UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
AT LOS ANGELES
HERN BRANCH
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA,
LIBRARY,
ANGELES, CALJF. *
\
A
PHILOSOPHICAL AND POLITICAL
HISTORY
O F T H E
SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
F T H E
EUROPEANS
1 N T H E
EAST AND WEST INDIES.
Tranflated from the French of the
ABBE RAYNAL,
By J. J U S T A M O N D, M. A.
THE THIRD EDITION:
REVISED AND CORRECTED.
WITH MAPS ADAPTED TO THE WORK,
AND A COPIOUS INDEX.
VOLUME THE SECOND.
LONDON:
Printed for T. C A D E L L, in the Strand.
M DCC LXXVII.
52884
CONTENTS
O F T H E
SECOND VOLUME.
BOOK IV.
Page
T/OTdGESifettlements, wars, andtrade>
of the French in the Eaft Indies I
BOOK V.
Trade of Denmark, Ojlend, Sweden, Pruffia,
Spain, and RuJJia, to the Eajl Indies. Some
important inquiries concerning the connexions
of Europe with India i^y
BOOK VI.
Difcovery of America. Conqueji of Mexico ; and
fettlements of the Spaniards in that part of the
New World ^
BOOK VII.
Conqueft cfPeru by the Spaniards. Changes that
have happened in this empire fince that revo-
lution
A
PHILOSOPHICAL AND POLITICAL
HISTORY
O F t H E
SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
F T H E
EURO. P BANS
1 N T H E
EAST AND WEST INDIES.
BOOK IV.
Voyages-t Settlements, Wars^ and Trade of the
French in the EaJi-Indies.
T
HE ancient Gauls, almoft always at war B o o K
with each other, had no other intercourfe
but fuch as favage nations, whofe wants ^Ju""',^
are always few, can have with each other. Their commerce
connections abroad were ilill more circumfcribed.
Some navigators from Vannes carried earthen-ware
to Great Britain, where they bartered it for dogs,
flaves, tin, and furs. Such of thefe articles as
they could not difpofe of at home, were conveyed
to Marfeilles, and there exchanged for wines,
fluffs, and fpices, which- were brought thither by
traders from Italy or Greece.
VOL. II. B THIS
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
> K
IV.
D K THIS kind of traffic was not carried on by all
the Gauls. It appears from Crefar's account, that
the inhabitants of Belgia had prohibited the im-
portation of all foreign commodities, as tending
to corrupt their morals. They thought their own
foil fufficiently fruitful to anfwer all their wants.
The Celtic and Aquitanian Gauls were not fo
Itricb. To enable them to pay for the commodi-
ties they might procure from the Mediterranean,
and for which their defire was continually increaf-
ing, they had recourie to a kind of labour that
had never before occurred to them : they collected
with great care all the gold duft that was brought
down with the fand along the ftream of feveral of
their rivers.
. THOUGH the Romans had neither a turn for
trade, nor held it in any kind of eflimation, it
necefiarily increafed in Gaul, after they had fub-
dued, and in fome meafure civilized it. Sea-ports
were eftablifhed at Aries, Narbonne, Bourdeaux,
and other places. Magnificent roads were every
where made, the ruins of which we Hill behold
with aflonifhment. Every navigable river had its
company of merchants, to whom coniiderable pri-
vileges were granted. Thefe were called Nautes,
and were the agents and iprings of a general circu-
lation.
THIS rifmg fpirit was checked by the inroads
of the Franks and other barbarous nations; nor
was it reftored to its former activity, even when
thefe robbers had eftablifhed themfelves in their
conquefts. To their favage fury fucceeded an
unbounded paffion for wealth, to gratify which,
they
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
they had recourfe to every kind of oppreflion. B lv
Every boat that came to a town was to pay a duty * y
for entrance, another for the falute, a third for
the bridge, a fourth for approaching the* fhore,
a fifth for anchorage, a fixth for leave to unload,
and a feventh for ftore-room. Land carriages
were not more favourably treated, and were ex-
pofed to the infufferable tyranny of cuftom-houfe
officers, who were difperfed all over the country.
Thefe excefles were carried fo far, that fometimes
the goods brought to market did not produce
enough to pay the expences incurred before the
fale of them. A total difcouragement was the ne-
ceflary confequence.of fuch enormities.
CLOYSTERS foon became" the only places where
induftry prevailed, and manufactures were carried
on. The Monks were not then corrupted by idle-
nefs, intrigue, and debauchery. Ufeful labours
filled up the vacancies of an edifying and retired
life. The moft humble and robuft of them fhared
the toils of agriculture with their fervants, Thofe
to whom nature had imparted lefs ftrength, or
more underftanding, applied themfelves to *the
cultivation of the neglected and abandoned arts.
All of them in filence and retirement were en-
gaged in the fervice of their country, whofe fub-
ftance their fucceflbrs have inceffantly devoured,
and diflurbed its tranquillity.
DAGOBERT excited the fpirit of his countrymen
in the feventh century. Fairs were opened, to
which the Saxons flocked with tin and lead from
England ; the Jews with jewels and gold or filver
plate j the Sclavonians with all the metals of the
B 2 North j
4 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
* o^ K North ; traders from Lombardy, Provence, and
* w ' Spain, with the commodities of their refpective
countries, and thofe they received from Africa,
Egypt, and Syria; the merchants of every pro-
vince in the kingdom, with whatever their foil
and their induftry afforded. Unfortunately this
profperity was of a fhort duration; it difappeared
under indolent kings, but revived under Char-
lemagne.
THAT prince, who might without flattery be
ranked with the greateft men recorded in hiftory,
had he not been fometimes influenced by fangui-
nary fchemes of conqueft, and fullied with acts of
perfecution and tyranny, feemed to follow the
footileps of thofe firft Romans, who made rural' 1
labours a relaxation from the fatigues of war.
He applied himfelf to the care of his vaft do-
mains, with that clofenefs and fkill which would
hardly be expected from the mod afliduous man
in a private ftation. All the great men of the
ftate followed his example, and devoted themfelves
to hufbandry, and to thofe arts which attend, or
are immediately connected with it. From that
period the French had plenty of their own pro-
ductions to barter, and could with great eafe make
them circulate throughout the immenie empire,
which was then fubject to their dominion.
So flourifhing a fituation prefented a frefh
allurement to the Normans to indulge the incli-
nation they had for piracy. Thofe barbarians,
accuftpmed to feek from plunder that wealth which
their foil did not afford, came in multitudes out of
their inhofpitable climate in queft of booty. They
attacked
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
attacked all the fea-coafts but thofe of France,
which promifed the richeft fpoil, with the greateft
violence. The ravages they committed, with the
cruelties they exercifed, the flames they kindled
for a whole century in thofe fertile provinces,
cannot be remembered without horror. During
that fatal period nothing was thought of but how
to efcape flavery or death. There was no com-
munication between the feveral parts of the king-
dom, and confequently no trade.
IN the mean time the nobles, intrufted with the
adminiftration of the provinces, had infenfibly
made themfelves matters of them, and had found
means to make their authority hereditary. They
had not, indeed, thrown off all dependence on
the head of the empire; but, retaining the modeft
appellation of vaffals, they were not much lefs
formidable to the ftate than the kings in the neigh-
bourhood of its frontiers. They were confirmed
in their ufurpations at the memorable asra when
the fceptre was removed from the family of Char-
lemagne to that of the Capets. From that time
there were no longer any national afiemblies, no
tribunals, no laws, no government. In that fatal
confufion, the fword ufurped the place of juftice,
and the free citizens were forced to embrace fer-
vitude, to purchafe the protection of a chief v, ho
was able to defend them.
COMMERCE could not poffibly fiourifli when
loaded with the (hackles of flavery, and in the
midft of the continual diflurbances occafioned by
the moft cruel anarchy. Induflry is the child of
peace 3 nothing depreffes it fo much as fervitude.
B 3 Genius
6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK Genius languifhes when it is not animated by
u - y l ^> hope and emulation -, and neither of thefe can fub-
fift where there is no property. Nothing is a
ftronger recommendation of liberty, or more fully
proves the rights of mankind, than the impoffibi-
lity of working fuccefsfully to enrich barbarous
matters.
SEVERAL of the kings of France entertained
fome idea of this important truth j they attempted
to abridge the power of thofe petty tyrants, who,
by ruining their unfortunate vaiTals, kept up the
calamities of the monarchy. St. Lewis was the
firft who introduced trade into the fyftem of go-
vernment. Before his time it was only a work of
chance and circumftances. He brought it under
the regulation of ftated laws ; and he himfelf drew
up ftatutes, which have ferved as a model for
thofe that have fmce been enacted.
THESE firft fteps led the way to meafures of
greater importance. The old law, which forbad
the exportation of all productions of the kingdom j,
was ftill in force, and agriculture was difcouraged
by this abfurd prohibition. The wjfe monarch re-
moved thefe fatal impediments -, expecting, not
without reafon, that a free exportation would re-
flore to the nation thofe treafures which his Im-
prudent expedition into Afia had lavi/hed.
SOME political events feconded thefe falutary
views,-*? Before the reign of St. Lewis, the kings
of France had but few ports on the ocean, and
none on the Mediterranean. The northern coafts
were divided between the Counts of Flanders and
the Dukes of Burgundy, Normandy, and Bretagne :
the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
the reft belonged to the Englilh. The fouthern B iv
coafts were pofleffed by the Counts of Touloufe, v -v
and the Kings of Majorca, Arragon, and Caftile.
By this arrangement, the inland provinces had lit-
tle or no communication with the foreign markets.
The union of the county of Touloufe v/ith the*
crown removed this great obftacle, at leaft for a
part of the French territory.
PHILIP, the fon of St. Lewis, defirous of im-
proving the advantages of this union, endea-
voured to draw to Nifmes, a city under his jufif-
diction, part of the trade carried on at Montpel-
lier, which belonged to the king of Arragon. The
privileges he granted produced the defired effect ;
but it was foon found to be an object of little con-
fequence. The Italians fupplied the kingdom with
fpices, perfumes, filks, and all the rich fluffs of
the Eaft. The arts had not made fuch progrefs in
France as to admit of the manufactures being ufed
in exchange ; and the produce of agriculture was
not fufficient to defray fo many expences of
luxury. A trade of fuch value could not be car-
ried on without money, and there was but little
in the kingdom, efpecially fmce the Crufades ;
though France was not fo poor as moft of the other
European nations.
PHILIP', furnamed The Fair, was fenfible of
thefe truths ; he found means to improve agri-
culture, fo as to anfwer the demands of foreign
importations; and thefe he reduced, by eitablifhing
new manufactures, and improving the old ones.
Under this reign the miniftry firft undertook to
guide the hand of the artift, and to direct his
$ 4 labours.
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
IV K labours. The breadth, the quality, and the dreff-
v~ > ing of the clothes were fixed j the exportation of
wool, which the neighbouring nations came to
purchafe in order to manufacture it, was prohi-
bited. Thefe were the beft meafures that could
be taken in thofe times of ignorance.
SINCE that period the progrefs of the arts, was
proportioned to the decay of feudal tyranny. The
French, however, did not begin to form their tafte
till the time of their expeditions into Italy, They
were dazzled with a thoufand new objects that pre-
fented themfelves at Genoa, Venice, and Florence,
The ftrictnefs obferved by Anne of Bretagne, un^
der the reigns of Charles VIII. and Lewis XII. at
firft reftrained the conquerors from giving full
fcope to their propenfity for imitation j but no
fooner had Francis I. invited the women to court,
no fooner had Catharine of Medicis crofTed the
Alps, than the great affected an elegance un-
known before fince the firft foundation of the
monarchy. The whole nation was led by this
alluring example of luxury, and the improve-
ment of the manufactures was the natural confe-.
quence.
FROM Henry II. to Henry IV, the civil wars,
the unhappy divifions of religion, the ignorance
of government, the fpirit of finance which began
to have its influence in the council -, the barbarous
and devouring avarice of men in bufmefs, encou-
raged by the protection they enjoyed j all thefe
feveral cauies retarded the progrefs of induftry,
but could never deltroy it. It revived with frefli
fplendour under the frugal adminiftration of Sully .
It
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
It was almoft extinguilhed under thofe of Richelieu B ^
and Mazarine, both governed by the farmers of \r
the revenue; one wholly^ taken up with his am-
bition for empire and his fpirit of revenge, the
other with intrigue and plunder.
No king of France had ever ferioufly confidered Firft voyaj
the advantages that might accrue from a trade to French t
India, nor had the emulation of the French been Ldifs!
excited by the luftre which other nations derived
from it. They coniumed more eaftern productions
than any other nation $ they were as favourably
fituated for procuring them at the firft hand ; and .
yet they were content to pay to foreign induftry
what their own might as well have partaken
of.
SOME merchants of Rouen had ventured, in-
deed, in 1535, upon a fmall expedition ; but Ge-
nonville, who commanded it, met with violent
florins at the Cape of Good Hope, was caft upon
unknown lands, and wfth much difficulty got back
to Europe.
IN 1 60 1 a fociety formed in Bretagne fitted
out two fhips, to endeavour to get a fliare, if
pofllble, of the riches of the Eaft, which the
Portuguefe, the Engliih, and the Dutch, were con-
tending for. Pyrard, who commanded thefe fhips,
arrived at the Maldives, and did not return to his
own country till after an unfortunate navigation of
ten years.
A NEW company, headed by one Girard, a native
of Flanders, fitted out fome fhips from Normandy
for the ifland of Java, in 1616 and 1619. They
returned with cargoes fufficient to indemnify the
adven-
10 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K adventurers, but not enough to encourage them
* v- ' to any frefh undertakings.
CAPTAIN Reginon, upon the expiration of this
fruitiefs grant in 1633, prevailed upon fome mer-
chants of Dieppe, two years after, to enter upon
a track which might be productive of great riches,
if properly purfued. Fortune baffled the endea-
vours of the new adventurers. The only advan-
tage gained by thefe repeated expeditions, was
the high opinion that was conceived of the ifland
of Madagalcar, difcovered by the Portuguefe in
4 1506.
THIS gave rife to a company in 1642, which
was to make a confiderable fettlement on that
ifland, to fecure to their fhips the neceffary refrelh-
ments for failing further.
Settlement UPON a furvey of the ifiand, it was found to
French on ^ e ^ ltuate< ^ a lng the eaftern coaft of Africa; it
Madagascar. wa $ three hundred and thirty-fix leagues long,
ofYhat lon and one hundred and twenty broad in the wideft
part, and about eight hundred in circumference.
By whatever wind a fhip is brought there, nothing
but dreary and barren fands are to be' feen ; but
at a greater diftance from the fhore the foil is
fometimes black, fometimes reddilh, moftly fruit-
ful, and every where watered by a great number
of rivers. Vegetation is here very quick ; the foil
requires little labour, and naturally produces rice,
potatoes, bananas, pine-apples, indigo, hemp, cot-
ton, filk, fugar, palm-trees, cocoa-trees, orange-
trees, gum-trees, and timber fit for building, and
for every ufe. The paftures are excellent, and are
covered with oxen of the largefl kind, and fheep
exactly refembling thofe of Barbary,
THI
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. i
THE ifland of Madagafcar is divided into a great B IV
many provinces ; each of them has a chief called < - y
Diatty which anfwers to the word Lord. All the
enfigns of his dignity are his (laves and his flocks.
His place is hereditary j but, in default of heirs,
it devolves upon the oldeft of his delegates. His
council is compofed of fome magiftrates whom he
makes choice of; and the reft, which is the
greateft number, refide in the villages, to preferve
peace and adminifter juftice. He can neither
declare war without their confent, nor fupport it
without the voluntary contribution and actual
affiftance of his people.
SUCH is the general form of government in the
ifland ; the province of Anofli alone differs from
jt, having been porTeffed by the Arabs for feveral
centuries pail. Though few in number, they foon
became the ftrongeft, and divided the country
into twenty- two diftricts, each of which had a
ruler of their own nation, to whom they gave the
Name of Boandrian, or defcendant of Abraham.
Theie petty fovereigns are continually at war with
each other, but never fail to unite againft the
other princes of Madagafcar, who hold them in
deteftation, as being fpreigners and ufurpers. This
is of all the ifland that part which is the moll
deflitute of morals, activity, induftry, and bra-
very, becaufe it is the only one where there is no
liberty.
SOME of the French fettled at Fort Dauphin, in
the country of Anofll, have lately in their excur-
fions difcovered a new race of men, called Kimos*
the calleft of whom are not above four feet high.
They
iz HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B 'iv K They inhabit about forty villages in the interior
v - *- ' parts, towards the north-weft of the ifland. They
are faid to be more mifchievous than their neigh-
bours, and, what appears very extraordinary,
not fo cowardly. They never ftir out of their
mountains, nor fuffer any one to penetrate into
them.
THE other inhabitants of Madagafcar are tall,
nimble, and have a haughty appearance. They
will mafk a deep defign, or a ftrong pafiion, under
a fmiling face, as artfully as any knave in a civi-
lized nation. They are ignorant of the origin of
their laws, but obferve them with great exaftnefs.
The old men, who are intrufted with the care of
enforcing them, never take any fee for the trial
of a criminal, and think themfelves fufficiently
rewarded if they can rid their country of a male-
factor. In civil caufes the parties bring them fo
many head of cattle, in proportion to the import-
ance of the affair.
THE offence that is moft frequently brought
before thefe magiftrates is theft. Notwithftand-
ing the cuftom of boring the hand of the perfon
convicted of this crime, the propenfity to theft
prevails univerfally. The inhabitants, ever afraid
of their property, live in continual miftruft of
each other. For their mutual fecurity, they'feal
their engagements with the moft folemn oaths.
They are fo accuftomed to thefe formalities, that
they praftife them even when they have any tranf-
actions with Europeans. On thefe important occar.
fions, he who reprefents the nation puts into a.
vefiel, filled with brandy a fome gold, filver, gun-
flint,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
flint, if poffible fome of the duft of the tomb of B y
his anceftors, and frequently blood, which, after -. --
the manner of the ancient Scythians, the parties
draw out of their own arms by incifion. During
thefe preparatives, their weapons are laid on the
ground in the form of a crofs. Soon after, both
parties take them up, and hold them with the
point in the cup, conftantly ftirring the contents
till the agreement is made. Then the contracting
parties, the witnefTes, and the fpectators, all drink
out of the cup till it is empty ; after which they
embrace and retire.
RELIGIOUS principles do not reftrain the people
of- Madagafcar from acts of injuflice. Though
in general they admit the prevailing doctrine of
the two principles, they have but a confufed
notion of it, nor have they any form of worfhip
whatever. Notwithftanding this indifference for
religion, they are addicted to every kind of fuper-
ftition. In their uncouth notions of aftrology they
neither fee, nor imagine, any thing which they do
not connect with futurity.
THE moft dangerous of all their prejudices is,
doubtlefs, the distinction between lucky and un-
lucky days. They inhumanely put to death all
children born on the unlucky day. This deftruc-
tive principle is one caufe among many others
which prevents the population of this country.
THOSE who do not fall victims to this cruel fu-
perftition are generally circumcifed at the age of
two years, or twenty-four moons, as they exprefs
it. The ceremony is performed with all poiTible
folemnity. While the operation is performing,
one
I 4 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K one of the child's parents holds a cup under the
v ' facred knife i and the moft diftinguiihed of the
uncles fwallows the part of the prepuce that has
been cut off. The reft of the family, and the by-
ftanders, dip a finger into the blood, and tafte it.
Thefe fmgular myfteries are concluded with fefti-
vity, dancing, and pleafures of all kinds.
THE people of Madagafcar never receive any
kind of education, and marry as foon as they attain
to the ftate of manhood. A man of the lower clafs,
even a flave, takes as many wives as he pleafes,
or as many as he can find. Perfons in higher
ftations have but one lawful wife , but in order to
vary their pleafures they keep concubines. They
all put away their wives whenever they diflike
them ; and both parties are at full liberty to marry
again, or to remain fmgle.
