I 
714 ne Travels nf an Englifti Gentleman^ &c. Book I[. 
Hxth Part as big as Spain yet the Produce of the for- 
mer is equal to that of the latter. This confifts chiefly 
in Wool, Wine, Oyl, Oranges, Lemons, Raifins, Figs, 
and other kinds of Fruit, with various other Commo- 
dities of lefs Value. There is likewife in Portugal a very 
rich Silver Mine, by good Judges elleemed the beft in 
Europe, from whence there has been fometimes drawn 
three hundred thoufand Pounds Sterling a Year. Yet 
with all thefe Advantages, and though there appears 
to be a vaft Trade at Lijhon, Porto, and other Places, 
the Advantages which the Inhabitants derive therefrom, 
are very far from being fo confiderable as might be ex- 
pected. The great, indeed almoft the foie Caufe of this 
is, their having little or no Turn to Trade themfelves ; 
fo that, as in Spain, the whole is in a good Manner ma- 
naged by Foreigners. 
Immediately after the Acceflion of the Houfe of Bra- 
ganca to the Throne, it fell almoft intirely into the Hands 
of Btxt French, and what little efcaped them, was managed 
by the Italians, But the Crown of France affeCting to 
treat the late King of Portugal with great Haughtinefs, 
that Prince, who was a Man of Spirit and of Parts, 
took fuch Meafures as threw the Commerce of his 
Kingdom into other Flands, and upon the French King’s 
prohibiting Brazil Tobacco and Sugar, he prohibited, 
in his Turn, moft of the French Commodities and Ma- 
nufaClures. About the fame Time he fet up Silk Looms 
in Lisbon, and other Places, which deftroyed the Trade 
of the Genoefe, Venetians and Florentines, The Dutch 
became then Mafters of this Trade, in which alfo we 
had fome fmall Share j which increafing by Degrees, 
and the late War about the Spanijh Succeflion giving 
fair Occafion to a clofer Correfpondence between the 
two Nations, we foon rivali’d, and at laid furpafled the 
Dutch, 
But how this Trade ftands at prefent, is a Queftion I 
am not well able to determine : Certain it is, that we 
feem to have ftill a Superiority over all other Nations, and 
employ in it a great Number of Ships that export vaft 
Quantities of our own Manufactures. On the other 
Hand, we import alfo prodigious Quantities of theirs ; 
and though from Time to Time confiderable Sums 
in Gold come over from thence, which looks as if 
the Balance was ftill greatly in our Favour ; yet there 
want not fome Sufpicions, that a confiderable Part of 
this Treafure arifes not from the Portuguefe Trade, but 
from the Balance of our Trade with Holland, which is 
paid us in Portuguefe Gold by the Dutch *, and, if there 
be any Truth in this, it alters the Cafe greatly. But 
however, let that Matter be as it will, two very impor- 
tant Deductions may be made from thence j the firft 
is, that from their not carrying on Trade in their 
own Bottoms, the Portuguefe are immenfe Lofers not- 
withftanding the vaft Cargoes they bring Home an- 
nually from Brazil ; the other is, that the Britijh Na- 
tion are great Gainers by the Balance of their Trade, 
whether that Balance arifes from the Dutch or the 
Portuguefe ; fo that on the Whole we fee, that the 
fureft Mark of a flourifhing Trade is the Number of 
Ships employed j for while Navigation increafes. Trade 
increafes i and, whenever it declines. Commerce muft 
decline with it. 
Our Author’s RefleClions upon what he faw in his 
Travels through Spain, are very pertinent and natural ; 
and he appears to have reprefented the Country, the 
Towns and the Inhabitants, with the utmoft Candour 
and Veracity. It is certain, that he faw Spain in the 
very worft State ftie ever was, or indeed any Country 
could be in, which was towards the.Clofe of the Reign 
01 Charles II. when her Councils were weak and di- 
ftraCled, her Treafures exhaufted, her People impo- 
veriftied and diftrdfed, her Armies confumed, and her 
Armada’s, from being the Terror, become the Con- 
tempt of all Europe. It will appear verv ftrange for a 
Man to advance it ferioufly 5 yet I muft confefs it is my 
own Opinionj that the War, occafioned by the Spanijh 
SuccdTion, notwithftanding all the Inconveniences that 
attended it^ rather helped than hurt the Spanifh Affairs. 
The Nation, at the Time of the Death of Charles IF 
was in a Kind of Lethargy ; and though this Acci- 
dent threvv^ her into violent Convulflons ; yet even thefe 
were Signs of Life, and in that Light favourable Symp- 
toms. Had there been a Reign or two more of thofe 
fleepy Monarchs, their vaft Dominions in Europe, Afia 
and America muft have been broke to Pieces ; w'hereas 
notwithftanding the War, they remain tolerably whole! 
It is indeed true, that tneir Country became the 
Scene of A6Hon, which it could not be without fuffer- 
ing from it ; but, on the other Hand, this very Cir- 
cumftance brought great Sums of Money into it, and 
kept a great Part of their American Treafure at Flome, 
Things unknown in Spain for two Ag^es before. It 
may, indeed, be faid, and faid with Truth, that a very 
large Part of the Treafure that arrived from New 
Spain, came into the French King’s Coffers : But even 
this was no Detriment to the Spaniards, if the Thino- be 
confider’d in its true Light; for, in the firft Place, 
none of thefe Treafures could have been received, if 
they had not been efcorted by French Ships of War ; 
and, in the next, France employ’d thofe Sums, and 
more, in Supporting the Intereft of Spain ; fo that the 
Nation loft nothing thereby, but was rather helped. 
What proves to a Demonftration, that this is not 
merely a Conjedure, or a political Notion plaufibly de- 
fended is this, that after the War was entirely over, and 
the late King Philip fixed upon the Throne, both his 
Armies and his Fleets were in a much better Condition 
than Spain had feen any for a whole Age before ; which 
enabled him to attempt, and would have enabled him 
to have reunited Sicily and Sardinia to his Crown, if the 
Britijh Fleet had not interpofed and crufhed his new- 
raifed Naval Force in the Streights of Meffina. A very 
great Stroke, this was efteemed, by thofe who confider’d 
it barely as a Vidory at Sea ; but to Men of another 
Caft of Mind, who meditate the Revolutions of Power, 
and the Mutations of Empire, it appeared in a much 
ftronger Light, as it fruftrated the Schemes of Cardinal 
Alheroni, and compelled his Mafter to part with a Mi- 
nifter, whofe Genius was capable of reftoring the Forces 
of that Monarchy, and rendering Spain almoft as ter- 
rible under the Government of the peaceable and pious 
Philip V. as it had been under the ambitious and po- 
litick Philip II. 
Since that Time Spain has been govern’d by a Kind 
of fecond Rate Genii, under the Influence of a female 
Spirit, reftlefs, ambitious, and at the fame Time ava- 
ritious and intriguing ; fo that the People are almoft 
in their old Condition ; and while they are flatter’d 
with the Hopes of conquering Principalities Abroad, 
and giving Laws to Europe, they are finking under the 
Weight of a weak and arbitrary Government, into 
Slavery, Poverty, and Diftrefs at Home. If any Thing 
can fave them, it muft be a Peace, when King Ferdinand 
the Sixth will find himfelf in a Condition to aft ac- 
cording to his own Inclinations, which are faid to be 
entirely Spanijh ; and that his Defire of fettling the In- 
fant Don Philip in Italy, arifes chiefly from their being 
a Sea between that Country and Spain, 
SECTION III' 
