105 - 1 - 
Neither have we been afraid to profefs our Senfe of 
the Chimericalnefs of lome Apprchenfions, and the too 
great SanguineneJs of others, or of affigning our Rea- 
fons for both ; whence we hope it will be lufRciently 
apparent, that nothing but unexpected and unexam- 
pled Vii^our and Vigilance on their Side, and inexcu- 
fable Indolence and Inattention on ours, can poflibly 
caufe any great Alteration in the prelent Situation of 
Things between the two Nations in that Part of the 
World during our Times. All which is delivered, not 
with the leaft Intention to render us carelefs and lecure, 
but to keep up the Spirits of our People, and to intro-^ 
duce and maintain a right Opinion ot our own Strength 
and Capacity of maintaining and extending our Com- 
merce, notwithflianding the Growth of that of 
and the Pains taken to improve and encourage it. ^ This 
we conceive to be a Spirit that ought to be excited in our 
Plantations, as of all other the mofl: capable to enliven 
their Hopes, invigorate their Conduiff, and give Succefs 
to their Endeavours. 
The Poffeffions of the Dutch in the JV ifi Indies^ are 
in themfelves far enough from being confiderable, and 
yet through the Induffry ol their Inhabitants, and that 
Wifdom and Dexterity with which they manage their 
ciandeftine Trade with the Spaniards, they are of no 
fmall Confequence, as we have largely fhewn. It is 
indeed true, that hnce the Writing of chat Part, we 
have been aiTured from very good Hands, that the Co- 
lony of Surinam, which we gave them in Exchange for 
their Settlements at New York, is very much improved, 
and is improving daily ; nor can there be much Doubt 
of this, if we may believe what the French Gazettes 
have told us of the Value of the Prizes taken by their 
Privateers in chat Ihort Space that aflual Hollilities 
were exercifed between the Subje£ls of the two Powers, 
which according to thofe Accounts amounted to between 
two and three hundred thoufand Pounds ; and this too 
in the aftual Commodities and Manufaftures of that 
Colony. This is the more furprizing, becaufe there 
has been a general Opinion, though 1 doubt not very 
well grounded, that the. Dutch were not very expert in 
making Settlements in that Part of the World j how- 
ever muft not be concealed, that the modern Im- 
provements of Surinam are faid to have been in a great 
Meafure owing to the Planters receiving great Affiftance 
from the EngUJh and French, that from Cayenne and the 
Leward Elands have come and fettled amongft them, and 
have taught them new Methods of manuring their Lands, 
of raifing Sugar, and other valuable Commodities. 
The Court of Copenhagen has for two Reigns applied 
it felf with fo much Attention and Diligence to com- 
mercial Affairs, that we cannot at all wonder at the 
Reports which are daily fpread of the Danes having an 
Intention to extend their Commerce in the IVefi Indks j 
but confidering that the fmall Hand of St. Fhomas is all 
that they poffeis there, and is in itfelf incapable of being 
render’d much more beneficial than hitherto it has 
been, we cannot eafily apprehend, how any Pains that 
can be taken about it, will be brought to yield any 
adequate Returns, unlefs there fhould be fome Truth in 
what has been likewife intimated from Denmark, 
there is a Scheme on Foot for reviving their Ajrican 
Commerce, with a View of tranfporting their Negroes 
to the Ele of St. Fhomas, and fupplying from thence 
the Spanijh Plantations. Time will fhew whether this 
Project has any Foundation, and alfo whether it is pof- 
fible for the Danijh Government to bring it to bear. 
XII. The Second Book confifts of a Defcripdon of 
the Northern Parts of the Globe, and of Travels thro 
moft of the Countries in Europe. We have handled 
the firft Part of the Subject very largely, and that 
chiefly for this'Reafon, becaufe it had been very much 
overlooked and neglefted by others. We have alfo 
taken the Opportunity of giving very compleac Hi- 
ftones of the Attempts made for difcovering the North- 
eaft and the Norch-we'ft Paffages! With refped to the 
firft, it was our Misfortune not to receive any certain 
Intellio'cnce with refpeft to the Ruffian Difcoveries, till 
long after that Part of the Work was finifhed and pub- 
CONCLUSION. 
lifhed •, but we have endeavoured to fupply that Defedf, 
as far as poffible, in the Jaft Seiftion, as, being willing 
to run the Hazard of fome Impropriety, rather than 
bury in Oblivion thofe curious and important Paffages 
that came fo lately to our Notice. 