THE people of Madagafcar lead an idle and dif-
folute life, and feldom arrive at old age. An un-
wholefome climate,. bad food,. conftant debauchery,
the want of proper affiftance, together with other
caufes, concur to haften their end. When a man
dies, the whole neighbourhood is apprized of it by
lamentations, expreffed in one continued mournful
ftrain. The relations meet, and partake of the
moft profufe entertainments, whilft the moft affec-
tionate of the (laves keeps afking the deceafed,
" What could induce him to quit all that was
dear to him." After eight days the corpfe is
buried with the choiceft jewels of the deceafed*
who is not even then forgotten. The\refpe6t for
anceftors is incredible in thofe barbarous regions.
It is no uncommon thing, to fee men of all ages
8 weep
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 15
weep over the tombs of their fathers, and afk their B v K>
advice in the moft important occurrences of life. v ^
THE common food of the inhabitants of Mada-
galcar, is rice, which multiplies a hundred fold,
though no pains are taken in cultivating it. Their
drink is a kind of mead, and wine made with
fugar and banana. Their greateft fin-ery is a
pagne over their fhoulders, and another round
their waiil.
MADAGASCAR had been vifited by the Portu-
guefe, the Dutch, and the Englilh j who had
defpifed it, rinding none of thofe objects which-
brought them to the Eaft. The French, who
feemed to have no determinate object in view,
fpent that capital they had referved for the pur-
pofe of trade, in fubduing the ifland. They
found fome gold fcattered in one corner of it, and
directly concluded there muft be gold mines, never
fuipecting that this metal, the quantity of which
was continually decreafing, might have been
brought thither by the Arabs. They were
punifhed for their greedinefs, by the lofs of their
whole ftock. At the expiration of their grant
they had nothing left but a few tenements, fituated
in five or fix different parts of the coaft, built of
boards covered with leaves, furrounded with flakes,
and decorated with the pompous name of forts,
becaufe they mounted a few bad pieces of cannon.
Their defenders were reduced to about a hundred
robbers, who by their cruelties daily increafed the
hatred conceived againft their nation. The whole
of their conquefts amounted to a few fmall dif-
tricts, forfaken by the natives j and fome few larger
ones,
16 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K ones, from whence they forcibly extorted a tribute
< -V--J of provifions.
MARSHAL de la Meilleraie feized upon thefe
ruins, 'and conceived the project of reftoring this
ill-conducted undertaking for his own private
emolument. He had fo little fuccefs, that his pro-
perty fold but for 20,000 livres*, which was
full as much as it was worth.
A-rlaft, in 1664, Colbert prefented Lewis XI V.
a plan for an Eaft India Company. Agriculture
was then fo flourifhing in France, and induftry fo
animated, that this branch of commerce feemed
to be needlefs. The minifter was of a different
opinion ; he forefaw that the other European na-
tions would follow his example, and fet up manu-
factures of their own, and would alfo have another
advantage over them by their connections in the
Eaft Indies. This was confidered as an inftance of
deep penetration, and an Eaft India Company was
accordingly created, vefted with all the privileges
enjoyed by the Dutch Eaft India Company. Col-
bert went ftill further ; and, confidering that in
order to carry .on great commercial undertakings
there muft always be a certain confidence in re-
publics, which cannot be expected in monarchies,
had recourfe to every expedient that could pro-
duce it.
A CHARTER was granted for fifty years, that
the company might be encouraged to form great
fettlements, with a profpect of reaping the fruits
of them.
* 875 '
ALL
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
ALL foreigners advancing 20,000 livres * were
to be deemed Frenchmen, without being natura-
lized.
ON the like terms, officers, whatever corps
they belonged to, were allowed leave of abfence,
without forfeiting the rights of their poft, or
their pay.
WHATEVER was wanted for the building, equip-
ment or victualling of the fhips, was to be entered
duty-free, and be exempt from all duties to the
admiralty.
THE government engaged to pay fifty livres -f-
per ton for all goods exported from France to
India, and feventy-five livres J for every ton im-
ported from thence.
THE government entered into engagements, to
defend the fettlements of the company with a fuf-
ficient military force, and to convoy their outward
and homeward bound Ihips, with as ftrong a fqua-
dron as exigencies fhould require.
THE reigning pafllon of the nation was made
fubfervient to this eftablifhment. Hereditary titles
and honours were promifed to fuch, as fhould dif-
tinguifh themfelves in the fervice of the company.
As trade was yet in its infancy in France, and
was unable to furnifh the fifteen millions that
were to conftitute the flock of the new fociety,
the miniftry engaged to lend as far as three mil-
lions || . The nobles, the magiftrates, all orders of
men, were invited to fhare the reft. The nation,
proud to pleafe their king, who had not yet crufhed
* 875!. f 2 1. 33. 9 d. j 3 1. 53. 7 d.
Above 656,200!. || 131,250!.
VOL. II. C them
i* HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B ]V K them with the weight of his falfe greatnefs, came
u - v -^j into the propofal with great eagernefs.
THE perfifting in the refolution of forming a
fetclement at Madagafcar deprived the company
of the benefit of the firft voyage. They were at
length obliged to relinquifh that ifland, whofe
favage and unconquerable inhabitants could not be
reconciled either to the commodities, the worlhip,
or the manners of Europe.
AT that period it was, that the company's fhips
began to fail directly to India. By the intrigues
of Marcara, a native of Ifpahan, but in the
French intereft, they obtained leave to eftablilh
factories in feveral places on the coaft of die
peninfula. They even attempted to fecure a lhare
of the Japan trade. Colbert offered to fend none
but proteflants > but by the artifices of the Dutch,
the French were denied an entrance into that
empire, as the Englifh had been before.
Th* SURAT had been pitched upon for the center of
makeSurat all the bufinefs which the company was to carry
inheir" on ' m thofe parts. It was from that capital of
trade. Guzarat that all orders were to be iffhed for the
inferior fettlements. Thither all goods deftined
for Europe were to be brought.
Account of GUZARAT forms a peninfula between the Indus
city, *nTo U f and Malabar. It is. about one hundred and fixty,
4f e cMt e miles in length,, and much the fame in breadth.
fcfituited' 1 ^ l& Separated from the kingdom of Agra by the
mountains of Marva. It rains there incefTantly
from June to September; at all other times the
fky is fo clear, that fcarce a cloud is to be feen.
The burning heat of the fun, however,, is happily
tempered
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
tempered by refrelh.ing dev/s, whHi cool the air B
and moiflxvx d .-'~d. The nchnefs of a foil
abounding in corn, rice, fugar^ cotton, cattle,
game, fruits of all kinds continually fiicceeding
each other, added to a variety of important manu-
factures, was fufficient for the happinefs of the
inhabitants ; when, in the beginning of the eighth
century, ftrangers came and introduced new
branches of induilry among therm
SOME Perfians, who were perfecuted for their
opinions by the Saracens their conquerors, took
refuge in the iile of Ormus, whence they failed
fome time after for India, and landed at Diu.
In this afylum they continued only nineteen years,
and then embarked again. They were driven by
the winds upon a pleafant fhore between Daman
and Bacaim. The prince who governed that coun-
try confented to receive them as his fubjects, on
condition that they fhould reveal the myfteries of
their belief, that they fhould lay down their arms,
that they fhould fpeak the Indian language, that
their women fhould go abroad unveiled, and that
they fhould celebrate their nuptials at the- clofe of
the evening, according to the cUjftom of the coun-
try. As thefe ftipulations contained nothing re-
pugnant to their religious notions, the people
who fled there for protection agreed to them. A
piece of ground was allotted them, where they
built a town, whence they foon fpread further up
the country.
A HABIT of labour happily contracted by necef-
fity had made both the lands and the manufactures
profper in their hands. They were fo wife as not
C 2 tO
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADS
OOK to interfere with government or war, and enjoyed
r '- _' a profound tranquillity in the midft of all the
revolutions that happened from time to time. In
confequence of this circumfpeftion, and of the
affluence in which they lived> they multiplied very
i aft. They always remained a feparate people, dif-
tinguifhed by the name of Parfes, never intermar-
rying with the Indians, and adhering to the princi-
ples which had occafioned their baniihment. Their
tenets were thofe of Zoroafter, fomewhat altered by
time, ignorance^ and the rapacioufnefs of the priefls.
THE profperity of Guzarat, partly owing to
riie exiled Perfians, excited the ambition of twp
formidable powers. Whilft thePortuguefe annoyed
it on the fide of the fea by the ravages they com-
mitted, by the victories they gained, and by the
eonqueft of Din, juftly efteemed the bulwark of
die kingdom ; the Moguls* already mafters of the
north of India, and eager to advance toward the
fouthern parts where trade and riches were to b^
found, threatened it from the continent.
BADUR, a Patart by birth, who- then reigned
over Guzarat, faw how impoffible it would be for
him at once to wi'thftand two fuch enemies, both
bent upon his deftruftion. He thought he had
lefs to fear from a people whofe forces were fepa-
fated from their dominions by immenfe feas, than
from a nation firmly fettled on the frontiers of his
provinces. This confideration made him deter-
mine to be reconciled with the Portuguefe. The
conceffions he made induced them to join with
him againft Akbar r whofe activity and courage.
they dreaded little lels than he did.
SL
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
THIS alliance difconcerted men who thought
they had only Indians to deal with. They could
not think of engaging with Europeans, who were
reputed invincible. The natives, not yet recovered
from the confirmation into which thefe conquer-
ors had thrown them, reprefented them to the
Mogul foldiers as men come down from heaven,
or rilen from the waters, of a fpecies infinitely
fuperior to the Afiatics, and far furpafimg them
in valour, genius, and knowledge. The army,
feized with a panic, was urging the generals to
march back to Delhi, when Akbar, convinced that
a prince who undertakes a great conqueft muft
command his own troops, haftened to his camp.
He did not hefitate to promife his troops that
they fhould fubdue a people enervated by luxury,
riches, pleafures, and the heat of the climate;
and that the glory of purging Afia of that hand-
ful of banditti was referved for them. The army,
thus encouraged, exprefied their fatisfaction, and
*narched on with confidence. They loon came
to an engagement ; the Portuguele, iH feconded
by their allies, were furrounded and cut to pieces,
Badur fled, and never returned. All the cities
of Guzarat haftened to open their gates to the
conqueror. This fine kingdom in 1565 became
a province of that vaft empire which was foon to,
fubdue all Indoftan.
UNDER the Mogul government, which was
then in its full glory, Guzarat enjoye^more
tranquillity than before. The manufactures were
multiplied at Cambaya, Amadabut, Broitifchi^
*nd fevtral other places. New ones were il't up
32 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
o c
IV.
5 K in thofe towns which were yet unacquainted with
this branch of induftry. The culture of lands
was improved, and their productions increafed.
That part of Malabar which borders upon Gu-
zarat, long fince tired of the impofitions of the Por-
tuguefe, brought their linen cloths thither. The
goods manufactured on the banks of the Indus
were likewife fent to this country, as they could
not conveniently be conveyed down the river, the
ftream being too rapid above to land them, and
below the waters difcharging into the lea by fo
many channels, that they are in a manner loft in
the fands.
ALL thefe riches centered at Surat, which Hands
on the river Tapta, a few miles from the ocean.
This city was indebted for this advantage to a
fort, which protected the merchants, and to its
harbour, the belt on that coaft, though not an
excellent one. The Moguls, who had then no
other maritime town, drew all their articles of
luxury from thence j and the Europeans, who had
not at that time any of the great fettlements
they have fmce made at Bengal and on the coaft
of Coromandel, bought moft of their Indian
commodities at that place. They were all coir
lefted there, as the people of Surat had taken
care to procure a navy fuperior to that of their
neighbours.
THEIR Ihips, which were exceedingly durable,
were moftly of a thoufand or twelve hundred tons
burthen. They were built of a very ftrong wood
palled Teak. Inftead of launching them with a
cqftly apparatus and complicated engines, they let
the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 23.
the tide into the dock, and it fet them afloat. B 1V K
The cordage was made of the bark of the cocoa- * - > -
tree ; it was rougher and lefs pliable than ours,
but at lead as ftrong. Their cotton fails were
neither fo ftrong nor fo lading as our hempen
ones, but more pliable and Ids apt to be torn.
Inftead of pitch, they made ufe of the gum of a
tree called Damar, which was, perhaps, prefer-
able. The fkill of their officers, though but mo-
derate, was fnfficient for the feas and the feafons
in which they failed. As to their failors, called
Lafcars, the Europeans have found them fervice-
able in their voyages from one part of India to
another. They have even been employed fuccefs-
fully in bringing home into our ftormy latitudes
fuch {hips as had loft their crews.
So many united advantages had brought to
Surat a great concourfe of Moguls, Indians, Per-
fians, Arabs, Armenians, Jews, and Europeans.
We hardly fufpected that commerce was founded
on any certain principles, while theie principles
were already known and praclifed in this part of
Afia, The value of money was very low, and it
was eafily obtained ; and bills of exchange might
be had for every market in India, Infurances for
the moft diftant navigations were very common.
Such was the honefty of thefe traders, that bags
of money, ticketed and fealed by the bankers,
would circulate for years, without ever being
counted or weighed. Fortunes were proportion-
able to the facility with which they were to be
acquired by trade. Thofe of five or fix millions *
* About 240,000!. on an average,
C 4 were
24 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K were not uncommon, and fome were even more
* -v ' confiderable.
THESE fortunes were moflly poffeiTed by the
Banians, a fet of traders who were noted for their
honefty. A few moments were fufficient for them
to tranfact the moft important bufmefs. In the
moil intricate difcufiions, they preferved an even-
nefs of temper and a politenefs which can hardly
be conceived.
THEIR children, who aflifted at all bargains,
were early trained up to this gentlenefs of man^
ners. Upon the firfl dawning of reafon, they
were initiated into all the myfteries of trade. It
was a common thing to fee a child, of ten or
twelve years old, able to fupply his father's
, place. What a contrail, what a diflance, be-*
tween this and the education of our children ;
and yet, what a difference between the attain-
ments of the Indians and the progrefs of our
knowledge !
SUCH of the Banians as had Abyflinian flaves,
and very few of thefe good-natured men had any,
treated them with fuch humanity as muft appear
very fmgular to us. They brought them up as if
they had been of their own family, trained them
to bufmefs, advanced them money to enable them
to trade for themfelves, and not only fuffered them
to enjoy the profits, but even allowed them to dif-
pofe of them, in favour of their defcendents, if they
had any,
THE expences of the Banians were not propor-r
tioned to their fortunes. As they were reflrained
by ^he principles of their religion from eating
meat.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
meat, or drinking ftrong liquors, they lived upon *
fruits, and a few plain difhes. They never de- u
parted from this frugality, but upon the fettle-
ment of their children. On this fingle occafion,
no expence wa3 fpared for the entertainment, or
for the mufic, dancing, and fireworks. Their
whole ambition was to tell how much the wed-
ding had coft. Sometimes it amounted to a hun-
dred thoufand crowns -f-.
EVEN their women had a tafte for this fimplicity
of manners. All their glory confided in pleafing
their hufbands. Perhaps the great veneration,
|n which they held the nuptial tie, arofe from
the cuftom of marrying them in their earlieft in-
fancy. That fentiment was, in their opinion, the
moft facred part of their religion. They never
did allow themfelves the leaft converfation with
ftrangers, Lefs referve would not have fatisfied
their hufbands, who could not hear without
aftoniihment of the familiarity that prevailed be-
tween the two fexes in Europe. When they
were told, that this freedom was attended with no
ill confequence, they were not convinced; but
ihook, their heads, and anfwered by one of their
proverbs, which fignifies, That if you bring butter
too near the fire, you can hardly keep it from melting.
EXCEPTING the Moguls, who were in poiTeffion
of all places under the government, were very ex-
travagant in their (tables, their baths, and their
feraglios, and ran into every kind of indulgence
to drown the fenle pf defpotifm under which they
f 13,125!.
lived 5
^6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK, lived j all the merchants of Surat conformed to
L_ -.- ' the frugality of the Banians, as far as the dif-
ference of religion would admit. Their greateft
expence was the decorating of their houfes.
THESE were contrived in the beft manner to
guard againft the heat of the climate. The out-
ride walls were covered with beautiful wainfcot-
ing, and the infide ones, as well as the cielings,
inlaid with porcelain. The panes of their windows
were fhell, or mother-of-pearl, which tempered the
glare of the fun without too much obflrucling the
light. The apartments were neatly difpofed and
furnifhed, fuitably to the cuftoms of the country ;
and one of the rooms was diftinguiftied from the
reft by a fountain of water ipouting up from a
marble bafon, whofe gentle murmurs invited the
company to foft (lumbers.
DURING their repofe, the common indulgence
of the inhabitants of Surat was to ftretch them-
felves upon a fopha, where they were rubbed by
men of fingular dexterity, or rather kneaded, if
we may be allowed the expreffion, like dough.
The neceffity of promoting the circulation of the
fluids, too often retarded by the heat of the
climate, firft fuggefted the notion of this exercife,
which affords them an infinite variety of delightful
fenfations. They fall into fuch a ftate of languor,
that they fometimes almoft faint away. This
cuftom was faid to be brought into India from
China j and fome epigrams of Martial, and decla-
mations of Seneca, feem to hint that it was not
unknown to the Romans at the time when .they
refined
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 27
refined upon every pleafure, as the tyrants who B v K
enflaved thofe matters of the world afterwards re- ^~ >
fined upon every torture.
THEY had another fpecies of pleafure at Surat,
which, perhaps, our effeminacy would have en-
vied them ftill more ; and this was their female
dancers, whom the Europeans call Balladieres, a
name given them by the Portuguefe.
NUMBERS of thefe are collected together in
feminaries of pleafure. The moft accomplifhed
of thefe focieties are devoted to the richeft and
moft frequented Pagodas. Their deftination is
to dance in the temples on their great feftivals,
and to be fubfervient to the pleafures of the Bra-
mins. Thefe priefts, who have not taken the art-
ful and deceitful vow of renouncing the enjoy-
ment of all pleafures in order to have the oppor-
tunity of indulging in them more freely, chufe
rather to have women of their own, than at once
to defile celibacy and wedlock. They do not in-
vade another man's right by adultery, but are
jealous of the dancers, whofe worlhip and vows
they fliare with the gods ; but they never fufFer
them without reluctance to contribute to the
amufement even of kings and great men.
THE rife of this fmgular inftitution is not known.
Probably, one Bramin, who had a concubine, or a
wife, affbciated with another Bramin, who had
likewife his concubine or his wife ; and, in procefs
of time, the mixture of fo many Bramins and
women occafioned fuch confufion, that the women
Fame to be common to all thofe priefts. Let but
a number of fingle perfons, of both fexes, be col-
lefted
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
lected in a cloyfter, and commonalty of men and
women will foon take place.
BY this mutual intercourfe, a jealoufy was
probably extinguifhed ; and the women were not
uneafy at the increafe of their numbers, nor the
Bramins at that of their order. It was rather a
jiew conqueft than a rivalfhip.
IT is no lefs probable, that, in order to palliate
the infamy of this licentioufnefs in the eyes of
the people, all women were confecrated to the
fervice of the altars ; and that the people readily
confented to this kind of fuperftition, as it infured
their wives and daughters from feduclion, by con-
fining the lawlefs defires of thefe Monks to one-
particular fpot.
THE contrivance of ftamping a facred character
upon thefe courtezans, might poffibly make parents
the more willing to part with their beautiful daugh-
ters, and to confent that they fhould follow their
calling, and devote themfelves to thefe feminaries,
from whence the fuperannuated women might re-
turn to fociety without difgrace: for there is no
crime that may not be fanclitied, no virtue that
may not be debafed, by the intervention of the
gods. The very notion of a Supreme Being may,
in the hands of a crafty prierr., be made fubverfive
of all morality. He will affirm, not that fuch a
thing is pleafmg to the gods, becaufe it is good ;
but that fuch a thing is good, becaufe it is pieaf-
ing to the gods.
THE Bramins wanted only to gain another point,
in order to complete this inftitution; which was,
to perfuude the people that it was decent, holy,
and
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
and pleafing to the gods, to marry a Balladiere in
preference to all other women, and thereby in-
duce them to folicit the remains of their debauche-
ries as a particular mark of favour.
IN- every city there are other companies, not fo
well inftrufted as the former, for the amufement
of the rich. The Moors and Gentiles may equally
procure a fight of thefe dancers at their country-
houfes, or in their public aflemblies. There are
even ftrolling companies of them, conducted by
old women, who, having been themfelves trained
up in thefe feminaries, in time are promoted to
the direction of them.
