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A / ^ 
The Discoveries and Settlements Book L 
and for thofe that afc coniifcateds though the Dutch al- 
ways make a great Noife about it, yet they are fenfible 
enough, that they have not much Reafon j and this is the 
true Caufej hotwitliftanding all their loud Complaints^ 
that they never proceed to Extremities upon this Subjedt, 
but are content with what Reftitution they can get, and 
ftili keeping up a Claim to what they know will never 
be reftored. 
7, We have, in feveral Parts of this Work, had Oc- 
cafion to fpeak of the Dutch Weft India Company, and 
therefore we fhali not repeat here what has been already 
faid upon that Subjed, but content ourfelves with ob- 
ferving that the Weft I?idia Company, which fubfifts at 
prefent in that Country, is not the fame that formerly 
made fo great a Figure in the World, were Mailers of 
Brazil^ and the Scourge of Spaniards \ but another 
Company erebled on the Ruin of that, in the Year 1674, 
into which the Proprietors of the Old Weft India Compa- 
ny were indeed admitted, but admitted upon fuch 
Terms, as fhewed plainly enough how low they were 
fallen, and how near becoming Bankrupts, for they 
Were allowed no more than fifteen per Cent, in the new 
Capital j that is to fay, if a Member of the Old Weft 
India Company was poiTeffed there of one hundred Flo- 
rins in Property, it gave him a Title to no more than 
fifteen Florins in the new Stock *, neither could they think 
this hard, fince fome of their Creditors bore a great Pro- 
portion in the Lofs. Thofe that had lent Money upon 
the Stock, had no more than thirty per Cent, allowed 
them ; but as to the fair Creditors, with whom the Com- 
pany had riiti in Debt tor the Support of their Com- 
merce, they had their Demands converted into Stock at 
par i fo that the Proprietors of the New Company were 
three different Sorts of People, in Favour of whom the 
Republic granted all the Privileges and Emoluments 
which the Old Company had enjoyed •, and they entered, 
likewife, into the Poflefiion of all the Foitreffes and Co- 
lonies which belonged to the fame Old Company. 
The Affairs of this New Company were managed, as 
they ftill are, by Diredlors, in the lame Manner as thofe 
of the Eaft India Company *, and though by feveral Calls 
they railed confiderable Sums of Money, and carried on 
their Trade with tolerable Spirit for fome Years, yet they 
could never retrieve their Affairs, but have been always 
endeavouring to unite themfelves to the Eaft India Com- 
pany, as the only Means left for preferving their Settle- 
ments in Africa and the Weft Indies. As for Surinam., 
there is a particular Company eftabliflied for the Ma- 
nagement of its Commerce ; and the Trade to Curasao 
is managed by private Perfons, who pay the Company 
for their Licences, and a fmall Duty upon all the Goods 
exported or imported. The only exclufive Trade they 
now enjoy, is that of Negroes, which of late is very 
much declined. The Reader will cafily perceive, that 
the great Caufe why this Com.pany has funk fo low, is 
the Lofs of the Colonies in the Weft Indies *, for if they 
had more Plantations there, and thofe of greater Extent, 
it would occafion a Demand for Negroes *, and as the 
African Trade is ftill in the Hands of this Company, they 
would be great Gainers thereby, and a confiderable Part 
of the Commodities brought from the IVeft Indies, muft: 
neceflarily enter their Warehoufes. 
As it is, the Dutch drive a large and a beneficial Trade 
to that Part of the World, fo that the Nation in general 
fuffers very little, if any thing, by the Company’s being 
in a low Condition •, which, in ail probability, is the true 
Caufe why the Republic is at fo little Pains to recover, 
or reftore, the Affiiirs of that Company ; and, perhaps, 
would be glad to fee it united to that of the Eaft Indies, 
as a Means, and, indeed, the only Means, of reviving and 
fupporting the Slave-Trade. There was a Probability, as we 
have fhewn in another Place, of feeing this accompliftied, 
upon the Propofal made by the Weft India Company for 
that Purpofe, in 1 7 1 4, when they made it appear, that 
their Funds amounted to near one hundred and fifty thou- 
fand Florins a Year, exclufive of a legal Demand they 
have upon tlie Crown of Portugal for a large Sum of 
Money ; but, fince that Time, the Affair feems to have 
been no more thought of, or is it at all likely that it 
will hereafter be brought to a Conclufion. Upon the 
whole, therefore, we have very good Reafon to fuppofe, 
that as their Affairs now ftand, the Dutch will never 
make any great Progrefs in this Part of the World ■, for, 
except their Colonies upon the Continent, they have none 
that are either capable of being improved or extended. Ta- 
bago can hardly be refettled, unlefs we Ihould expel the 
Indians out of St. Vincent, St. Euftachius and Saba are 
down-right Rocks, of which it is wonderful that they 
make fo much as they do, but it is impoffible that 
they fhould make more ; and the fame thing may be 
faid of Curasao, and the Hands which depend upon it ; fo 
that how much foever private People may gain by the 
contraband Trade, carried on from thence with the Spa- 
niards, yet it is not at all probable that they fhould ever 
become formidable to us, or to the French in the Weft 
Indies. 