In reference to the North-weft Paffage again, we 
were ftili more unlucky, as not having an Opportunity 
to fee the Account of the laft Voyage, made with a 
View to that Difcovery, till many Months after that 
Hiftory had been in the Hands of the Publick. But 
it gives us great Pleafure to find, that the Event of this 
laft Voyage is fo far from deftroying the Credibility of 
what we have advanced upon that Head, that it agrees 
in all Refpecfts with what we have delivered, and adds 
much greater Strength to our Conjectures than we could 
well have hoped for or expeCted, This too has encou- 
raged us to add fome farther Thoughts upon that im- 
portant Difcovery in the laft SeClion, which we flatter 
ourfelves will not be difapproved by our Readers, and 
which, we have little Doubt, will be alfo confirmed by 
the Event of the next Voyage, when-ever it fhall be 
undertaken, which for the Honour and Welfare of our 
Country, we hope will be very foon. 
As to the Voyages on the Coafts of Norway, Lap- 
land, and Mufcovy, the Accounts of Sweden, Denmark^ 
and Poland, and the Remarks upon them, they will be 
found to give as much Light into the prefent State and 
Condition of the Countries to which they relate, as any 
thing that could be extracted from what has been pub- 
lifhed about them ; and if any who perufe them think 
that we have carried Matters a little too far, with refpeCl 
to that very extenfive View which we have given of the 
commercial Improvements in the North, all the Favour 
we defire is, that they will fufpend a decifive Judgment 
for fome Time, and we fhall then both readily and pa- 
tiently fubmit to any Cenfure that fhall be grounded in 
Reafon. 
Of the Travels thro’ the middle Parts of Europe, par- 
ticularly the United Provinces, the reft of the Low Coun- 
tries, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, &c. we can only fay, 
that they are fuch as were poffeffed of the publick Eff 
teem long before they enter’d into this Collection ; and 
as we have given them very faithfully, and with no other 
Corrections than what relate to their Stile, and fome 
Part of their Difpofltion with a View to prevent tedious 
and needlefs Repetitions, we have no Caufe to fear any 
Strictures upon our ConduCt in relation to them. 
The fame Care and Fidelity was fhewn in the other 
Travels through France, Spain, &c. and fome Merit we 
aflame from recalling to the Eye of the World, the 
Travels of Dr. Edward Brown through Hungary, Aujiriat 
and other Countries, even to the very Frontiers of Eu- 
rope, which, without Queftion, are in all RefpeCts as 
worthy of Attention and Credit as any Thing of their 
Kind in our Language. What Additions we have made, 
more efpecially in regard to the prefent State of France, 
and the reigning Syftem of Policy in that Kingdom, 
will be found very agreeable to Truth, and not at all 
unworthy of the Reader’s Notice. 
The great End of this Sort of Reading, is the very 
fame that is fought by aClual Travelling, that is to fay, 
the fhaking off thofe narrow Notions *, and, if I may 
be allowed fo familiar an Expreffion, thofe clownilh' 
Conceptions which fuch People have, as have never 
fuffered cither their Bodies or their Minds to make any 
Excurfions beyond the Limits of their own Countries, 
or to acquire a general Idea of the principal Nations 
about us, as well as fome tolerable Notions of the Coun- 
tries they inhabit ; the Manners, Cuftoms and Policies 
of the one, and the Climate, Soil and Produce of the 
other. 
Such Books therefore as were moft likely to anfwer 
thefe Intentions, were fitteft for our Purpofe, and were 
therefore taken into this Collection in Preference to fuch 
as were written perhaps in a more elevated Stile, and 
were fuller of that Kind of curious Learning which ren- 
ders them the Delight of Antiquaries and Virtuofi ; not 
that thefe are not alfo valuable in their, Kind, but that 
they are lefs fit for general Reading, lefs ufeful to the 
^ Bulk 