THESE handfome girls have the cuftom, as fin-
gular as it is difguftful, of being always followed
by an old deformed mufician, whofe employment
is to beat time with an inftrument of brafs, which
the Europeans have lately borrowed of the Turks
to add to their military mufic, and which in India
is called a tarn. The man who holds it, is conti-
nually repeating that word with fuch vehemence,
that by degrees he works himfelf up into dreads
ful convulfions; whilft the Balladieres, intoxicated
with the defire of pleafing, and the iweets with
which they are perfumed, at length lofe their
fenfes.
THEIR dances are, in general, love pantomimes :
the plan, the defign, the attitudes, the time, the
airs, the cadence, all is exprefiive of this pafiion,
with all its raptures and extravagances.
EVERY thing confpires to the amazing fuccefs
of thefe voluptuous women ; the art and richnefs
of their attire, as well as their ingenuity in fetting
off
3 o HISTORY OF -SETTLEMENTS AND TRADfi
B o^o K. O ff t heir beauty. Their long black hair falling
o v .' over their fhoulders, or braided and turned up, is
loaded with diamonds, and ftuck with flowers.
Their necklaces and bracelets are enriched with
precious ftones. Even their nofe jewels, an orna-
ment which Ihocks us at firft fight, has fomething
pleafmg in it, and fets off all the other ornaments
by a certain fymmetry, whofe effect, though in-
explicable, is yet fenfibly felt by degrees.
NOTHING can equal the care they take to pre-
ferve their breafts, as one of the moft ftriking
marks of their beauty. To prevent them from
growing large or ill-Hi aped, they inclofe them in
two cafes, made of an exceeding light wood, which
are joined together, and buckled behind. Thefe
cafes are fo fmooth and fo fupple, that they give
way to the various attitudes of the body, without
being flattened, and without injuring the delicacy
of the fkin. The: outfide of thefe cafes are covered
with a leaf of gold ftudded with diamonds. This
is certainly one of the moft refined kind of orna-
ments, and the beft calculated to preferve beauty.
They take it off and put it on again with fmgular
facility. This covering of the breaft does not pre-
vent the palpitations, heavings, and tender emo-
tions of it from being perceived: it conceals no-
thing that can contribute to excite defire.
. MOST of thefe dancers imagine it an addition
to the beauty of their complexion, and the im-
prefiion of their looks, to trace a black circle
round their eyes with a hair bodkin, dipped in
the powder of antimony. This borrowed beauty,
celebrated by all the eaftern poets> appeared very
4 fmgular
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
ingular at firft to the Europeans ; but cuftom has B
econciled them to it.
THE whole life, the whole employment, the
vhole felicity of the Balladieres confifts in the art
jf pleafmg. It is not eafy to refift their feducing
nanners. They are even preferred to thofe beau-
lies of Caffimere, which till the feraglios of Indof-
:an, as the fair Georgians and Circaflians do thofe
)f Ifpahan and Constantinople. The modefty, or
ather the referve of proud flaves, fequeftered from
:he fociety of men, cannot balance the arts of
:hefe expert courtezans.
They were no where fo much in repute as at
Surat, the richefl and moft populous city in India.
[t began to decline In 1664; and was pillaged by
:he famous Sevagi, who carried off twenty-five or
:hirty millions*. The plunder would have been
nfinitely greater, had not the Englifh and Dutch
?fcaped the public calamity, by the care they had
:aken to fortify their factories, and had not the moft
valuable effects been lodged in the cattle, which
vas out of the enemy's reach. This lofs made the
nhabitants more cautious. They built walls round
:he city, to prevent the like misfortune > the effects
rf which were removed, when the Englifh, in
[686, with fhameful and inexcufable rapacity,
lopped all the fhips that were fitting out at Surat
:o be difpatched to the feveral feas. This piracy,
tvhich lafted three years, deprived this famous
-nart of almoft every branch of trade that was not
,ts own peculiar property. The town was nearly
Deduced to its own natural riches.
Aout i, 2.00,000 1. on an average.
OTHER
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TfcADE
OTHER pirates have fmce infefted thofe lati-
tudes, and from time to time difturbed the trade
of Surat. Even their caravans, that carried their
merchandifes to Agra, to Delhi, and all over the
empire, were not always fecured from the attacks
of the fubjects of the independent Rajas, which
they met with on the feveral roads. They had
formerly recourfe to a fmgular expedient for the
fecurity of their caravans, which was, to put
them under the protection of a woman or child,
of a race held facred by the nations they dread-
ed. When the banditti appeared, the guardians
of the caravans threatened to deftroy them-
felves if they perfifted in their refolution of plun-
dering it, and actually did fo if they did not yield
to their remonftrances. Thefe profligate men,
who had not been retrained by refpecl of blood
held facred, were excommunicated, degraded,
and caft out of their tribe. The dread of thefe
-fevere puniihments was fometimes a check upon
avarice ; but fmce univerfal commotions have
prevailed in Indoftan, no confideration can allay
the third of gold.
NOTWITHSTANDING all thefe misfortunes, Surat
is fti 11 a great trading city. The produce of the
numberlefs manufactures all over Guzarat is de-
pofited in its warehoufes. A great part is carried
into the inland countries ; the reft is conveyed to
all parts of the globe by conftant voyages.
THE goods more commonly known are, ift,
Dutties, a kind of coarfe unbleached cloth, worn
in Perfia, Arabia, Abyflinia, and the eaftern coaft
of Africa j and blue linens,, which are difpofed of
ifl
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 33
In the fame manner, and are likewiie fold to the B O JV K
Englifh and Dutch for their Guinea trade* ' *- '
2. THE blue and white checks of Cambaya,
which are worn for mantles in Arabia and Turkey :
fome are coarfe, and fome fine, and fome even
mixed with gold for the ufe of the rich.
3. THE white linens of Broitfchia, ib well known
by the name of Bafras. As they are extremely
fine, they make fummer caftans for the Turks and
Perfians. The fort of muflin, with a gold ftripe at
each end, with which they make their turbans, is
manufactured at the fame place,
4. THE printed callicoes of Amadabat, whofe
colours are as bright, as fine, and as durable, as
thole of Coromandel. They are worn in Perfia,
in Turkey, and in Europe. The rich people of
Java, Sumatra, and the Molucca iflands, make
pagnes and coverlets of thefe chintzes.
5. THE gauzes of Biarapour; the blue ones are
worn by the common people in Perfia and Turkey
for their fummer cloathing, and the red ones by
perfbns of higher rank. The Jews, who are not
allowed by the Porte to wear white, make their
turbans with thefe gauzes.
6. MIXED fluffs of filk and cotton, plain,
ftriped, fome with fattin ftripes, fome mixed with
gold and filver. If they were not fo dear, they
would be efteemed even in Europe for the bright-
nefs of their colours, and the fine execution of the
flowers, though their patterns are fo indifferent.
They foon wear out ; but this is of little confe-
quence in the feraglios of Turkey and Perfia where
they are ufed.
VOL. II. D 7. SOME
34 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B IV K 7- SoME are al1 f llk > called tapis. Thefe are
u -- - pagnes of fevcral colours, much efteemed in the
eaftern parts of India. Many more would be
wove, if it had not been neceffary to ufe foreign
materials, which enhances the price too much.
8. SHAULS, very light, warm, and fine cloths,
made of the wool of Cafllmere. They are dyed of
different colours, ftriped, and flowered. They are
worn for a winter drefs in Turjcey, Perfia, and
the more temperate parts of India. With this fine
wool turbans are woven, that are ell-wide, and a
little more than three ells long, which fell from
2400 to 3600 livres*. Though this wool is fome-
thnes manufactured at Surat, the fineft works of
this kind are made at Caffimere.
BESIDES the prodigious quantity of cotton
made ufe of in the manufactures of Surat, feven
or eight thoufand bales at leaft are annually fent
to Bengal. Much more are fent to China, Perfia,
and Arabia, when the crops are very plentiful.
If they are moderate, the overplus is carried
down the Ganges, where it is always fold at a
higher price.
THOUGH Surat receives, in exchange for her
exports, porcelain from China j filk from Bengal
and Perfia j mafts and pepper from Malabar ;
gums, dates, dried fruits, copper, and pearls, from
Perfia ; perfumes and flaves from Arabia ; great
quantities of fpices from the Dutch j iron, lead,
cloth, cochineal, and fome hard wares from the
Englifh j the balance is fo much in her favour, as
to bring in yearly twenty-five or twenty-fix mil-
* About 130!. on an average.
lions
N IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 35
lions of livres* in ready money. The profit would B v K
be much greater, if the riches of the court of Delhi
were not conveyed into another channel.
HOWEVER, this balance could never again rife
to what it was when the French fettled at Surat
in 1668. Their leader was one Caron. He was
a merchant of French extraction, who was grown
old in the fervice of the Dutch company. Hamil-
ton fays, that this able man, who had ingratiated
himfelf with the emperor of Japan, had obtained
leave to build a houfe for his matters on the ifland
where the factory ftood which was under his
direction. This building proved to be a caftle.
The natives, who knew nothing of fortification,
did not entertain any fufpicion of it. They fur-
prifed fome pieces of cannon that were fending
from Batavia, and informed the court of what
was going forward. Caron was ordered to repair
to Jeddo, to give an account of his conduct. As
he had nothing reafonable to allege in his vin-
dication, he was treated with great feverity and
contempt. They plucked off his beard by the
roots, put him on a fool's cap and coat, and in
this condition expofed him to the infults of the
populace, and he was banifhed from the empire.
The reception he met with at Java gave him a
difguft againft the intcreft he had efpoufed ; and,
actuated by revenge, he went over to the French,
and became their agent.
SURAT, where they had fixed him, did not
anfwer his idea of a chief fettiement. He difliked
the fituation ; he lamented his being obliged to
* On an average about i,n6,ocol.
D 2 purchafe
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
purchafe his fafety by fubmiffionj he forefaw it
would be a difadvantage to carry on trade in
competition with richer nations, who knew more,
anc j were ne id i n greater efteem, than themfelves.
He wifhed to find an independent port in the cen-
ter of India, or in fome of the Spice iflands, with-
out which he thought it impoffible for any com-
pany to fupport itfelf. The Bay of Trinquimale,
in the iiland of Ceylon, appeared to him to unite
all thefe advantages; and he accordingly failed for
that place with a powerful fqtiadron, which had
been fent him from Europe, under the command of
La Haye, who was to act under his direction.
The French believed, or feigned to believe, that a
fettlement might be made there without encroach-
ing upon the rights of the Dutch, whofe property
had never been acknowledged by the fovereign of
the ifland, with whom they had entered into a treaty.
ALL that they alleged might indeed be true,
but the event did not anfwer their expectation.
They divulged a project which they ought to
have kept a profound fecret ; they executed de-
liberately an expedition which ought to have
been effected by furprife ; they were intimidated
by a fleet which was not in a condition to fight,
and which could not poflibly have received or-
ders to hazard an engagement. The greater part
of che fhips crews, and of all the land forces, perilh-
ed by want and ficknefs; fome men were left in a
fmall fort they had erected, where they were foon
compelled to furrender. With the remaining few
who had furvived the hardfhips of this expedi-
tion, they went in fearch of provifions on the coaffc
of
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 37
of Coromandel 3 but finding none either on the B IV K
Danifh fettlement of Tranquebar, or any where v^-v-^j
eli'e, impelled by defpair, they attacked St. Tho-
mas, where they were informed there was great
plenty.
THIS town, which had long been in a flourifh-
ing condition, had been built by the Portuguefe
above an hundred years before. The king of Gol-
conda, having conquered the Carnatic, did not fee
without regret fo important a place in foreign
hands; he fent his general^ to attack it in 1662,
and they made themfelves matters of it. The for-
tifications, though confiderable and in good re-
pair, did not flop the progrefs of the French,
who took them by ftorm in 1672. They were
loon attacked here, and were forced to furrender
two years after; becaufe the Dutch, who were at
war with Lewis XIV., joined with the Indians to
expel them.
THIS laft event would have entirely ruined the
enterprife, after all the expence the government
had been at to fupport the company, had not
Martin been one of the merchants fent on board
La Haye's fqwadron. He collected the remains
of the two colonies of Ceylon and St. Thomas,
and with them he peopled the little town of Pon-
didierry, that had been lately ceded to him, and
was rifmg to a city, when the company entertained
good hopes of a new fettlement, which they had
now an opportunity of forming in India.
SOME mifiionaries had preached the gofpel at settlement
Siam. They had gained the love of the people of the
, , . r Jr French at
by their doctrine and by their behaviour. Plain, &**
D 3 good-
3 8 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B jv K good-natured, and humane men, without intrigue
' v ' or avarice, they gave no jealoufy to the govern-
fi^ns'cj" ment nor to the people ; they had infpired them
jTci w ^ tn refpect ar >d love for the French in general,
etouM-mna. an( j j n particular for Lewis XIV.
A GREEK, of a reftlefs and ambitious fpirit,
named ConftantineFaulkon, in his travels to Siam,
had fo far engaged the affections of the prince, that
in a (hort time he raifed him to the poft of prime
minifter, or barcalon j an office which nearly an-
fwers to the ancient maires of the palace of France.
FAULKON- governed both the people and the
king in the moft defpotic manner. The prince was
weak, a valetudinarian, and had no iffue. His mi-
' nifter conceived a project to fucceed him ; pofBbly
to dethrone him. Jt is well known that thefe
attempts are as eafy and as frequent in abfolute
governments, as they are difficult and uncommon
jn countries where the prince governs by the rules
of juftice; where the origin and meafure of his
authority is regulated by fundamental and immu-
table laws, which are under the guardianfhip of
numbers of able magiftrates, There the enemies
of the ibvereign fhew that they are enemies of the
ftate ; there they find themfelves foon thwarted in
their defigns by all the forces of the nation'] be-
caufe, by rebelling againft the chief, they rebel
againft the laws, which are the Handing and im^
mutable will of the nation.
FAULKON formed the defign of making the
French fubfervient to his fcheme, as fome ambi-
tious men had, formerly made ufe of a guard of fix
hundred Japanefe, who had often difpofed of the
crown
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. ? 9
crown of Siam. He fent ambafladors into France
in 1684, to make a tender of his matter's alliance,
to offer fea-ports to the French merchants, and to
afk for fhips and troops.
THE oftentations vanity of Lewis XIV. took ad-
vantage of this embafly. The flatterers of that
prince, who was too much extolled, though he de-
ferved commendation, perfuaded him, that his fame
fpread throughout the world, had procured to him
the homage of the Eaft. He did not content him-
felfwith the enjoyment of thefe vain honours; but
endeavoured to improve the difpofitions of the king
of Siam to the benefit of the India Company, and
Hill more of the miflionaries.. He fent out a fqua-
dron in which there were a greater number of Jefuits
than traders; and in the treaty which was conclud-
ed between the two kings, the French ambafTa-
dors, directed by the Jefuit Tachard, attended
much more to the concerns of religion than to
thofe of commerce.
THE company ftill entertained great hopes of
the fettlement at Siam, and thefe hopes were not
ill-grounded,
THAT kingdom, though divided by a ridge of
mountains that is continued till it meets with the
rocks of Tartary, is fo prodigioufly fruitful, that
many of its cultivated lands yield two hundred
times more than others. Some will even bear plen-
tiful crops fpontaneoufly. The corn, collected as it
was at firft produced, without care and without
trouble, left as it were to nature, falls off and
perifhes in the field where it grew, in order to ve-
getate again in the waters of the ftream that flows
through the kingdom.
D 4 THERE
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
THERE is, perhaps, no country where fruits
grow in fuch plenty and variety, or are fo whole-
fame, as in this delightful fpot. Some are pecu-
liar to the country; and thofe which are equally
the produce of other countries have a much finer
fmell, and are much higher flavoured, than in any
other part of the world.
THS earth, always covered with thefe trea-
fures, which are qonftantly fpringing up afreili,
alfo conceals, under a very thin furface, mines
of gold, copper, lo?.dftone, iron, lead, and calin,
a fpecies of tin, which is highly valued through-
out Afia.
ALL thefe advantages are rendered ufelefs by the
greateft tyranny. A prince corrupted by his power,
while he is indulging in his feragho, opprefles his
people by his caprices, or fuffers them to be op-
prefled by his indolence. At Siarn there are no
fubjects, all are flaves. The men are divided into
three clafles : the firft ferve as a guard to the mo-
narch, till his lands, and are employed in different
manufactures in his palace. The fecond are ap-
pointed to public labours, and to the defence of the
ilate. The third clafs are deftined to ferve the
magiflrates, the minifters, and principal officers of
the kingdom. No Siamefe is advanced to any emi-
nent poft, but he is allowed a certain number of
men who are at his difpofalj fo that the falaries
annexed to great officers are well paid at the court
of Siam, becaufe they are not paid in money, but
in men, who coft the prince nothing. Thefe. un-
fortunate people are regiftered at the age of fix-
teen. Every one on the firft fummons muft repair
to
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
to the poft afiigned him, upon pain of being put in
irons, or condemned to the baftinado.
IN a country where all the men mufc work for the
government during fix months in the year, without
being paid or fubfifted, and the other fix to earn
a maintenance for the whole year ; in fuch a coun-
try, the very lands muft feel the eflfe&s of tyranny,
and confequently there is no property. The deli-
cious fruits that enrich the gardens of the monarch
and the nobles, are not fuifered to ripen in thofe
of private men. If the foldiers who are fent out
to examine the orchards difcover fome tree laden
with choice fruits, they never fail to mark it for
the tyrant's table, or that of his minifters. The
owner becomes the guardian of it, and is anfwer-
able for the fruit under very fevere penalties. *
THE men are not only (laves to men, but to the
very beads. The king of Siam keeps a great num-
ber of elephants. / Thofe of his palace are taken
care of, and have extraordinary honours paid to
them. The meaneft have fifteen (laves to attend
them, who are conftantly employed in cutting hay,
and gathering bananas and fugar-canes for them.
The king takes fo much pride in thefe creatures,
which are of no real ufe, that he eftimates his
power rather by their number than by that of his
provinces. Under preteuce of feeding thefe ani-
mals well, their attendants will drive them into
gardens and cultivated lands, that they may tram-
ple upon them, unlefs the owners will purchafe an
exemption from thefe hardfhips by continual pre-
fents. No man would dare to inclofe his field
againft the king's qlephants, many of whom are
decorated
42 HISTORY CF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B < 5v K decorated w i tn honourable titles, and advanced to
c-~ v l j the higheft dignities in the ftate.
SUCH various exertions of tyranny make the
Siamefe deteft their native country, though they
look upon it as the befl upon earth. Moft of them
fly from oppreflion into the- forefts, where they
kad a favage life, infinitely preferable to that of
fociety corYupted by defpotifm. So great is this
deiertion, that, from the port of Mergui to Juthia
the capital of the empire, one may travel for a
week together, without meeting with the leaft fign
of population, through an immenfe extent of coun-
try well watered, the foil of which is excellent, and
ftill bears the marks of former culture. This
fine country is now over-run with tigers.
IT was formerly inhabited by men. Befides the
natives, it was full of fettlements that had been
fucceflively formed there by the nations fituated to
the eafc of Alia. Their inducement was the im-
menie tra^e carried on there. All hiftorians atteft,
that in the beginning of the fixteenth century a
great number of fhips came into their roads every
year. The tyranny which prevailed foon after,
fucceflively deftroyed the mines, the manufactures,
and agriculture. All the foreign merchants, and
even thofe of the nation, were involved in the
fame ruin. The flate -fell into confufion, and
confeqnently was weakened. The French, on
their arrival, found it thus reduced. General
poverty prevailed, and none of the arts were
exercifed ; while the people were under the domi-
nion of a defpotic tyrant, who, engrolTmg all the
trade to himielr, muft of courfe delrroy it. The
few
5
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
few ornaments and articles of luxury that were
in ufe at court, and in the houfes of the great,
came from Japan. The Siamefe held the Japanefe
in high eftimation, and preferred their works to
all others.
