Chap. III. of the DUTCH in AMERICA. 
furrounded by two Promontories, which defend the Ships 
that he within from almoft all Winds. In the Centre of 
the Port there is a fmall Fortrefs, which ftands in the 
Middle of a Plain ; it is a regular Square, with four 
good Baftions though very little, but has neither Out- 
works or Ditch ; and the only Security, befides its Walls, 
is a Pallifade, with which it is furrounded. On the Right 
and Left of the Fort, there are two fmall Eminences, 
which in our Plantations would be called Bluffs^ and feem 
by Nature defigned for Batteries, which would command 
the whole Harbour *, but whether th^Danes have miftaken 
her Intention, or are unwilling to be at any Expence that 
may be avoided, certain it is, that there are no Batteries 
here. The Hand belongs to the King of Denmark^ who 
has a Governor and a Garrifon here ; but there is befides, 
a large Fadlory on the Illand, which belongs to the 
Brandenburghers^ or Subjects to the King of Pruffia. 
The Neighbourhood of the Spani/h Hand oi Porto Rico, 
v/h’ch is at no greater Dillance than feventeen Leagues, 
Genres the Inhabitants of St. Thomas, from any Danger 
cl v/anting Provifions, to which other wife they would 
not fail to be expofed ; for though the Soil of their Eland 
be tolerably good, and every Foot of it cultivated, yet 
it v/ould not produce fulficient for the Maintenance of the 
Inhabitants, which for the Size pi the Place, are very 
numerous. The Town of St. Thomas confifts of one long 
Street, at the End of which is the DaniJIo Magazine, 
wdiich is a very large, magnificent, and convenient Build- 
ing, wherein there is room for Stores, Slaves, and Goods 
of all Sorts. Fhe Brandenhtirgh Fadcory is alfo very con- 
liderablc, and the Perfons belonging to it are chiefly 
hraiih Refugees, who fled thither w'hen the Proteftants 
■were expelled from the French Elands. The chief Pro- 
duce of their Plantations here is Sugar, which is very 
fine-grained, but is iTiade in fmall Quantities, and the whole 
Amount cannot be very conflderable ; yet the Panijh 
Governor is generally a Man of fome Rank, lives in a 
Manner very fuitable to his Character, and generally ac- 
quires a very good Fortune in that Station. TheDiredtor 
of the Panijh Trade becomes likewife rich in a few Years*, 
ana the Inhabitants in general, by the Neatnefs of their 
Houfes, and the Condition of their Plantations, fhew 
plainly enough that they are in eafy Circumftances. 
All this is derived from their Trade, which is very 
large and extenfive, and of very different Kinds *, of all 
wdiich, however, we wall do the beft we can to give the 
Reader a tolerable Idea. In the firft Place, the Spaniards 
fend nither large Veffels continually, for the Purchafe of 
Slaves, which is the chief Support of the Panijh and 
Brandenhurgh, Commerce, as they draw the Slaves w'hich 
they fell, froin their Settlements, upon theCoaft of Africa, 
and W'hich, if they had not this Vent for them, would 
long ago have become ufelds, and confequently have been 
cieferted. But befides Slaves, the Spaniards buy here, as 
at Curasao, ail Sorts of European Goods, of which there 
is always a vail Stock in the Magazine, which belong 
chiefly to the Piitch, w*ho carry on a prodigious Commerce 
.here, by which they are great Gainers. Befides this 
Trade with the Spaniards, there is a very great Refort of 
Englifj, French, and Piitch Veffels to this Port, where 
there is a common Market for them all *, where they can 
aiways depend upon the Sale of fuperfluous, and the 
1 uichafe of, necefiary Commodities *, and this cannot be 
done without conflderable Advantage to the Inhabitants of 
the Place where thefe Dealings are tranfadled. But if in 
Time of Peace there is a vafl; deal of Bufinefs done at 
St. Thomas, and immenfe Sums of Money turned in the 
Space of a Year, in Time of "War this is vaftly increafed *, 
for being a neutral Port, the Privateers of all Nations 
refort thither^ to fell their Prizes ; and the Piitch, who 
will not receive any thing taken from the Spaniards at 
Curacao, buy thefe Goods without Scruple at St. Thomas, 
and have always an A.gent and large Sums of Money 
there, ready for that Purpofe. 
