Chap. IIL the Russian Difcoveries. ^035 
rity, or relinquiih that high Rank to which they have 
raiJed themfelves amongft the Powers of Europe. Now 
if this fliali be the Cafe, the prefent Syftem oi the Com- 
mercial \¥orld will be entirely altered. The bringing 
EaJ: India Commodities through Ruffia into Europe., 
would as efFeftually ruin the Commerce now carried on 
•by the Way of the Cape of Good Hope, as the Dif(DOve- 
ry of this demoliflied the Venetian Trade by the Way of 
Alexandria, after it had fubfiifed in the Hands of diffe- 
rent Nations for the Space of feveral Ages, and for the 
very fame Reafons. When this is reflebted upon a 
little, it will appear at once both evident and certain. 
For firfl, with refpebl to the Evidence of it, what- 
ever Method is taken, and I have fhewn there may be 
three feveral Ways employed, two of .which are not in 
the leaft incompatible with each other ; I fay, which 
ever of thefe Courfes ate taken, the Confequcnce will 
be, that the Commodities and Manufablures of India 
will come at a more moderate Price at any Mart the 
Ruffians fhalf eftablifh, than in the Way they are now 
brought into except, it may be. Spices, and a 
very tew other Things hardly worth mentioning ; and 
therefore, as the Portuguefe firff, and the Engltjh and, 
Dutch fince, have fupplanted the V metians and the Ge- 
noefe in this moft valuable Commerce, thofe who firft 
fail into a Way of dealing with the Ruffians for the 
Produce of China and the Indies, will in ail Probability 
get the ' Start of other Nations, and thereby procure 
great Advantages to themfelves, notwithftanding that 
the Ruffians mult alfo find their Account in this Manner 
of Dealing. 
It may be indeed furmifed, that all the Methods I 
have mentioned being attended with many and great 
Difficulties, and requiring a confiderable Space of Time 
to be fpent in Carriage, this will go near to render the 
Time of the Paffage as long as chat which is now in 
Ufe. But when we come to examine this Objeblion 
clofely, it will not be found near fo ffrong as at firft 
Sight It feems j for if this Trade can be carried on 
entirely by Sea, it would be no difficult Thing to prove, 
that Commodities might be tranfported from Kamfchat- 
ska to Archangel in one Summer ; and in Procefs of 
Time, by railing proper Magazines in that Country, 
Supplies might be annually brought to Archangel, from 
whence the Paffage is far from being long to certain 
Countries that i fliall have Occafion hereafter to 
mention. But if inftead of taking this Method, they 
fliould be brought, by embarking them on different Ri- 
vers to Adofcow, and from thence to Archangel, there 
will appear no Kind of Abfurdity in fuppofing this 
may be done in thirteen or in fifteen Months at the moff 
and after this Commerce ffiall beeffedually fettled, much 
fooner. We mufl likewhe confider the Cheapnefs of 
Carriage through this Empire, and that Eafe and Ex- 
pedition with which the Court can bring any thing to 
pafs that is pradicable, and may be attended with 
Profit. 
I might upon this Occafion take Notice of the Pofli- 
bility there is, that the Ruffians may one Day become 
Matters again of Afoff, or perhaps may conquer Crim 
Tartary, or at lealt fecure a Fortrefs and Port there, 
which would open to them a new Channel for this Trade, 
as was fhewn in the former Volume, in fpeaking of the 
different Methods by which the Trade to the Indies is 
now, and has been formerly carried on^ I prefume the 
Reader will eafily grant, that if any one of thefe At- 
tempts met with Succelst it would be an Encourage- 
ment to make more, and not only fo, but would like- 
wife furniffi the Means of making them, as well as 
raife the Spirits. of Ruffian Coun, induce it to 
beffow greater Attention upon Projeds of this Kind, 
and make ftronger Efforts for carrying them into Exe- 
cution than it has hitherto done. 
But it may be faid. To what Purpofe is all this .? Why 
Ihould we trouble our felves with foretelling or fore- 
feeing thefe Things, in regard to which, in the firft 
place, there is great Uncertainty ; and in the next, it is 
Time enough to concern ourfelves about them, when 
they ffiall adually come to pafs. To this I anfwer. 