IT was no eafy matter to divert them from this
attachment, and yet it was the only way of pro-
curing a demand for the produce of French in-
duftry. If any thing could effect this change, it
was the Chriftian religion, which the priefts of the
foreign millions had preached to them, and not
without fuccefs j but the Jefuits, too much de-
voted to Faulkon, who began to be odious, abufed
the favour they enjoyed at Court, and drew upon
themfelves the hatred of the people. This odium
was transferred from them to their religion. They
built churches before there were any chriilians
to frequent them. They founded menafteries,
and by thefe proceedings occafioned the common
people and the Talapoys to revolt. The Talapoys
are their monks ; fome of whom lead a folitary
life, and others are bufy, intriguing men. They
preach to the people the doctrines and precepts
of Sommona Kodom. That lawgiver of the Sia-
mefe was long honoured as a fage, and has fince
been revered as a god, or as an emanation of the
deity, a fon of god. A variety of marvellous (lories
are told of this man : He lived upon one grain of
rice a-day. He pulled out one of his eyes to give
to a poor man, having nothing elfe to beftow on
him. Another time he gave away his wife. He
commanded the ftars, the rivers, and the moun-
tains. But he had a brother, who frequently op-
pofed
.HISTORY C? SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
pofcd & s cefigns for the good of mankind. God
avenged him, and crucified that unhappy brother.
This fable prejudiced the Siamefe againit the re-
ligion of a crucified God ; and they could not
worfiiip Jdus Chrilt, becaufe he died the fame
death as the brother of Sommona Kodom.
IF the French could not carry their commodi-
ties to Siam, they could at leaft infpire the people
with a tafte. for them, prepare the way for a great
trade with this country, and avail thcmfelves of
that which actually offered, to open connections
with ail the eaft. The fituation of that kingdom
between two gulphs, where it extends one hun-
dred and fixty leagues along the fea-coaft on the
one giilph, and about two hundred on the other,
would have opened the navigation of all the feas
in that part of the world. The fortrefs of Bancoc
built at the mouth of the Menan, which had been
put into the hands of the French, was an excellent
mart for all tranfaftions they might have had with
China, the Philippines, or any of the eaftern parts
of India. Mergui, the principal port of the king-
dom, and one of the beil in Afia, which had like-
iv-ife been ceded to them, greatly facilitated their
trade with the coaft of Coromandcl, and chiefly
with Bengal. It fecured to them an advantageous
intercourfe with the kingdoms of Pegu, Ava, Ar-
racan, and Lagos, countries flill more barbarous
than Siam, but where are found the fineft rubies
and fome gold duft. All thefe countries, as well
as Siam, produce the tree which yields that va-
luable gum, with which the Chinefe and Japanefe
make their varnilh ; and whoever is in poffeflion of
this
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
this commodity, may be certain of carrying on a B o iy
very lucrative trade with China and Japan. v - v
BESIDES the advantage of meeting with good
iVttlements, which were no expence to the com-
pany, and might throw into their hands a great
part of the trade of the eaft, they might have
brought home from Siam, ivory, logwood like that
which is cut in the bay of Campeachy, a great
deal of caflia, and all the buffalo and deer-fkins
that the Dutch formerly fetched from thence.
They might have grown pepper there, and, pof-
fibly, other fpices which were not to be found in
the country, as the people did not underftand the
culture of them, and becaule the wretched inha-
bitants of Siam are fo indifferent to every thing,
that nothing fucceeds with them.
THE French paid no attention to thefe objects.
The factors of the company, the officers, and the
Jefuits, were equally ignorant of trade : the whole
attention of the latter was taken up in converting
the natives, and making themfelves mailers of
them. At laft, after having given but a weak
afllilance to Faulkon at the inltant when he was
'ready to execute his defigns, they were involved
in his difgrace ; and the fortrefTes of Mergui and
Bancoc, defended by French troops, were taken
from them by the meaneft of all nations.
DURING the fhort time that the French were
fettled at Siam, the company endeavoured to
eftablifh themfelves at Tonquin. They flattered
themfelves that they might trade with fafety and
advantage with a nation which had for ages been
inftructed by the Chinefe. Theifm prevails among
them)
46 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B CM) K them, which is the religion of Confucius, whofe
^ ' precepts and writings are there held in greater
veneration than even in China. But there is not
the fame agreement as in China in the principles
of government, religion, laws, opinion, rites, and
ceremonies : and though Tonquin has the fame
lawgiver, it is far from having the fame morals.
We find there neither that refpect for parents,
that love for the prince, thofe reciprocal affections,
nor thofe focial virtues, which are met with in
China j nor have they the fame good order, police,
induftry, or activity.
THIS nation, which is devoted to exceffive in-
dolence, and is voluptuous without tafte or deli-
cacy, lives in conftant diflruft of its fovereigns
and of ftrangers. It is doubtful whether this mif-
truft proceeds from a natural reftleflhefs of tem-
per, or whether their fpirit of fedition be owing
to this circumftance, that the Chinefe fyftem of
morality has enlightened the people without im-
proving the government. Whatever be the pro-
grefs of knowledge, whether it comes from the
people to the government, or from that to the
people, it is necefiary that both fhould be en-
lightened at the fame time, or elfe the ftate will
be expofed to fatal revolutions. In Tonquin, there
is a continual ftruggle between the eunuchs who
govern, and the people who impatiently bear the
yoke. Every thing languishes and tends to ruin,
in confequence of thefe dhTentions ; and the cala-
mities muft increafe, till the people have com-
pelled their matters to grow wifer, or the mailers
have rendered their fubjects quite infenfible. The
Portuguefe
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 47
Portuguese and the Dutch, who had attempted B iv *
to form fome connexions in Tonquin, had been * v~-~*
forced to give them up. The French were not
more fuccefsful. No Europeans have fince car-
ried on that trade, except fome few merchants of
Madrafs, who have alternately forfaken and re-
fumed it. They divide with the Chinefe the ex-
portation of copper and ordinary filks, the- only
commodities of any value that country affords.
COCHINCHINA lay too near Siam not to draw the
attention of the French ; and they would probably
have fixed there, had they had fagacity enough to
forefee what degree of fplendour that rifmg ftate
would one day acquire. The Europeans are in-
debted to a philofophical traveller for what little
they know with certainty of that fine country.
The following is the refult of his obfervations :
WHEN the French arrived in thofe diftant
regions, they learned, that, about half a century
before, a prince of Tonquin, as he fled from his
fovereign who purfued him as a rebel, had with his
foldiers and adherents croffed the river, which ferves
as a barrier between Tonquin and Cochinchina.
The fugitives, who were warlike and civilized
men, foon expelled the fcattered inhabitants, who
wandered about without any fociety or form of
government, or any laws bin that mutual intereft
which prompted them not to injure one another.
Here they founded an empire upon the bafis of
agriculture and property. Rice was the focxi they
moft eafily cultivated and the moft plentiful ; upon
this, therefore, the new colonifcs bellowed their
firft attention. The fea and die rivers attracted a
number
48 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK number of inhabitants to their borders, by did
v v ' - fupply of excellent fifh they afforded. Domeflic
animals were bred there, fome for food, and
others for labour. The inhabitants cultivated
the trees they were moil in want of, fuch as the
cotton for their cloathing. The mountains and
forefls, which could not pofiibly be cultivated,
afforded wild fowl, metah, gums, perfumes, and
wood of an excellent kind. Theie productions
ferved as fo many materials, means, and objects
of commerce. One hundred gallies were built,
which are conftantly employed in defending the
' coafts of the kingdom.
ALL theie feveral advantages were well bellowed
upon a people of a mild and humane difpofition,
a difpofition which they partly owe to their women.
Whether it be that this influence they acquire is
owing to their beauty, or whether it is the particu-
lar effetl of their affiduity and of their fkill in bu-
fmefs j in general, it is certain, that in the firfl
beginning of all focieties, the women are fooner
civilized than the men. Even their weaknefs, and
their fedentary life, their being more taken up
with fewer cares, furnifh them fooner with that
knowledge and experience, and incline them to
thofe domeftic attachments, which are the firfl pro-
moters and ilrongefl ties of fociety. This is, per-
haps, the reaibn why, in many favage nations, the
women are intrufled with the adminiflration of civil
government, which is but a higher degree of do-
meftic osconomy. So long as the flate is but as
one great family, the women are capable of under-
taking the management of it.' Then, undoubtedly,
6 the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES
the people are happieft, efpecially in a climate
where nature has left but little for man to do.
SUCH is the climate of Cochinchina. The peo-
ple, though but imperfectly civilized, enjoy that
happinefs which might excite the envy of more
improved fbcieties. They have neither robbers
nor beggars. Every one is at liberty to live at his
own houfe, or at his neighbour's. A traveller
freely enters a houfe in any village, fits down to
table, eats and drinks, without being invited or
afked any queftions, and then goes away without
acknowledging the civility. He is a man, and
therefore a friend and relation of the family. If
he were a foreigner, he would excite more curio-
fity, but would be equally welcome.
THESE cuftoms are the relics of the government
of the firfl fix kings of Cochinchina, and derived
from the original contract entered into between the
nation and their leader, before they croffed the river
that divides Tonquin from Cochinchina* Thefe
men were weary of opprefiion. They dreaded
the like calamity, and therefore took care to guard
againft the abufe of authority, which is fo apt to
tranfgrefs its due limits, if not kept under fome
reftraint. Their chief, who had fet them an
example of liberty, and taught them to revolt,
promifed them that felicity which he himfelf chofe
to enjoy; that of ajuft, mild, and parental govern-
ment. He cultivated with them the land in
which they had all taken refuge. He never de-
manded any thing of them, except an annual and
voluntary contribution, to enable him to defend
the nation againft the tyrant of Tonquin, who, for
VOL. II. E a long
5 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
IV K a long time, purfued them beyond the river which
. v ' feparated them from him.
THIS primitive contract was religioufly obferved
for upwards of a century, under five or fix fuc-
ceifors of that brave deliverer : but at laft it has
been infringed. The reciprocal and folemn engage-
ment between the king and his people is ftill re-
newed every year in the face of heaven and earth,
in a general afiembly of the whole nation, held in
an open field, where the oldefl man prefides, and
where the king only aflifts as a private perfon. He
ftill honours and protects agriculture, but does not,
like his predeceflbrs, fet the example of labour to
his fubjects. When he fpeaks of them, he ftill
fays, they are my children \ but they are no longer
fo. His courtiers have ftiled themfelves his flaves,
jnd have given him the pompous and facrilegious
title of king of heaven. From that moment, men
muft have appeared to him but as fo many infects
creeping on the ground. The gold which he has
taken out of the mines, has put a flop to agricul-
ture-. He has defpifed the homely roof of his
anceftors, and would build a palace. Its circum-
ference has been marked out, and is a league in
extent. Thoufands of cannon planted round the
walls of this palace, make it formidable to the
people. A defpotic monarch refides there, who
in a fhort time will be fecluded from the eyes of
the people ; and this concealment, which charac-
terifes the majefty of eaftern kings, will fubftitute
the tyrant to the father of the nation.
THE difcovery of gold has brought on that of
taxes j and the adminiftration of the finances will
foon
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
foon take place of civil legiflation and focial con-
tract. Contributions are no longer voluntary, but
are extorted. Defigning men go to the king's
palac"e, and craftily obtain the privilege of plun-
dering the provinces. With gold they at once pur-
chafe a right of committing crimes and the privi-
lege of impunity j they bribe the courtiers, elude
the vigilance of the magiftrates, and opprefs the
hufbandmen. The traveller already fees, as he
pafles along, fallow grounds, and whole villages
forfaken by their inhabitants. This king of heaven^
like the gods of Epicurus, carelefsly fufFers plagues
and calamities to vex the land. He is ignorant
of the fufFerings and diftreffes of his people, who
will foon fall into a ftate of annihilation, like the
favages whofe territories they now poflefs. All
nations governed by defpotifm muft inevitably
perifh in this manner. If Cochinchina relapfes into
that ftate of confufion out of which it emerged
about a hundred and fifty years ago, it will be
wholly difregarded by the navigators who now fre-
quent the ports of that kingdom. The Chinefe,
who carry on the greateft trade there, get in ex-
change for their own commodities wood for fmall
work, and timber for building houfes and fhips.
THEY alfo export from thence an immenfe quan^-
tity of fugar, the raw at four livres * a hundred
weight, the white at eight f, and fugar-candy
at ten J : very good filk, fattins, and pitre, the
fibres of a tree, not unlike the banana, which they
fraudulently mix in their manufaftures : black
and ordinary tea, which fcrves for the confuinp 1 -
* 3 s. 6d. t 73. J 8s. 9d.
E 2 tion
52 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
o c
IV.
y K tion of common people : fuch excellent cinnamon,
that it fells three or four times dearer than that
of Ceylon. There is but a fmall quantity of this ;
as it grows only upon one mountain, which is
always furrounded with guards. Excellent pep-
per is another article j and fuch pure iron, that
they work it as it comes out of the mine, with-
out fmelting : gold of three and twenty carrats,
which is found there' in greater plenty than in any
other part of the Eaft : eagle-wood, which is more
or lefs eiteemed as it is more or lefs refmous.
The pieces that contain moil of this rofm are com-
monly taken from the heart, or from the root of
the tree. They are called calunbac, and are
always fold for their weight in gold to the Chi-
nefe, who account them the higheft cordial in
nature. They are carefully preferved in pewter-
boxes, to keep them from drying. When they
are to be adminiftered, they are ground upon a
marble, with fuch liquids as are beft fuited to the
diforder they are intended to remove. The infe-
rior eagle-wood, which always fells for a hundred
livres * a pound at leait, is carried to Perlia, Tur-
key, and Arabia. They ufe it to perfume their
cloaths, and fometimes their apartments, upon very
extraordinary occafions, and then they mix it with
amber. It is alfo ufed for another purpofe. A
cuftom prevails amongft thefe nations, when they
are defirous-of fhewing their vifitors great marks
of civility, to prefent them with pipes, then with
coffee and fweetmeats. When converfation begins
to grow languid, the fherbet is brought in, which
s
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 53
*s looked upon as a hint to depart. As foon as B iv K
the ftranger rifes to go away, they bring in a little v~
pan with eagle-wood, and perfume his beard,
Sprinkling it with rofe-water.
THOUGH the French, who had fcarce any thing
elfe to bring but cloth, lead, gunpowder, and
brimftone, were obliged to trade with Cochin-
china chiefly in money, yet they were under a
neceffity of purfuing this trade in competition
with the Chinefe. This inconvenience might have
been obviated by the profit that would have been
made upon goods fent to Europe, or fold in India ;
but it is now too late to attempt it. Probity and
honefty, the effentials of an active and lading trade,
are forfaking thefe regions, which were formerly
fo flourilhing, in proportion as the government
becomes arbitrary, and confequently unjuft. In a
fhort time no greater number of Ihips will be
feen in their harbours than in thofe of the neigh-
bouring ftates, where they were fcarcely known.
HOWEVER this may be, the French company
driven from Siam, and without hopes of fettling
at the extremities of Alia, began to regret their
factory at Surat, where they dared not appear
again, fince they had left it without paying their
debts. They had loft the only market they knew
of for their cloths, their lead, and their iron -, and
they were continually at a lofs in the purchafe of
goods to anfwer the capricious demands of the
mother-country, and the wants of the colonies.
By fulfilling all their former engagements, they
might have recovered the privilege they had for-
feited. The Mogul government, which would
E 3 have
54 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B 9^ K have wifhed to fee a greater number of fhips
c ^-^j reforting to Surat, often folicited the French to
fatisfy thefe claims ; for they preferred them to
the Englifh, who had purchafed of the court an
exemption from all duties. Whether it was for
want of honefty, of (kill, or of means, certain it
is that the company never could remove the re-
proach they had incurred. They confined their
whole attention to the fortifying of Pondicherry,
when they were fuddenly prevented by a bloody
war, which was owing to remote caufes.
The lof* THE northern Barbarians who had overturned
ve?/of" the Roman empire, that was miftrefs of the world,
fhe^ry" eftablifhed a form of government which would
r a me h th '" not a ^ m ^ f augmenting their conquefts, and kept
chief icrtie- every ftate within its natural limits. The abolition
India. of the feudal laws, and the alterations confequent
upon it, feemed to tend a fecond time to eftablifn
a kind of univerfal monarchy ; but the Auftrian
power, weakened by the great extent of its pof-
fefiions and their diftance from each other, could
not fubvert the bulwarks that were raifmg againft
it. After a whole century pafTed in contefts,
hopes, and difappointments, it was forced to yield
to a nation, whofe ftrength, pofition, and activity,
rendered her more formidable to the liberties of
Europe. Richelieu and Mazarine began this re*
volution by their intrigues. Turenne and Conde
completed it by their victories. Colbert fettled it
by the introduction of arts, and of all kinds of
induftry. If Lewis XIV. who may be faid to have
been not, perhaps, the greateft monarch of his
age, but one who beft fupported the dignity of
the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 55
the throne, had been more moderate in the exer- B ]V K
cife of his power, and the fenfe of his grandeur, -. / >
it is difficult to determine how far he might have
carried his good fortune. His vanity proved de-
trimental to his ambition. After bending his own
lubjefts to his will, he wanted to exert power over
his neighbours. His pride raifed him more ene-
mies than his influence and his genius could iup-
ply him with allies and refources.
Hz was delighted with the flatteries of his pa-
negyrifts and courtiers, who promifed him univer-
fal monarchy j and the pleafure he took in thefc
adulations contributed ftill more than the extent
of his power to infpire a dread of univerfal con-
queft and llavery. The diftrefles and invectives of
his proteflant fubjefts, difperfed by a tyrannical
fanaticifm, completed the hatred he had incurred
by his fuccefles, and the abufe he had made of his
profperity.
THE Prince of Orange, a man of a fteady, up-
right difpofition, and of a penetrating judgment,
endowed with every virtue that is confident with
ambition, became the chief inftigator of all thefe
refentments, which he had long fomented by his
negociations and his emiflaries. France was attack-
ed by the moft formidable confederacy recorded in
hiftory, and yet fhe was conftantly triumphant.
SHE was not fo fuccefsful in Afia as in Europe.
The Dutch firft endeavoured to prevail upon the
natives to attack Pondicherry, which they could
* never be compelled to reftore. The Indian prince,
to whom they applied for that purpofc, was not
to -be bribed to agree to fo perfidious a propofal :
E 4 His
5 6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
33 9^ K His conftant anfwer was, The French have bought
* y ' that place, it 'would be unjuft to turn them out. What
the Raja refufed to do, the Dutch did themfelves :
they befieged the town in 1693, and were obliged
to reftore it at the peace of Ryiwick, in a much
better condition than they found it.
MARTIN was again appointed director, and
managed the affairs of the company with that
wifdom, fkill, and integrity, which was expected
from him. That able and virtuous merchant invited
many new fettlers to Pondicherry, and made the
place agreeable to them, by the good order he
maintained there, and by his moderation and juf-
tice. He acquired the favour of the neighbour-
ing princes, whofe friendfhip was of confequence
to an infant fettlement. He chofe or formed
good fubjects, whom he fent to the markets
of Ada, and to the feveral princes of that em-
pire. He had perfuaded the French, that as they
were come laft to India, that as they found them-
lelves there in a weak condition, and could not
expect any afliftance from their own country,
that they had no other way of iucceeding, but
by infpiring the natives with a favourable opinion
of their character. He made them lay afide that
levity, and thofe contemptuous airs, which fo
often make their nation infufFerable to ftrangers.
They grew modeft, gentle, and attentive to bufi-
nefsj they learned the art of behaving fuitable
to the genius of the ieveral nations, and to parti-
cular circumflances. Thofe who did not confine
themfelves to the company's fervice, frequenting
different courts, became acquainted with the places
where
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
where the fmeft fluffs were manufactured, the
ftaples where the choiceft commodities were to be
met with, and, in fhort, with all the particulars
relative to the inland trade of every country.
ALL that Martin had it in his power to ac-
complifh, was to lay the foundation of future
fuccefs to the company, by the good opinion he
gave of the French, by the pains he took to train
up agents, by the informations he gained, and
by the good order he maintained in Pondicherry,
which daily acquired new inhabitants; but all
this was not fufficient to reflore the declining ftate
of the company, fubject from its infancy to fuch
diforders as muft at length certainly deflroy it.