This Manner of dealing, in Time of War, is fo ad- 
vantageous, that in Time of Peace the People of St. Tho- 
mas can hardly leave it off, but are a little too apt to 
deal with that Sort of Privateers, which, in plain Englijh, 
\oL. II. Numb. XCV. 
are ffiled Pirates. This paffes in the Eye of the World 
for the Work of the Panes, but the Truth of the Matter 
is, that the greateff Part of this Commerce is driven by 
their Neighbours, who are not fcrupulous of dealing wnth 
any Sort of People, provided always they can deal to 
Advantage. It was here that the famous Captain Avery 
or fome of his Companions, difpofed of the greateff Part 
of the rich Goods, taken in a Ship belonging to the Mogul, 
about forty Years ago, when the Magazines 2X St. Thomas, 
were fo exceffively crouded with Indian Goods, that they 
were not entirely emptied in twenty Years after, though 
they generally fold them at low Prices ; and it was by 
this Accident, that Pieces of Arabian Gold, which were, 
properly fpeaking, Pagodas, were long current in the 
W ^]i Indies, under the Name of Sequins, for they knew 
not what to call them, at the Rate of about fix Shillings, 
and Nutmegs, Cloves, Cinnamon and Mace, were like- 
wife bought there very cheap, for many Years after. 
9. We have now run through the entire Hiffory of 
America, from its firff Difeovery to the prefent Time : 
We havelhewn how, when, and by whom, all the dif- 
ferent Parts of the Continent *, and all the feyeral Hands of 
this new World were difeovered, planted, or conquered ; 
but we have been more particularly careful to explain the 
prefent State of its Commerce, and the Importance of their 
Settlements to the feveral Nations in Europe which have 
Territories in that Country. All therefore that we have 
now to do is, to add fome what by Way of Conjedlure, 
as to what may be the future State of thefe vaff Countries, 
and what Changes may poffibly happen in the Affairs of 
their prefent Poffeffors. It is very certain, that a Writer 
runs a great Rifle, who hazards his Credit upon fuch 
Contingencies, and is commonly but very little pitied, 
if he is fo unfortunate as to fall into Miftakes, becaufe 
he might have avoided, if he had been wife, the run- 
ning any fuch Rifle *, but there is great Difference between 
an Author who has nothing fo much in View as railing 
his own Character, and one w'ho confiders only the 
Benefit of his Readers, and the Advantages that may 
refult from his Writings to others. The latter I freely 
own is all I aim at, and as I am very certain, that whe- 
ther the Event juffifies my Conjectures or not, the Public 
will be Gainers, I am very little concerned about my 
Character as a Writer, and therefore am very willing to 
take my Chance, whether what I am going to fay upon 
this Subject may raife, or ruin, my Reputation. 
The Spaniards have undoubtedly, the faireff, largeff, 
and richeff Countries in America \ but I am very far from 
thinking that they are the moff powerful Nation in thofe 
Parts, or that they draw greater Advantages from their 
Settlements, than are derived from their Colonies to the 
Britijlo Nation. This will appear to many an abfurd 
and ridiculous Affertion, and will appear to moff a Para- 
dox hardly to be maintained ; but to me it feems a 
Truth, and therefore I venture to lay it down ; and fhali 
next offer my Reafons in the Support of it. In the firft 
place, though the Spanijh Empire in America be very 
wide, yet it is alfo very weak : In the Kingdom of 
Mexico, they are ftrongeft, the Government is in 
a very ticklifli Situation, the People in general are dif- 
contented, and even thofe entrufted with the Government 
are far enough from being pleafed •, infomuch that I am 
very certain, if any Attempt had been made with a 
reafonable Force upon that Country, in the Beginning of 
the prefent War, a general InfurreClion would have en- 
fued. In Peru or South-America their Situation is much 
worfe, their Force being not near fo great, and the Dif- 
pofitibn of the People not at all better ; fo that if any 
Notice had been taken of a ProjeCt publiflied when we 
firft declared War againft that Nation, under the Title of 
A Propofal for humbling Spain, we might have made 
ourfelves Mafters of Buenos Ayres, with as little Lofs as 
was fuftained in the fruitlefs Attempt upon Laguira and 
Porto Cavallo, which could not have turned to any 
great Account if we had fucceeded. The Spaniards, on 
the contrary, had it not in their Power to hurt us, as ap- 
pears from their being defeated in an Attempt upon the 
leaft and weakeft of our Colonies, with all the Force 
5 ^ they 
