequent Seizures, by the 
Law of Nations, which the latter will by no Means al- 
low, pretending that the Tobacco, Indigo, and Hides, 
aboard thofe Veffels, are the Produce of their own Colo- 
nies ; and that the Silver found in them, is nothing more 
than the Balance of their Trade vdth other Nations. The 
Spaniards, indeed, know, but are not always able to 
prove, the contrary, and therefore, are fometimes obliged 
to releafe the Dutch Ships, taken by their Guarda Coftas, 
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