His firfl fcheme was to eftablifh a great empire
at Madagafcar. A fingle voyage carried over 1688 company
perfons, who were made to expect a delightful
climate and a rapid fortune, and found nothing but
famine, difcord, and death.
So unfortunate a beginning difcouraged the
adventurers from an undertaking, which they
had entered upon merely with a view to follow
the example of others, or in compliance with
felicitations. The owners of fhares had not made
good their payments with fo much punctuality as
is required in commercial affairs. The govern-
ment, which had engaged to advance, without
intereft, a fifth part of the fums the company were
to receive, and which as yet was only bound to
furnifh two millions*, again drew the fame fum
out of the public treafury, in hopes of fupporting
the work it had begun. Some time after its gene-
87,500!.
rofity
5 8 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^p K. rc ,fity was carried flill further, and freely gave
^ ' what at firft was only lent.
THIS encouragement from the miniftry could
not, however, enable the company to proceed in
their defigns. They were forced to confine them
to Surat and Pondi cherry ; and to abandon their
fettlements at Bantam, Rajapore, Tilferi, Mazu-
lipatam, Gombroon, and Siam. No doubt they
had too many factories, and fome were ill fitu-
ated ; but the inability they were under of fup-
portlng them was the only reafon that they were
abandoned.
SOON after this, it became necefiary to make
further -advances. In 1682, they gave permifTion
indifcriminately to French fubjects and foreigners
to trade to the Eaft-Indies for five years on the
company's fhips, paying the freight that fhould be
agreed upon ; and on condition that the goods
brought homefhouicibe depofited in the company's
warehoufes, fold at the fame time with theirs, and
be fubject to a duty of five per cent. The public
fo eagerly came into this propofal, that the direc-
tors entertained great hopes from the increafe of
thefe fmall profits, which would be conftant with-
out any rifque. But the proprietors, lefs fenfible
of thefe moderate advantages, than jealous of the
great profits made by the free traders, in two years
time obtained a repeal of this regulation, and their
charter remained in full force.
To fupport this monopoly with fome decency, a
fund was wanting. In 1 6 84, the company obtain-
ed from government a call upon all the proprietors,
amounting to a fourth part of their property;
and
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
and in cafe any one failed to pay the fum required,
his whole fhare was to be made over to any one
who fhould pay it for him. Whether from per-
verfenefs, from particular motives, or from inabi-
lity, many did not pay, fo that their fhares loft
three-fourths of their original value; and, to the
difgrace of the nation, there were men barbarous
and unjuft enough to enrich themfelves with their
fpoils.
AN expedient fo diftionourable enabled them
to fit out a few fhips for Afia ; but new wants
were foon felt. Their cruel fituation, which con-
tinually grew worfe, put them upon demanding
of the proprietors in 1697, the reilitution of the
dividends of ten and twenty per cent, which they
had received in 1687 and 1691. So extraordinary
a propofal raifed a general clamour. The com-
pany were obliged to have recourfe to the ufual
method of borrowing. Thele loans became more
burdenfome, the more they were multiplied, as
the fecurity was more precarious.
As the company was in want both of money and
credit, the emptinefs of their coffers put it out of
their power to afford thofe advantages, and that
encouragement to the merchant in India, without
which he will neither work, nor fet others to work.
This inability reduced the French fales to nothing.
It is demonflrable, that from 1664 to 1684, that
is, in the fpace of twenty years, the fum total of
their produce did not exceed nine millions one
hundred thoufand livres*.
To thefe had been added other abufes. The
conduct of the adminiftrators and agents for the
* 398,125!.
com-
60 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
o o
IV.
c company had not been properly directed, or care-
fully looked into. The capital had been broken
into, and dividends paid out of the flock, which
ought only to have arifen from the profits. The
leaft brilliant, and leaft profperous of all reigns,
had exhibited a model for a commercial company.
The trade to China, the eafieft, the fafeft, and
the moft advantageous that is carried on with Afia,
had been given up to a particular body of mer-
chants,
THE bloody war of 1689 added to the calami-
ties of the India company, even by the very fuc-
cefles of France. Swarms of privateers, fitted out
from the feveral harbours in the kingdom, annoyed
by their vigilance and bravery the trade of Hol-
land and England. In their numberlefs prizes
were found a prodigious quantity of India goods,
which were retailed at a low price. The company,
who by this competition were forced to fell under
prime coft, endeavoured to find out fome expedient
to fave themfelves from this danger, but could
think of none that was reconcileable with the inte-
reft of the privateers ; nor did the minifter think
proper to facrifice an ufeful fet of men to a body,
which had fo long wearied him with their mur-
murs and complaints.
BESIDES thefe, the company had many more
caufes of difcontent. The financiers had fhewn
an open hatred for them, and were continually
oppofing or confining them. Supported by thofe
vile aflociates which they always have at court,
they endeavoured to put an end to the Indian
tradej under the fpecious pretence of encoura-
ging
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 61
ging the home manufactures. The government was B
at firft afraid of being expofed to reproach, by
departing from the principles of Colbert, and
repealing the mod folemn edicts: but the farmers
of the revenue found means to render thofe pri-
vileges ufelefs, which the miniftry would not
abolifh j and the company no longer enjoyed, with-
out being abfolutely deprived of them.
HEAVY duties were fucceflively laid upon all
India goods. Half a year feldom palled without
fome new regulation, fometimes to allow, fome-
times to prohibit, the ufe of thefe commodities :
there was a continued fcene of contradictions in a
part of adminiftration, that would have required
fteady and invariable principles. All thefe varia-
tions gave Europe room to think, that trade would
hardly be eftablilhed in a kingdom where all de-
pends upon the caprices of a minifter, or the in-
terefl of thofe who govern.
The conduct of an ignorant and corrupt admi-
niftration, the levity and impatience of the proprie-
tors, the interefted views of the comptrollers of
finance, the opprefiive fpirit of the treafury, joined
to other caufes, had prepared the ruin of the com-
pany. The mjferies of the war, carried on for the
Spanifh fucceflion, haftened their deftruction.
EVERY refource was exhaufted. The moil fan-
guine faw no profpect of their being able to fend
out a fleet. Befides, if by unexpected good for-
tune fome few weak veflels fhould be fitted out, it
was to be feared they might be feized in Europe,
or in India, by difappointed creditors, who mufl:
neceflarily be exafperatcd. Thefe powerful rno^
tives
6z HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK tives determined the company in 1707, to con-
> fent that fome rich merchants fhould fend their
own fhips to India, upqn condition that they
fhould allow the company fifteen per cent, profit
upon the goods they fhould bring home, and the
right of taking fuch lhare in thofe fhips as their
circumftances fhould admit of. Soon after this,
they were even reduced to make over the whole
and excluiive exercife of their privilege to fome
privateers of St. Malo, flill referring the fame
concefiion, which for fome years paft had in fome
degree kept them from ruin.
NOTWITHSTANDING this defperate fituation, in
1714 they folicited the renewal of their charter,
which was nearly expired, and which they had
enjoyed for half a century. The miniftry, who
did not know, or would not perceive, that meafures
more prudential might be adopted, granted them
an indulgence for ten years longer. This new re-
gulation took place but in part, in confequence of
fome extraordinary events, the caufes of which we
fhall next inquire into.
The French WHOEVER has been accuftomed to trace the
me- progrefs of empires, has always confidered the
death of Colbert as the event that put an end to
k e true prosperity f France. She flill appeared
tem; but w i t h fome outward fplendour, but her inward
Toon relapfes
intoobfcu- decay increafed daily. Her finances, adminiftered
without order or principle, fell a prey to a
multitude of rapacious farmers of the revenue.
Thefe people made themfelves necefTary even by
their plunders, and went fo far as to impofe
terms to government. The confufion, ufury,
5 and
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
and continual alterations in the coin, the reduc- B
tions of intereft, the alienations of the domain < ^
and of the taxes, engagements which it was im-
poflible to fulfil, the creation of penfions and
places, the privileges and exemptions of all kinds,
and a thoufand other evils, each more ruinous
than the other, were the confequences of fo cor-
rupt an adminiftration.
THE lols of credit foon became univerfal. Bank-
ruptcies were more frequent. Money grew fcarce,
and trade was at a ftand. The confumption was
lefs. The culture of lands was neglected. Artifts
went over to foreign countries. The common peo-
ple had neither food nor cloathing. The nobility
ferved in the army without pay, and mortgaged
their lands. All orders of men groaned under the -
weight of taxes, and were in want of the necef-
faries of life. The royal effects had loft their
value. The contracts upon the hotel de <ville fold
but for half their worth, and the bills of fale fell
eighty or ninety per cent, under par. Lewis XIV.
a little before his death, was in great want of eight
millions * ; and was forced to give bonds for
3 2,000,000 f, which was borrowing at four hun-
dredper cent.
IN this confufion were public affairs, when the
Duke of Orleans took the reins of government.
Thofe who were for violent meafures, propofed to
facrificethe creditors of the ftate to the land-hold-
ers, as the former were in proportion to the lat-
ter but as one to fix hundred. The regent re-
fufed to come into a meafure that would have
* 3 50,000!. fi, 400*000 1.
ftamped
64 HlSTOkY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
K ftamped an indelible ftain upon his adminiftration.
He preferred an inquiry into the public engage-
ments to a total bankruptcy.
NOTWITHSTANDING the reducftionof 600,000,000
*of flock to bearer, to 250,000,000! of govern-
ment bonds, the national debt amounted to
262,138,001 livres J at twenty-eight livres the
merk, the intereft of which, at four per cent.
amounted to 89,983,453 livres ||.
THIS enormous debt, which nearly abforbed the
whole of the public revenue, fuggefted the idea
of appointing a bed of juftice, to call thofe to ac-
count who had been the authors of the public
calamities, and had enriched themfelves with the
fpoils of the nation. This inquiry only ferved
to expofe to public view the incapacity of the mi-
nifters who had been intrufted with the manage-
ment of the finances, the craft of the farmers of the
revenue who had fwallowed them up, and the bafe-
nefs of the courtiers, who had fold their intereft to
the nrft bidder. By this experiment, honeft minds
were confirmed in the abhorrence they always had
for fuch a tribunal. It degrades the dignity of the
prince who fails to fulfil his engagements, and ex-
pofes to the people the vices of a corrupt admini-
ftration. It is injurious to the rights of the citi-
zen, who is accountable for his actions to none but
the law. It ftrikes terror into the rich, who are
marked out as delinquents, merely becaufe they
are rich, be their fortunes well or ill gotten. It
gives encouragement to informers, who point out
* 26,250,000 1. f 10,937,500!. 190,218,537!. iis.
$U. 45. 6d. Il3>93 6 >77 61 - is. 4fd.
i as
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
2s fit objects for tyranny fu'ch as it may be ad-*
vantageous to ruin. It is compoicd of unmerciful
leeches, who fee guilt wherever they fufpect there
v is money. It fpares plunderers, who find means
to fecrete their wealth in time ; and fpoils honeft
men who think themfelves fecure in their .inno-
cence. It facrifices the interefts of the treafury to
the whims of a few greedy, profligate, and extra-
vagant favourites.
WHILE France was exhibiting to all Europe the
cruel and difgraceful fpeclacle of thefe complicated
evils, a Scotch empiric arrived at Paris, who for
fome time had been travelling about, and making
a difplay of his talents, hurried on by his own
reftlefs difpofition. His fiery genius and peremp-
tory manner were capable of bearing down every
argument, and furmounting every difficulty. In
1716 he fuggefted the idea of a bank, the fuccefs
of which confounded his. opponents, and even ex-
ceeded his own expectations . With ninety mil-
lions * that the Weft India company furnilhed to-
wards this bank, if gave new life to agriculture,
to trade, to arts ; in iliort, to the whole nation.
The author v/as extolkd as an accurate, extenfive,
and elevated genius, who defpifed fortune, aimed
only at glory, and wanted to tranfmit his name to
pofterity by great actions. Such was the gratitude
of the public, that he was thought to deferve the
higheft honours. This aftonifhing profperity gave
him an unlimited authority. He made ufe of it
in 1719 to unite the Eaft and Weft India com-
panies, as likewife thofe of Africa and China, into
one body. Commercial fchcmes were the leaft
* 3,937,500!.
VOL. II. F concern
66 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B iv? K concern of the new fociety. They carried their
i. ..- y -i ~j ambition fo far as to pretend to pay off all the
national debt. The government granted them
the fole vending of tobacco, the mint, the receipts,
and general farms, to enable them to purfue fo
grand a project.
AT firft, Law's fchemes met with imiverfal ap-
probation. Six hundred and twenty-four thoufand
fhares, moflly bought with government bills, and
which upon an average did not really coil 500 li-r
vres*, rofe to 10,000 livresf? payable in bank
notes. Such was the infatuation of the public, that
not only Frenchmen, but foreigners, and even the
moft fenfible people, fold their flock, their lands,
their jewels, to play this extraordinary game.
Gold and filver were held in no eflimation ; and
nothing but paper currency was fought after.
THIS frenzy multiplied paper credit to fuchan
amazing degree, that it circulated to the amount
of 6, 1 3 8, 243, 5 90 li vres J, in lhares of India (lock,
or in bank notes, though there was actually in
the kingdom no more than twelve hundred mil-
lions in fpecie, at fixty litres a merk |j.
SUCH diiproportion might poffibly have been
fupported in a free nation, where it had been
brought on by degrees. The citizens, accuftomed
to confider the nation as a permanent and inde-
pendent body, truft to its fecurity the more rea-
dily, as they are feldom thoroughly acquainted
with its powers, and have a good opinion of its
equity founded on experience. Upon the ftrength
* 21 1. 175. 6d. f437 1 - IOS - I 268,548,157!. i*. 3d.
52,500,000!. It 2 1. i as. 6d.
of
IN TttE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 6 7
of this favourable prejudice, credit is often
flretched in thofe ftates beyond the real refources
and fecurities of the nation. This is not the
cafe in an abfolute monarchy, efpecially fuch as
have often broken their engagements* If in times
of public infatuation an implicit confidence is
Ihewn, the effect ceafes with the caufe. Their
infolvency becomes evident. The honefty of the
monarch, the mortgage, the ftock, every thing
appears imaginary. The creditor, recovered from
his delirium, demands his money with a degree of
impatience proportionable to his uneafinefs. The
hiftory of the fyftem will corroborate this truth.
IN order to anfwer the firft demands, the go-
vernment had recourfe to very extraordinary ex-
pedients. Gold was prohibited in trade ; all per-
fons were forbidden to keep by them more than
five hundred livres * in fpecie. An edict was
publifhed, declaring feveral fuccefiive diminu-
tions in the value of the coin. This had the defired
effect i people were now not fo anxious to draW
their money from the bank ; on the contrary* in
lefs than a month they brought in fpecie to the
amount of forty-four million fix hundred ninety-
fix thoufand one hundred and ninety livres j* in
fpecie, at eighty livres J a merk.
As this infatuation could not be lafting, it was
judged expedient to leffen the difproportion be-
tween paper-currency and money, by reducing
the bank bills to half their value, and the fhares
to five-ninths. The ftandard for the coin was fixed
*2il. 173. 6d. f 1,955,458!. 6s. 3d. Jsl. 10 s.
F a at
62 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK at eighty-two livres ten fols* a merk. This fcheme,.
u v^ > the mdft rational, perhaps, that could have been
devifed in the critical fituation of affairs, completed
die general confufion. The confirmation was uni-
verfal ; every one imagined he had loft half his
fortune, and hailened to- call in the remainder.
The bank had no ftock, and the ftock-brokers
found they had only been grafping at fhadows.
The foreigners, who had realized their paper at
firft, and carried off one-third of the ready money
of the kingdom, were the leaft lofers. The hopes
which the government had conceived of paying off
the national debt difappeared with Law -, and there
remained no lafting monument of the fyftem, but
an India company, whole fhares were fixed by the
liquidation of 1723, to the number of fifty-fix
thoufand, but by fubfequent events were re-
duced to fifty-thoufand two hundred fixty-eight
and four-tenths.
. UNFORTUNATELY it preferved the privileges of
the feveral companies out of which it had been
formed ; and this prerogative added neither to- its
wil'dom or power ; it confined, the negro-trade,
and flopped the progrefs of the fugar colonies.
Moft of its privileges ferved only to authorife
odious monopolies. The moft fertile regions
upon earth, when occupied by the company,
were neither peopled nor cultivated. The fpirit
of finance, which Tefr.rains purfuits as much as
the commercial fpirit enlarges them, became the
fpirit of the company, and has continued ever
fince. The directors thought only of turning to
* 3 1. 125. Z\ d.
their
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 69
their own advantage the rights ceded to the B o ^ K
company in Afia, Africa, and America. It be- * *- '
came a fociety of contra6tors, rather than a trad-
ing company. Nothing could pofiibly be laid ia
praife of their adminiftration, had they noffaeen
Ib honeft as to pay off the debts accumulated in
India for a century paftj and taken care to fecure
Pondicherry againfl any invafion, by iurrounding
k with walls- Their trade was but imall and pre-
carious till Orry was appointed to fuperintend the
tinances of the nation.
THAT upright and difmterefted minifter fullied Great fuc-
his virtues by a harfhnefs of temper which he French in
apologized for in a manner not much to the credit India>
of the nation. One day that a friend was re-
proaching him for the roughnefs of his manners,
he anfwered, How can I behave otherwife ? Out of
a hundred people I fee in a day, fifty take me for a
fool, and fifty for a knave. He had a brother
named Fulvy,, who was lefs rigid in his princi-
ples, but had more affability, and greater capa^
city. He intrufted him with the concerns of the
company, which could not but nourifh .under fucii
41 direction.
NOTWITHSTANDING the former prejudices and
thofe which ftill prevailed ; notwithflanding the
abhorrence the public had for any remains of
Law's fyftem ; notwithstanding the authority of
the Sorbonne, which had decided that the divi-
dend upon the fhares came under the denomina-
tion of ufury ; notwithstanding the bjindnefs of a
nation credulous enough not to be fhocked at fo
abiurd a decifion ; yet ftill the two brothers found
F 3 means
7 o HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B JV K means to convince Cardinal Fleury, that it was
CM -, '- -' proper to fupport the India Company in an effec^
tual manner. They even prevailed upon that mi-
nifter, who was fometimes too parfimonious, to
lavifh the king's favours upon this eftablifhment.
The care of fuperintending its trade, and increaf-
ing its powers, was afterwards committed to feve-
ral perfons of known abilities.
DUMAS was fent to Pondicherry. He foorj
Obtained leave of the court of Dehli to coin
money; which privilege was worth four or five
hundred thoufand livres*a year. He obtained a
cefTion of the territory of Karical, which entitled
him to a considerable fhare in the trade of Tan-
jour. Some time after, a hundred thoufand Ma^-
rattas invaded the Decan. They attacked the
Nabob of Arcot, who was vanquifhed and {lain,
His family and feveral of his fubjects took refuge
in Pondicherry. They were received with all the
kindnefs due to allies in diftrels. Ragogi BoufTola,
the general of the victorious army, demanded,
that they fhould be delivered up to him; and fur-
ther required the payment of 1,200,000 livres-f-
by virtue of a tribute, which he pretended the
French had formerly fubmitted to.
DUMAS made anfwer, That fo long as the Mo-
guls had been matters of that countiy, they had
always treated the French with the refpect 4ue to
one of the moft illuflrious nations in the world,
which took a pride in her turn in protecting her
benefactors ; that it was contrary to the character
pf that magnanimous nation to deliver up a num-
* About 19,700 1. on an average. f 52,500!.
ber
. '
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 71
ber of women and children, and of unfortunate and B IV K
defencelefs men, to fee them put to death ; that v>~ v J
the fugitives then in the town were under the pro-
tection of his king, who efteemed it his higheft
honour to be the prote&or of the-diftrefTed ; that
every Frenchman in Pondicherry would gladly die
in their defence; and that his own life was for-
feited, if his fovereign were to know that he had fo
much as liftened to the mention of a tribute. He
added, that he was ready to defend the place to
the laft extremity i and if he was overpowered, he
would get on board his fhips, and return to
Europe: that Rogogi might confider whether he
chofe to expofe his army to utter deftruction, when
the greateft advantage that could be obtained by
it was to take pofTeffion of a heap of ruins.