That whoever has well weighed what has been advanced 
VoL. II. N*^ 142 
from the beff Authorities, in this Sedion^ will very 
plainly fee, that the pretended Incertainty refers only to 
Time; for that the Ruffians have turned their Thoughts 
this Way already, and that they have adually Variety of 
Means in their Hands to bring almoft any Schemes of 
this Sort they can form to bear, are Points out of Dif- 
pute. All that is in Doubt amounts to no more, than 
whether they ffiall fall into a Share of the India Trade 
within thefe ten Years, or whether another ten Years 
ffiall elapfe before they obtain it. This, I fay, is the 
fingle C^eflion upon that Head, and I refer it to the 
Confideration of thofe who make it fo much a (^eftion, 
whether the Improbability of their attempting and fuc- 
ceeding in this Way, is near fo great as that the Swedes 
ffiould attempt and fucceed in the other Way, which 
we fee they have adually done, and that their Trade to 
China is every Year increafing. 
Befides all this, let it be remember’d, that two new 
Ea§f India Companies are on the very Point of being 
fet up, one at Embden in Eajl Frie/land, under the Au- 
fpice of his Pruffian Majefty, now become Sovereign of 
that Country ; and the other at Leghorn, under the 
Protedion of the Emperor in Quality of Grand Dukb ; 
and that it is no Secret there are Adventurers enough 
ready and willing to advance large Sums of Money for 
the Support of thefe Undertakings. Shall we imagine 
then, that fo many Examples will not rouze the Ruffians 
to look about them, and to put in their Claim, where 
they have at lead: as good a Title as any ; or ffiall we 
imagine, that thofe who have the greateft Advantages, 
ffiall be the only Parties in fuch a Struggle that will 
meet with Difappointments No, certainly, whenevd 
a Defign of this Sort is heartily undertaken and vigo- 
roufly purfued, it will not only fucceed, but fucceed 
fooner, and in a higher Degree than can be eafily 
imagined. 
Now to the moft material Point, which is to ffiew 
how far this touches us, and why we ought to intereft 
ourfelves therein, fo far as the early Confideration of 
thefe Points may be called interefting ourfelves rather 
than our Neighbours, tho’ in Fad perhaps that may not 
be our Cafe, fince we have not been of late over-ready 
in feizing Commercial Advantages that lay more im- 
mediately in our Way, than I muft confefs this does at 
prefent. I fay then, it behoves us to be very attentive 
to what paffesof this Kind in Ruffia, for this plain and 
ftrong Realbn, viz. that we have better Grounds to hope 
we might avail ourfelves of fuch a Change in the Com- 
mercial Syftem than any other Country in Europe. 
In the firft Place, the Situation of our Ifland ren- 
ders it very eafy for us to carry on a large Trade with 
that Empire with mutual Advantage to both Nations 5 
and in cafe it became very confiderable in Comparifoa 
of what it now is, we might very eafily provide for the 
carrying it on fuccefsfully, by enlarging and improving 
the Ports we have in the North-eaft Part of this Ifland, 
by opening new ones, and by eftablifliing Magazines 
in proper Places, which by extending Navigation, pro- 
moting Induftry, employing Thoufands of our Country- 
men and Fellow-Subjeds in feveral Ways beneficial 
to the Publick, who are now either idle and ufelefs, or 
if at all employed, are in the Service of our Enemies, 
would turn to the great Profit of this Ifland, and to the 
inconceivable Advantage of its Credit and Influence. 
For there is Nothing we want fo much as a due Diftribu- 
tion of Trade and Manufadures, that Wealth may 
circulate freely through every Part of the Ifland, and 
thereby diffufe a kindly Warmth and lively Spirit, for 
Want of which, fome diftant Parts feem cold and 
ufelefs, like decayed Limbs, which has tempted fome 
Quack Politicians to talk of cutting them off, without 
confidering that fuch Amputations in the Body Politick 
are as abfurd and ridiculous as they are impradicable 
and unfafe. 
Another Reafon we have to exped that we might be 
preferred to moft other Nations in fuch a Cafe as this by 
th& Ruffians, is the many Years that not only a fair 
Correfpondence, but a clofe Friendftiip has fubfifted be- 
tween the two Nations ; for from the Reign of Queen 
Mary to thefe Times, that is, from our firft opening a 
12 G Paffage 