We may add to this, that even a great Part of that 
Trade is now carried on with the Spaniards from Holland 
diredlly, fo that many of the Ships employed therein 
barely touch at Curasao, that they may have a Pretence 
tor {landing over to the Spanifh Main, where, efpecially 
in Time of War, they find a Way to trade, in the fol- 
lowing Manner : They bear away diredlly for a Spanijh 
Port, and as they enter it make Signals of Diftrefs, pre- 
tending, commonly, that they have Iprung a Leak, and 
that they are in imminent Danger of perifhing at Sea, which 
obliges them to leek for Shelter and Protedlion in the Port 
of a Crown allied to the Republic. As foon as they come 
to an Anchor, the firfl thing that is done, is to give No- 
tice to the Governor of their great Diftrefs, and, as a full 
Proof thereof, to fend a very confiderable Prefent. By 
this Means Leave is obtained to come afiiore, to eredl a 
Warehoufe, and to unload the Ship ; but then all this is 
performed under the Eye of the King’s Officers, and the 
Goods are regularly entered in the Regifter, as they are 
brought into the Warehoufe, which, when full, is ihut 
lip, and the Doors fealed j all thefe Precautions taken, 
the Bufinefs is effectually carried on in the Night, by a 
Back-door, and the European Goods being taken out. 
Indigo, Cochineal, Vanillas, Tobacco, and above all. 
Bars of Silver, and Pieces of Eight, are very exaClly 
packed in the fame Cafes, and placed as they flood be- 
fore. 
But then, that fuch as have bought may be able to fell 
publicly, a new Scheme takes place, a Petition is pre- 
fented to the Governor, letting forth the Strangers \V ant 
of Money to pay for Provifions, building the VVare- 
houfe. Timber for repairing the Ships, and a propor- 
tionable Number of public j in Confideration of all 
which. Leave is defired to difpofe of fome fmall Part of 
their Cargo, in order to difeharge thofe Debts •, thefe 
being obtained in the ufual Manner, fomething of each 
Sort of Goods, which has been privately fold, is now 
publicly brought to Market, and purchafed by thofe 
Perfons refpeClively who had large Quantities in their 
Warehoufes before. Thus this whole Scene of Iniquity 
is tranfadled with all the formal Solemnity which could 
attend an Act of Juftice and Compaflion. The larger 
Concern Dutch have in this Kind of Trade, the lefs 
they will be inclined to planting •, that is to fay, while 
they have this Channel for the bringing in of Wealth 
open, they will be the lefs ready to think of fettling new 
Colonies, or of extending and improving thofe that they 
already have ; and indeed, if they were to think other- 
wife upon this Subjedl, they would find infinite Difficul- 
ties in the Execution of any Defign of that Nature, at a 
Time when all the Nations in Europe are thoroughly con- 
vinced of the Importance of their American Sett ements, 
and are extremely jealous of each other’s Progrefs therein. 
8. There remains now but one little Hand more in this 
Part of the World, of which the Nature of our Defign 
obliges us to give an Account : This is, the fmall Bland 
of St. Thomas, which lies in the Latitude of 1 8 Degrees 
North, and is one of the largeft of that duller of Hands 
which are called the Virgins. This Hand is not above 
feven Leagues in Circumference, but has the Ad- 
vantage of a very good Situation in all Refpedls : The 
Port is excellent, the Form of it an Oval, almoft entirely 
fiarrounded 
1 