THE Indians had not been accuilomed to hear
the French talk with fo much dignity. This bold-
nels daggered the general of the Marattas ; and,
after fome negociations fkilfully carried on, he de-
termined to keep peace with Pondicherry.
WHILST Dumas was procuring wealth and re-
fpect to the company, the government fent la Bour-
donnais to the Ifle of France.
THE Portuguefe, at the time of their firil voyages
to India, had difcovered to the eaft of Madagafcar,
between the I9th and 2Oth degrees of latitude,
three iflands, to which they gave the names of Maf-
carenhas, Cerne, and Rodrigue. There they found
neither men nor quadrupeds, and attempted no fet^-
clement upon either of the iflands. The mod
weftern of them, which had been called Mafcaren-
hasj fcrved as a refuge about the year 1665 to
F 4 fome
7 z HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K fome Frenchmen, who before were fettled at
v -v^ i Madagafcar. There- they found an extent of fixty
miles in length, and forty-five in breadth, full of
mountains, and but few plains. At firft they bred
cattle, and afterwards they cultivated European
corn, Afiatic and African fruits, and fome vegeta-
bles fit for that mild climate. The health, plenty,
and freedom they enjoyed, induced feveral failors
belonging to the fhips tfcat touched there for re-
frelhments, to come and live amongfl them. In-
duftry brought on population. In 1718, they
procured fome coffee trees from Arabia, which luc-
ceeded tolerably well, though the fruit had loft
much of its flavour. This culture, and other labo-
rious employments, were performed by (laves from
the coaft of Africa, or from Madagafcar. Then
the iiland, which had changed its name from
Mafcarenhas to the ifle of Bourbon, became an
important object to the company. In 1763, the
population amounted to 4627 white people, and
1 5 1 49 blacks j the cattle confuted of 8702 beeves,
4084 fheep, 7405 goats, 7619 hogs. Upon an
extent of 125,909 acres of cultivated land, they
gathered as much caffava as would feed their
flaves, 1135000 pounds weight of corn, 844100
pounds of rice, 2879100 pounds of maize, and
2535100 pounds of coffee, which the company
bought up at fix fols * a pound.
UNFORTUNATELY this valuable poffeffion has
no hafbour. This inconvenience determined the
French to attempt a fettlement on the ifland of
Cerne, where the Portuguefe had, as ufual, left
* About 3d.
fome
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 73
fome quadrupeds and fowls for the benefit of fuch B 1V *
of their ftiips as fhould chance to touch there. * /-
The Dutch, who afterwards took porTeffion of it,
forfook it from an appreheniion of multiplying
their fettleinents too much, The ifland was unin-
habited when the French landed there in 1720,
and changed its name from Mauritius to the Ifle
of France, which it flill bears.
THE rirft people that were fent thither, came
over from Bourbon, and there they were forgot-
ten for fifteen years. They only formed as it were
a corps de garde, with orders to hang out a
French flag, to inform all nations that the ifland
had a mafter. The company, long undetermined,
decided at laft for the keeping it, and in 1735 la
Bourdonnais was commiffioned to improve it.
THIS man, who has fince been fo famous, was
born at St. Malo, and had been at fea from the
age of ten years ; all his voyages had been pro-
fperous, and in every one he had fignalized him-
felf by fome extraordinary adtion. He had re-
conciled the Arabs and the Portuguefe, who were
preparing to maflacre one another in the road of
Mocha: and had diilinginflied himielf in the
war at Mahe. He was the firft Frenchman who
ever thought of fending armed vefTels into the
Indian feas. He was known to be equally fkilful
jn the art of Ihip-building, as in that .of navigat-
ing and defending a fhip. His fchemes bore the
mark of genius, nor were his views contracted by
the clofe attention he paid to all the minute par-
ticulars of whatever fcheme he undertook. Dif-r
fjculties did but quicken his activity, and difplay
his
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
his talent for difpofmg the men under his command
to the beft advantage. Nothing was ever laid to
his charge but an immoderate pafiion for riches ;
and it muft be confefled he was not over-fcrupulous
as to the means of acquiring them.
HE was no fooner arrived at the Ifle of France,
than he made it his bufmefs to acquire every infor-
mation he could concerning it. He found it to be
31890 toifes in its greateft diameter, 22124 in its
greateft breadth, and 432680 acres in furface.
The greateft part of this ground was covered with
forefls almoft impenetrable, and with mountains
jnot exceeding 400 toifes in height. Moft of them
were full of refervoirs of water, which poured
down in ftreams upon a dark grey earth, full of
perforations, and for the moft part ftony,
THE fea coaft was what la Bourdonnais chiefly-
attended to ; and his principal obfervations related
to the two harbours he found there. He thought
the harbour on the fouth-eaft fide of little corrfe-
quence, on account of the regular and high winds,
which make it impofiible, or at leaft very difficult,
to fail out of it at any feafon of the year, That on
the north-weft he found far preferable, though the
{hips muft get to it through a narrow channel,
between two flats, and then be towed in, and
though it will fcarcely admit above thirty-five or
forty Ihips.
As foon as la Bourdonnais had procured thefo
neceffary informations, he endeavoured to inftil a
fpirit of emulation into the firft colonifts on the
in 1 and, who were entirely difcouraged at the neglect
with which they had been treated^ and attempted
CO
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 75
to reduce to fome fubordination the vagrants lately B o jy *
arrived from the mother country. He made them \, -,'-,^
cultivate rice and wheat, for the good of the Eu-
ropeans, and cafTava, which he had brought from
Brazil, for the flaves. They were to be furnifhed
from Madagafcar with meat for the daily confump-
tion of the richer inhabitants and of fea-faring
jnen, till the cattle they had procured from thence
fhould multiply fo confiderabiy, as to prevent the
necefiity of importing any more, A poft which he
had eftablifhed on the little ifland of Rodrigue,
abundantly fupplied the poor with turtle. Here
fhips going to India foon found ail the refrefhments
and conveniencies they wanted after a tedious
paflage. Three fhips were fitted out, one of which
carried 500 tons burden. If the founder had not
the fatisfaction of bringing the colony to the ut-
moft degree of profperity it was capable of, at leaib
he had the credit of having difcovered what degree
of importance it might acquire in able hands.
THESE improvements, however, though they
feemed to be owing to enchantment, did not meet
with the approbation of thofe who were princi-
pally concerned in them, and la Bourdonnais was
compelled to juftify himfelf. One of the directors
was afldng him one day how it happened that he
had conducted the affairs of the company fo ill,
while he had taken fo much care of his own.
Becaufe, faid he, / have managed mine according to
my own judgment^ and tbofe of the company according
to y cur directions.
GREAT men have been always more ufeful to
the public, than large collective bodies. Nations
and
> HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
JV * and focieties are but the inftruments of men of
-v * genius; thefe have been the true founders of
ftates and colonies. Spain, Portugal, Holland,
and England, owe their foreign conquelts and
Settlements to able warriors, experienced Teamen,
and legislators of fuperior talents. France efpe-
-cially is more indebted to fome fortunate indivi-
duals for the glory ihe has acquired, than to the
form of her government. One of thefe fuperior
men had juft eilablifhed the power of France over
two important iflands in Africa ; another ftill more
extraordinary, whofe name was Dupleix, added
iplendour to the French name in Afia.
HE was firft fent to the banks of the Ganges,
where he fuperintended the colony of Chanderna-
gore. That fettlement, though formed in a part
of the globe the beft adapted for great commer-
' cial undertakings, had been but in a languid ftate,
till he took the management of it. The company
was not able to fend any great flock ; and the
agents, who went over there without any of their
own, had not been able to avail themfelves of the
liberty that was allowed them of advancing their
own private affairs. The activity of the new gover-
-nor, who brought an ample fortune, the reward
often years fuccefsful labours, foon fpread through-
out the colony. In a country abounding with
.money they foon found credit, when once they
(hewed themfelves deferving of it. In a fhort time,
-Chandernagore excited the admiration of its neigh-
bours, and the envy of its rivals. Dupleix, who
had engaged the reft of the French in his vaft
ipeculations, opened frelh fources of commerde all
over
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. . 77
over the Mogul's Dominions, and as far as Thibet. B O ]V Ki
On his arrival he liad not found a fmgle floop, * ^r
and he fitted out fifteen armed veffels at .once.
Thefe ihips carried on trade in different places in
India. Some he fent to the Red Sea, to the Gulph
of Perfia, to Surat, to Goa, to the Maldives, and
Manilla Iflands, and to all the leas where there
was a poflibility of trading to advantage.
DUPLEIX had for twelve years fupported the
honour of the French name on the Ganges, and
increafed the revenues of the public as well as
the private fortunes of individuals, when he was
called to Pondicherry, to take upon him the gene-
ral fuperintendency of all the company's affairs
in India. They were then in a more flourilhing
condition than they had ever yet been, or have ever
been fincei for that year the returns amounted to
twenty-four millions*. Had they continued to
act prudently, had they confided more in two fuch
men as Dupleix and la Bourdonnaig, they would ,
probably have acquired fuch power as would not
have been eafiiy deftroyed.
LA BOURDONNAIS faw an approaching rupture
with England ; and propoied a fcheme which would
have fecured to the French the ibvereignty of the
feas in Afia, during the whole courfe of die war.
He was convinced, that whichever nation ihould
firft take up arms in India, would have a manifeft
advantage over the other. He therefore defired to
have a fquadron, with which he Ihould fail to the
Ille of France, and there wait till hoftilities began.
From this place he was to go and cruize in the
* 1,050,000.!.
6 (traits
HIS? ORY of SETTLEMENTS AND
K ft ra * ts f Sunda, where moft of the fhips pafs that
are going to, or coming from China. There he
would have intercepted all the Englifh fhipsj and
faved thofe of the French. He would have even
taken the fmall fquadron which England fent into
thofe very latitudes; and, having thus made hirnfelf
mafter of the Indian feas, would have ruined all
the Englifh. fettlements in thofe parts.
THE miniftry approved of this plan, and granted
him five men of war, with which he fet fail.
HE had fcarcely fet fail, when the directors,
equally offended at their being kept in the dark
as to the deftination of the fquadron, and at the
expences it had occafioned them, and jealous of
the advantage this would give to a man who,
in their opinion, was already too independent,
exclaimed againft this armament as they had done
before, and declared it to be ufelefs. They were,
or pretended to be, fo fully convinced of the
neutrality that would be obferved in India be-
tween the two companies, that they perfuaded the
minifter into that opinion, when la Bourdonnais
was no longer prefent to animate him, and guide
his inexperience.
THE court of Verfailles was not aware that a
power, fupported chiefly by trade, would not eafily
be induced to leave them in quiet poflefflon of the
Indian ocean; and that, if fhe either made or
liftened to any propofals of neutrality, it muft be
only to gain time. It T r as not aware that, even
fuppofmg fuch an agreement was made bcna fide
on both fides, a thoufand unforefeen events might
interrupt it. It was not aware, that the object
propofecf
8
JN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 79
propofed could never be fully anfwered, becaufe B IV K -
the fea-forces of both nations, not being bound
by any private agreement made between two com-
panies, would attack their fhips in the European
leas. It was not aware, that in the colonies
themfelves they would make preparations to guard
againft a furprife j that thefe precautions would
create a miftruit on both fides ; and that miftrufl
would bring on an open rapture. All thefe par-
ticulars were not perceived by the court, and the
fquadron was recalled. Hoftilities began ; and the
lois of almoft every French fhip going to India,
fhewed too late which of the two was the moft
judicious fyftem of politics.
LA BOURDONNAIS was as deeply affected for
the errors that had occafioned the misfortunes
of the nation, as if he had been guilty 'of them
himfelf, and applied wholly to remedy them.
Without magazines, without provifions, without
money, he found means by his attention and per-
feverance to form a fquadron, compofed of a fixty-
gun fhip, and five merchantmen, which he turned
into men of war. He ventured to attack the Eng-
iifh fquadron -, he beat them, purfued and forced
them to quit the coaft of Coromandel ; he then
befieged and took Madrafs, the firft of the Englifh
fettlements. The victor was preparing for frefh
expeditions, which were certain and eafy; but
he met with the moft violent oppofition, which not
only occafioned the lofs of the fum of 9,057,000
livres* he had ftipulated for as die ranlbm of
the city, but alfo deprived him of the fuccefs
* 396,243!. 15$,
which
mSTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
K w f
IV.
o o K w hich muft neceflarily have followed his under-
takings.
THE company was then governed by two of
the king's commiflaries, who were irreconcileable
enemies to each other. The directors and the in-
ferior officers had taken part in the quarrel, ac-
cording as their inclination ( or their interefl led
them. The t!wo factions were extremely incenfed
againft each other. That which had caufed La
Bourdonnais's fquadron to be taken from him,
was enraged to fee that he had found refources
in himfelf, to ward off every blow that was aimed
at him. There is good reafon to believe, that this
fa&ion purfued him to India, and inflilled the
poifon of jealoufy into the heart of Dupleix. Two
men formed to efteem and love each other, to
adorn the French name, and to defcend together
to pofterity, became the vile tools of an animefity
in which they were not the leaft interefted. Du-
pleix oppofed La Bourdonnais, and made him lofe
much time. The latter, after having ftaid too long
on the coaft of Coromandel, waiting for the fuc-
cours which had been unneceiTarily delayed, faw
his fquadron deftroyed by a ftorm. The crews
were difpofed to mutiny. So many misfortunes,
brought-on by 'the intrigues of Dupleix, deter-
mined La Bourdonnais to return to Europe,
where a horrid dungeon was the reward of all
his glorious fervices, and the end of all the
hopes which the nation had built upon his great
talents. The Englifh, delivered from that for-
midable enemy in India, and confiderably rein-
forced, found themielves in a condition to attack
the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES* 81
the French in their turn, and accordingly laid B IV K
fiege to Pondicherry* . *-
DUPLEIX then made amends for pafl errors. He
defended the town with great fkill and bravery 5
and after the trenches had been opened fix weeks,
the Englilh were forced to raife the fiege. The
news of the peace arrived foon after, and all
hoftilities ceafed between the companies of both
nations.
THE taking of Madrafs, La Bourdonnais's en-
gagement at fea, and the raifing of the fiege of
Pondicherry, gave the Indian nations a high opi-
nion of the French ; and they were refpecled in
thofe parts as the firft and greateft of the Euro-
pean powers.
DUPLEIX endeavoured to avail himfelf of this
difppiition, and took care to procure lafting and
important advantages for his nation. In order to
judge rightly of his projects, we muft lay before
the reader a defcription of the ftate of Indoftan at
that time.
IF we may credit uncertain tradition, that fine view of the
rich country tempted the firft conquerors of the fgg r n 2 c n Vze
world. But whether Bacchus, Hercules, Sefoftris. t *" :mfel :
' Account of
or Dari-us, did or did not carry their arms through
that large portion of the globe, certain it is, that
it proved an inexhauftible fund of fictions and won-
ders to the ancient Greeks. That people, ever cre-
dulous, becaufe they were carried away by their
imagination, were fo enchanted with thefe mar-
velous ftories, that they itill gave credit to
diem, even in the more enlightened ages of the
republic.
VOL, II, G IF
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
IF we confider this matter according to the prin-
ciples of reaibn and truth, we fhall find that a pure
air, wholefome food, and great frugality, had early
multiplied men to a prodigious degree in Indoftan.
They were acquainted with laws, civil government
and arts ; whilft the reft of the earth was defert
and favage. Wife and beneficial inftitutions pre-
ferved thefe people from corruption, and their
only care was to enjoy the gifts of the earth and
of the climate. If from time to time their morals
were tainted in fome of thefe ftates, the empire was
immediately fubverted > and when Alexander en-
tered thefe regions, he found very few kings, and
many free cities.
A COUNTRY divided into numberlels little Hates,
fome of which were popular, and others enflaved,
could not make a very formidable refiftance againft
the hero of Macedonia. His progrefs was rapid,
and he would have fubdued the whole country,
had not death overtaken him in the midft of his
triumphs.
BY following this conqueror in his expeditions,
the Indian Sandrocotus had learned the are of
war. This obfcure man, who had nothing to re-
commend him but his talents, colle&ed a numerous
army, and drove the Macedonians out of the pro-
vinces they had invaded. The deliverer of his
country then made himfelf mafter of it, and united
all Indoftan under his dominion. How long he
reigned, or what was the duration of the empire
he had founded, is not known.
AT the beginning of the eighth century, the
Arabs over-ran India, as they did many other parts
of
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
of the world. They fubjected fome few iflands
to their dominion; but, content with trading
peaceably on the continent, they made but few
iettlements on it.
THREE centuries after this, fome barbarians of
their religion, who came out from Khoraffan
headed by Mahmoud, attacked India on the north
fide, and extended their depredations as far as
Guzarati They carried off immenfe fpoils from
thofo wealthy provinces} and buried them under
ground in their wretched and barren deferts*
THESE calamities were not yet forgotten, wheri
Gingis-Khani who with his Tartars had fubdued
the greateft part of Afia, brought his victorious
army to the weftern borders of India* This was
about the year 1 200. It is not known what part
this conqueror and his defcendents took in the
affairs of Indoftan* Probably, they did not con-
cern themfelves much about them j for it appears^
that foon after the Patans reigned over this fine
country.
THESE are faid to have been Arabian merchants
fettled on the coafts of Indoflan, whoj taking ad^
vantage of the weaknefs of the feveral kings and
nations who had admitted them, eafily feizeql upon
many provinces, and founded a vaft empire, of
which Delhi was the capital. Under their dominion
India was happy, becaufe men educated to tradsL
were not influenced by that Ipiric of devaluation
and rapine which commonly attends invaders.
THE Indians had fcarce had time to accuftorn
jthemfelves to a foreign yoke> when they were once
more forced to change mafters, Tamerlane, who
G 2 cams
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
K came from Great Tartary, and was already famous
for his cruelties and his victories, advanced to the
north fide of Indoftan, at the end of the fourteenth
century, with a well-difciplined and triumphant
army, inured to all the hardfhtps of war. He
fecured the northern provinces himfelf, and aban-
doned the plunder of the fouthern ones to his
lieutenants. He feemed determined to fubdue alb
India, when on a fudden he turned his arms againfl
Bajazet, overcame and dethroned that prince 3
and by the union of all his conquefts found him-
felf mafter of the immenfe fpace that extends
from the delicious coaft of Smyrna to the delight-
ful borders of the Ganges. After his death, vio-
lent contefts arofe, and his pofterity were deprived
of his rich fpoils. Babar, the fixth defcendent of
one of his children, alone furvived to preferve his
name.
THAT young prince, brought up in (loth and
luxury, reigned in Samarcand, where his anceftor
had ended his days. The Ufbeck Tartars de-
throned him, and conftrained him to take refuge
in the Cabuliftan. Ranguildas, the governor of
that province, received him kindly, and fupplied
him with troops.
THIS wife man addreffed him in the following
manner : " It is not towards the north, where ven-
" geance would.-naturally call thee, that thy fteps
ft muft be directed. Soldiers, enervated by the
" pleafures of India, could not without rafhnefs
xt attack warriors famous for their courage and
* c their victories. Heaven has conducted thee to
" the banks of the Indus, in order to fix upon
" thy
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
** thy brow one of the richeft diadems in the uni-
* f verfe. Turn thy view towards Indoflan. That
<c empire, torn in pieces by the inceflant wars of
cc the Indians and Patans, calls for a matter. It is
ff in thofe delightful regions that thou muft efta-
w blirfi a new monarchy, and raife thy glory equal
<( to that of the formidable Tamerlane."
THIS judicious advice made a ftrong impreffion
on the mind of Babar. A plan of ufurpation was
immediately traced out, and purfued with activity
and fkill. Succefs attended the execution. The
northern provinces, not excepting Delhi, fubmit-
ted after fome refiftance ; and thus a fugitive
monarch had the honour of laying the foundation
of the power of the Mogul Tartars, which fubfifts
to this day.
THE prefervation of this conqueft required a
form of government. That which Babar found
eflablifhed in India, was a kind of defpotifm,
merely relative to civil matters, tempered by cuf-
toms, forms, and opinion j in a word, adapted to
that mildnefs which thefe nations derive from the
influence of the climate, and from the more power-
ful influence of religious tenets. To this peaceable
conftitution Babar fubftituted a fevere and mili-
tary defpotilm, fuch as might be expected from a
victorious and barbarous nation.
RANGUILDAS was long witnefs to the power of
the new fovereign, and exulted in the fuccefs of his
own councils. The recollection of the ftep.s he
had taken to place his matter's ion upon the
throne, filled him with a confcious and real
fetisfaction.
G 3
85 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
ONE day, as he was praying in the temple, he
heard a Banian, who flood by him, cry out, " O
" God ! thou feeft the fufferings of my brethren.
{ We are a prey to a young man who confiders
" us as his property, which he may fquander and
" confume as he pleafes. Among the many chil-
*' dren who call upon thee from thcfe vaft regions,
<< one oppreffes all the reft : avenge us of the
*' tyrant -, avenge us of the traitors who have
t f placed him on the throne without examining
f ( whether he was a juft man."
KANGUILDAS, aftoniihed, drew near to the
Banian^ and faid, Cf O thou, who curfeft my old
*' age, hear me. If I am guilty, my confcience
(( has mifled me. When I reftored the inheritance
?' to the fon of my fovereign, when I expofed my
" life and fortune to eitablilh his authority, God is
** my witnefs, that I thought I was afting in con-
<c formity to his wife decrees ; and, at the very in-
*' ftant when I heard thy prayer, I was flill thank-
tc ing heaven for granting me, in my latter days,
** thofe two, greateft of blefllngs, reft and glory."
" GLORY! cries the Banian. Learn, Ranguildas^
" that giory belongs only to yirt^e, and not to
*' actions which are only fplendid, without being
" ufeful to mankind. Alas ! what advantages did
ft you procure to Indoftan when you crowned the
f e fon of an ufurper ? Had you previoufly confidered
" whether he was capable of doing good, and whe-
? f ther he would haye the will and refohmon to be
? c juft ? You fay, you have reftored to him the in-
f c heritance of his fathers, as if men could be be-
ff queathed and pofTeffed like lands and cattle,
Pretend
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 87
" Pretend not to glory, O Ranguildas ! or, if you B 1V K
cc look for gratitude, go and feek it in the heart of - v <
*' Babar $ he owes it you. You have purchafed it at
<f a great price, the happinefs of a whole nation."
BABAR, however, whilft he was bringing his
fubjects under the yoke of defpotifm, took care
to confine it within certain bounds, and to cttaw
up his inftitutes with fo much force, that his fuo
ceflbrs, though abfolute, could not poflibly be un-
juft. The prince was to be the judge of the peo-
ple and the arbiter of the ftate ; biit his tribunal
and his council were to be held in the public
fquare. Jnjuftice and tyranny love darknefs, in
order to conceal chemfelves from their intended
victor : but when the monarch's actions are to be
fubmitted to the infpection of his fubjects, it is a
fign he intends nothing but their good. Openly
to infult a number of men afTembled, is fuch an
outrage as even a tyrant would blufh at.
THE principal fupporc of his authority was a
body of four thoufand men, who fliled themfelves
the firft Haves of the prince. Out of this body were
chofen the Omrahs, thofe perfons who compofed
the emperor's councils, and on whom he beftowed
lands, diftinguiihed by great privileges. This fort
of porTeflions always reverted to the crown. It was
pn this condition that all great offices were given.
So true it is, that defpotifm enriches its flaves only
to plunder them r
GREAT intereft, however, was made for the pofl
of Omrah. Whoever afpired to the government
of a province, made this the object of his ambition.
To prevent any projects the governors might form
G 4 for
3S HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B ^ v K for their own aggrandizement or independence,
v - v ' they always had overieers placed about them, who
were not under their controul, and who were com-
mifiioned to infpect the ufe they made of the mili-
tary force they were intruded with, to keep the
conquered Indians in awe. The fortified towns
were frequently in the hands of officers, 'who were
accountable only to the Court. That fufpicious
court often fent for the governor, and either con-
tinued him or removed him, as it happened to fuit
her fluctuating policy. Thefe changes were grown
fo common, that anew governor coming out of
Delhi, remained upon his elephant with his face
turned towards the city, 'waiting, as he faid, to fee
bis fucceffor come cut.
THE form of government, however, was not the
fame throughout the empire. The Moguls had left
leveral Indian princes in pofTeflion of their iove-
reignties, and even with a power of tranfmitting
them to their defcendents. They governed ac-
cording to the laws of the country, though ac-
countable to a nabob appointed by the court.
They were only obliged to pay tribute, and to con-
form to the conditions ilipulated with their an-
ceftors at the time of the conquefl.
THE conquering nation could not have commit-
ted any confiderable ravages, fince it does not yet
conitltute more than a tenth part of the population
of India. There are a hundred millions of Indians
to ten millions of Tartars, The two nations have
never intermixed. None but Indians are farmers
and artificers. They alone live in the country, and
on the manufactures. The Mohammedans
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. S 9
are to be found in the capital, at court, in great BOOK
cities, in camps and armies. <-*-v^-i
IT appears, that at that period when the Moguls
entered Indoftan, they found no private property.
All the lands belonged to the Indian princes j and
it may eafily be imagined that favage conquerors,
funk in ignorance and avarice, did not rectify this
abufe, which is the utmoft flretch of arbitrary
power. That portion of the lands of the empire
which the new fovereigns call their own, was di-
vided into large governments, which were called
fubahfhips. The fubahs, who were intruded with
the civil and military government, were alfo ap-
pointed to receive the revenues. This they com-
mitted to the care of the nabobs, whom they efta-
blifhed throughout their fubahfliips ; and thefe
again trufted this bufmefs to private farmers,
whofe immediate bufmefs it was to cultivate the
Jands.
AT the beginning of their year, which is in June,
the nabob's officers agreed with the farmers for the
price of their farm. A kind of deed was drawn up,
called jamabandi, which was dcpofited in the chan-
cery of the province; after which, the farmers went,
each in his own diftricl, to look for hufbandmen,
and advanced them confiderable fums to enable
them to fow the ground. After harveft, s the
farmers remitted the produce of their grounds to
the nabob's officers. The nabob delivered it to the
fubah, and the fubah paid it into the emperor's
treafury. The agreements were commonly for hajf
the produce of the land; the other half went to
pay the charges of Culture, to enrich the farmers,
and
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
OOK an d to fubfifl thofe whom they employed in tilling
y ' < the land. In this fyftem were comprifed not only
corn, which is the principal crop, but all other
productions of the earth. Betel, fait, tobacco,
were all farmed in the fame manner.
THERE were alfo fome cuftom-houfes, and fome
duties upon the public markets ; but no poll-tax,
or any tax upon induftry. Thefe arbitrary rulers
had not thought of requiring any thing from men
who had nothing left them. The weaver, fitting at
his loom, worked without folicitude, and freely
difpofed of the fruit of his labour,
THIS liberty extended to every kind of move-
able.s. They were truly the property of private
perfons, who were not accountable to any perlbn
for them. They could difpofe of them in their
life-time 5 and, after their death, they devolved to
their offspring. The houfes of artificers, the town-
houfes with the little gardens belonging to them,
were likewife accounted private property. They
were hereditary, and might be fold.
IN the latter cafe, the buyer and feller appeared
Before the Cothoal. The conditions of the bar-
gain were drawn up in writing ; and the Cothoal
affixed his ieal to the deed, to make it valid.
THE fame formality was obferved with regard tq
the purchafe of flaves ; that is, of thofe unfortunate
men a who, under the preflure of poverty, chofe
rathe? to be in bondage to one man who allowed
them a fubfiitence, than to live under that general
flavery in which they had no means of procuring
the neceflaries of life. They then fold themfeives.
for a fum of money j and this, was tranfec"ted in
prefen.ce.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 91
pefence of the othoal, that the matter's property B v R
might not be contefted.
THE Cothoal was a kind of notary public. There
was one in every diilric~t of a certain fize ? It was be-^
fore him that the few deeds were tranf acted, which
the nature of fuch a government would admit of,
Another officer, called Jemidar, decided all differ-
ences that arofe between man and man ; and his
deciiions were almofl always definitive, unlefs the
caufe was a very important one, or unlefs the ag*
grieved party was rich enough to pay for having it
reverfed at the nabob's court. The Jemidar was
likewife intrufted with the police. He had a power
pf inflicting flight punifhments ; b,ut all capital of-
fences were referved for the judgment of the
nabob, as he alone had a right tq pronounce a
fentence of death.
SUCH a government., which was no better than
a. defpotifai gradually descending from the throne
down to the meaneft officer, could have no other
fpring than a coercive power conftantly exerted.
Accordingly, as foon as the rainy feafon was over,
the monarch quitted his capital, and refided in his
camp, The nabobs, the rajas, and the principal
officers, were fummoned to attend him ; and in this
manner he proceeded through all the provinces
fuccefiively, in military parade, which, however, did
not preclude political artifice. One great man was
often employed to opprefs another. The moft
odious refinement of defpotifm is that of dividing
its Haves. Thefe divifions were fomented by in-
formers, publicly kept by the prince, who were
Continually fpreading alarm and terror, Thefe in-
8 formers
9 z HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK formers were always chofen among perfons of the
t_ -,.. firft rank. Corruption is then at its height, when
power can confer nobility on what is mean.
- EVERY year, the . gAat Mogul fet out on his
progrefs, more as a conqueror, than as a fovereign.
He went to adminifler juftice in the provinces, as
if he was going to plunder them ; and maintained
his authority by a parade of military force, which
makes arbitrary government a continual ftate-war.
This manner of governing, though with legal
forms, is very dangerous for the monarch. So long
as the people feel their v/rongs merely through the
channel of thofe who are inverted with his autho-
rity, they only murmur, upon the fuppofition that
the fovereign is ignorant of them, and would not
fuffer any injuftice if he knew it : but when the
fovereign gives it a fanction by his prefence and by
fyis own decifions, then all confidence is at an end ;
the deception vanilhe'S : he was a God j now he is
aii idiot, or a wicked man.
THE Mogul emperors, however, have long en-
joyed the fuperftitious idea the nation had conceived
of their facred character, that outward pomp which
captivates the people more than juftice, becaufe
men are more ftruck with what dazzles their eyes,
than with what is beneficial to them ; the richnefs
and fplendour of the prince's court ; the grandeur
that furrounded him in his travels ; ail this kept up
in the minds of the people thofe prejudices of fer-
vile ignorance, which trembles before the idol it
has raifed. The various accounts that have been
tranfmitted to us of the luxury of the moil brilliant
courts in the world, are not to be compared to the
oltentatious
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
oftentatious pomp of the great: Mogul when he B
appears in public* The elephants, formerly fo
dreadful in war, but which are become ufelefs in
an army fince the introduction of gunpowder; thefe
immenfe animals that are unknown in our climates,
give an Afiatic monarch an air of grandeur, of
which we have no conception. The people fall
proftrate before their majeftic fovereign, who fits
exalted upon a throne of gold, glittering with pre-
cious ftones, mounted on the haughty animal, who
proceeds (lowly, proud to prefent the mafter of a.
great empire to the refpect of fo many flaves. Thus,
by dazzling the eyes of men, or infpiring them
with terror, the Moguls preferved and even en-
larged their coriquefts. Aurengzebe completed
them, by making himfelf mafter of the whole
peninfula. All Indoftan, excepting a fmall por-
tion of it along the coaft of Malabar, fubmitted to
that fuperftitiaus and barbarous tyrant, who had
imbrued his hands in the blood of his father, his
brothers, and his nephews.
THIS infamous defpot made the Mogul power
an'objeft of deteftation, but he fupported it as
long as he lived. At his death it was irrecover-
ably reduced. The uncertainty as to the right of
fucceffion was the firft caufe of the diflurbances
that arofe after his demife, at the beginning of
the eighteenth century. Only one law was gene-
rally acknowledged ; that which enafted, that the
fcepter fhould never go out of the family of Ta-
merlane ; but every emperor was at liberty to chufe
his fucceflbr, without being obliged to regard the
degree of coafanguinity. This indefinite righ*
proved
$4 <, HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK, proved a fource of clifcord. Young princes, whofe
!_ -^-. birth entitled them- to expect the crown, and who
frequently were at the head of a province and an
army, fupported their claim fword-in-handj and
paid little regard to the will of a monarch who
was no more. This happened at the death of
Aurengzebe. His rich fpoils were ftained with
blood. In thefe convulfions of the ftate, the
fprings that reftrained an army of twelve hundred
thoufand men were relaxed. Eveiy nabob aimed
at being independent, increafmg the contributions
raifed upon the people, and lefiening the tributes
fent into the emperor's treafury. No longer was
any thing regulated by law, all was carried on by
caprice, or thrown into confufion by violent mca-
fures.
THE education of the young princes promifed
no remedy for all thefe evils. Left to the care of
women till the age of feven years, tutored after-
wards in fome religious principles, they went and
ipent in the foft indulgences of a feraglio thofe
years of youth and activity which ought to be
employed in forming the man, and inftructing him
in the knowledge of life. Care was taken to
enervate them, that they might not become dan-
gerous. Confpiracies of children againft their
fathers were frequent; to prevent thefe, there-
fore, the children were deprived of every virtue,
left they fhould be capable of a crime. Hence
that fhocking thought of an oriental poet, that
fathers, wbilft their fons are living, are fondeft of
their grandfons, becaufe they love in them the enemies
of their enemies.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDUES.
THE Moguls retained nothing of thofe hardy
manners they had brought from their mountains.
Thofe among them who were advanced to high
offices, or had acquired large fortunes, changed
their habitations according to the feafons. In thefe
retirements, which were fome of them more de-
Hghtful than others, they lived in houfes built
only of clay or earth, but the infide of which pre-
fented every Afiatic luxury, together with all the
pomp of the moft corrupted courts. Wherever men
cannot raife a lafting fortune, nor tranfmit it to
their pofterity, they are defirous of crowding all
their enjoyments in the only moment they can call
their own. Every pleafure, and even life itfelf, is
exhaufted in the midft of perfumes and women.
THE Mogul empire was in this ftate of weaknefs
when it was attacked, in 1738, by the famous Tha-
mas Kouli-Kan. The innumerable armies of India
were difperfed without refiftance by a hundred
thoufand Perfians i as thofe very Perfians had for-
merly fled before thirty thoufand Greeks trained by
Alexander. Thamas entered victorious into Delhi,
received the homage of the weak Mahomed ; and
finding the monarch ftill more itupid than his fub
jefts, he fuffered him to live and to reign, united
to Perfia all the provinces that fuited him, and
returned loaded with an immenfe booty, the fpoils
of Indoftan.
MAHOMED, defpifed by his conqueror, was ftili
more fo by his fubjects. The great men would not
ferve under a vaiTal of the king of Perfia. The
nabobfhips became independent,payingonlyafrrmll
tribute. In vaia ditf the emperor declare that the
nabobs
96 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK nabobs Ihould ftill be removeable ; each of them
*_ . ' ' ftrove with all his power to make his dignity he-
reditary, and the fword ' decided every quarrel.
The fubjects were conflantly at war with their
mailer, and were not confidered as rebels. Who-
ever could afford to pay a body of troops, pre-
tended to a fovereignty. The only formality ob-
ferved, was to counterfeit the emperor's fign ma-
nual in zjirman, or warrant of inveftiture. It was
brought to the ufurper, who received it on his
knees. This farce was neceflary to impofe upon
the people, who had frill refpect enough remaining
for the family of Tamerlane, to choofe that all au^
thority fhould, at leaft, appear to proceed from it.
THUS did difcord, ambition, and anarchy opprefs
this fine region of Indoflan. Crimes could the more
eafily be concealed, as it was the cuflom of the great
never to write but in ambiguous terms, and to em-
ploy none but obfcure agents, whom they diiowned
when they found it neceffary. Afiaffination and
poifoning became common crimes, which were bu-
ried in the dark recefles of thofe impenetrable pa-
laces, full of attendants, ever ready to perpetrate the
blackefl acts on the lead fignal from their mailer. '
THE foreign troops that were called-in by the
contending parties, completed the miferies of this
unhappy country. They carried off all the riches
of the land, or obliged the owners to bury them
under ground ; fo that the treafures amaffed for
fo many ages gradually difappeared. A general
dejection enfued. The grounds lay fallow, and the
manufactures Hood ftill. The people would no
longer work for foreign plunderers, or domeftic op-
preffors.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
preflbrs. Want and famine were foon felt. Thefe
calamities, which for ten years had infefled the
provinces of the empire, began to vifit the coaft of
Coromandel. The wife Nizamul Muluck, fubah
of the Decan, was now no more. His prudence
and talents had kept that part of India which he
commanded in a flouriihingftate. The European
merchants were apprehenfive that their trade might
fail when it had loft that fupport. They faw no
refource againft that danger, but to have a ter-
ritory of their own, large enough to contain a
number of manufactures fufficient to make up
their lading.
DUPLEIX was the firft who confidered this as a
practicable fcheme. The war had brought many
troops to Pondicherry, with which he hoped by
rapid conquefts to procure greater advantages than
the rival nations had obtained by a fteady conduct
and mature deliberation.
HE had long ftudied the character of the Mo-
guls, their intrigues, their political interefts. He
had acquired fuch knowledge of thefe matters, as
might have been furprizing even in a man brought
up at the court of Delhi. Thefe informations
deeply combined, had convinced him that it would
be in his power to attain a principal influence in
the affairs of Indoftan ; poflibly, to manage them
as he pleafed. His fpirit, which prompted him to
attempt more than he was able to perform, gave
additional ftrength to his reflections. Nothing ter-
rified him in the great part he propofed to act at
the diftance of fix thoufand leagues from his na-
tive country. In vain did his friends reprefent to
VOL. II. H him
9 3 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS ANP TRADE
BOOK
IV.
him the dangers attending fuch an undertaking j
he confidered % nothing but the glorious advantage
of fecuring to France a new dominion in the heart
of Afiaj to enable her, by the revenues annexed
to it, to defray the charges of trade and the ex-
pences of fovereignty; and even to free her from
the tribute which our luxury pays to the mduftry
of the Indians^ by procuring rich and numerous
cargoes, which Ihould not be bought with any ex-
ports of money > but from the overflowings of the
new revenues. Full of this great proj eel, Dupleix
eagerly feized the firft opportunity that offered
to put it in execution, and foon took upon him to
difpofe of the fubahfhip of the Decan, and the
nabobfhip of the Carnatic, in favour of two men
who were ready to give up any thing he fhould
require.
THE fubahfhip of the Decan is a viceroyalty,
made up of feveral provinces which were for-
merly fo many independent ftates. It extends from
Cape Comorin to the Ganges. The fubah has
the fuperintendence of all the Indian princes and
all the Mogul governors within his jurifdicbion -,
and in his hands are depofited the contributions
that are deflined to fill the public treafure. He
can compel his inferior officers to attend him in all
military expeditions he may think proper to make
into the countries under his dominion , but he is
not allowed to march them into a foreign territory,
-without an exprefs order from the emperor.
THE fubahfhip of the Decan becoming vacant
-in 1748, Dupleix, after a feries of events and revo-
lutions, in which the corruption of the Moguls,
k. the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 99
the weaknefs of the Indians, and the boldnefs of B O 1V K
the French, were equally confpicuous, difpofed of ^ v '
it, towards the beginning of the year 1751, in fa-
vour of the Salabat-jing, a fon of the late viceroy.
THIS fuccefs fecured great advantages to the
French fettlements along the coaft of Coroman-
del -, but Pondicherry was a place of fuch import-
ance, that it was thought to deferve a particular
attention. This town, which is fituated on the Car-
natic, has fuch conftant and immediate connections
with the nabob of that rich diftrift, that it was
thought advifeable to procure the government of
the province for a man whofe affection and fub-
miflion might be depended upon. The choice fell
upon Chunda-faeb, a relation of the late nabob,
well-known for his intrigues, his misfortunesj his
warlike exploits, and his fteadinefs of temper.
IN return for their fervices, the French made
him give up an immenfe territory. The princi-
pal of their acquifitions was the ifland of Sering-
iam, formed by the two branches of the Caveri.
This long and fertile ifland derives its name and
its coniequence from a Pagoda, which is fortified,
as moft great buildings that are devoted to pub-
lic worfhip. The temple is furrounded with feven
fquare inclofures, at the diftance of three hun-
dred and fifty feet from each other, and formed
by pretty high walls, which are proportionably
thick. The altar ftands in the center. A fmgle
monument of this kind, with its fortifications and
the myfteries arid riches it contains, is more likely 4
to enforce and perpetuate a religion, tha'n a mul-
tiplicity of temples and priefts diiperfed in dif-
H 2 ferent
1x30 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK fcrcnt towns, with their facrifices, ceremonies,
< ^J prayers, and difcourfes, which, by their number,
their frequent repetition, and their being per-
formed in public, are apt to tire the people : they
are alfo expofed to the contempt of enlightened
reafon, to dangerous profanations, or to the flight
and neglect of the people ; a circumftance which (
the priefts dread more than facrilege itfelf. The
priefts of India, as wife as thofe of Egypt, fuf-
fer no Granger to penetrate into the Pagoda of
Seringham. Amidft the fables in which the hif-
tory of this temple is involved, probably fome
acute philoiopher might, if he was admitted into
it, trace from the emblems, the form and con-
ftruction of the edifice, and the fuperftitious prac-
tices and traditions peculiar to that facred inclo-
fure, many fources of inftruction, and an infight
into the hiftory of the moil remote ages. Pilgrims
refort thither from all parts of Indoftan, to obtain
abfolution of their fins, and always bring an offer-
ing proportionable to their circwmftances. Thefc
gifts were ftill fo confiderable at the beginning of
the prefent century, as to maintain forty thoufand
men in a life of floth and idlenefs. The Bramins
of this temple, though under the reftraints of
fubordination, were feldom known to quit their
retirement for the more bufy fcenes of intrigue?'
and politics.
INDEPENDENT of other advantages which the
French enjoyed by the acquifition of Seringham,
the (ituation gave them great influence over the
neighbouring countries, and an abfolute command
over the kingdom of Tanjour, as they could at
any
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 101
any time flop the waters that were wanted for the B lv K
culture of their rice, v v '
THE territories of Karical and Pondicherry got
an acceffion often leagues each, with fourfcore vil-
lages. If thefe acquifitions were not fo confiderable
as that of Seringham in point of political influence,
they were much more ib with regard to trade.
BUT this was a trifling acquifition compared to
the territory that was gained to the North, which
comprehended the Condavir, Mafulipatam, the
ifland of Divi, and the four provinces of Mufta-
fanagur, Elur, Rajamandry, and Chicakol. Such
important concefTions made the French matters of
the .coaft for the fpace of fix hundred miles, and
procured them the beft linen in Indoftan. It is
true, they were to enjoy the four provinces no
longer than they fhould furnifh the fubah with a
ftipulated number of troops, and maintain them
at their own expence; but this agreement, which
was only binding to their honefly, gave them lit-
tle concern. Their ambition made them already
think themfelves in pofiefilon of thofe treafures
that had been heaped up in thofe vaft regions for
fo many ages.
THE ambitious views of the French, and their
projects of conqueft, were ftill more vifionary*.
They propofed to obtain a cefTion of the capital
of the Portuguefe colonies, and to feize upon the
diflricl of a triangular form, which lies between
Mafulipatam, Goa, and Cape Comorin.
IN the mean time, till they could realize thefe
brilliant chimeras, they confidered the perfonal
honours that were laviftied upon Dupleix as a
H 3 prefage
loz HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK prefage of the greatefl profperity. It is well
yl ; known, that every foreign colony is in fome de-
gree odious to the natives j it is therefore good
policy to endeavour to lefien this averfion, and
the fureft way to attain that end is, to conform
as much as poffible to the cuftoms and manners of
the country. This maxim, which is in general
true, is more particularly fo in countries where the
people think but little, and is confequently fo in
India.
THE inclination which the French commander
had for Afiatic pomp, was ftill a further indyce-
ment with him to conform to the cuftoms of the
> country. He was exceedingly rejoiced when he
faw himfelf inverted with the dignity of a nabob.
That title put him upon a level with thofe whofe
protection he folicited before, and afforded him
confiderable opportunities to pave the way for
thofe great revolutions he meditated, in order to
promote the important interefts he was intrufted
with. He entertained flill greater hopes on being
appointed governor of all the Pvjogul pofleflions,
throughout an extent little irrferior to the whole
kingdom of France. All the revenues of thofe
rich provinces were to be depofited in his hands,
and he was accountable to none but the fubah
himfelf.
THOUGH thefe agreements entered into by mer-
chants could not be very pleafmg to the court of
Pelhi, they were not much afraid of its refent-
ment. The emperor, being in want of men and
money, which the fubahs, the nabobs, the rajas,
his meaneft delegates, took upon themfelves
7 to
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 103
to refufe him, found hirnfelf attacked on all B IV K
THE Rajaputes, defcended from thofe Indians
with whom Alexander had been engaged in bat-
tle, being driven out of their lands by the Moguls,
took fhelter in fome mountains that are almoft
inacceflible. Continual difturbances put it out
of their power to think of conquefts -, but in the
intervals of their diflentions, they make inroads
that cannot fail of harafling an empire already
exhaufted.
THE Patans are more formidable enemies. Dri-
ven by the Moguls from moft of the thrones of
Indoftan, they have taken refuge at the foot of
Mount Imaiis, which is a continuation of the Cau-
cafus. That fituation has ftrangely altered their
manners, and given them a fiercenefs of tempe'r
which they had not in a milder climate. War is
their chief employment. They ferve alike under
the banners of Indian or Mohammedan princes j
but their obedience is not equal to their valour.
Whatever crime they may have been guilty of, it
is dangerous to piuiifh them ; for they are fo vin-
dictive, that they will murder when they are weak,
and revolt when they are ftrong enough to at-
tempt any bold enterprize. Since the reigning
power has loft its ftrength, the nation has fhaken
off the yoke. Not many years ago, their generals
carried on their ravages as far as Delhi, and did
not quit that capital till they had plundered it,
To the north of Indoftan is a nation, which,
though lately known, is the more formidable for
being a new enemy. This people, diftinguifhed
H 4 by
io 4 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B ^y K by the name of Scheiks, have found means to free
t -v-*J themfelves from the chains of defpotifm and fu-
perftition, though lurrounded by nations of flaves.
They are faid to be followers of a philofopher of
Thibe't, who infpired them with fome notions of
liberty,,, and taught them Theifm without any
. mixture of fuperftition. They firft appeared in
the'' beginning of the prefent century -, but were
then confidered rather as a feet than as a nation.
During the calamities of the Mogul empire, their
number increafed confiderably by apoftates of all
religions, who joined with them, and fought fhel-
ter among them from the oppreflions and fury of
their tyrants, To be admitted of that fociety, no-
thing more is required than to fwear implacable
hatred againft monarchy. It is aflerted, that they
have a temple with an altar, on which ftands their
code of laws, and next to it a fceptre and a dagger.
Four old men are elected, who occafionally confult
the law, which is the only fupreme power this
republic obeys. The Scheiks actually poflefs the
whole province.,of Punjal, the greateft 'part of the
Moultan and the Sindi, both banks of the Indus
from Cafiimere to Tatta, and all the country to-
wards Delhi from Lahot to Serhend: they can
raife an army of fixty thoufand good cavalry.
BUT of all the enemies of the Moguls, none are,
perhaps, fo dangerous as the Marattas. This na-
tion, of late fo famous, fo far as the obfcurity of
their origin and hiflory will allow us to conjec-
ture, pofTeffed feveral provinces of Indollan, from
whence they were driven by the fear or the arms
gf the Moguls, They fled into the mountains which
extend
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 105
extend from Stirat to Goa, and there formed feve- B ^ K
ral tribes, which in procefs of time united into one > /- '
ftate, of which Satarah was the capital.
MOST of them carried vice and licentioufnefs
to all the excefies which might be expected from
an ignorant people, who have caft off the yoke of
prejudices, without fubflituting wholefome laws
and found learning in their flead. Tired of lauda-
ble and peaceful labours, they thought of nothing
but rapine. Yet this was confined to the plunder-
ing of a few villages, and the robbing of fome
caravans; till the coaft of Coromandel, being
threatened by Aurengzebe, made them fenfible of
their ftrength, by imploring their afiiftance.
AT this period, they were feen coming out of
their rocks, mounted on fmall and ill-fhaped
horfes, but flout, and accuftomed to indifferent
feeding, to difficult roads, and to exceflive fatigue.
The whole accoutrement of a Maratta horfeman
confided of a turban, a girdle, and a cloak. His
provifions were a little bag of rice, and a leather
bottle full of water. His only weapon was an ex-
cellent fabre.
NOTWITHSTANDING the afiiftance of thefe bar-
barians, the Indian princes were forced to bend
to the. yoke of Aurengzebe ; but the conqueror,
weary of contending with irregular troops, which
were continually ravaging the newly-reduced pro-
vinces, determined to conclude a treaty that
would have been difhonourable, had it not been
dictated by necerTity, which is ftronger than pre-
judices, oaths, and laws. He ceded for ever to
the Marattas the fourth part of the revenues of
the
jo6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
p JV K the Decan, a fubahlhip formed out of all his ufur-
w- v -^ pations in the peninfula.
THIS kind of tribute was regularly paid as long
as Aurengzebe lived. After his death, it was
granted or refufed according to circumftances.
The levying of it brought the Marattas in arms
to the remoteft parts of their mountains. Their
boldnefs increafed during the anarchy of Indoftan,
They have made the empire trembles they have
depofed monarchs j they have extended their fron-
tiers; they have granted their protection to rajas
and nabobs who ftrove to be independent, and
their influence has been unbounded.
WHILST the court of Delhi was with difficulty
contending with fo many enemies, all confpiring
to effect its ruin, M. deBuiTy, who with a fmall
corps of French troops, and an army of Indians,
had conducted Salabat-jing to Aurengabad his ca-
pital, endeavoured to eftabliih him on the throne
where he had placed him, The weaknefs of the"
prince, the confpiracies which it occafioned, the
firmans or privileges which had been granted to
rivals, and other impediments, obftructed, but.
could not fubyert his projects. By his means the
prince reigned more peaceably under the protec-
tion of the French than could have been expected,
confidering the circumftances of his lituationj
and he preferved him abfolutely independent of
fhe head of the empire.
CHUNDA-SAEB, appointed nabob of the Carna-
tic, was not in fo happy a lituation. The Englifh,
ever in oppofition to the French, _had ftirred up a
rival againft him, named Mohammed-Ali-Kan.
The
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 107
The names of thofe two princes ferved as a pre- 15 1V K
tence for carrying on a vigorous war between the vr-v J
two nations : they fought for glory, for wealth,
and to ferve the pafiions of their refpective com-
manders, Dupleix and Saunders. Victory declared
alternately for each army. Succefs would not
have been fo fluctuating, had the governor of
Madrafs had more troops, or the governor of
Pondicherry better officers. It was difficult to
conjecture which of thofe two men, who were,
both of the fame inflexible temper, would in the
end obtain the fuperiority; v but it was very certain
that neither would fubmit, whilft he had either
troops or money left. Nor was it likely that
either of them would foon be- reduced to this ex-,
tremity, notwithstanding their amazing efforts,
becaufe they both found fuch refources in their
hatred and their genius, as even the moft able
men could not have any conception of. It was
evident that the difturbances in the Carnatic
would not be at an end, unlefs the peace was firfl
fettled in Europe; and it was 'to be feared that
the flame which had been confined to India for
fix years might fpread further. The minifters of
France and England obviated this danger, by
enjoining the two companies to fix certain terms
of agreement. They made a conditional treaty,
which began by fufpending all hoflilities at the
commencement of the year 1755, an ^ was to end
by eflablifliing between them a perfect equality of
territory, offtrength, and of trade, on the coafts
ofCcromandel and Orixa. This ftipulation had
fiot yet received the fanction of the courts of
London
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
London and Vcrfailles, when greater interefts
kindled a frefh war between the two nations.
THE report of this great conteft, which began
French and * ln North America, and fpread itfelf throughout
The French tne univerfe, reached the Eaft Indies at a time
lofe all their ,,,./, , . .
when the Englilh were engaged in a very intri-
cate war with the fubah of Bengal. Had the
French been then in the fame ftate they were fome
years before, they would have joined with the
natives. From narrow views and ill-judged in-
terefts, they were defirous of entering into a for-
mal convention, to iecure the neutrality which
had fubfifted on the banks of the Ganges during
the laft difturbances. Their rivals amufed them
with the hopes of fettling this convention, fo long
as they wanted to keep them in a ftate of inaction.
But as foon as their fuccefles had enabled them to
make their own terms, they attacked Chanderna^
gore. The reduction of this place was followed
by the ruin of all the factories dependent upon it,
and put the Englilh in a condition to fend men,
money, provifions, and fhips, to the coaft of Coro-
mandel, where the French were juft arrived with
confiderable land andfea forces.
THESE forces, deftined tq protect the fettie-
ments of their own nation, and deftroy thofe of
the enemy, were more than fu/ficient to anfwer
both thofe purpoies. The only point was to
make a proper ufe of them ; but there was a
miflake in this from the beginning, as will plain}/
appear from the following obfervations.
BEFORE the commencement of the war, the
company poflUTed on the coafts of Coromandel
and
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. lof
and Orixa, Mafulipatam, with five provinces ; a B ^ v K
large circuit of land about Pondicuerry, which for -v- *
a long time before had been nothing but a fand-
bank j and an extent nearly of the fame fize in
the neighbourhood of Karical ; and, laftly, the
ifland of Seringham. Thefe pofTeffions made four
tracts of country, too far diftant to fupport each
other. They bore the marks of the wild fancy
and extravagant imagination of Dupleix, who had
made thefe acquifitions.
THESE political errors might have been amended.
Dupleix, who compenfated for his defects by his
great qualities, had acquired fo great an influence
that he was offered the perpetual government of
the Carnatic. It was the moft flourifhing province
in all the Mogul empire. By fingular and for-
tunate circumftances, it had been governed fuc-
ceflively by three nabobs of the fame family, who
had been equally attentive to agriculture and in~
duftry. General felicity had been the refult of
this mild government and public-fpirited conduct,
and the public revenues had increafed to twelve
millions *. A fixth part of this fum would have
been given to Salabat-jing, and the reft would
have been for the company.
IF the miniftry and the direction, who alter-
nately fupported and neglected their power in
India, had but been capable of a firm and fettled
refolution, they might have fent orders to their
agent to give up all the remote conquefts, and to
be content with that important fettlement. It was
alone fufrkient to give the French a firm eftablifh-
* 525,000!.
ment,
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
v K
K ment; a compact territory in which the fettlements
would be contiguous, a very large quantity of
merchandife, proviiions for their fortified towns,
and revenues capable of maintaining a body of
troops, which would have enabled them to brave
the jealoufy of their neighbours, and the hatred
of their enemies. Unfortunately for them, the
court of Verfailles ordered that Dupleix Ihould
not accept of the Carnatic ; and affairs remained
as they were before that propofal.
THE fituation was critical. Dupleix was, per-
haps, the only man who could fupport hirnfelf in
it, or in his flead the celebrated officer who had
had the greatefl fhare in his confidence, and was
bed acquainted with his fchemes. The con-
trary opinion prevailed. Dupleix had been re-
called. The general, who was appointed to con-
duel: the Indian war, imagined he muft demolifh a
ftructure which ought only to have been fupported
in thofe troublefome times, and difcovered his de-
figns in fo public a manner, as contributed greatly
to. heighten the imprudence of his refolutions.
THIS man, whofe ungovernable temper could
never adapt itfelf to circumftances, had received
from nature no qualities that fitted him for com-
mand. He was governed by a gloomy, impetuous,
and irregular imagination ; fo that there was a per-
petual contraft between his converfation and his
projects, and between his projects and his actions.
Paflionate, fufpicious, jealous, and pofitive to ex-
cefs, he created an univerial diffidence and dejec-
tion, and excited animoii ties never to befupprefied.
His military operations, his civil government, his
political
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. in
political combinations, all bore evident marks, of B IV K
the confufion of his ideas. *-*J
THE evacuation of the ifland of Seringham was
the principal caufe of the difafters that attended .
the war with Tanjour. Mafulipatam, and the nor-
thern provinces were loft, from having given up
the alliance of Salabat-jing. The inferior powers
of theCarnatic, who no longer refpecled the French
for the fake of their old friend the fubah of the
Decan, completed the general ruin by efpoufing
other interefts.
ON the other hand, the French fquadron, though
fuperior to the Englifh, with which it had engaged
three feveral times without gaining any advantage
over it, at laft was obliged to leave it mafter of the
feas, by which the fate of India was decided. Pbn-
dicherry, after ftruggling with all the horrors of
famine, was forced to furrender on the i5th of Ja-
nuary 1761. Lally had, the day before, corrected
a plan of capitulation drawn up by the council 3
he had named deputies to carry it to the enemy's
camp; and, by a contradiction that was char acteri flic
of the man, he gave the deputies a letter for the
Englilh general, in which he told him, he would
have no capitulation, becaufe the Englijh were fuch
people that they would not adhere to it.
IN taking pofleflion of the place, the conqueror
caufed not only the troops that had defended it,
but all the French in the company's fervice, to
be fhipped off for Europe ; and, not fatisfied even
with that revenge, they deftroyed Pondicherry,
and made that noble city a heap of ruins.
THOSE
m HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK. THOSE of the inhabitants who were fent over to
>-, v . ! France, arrived in defpair, at having loft their.forr.
. tunes, and feen their houfes demoliihed as they
quitted the fhore. They filled Paris with their
clamours; they excited the indignation of the
public againft their governor ; they impeached
him as the author of all their miferies, and the
fole caufe of the lofs of a flourifhing colony.
Lally was taken up, and tried by the parliament.
He had been accufed of high treafon and extor-
tion ; of the firft he was acquitted, and the fecond
was never proved -, yet Lally was condemned to
lofe his head.
LET us afk, in the name of humanity, what his
crime was, that it fhould be punifhable by law ?
The awful fword of juftice was not put into the
hands of the magiftrate to gratify private refent-
ment, or even to follow the emotions of public
indignation. The law alone muft point out its own
victims; and, if the clamours of a blind and incenfed
multitude could fway with the judges to pronounce
a capital ientence, the innocent might fuffer for the
guilty, and there would be no fafety for the citi- ;
zen. In this point of view let us examine the
fentence.
IT declares, that Lally ftands convicted of having
letraysd the inter efts of the king, of the ft at e^ and of the
India company. What is meant by betraying of in-
terefts ? What law is there that makes it death to
be guilty of this vague and indefinite crime ? No
fuch law either does or can exift. The difgrace of
the prince, the contempt of the nation, public in-
famy, thefe are the proper punifhments for the
IN THE EAST AND WfiST
man, who, from incapacity or folly, has not B
ferved his country as he ought : but death, and
that too upon a fcaffold, is deftined for crimes of
a different nature.
THE fentence further declares, that Lally ftands
convicted of vexations, exattions, and abufe of au-
thority. No doubt he was guilty of thefe in num"
berlefs inftances. He made ufe of violent means
to procure pecuniary aids ; but this money was put
into the public treafure. He injured and opprefied
the citizens j but he never attempted any thing
againft their lives, or againft their honour* He
erected gibbets in the market-place, but caufed no
one to be executed upon them.
IN reality, he was a madman of a dark and
dangerous caft; an odious and despicable man;
a man totally incapable of command. But he was
neither guilty of public extortions, nor treafon j
and, to ufe the exprefllon of a philofopher whofe
virtues do honour to humanity, every one had a
right to kill Lally, except the executioner.
- THE misfortunes that befel the French in Afia
had been forefeen by all confiderate men, who re-
fleeted on the corruption of the nation. Their
morals efpecially had degenerated in the voluptu-
ous climate of India. The wars which Dupleix
had carried-on in the inland parts had laid the
foundation of many fortunes. They were in-
creafed and multiplied by the gifts which Sala-
bat-jing laviihed on thofe who conducted him in
triumph to his capital, and fixed him on the throne.
! The officers who had not lhared the dangers, the
glory, and the benefits of thofe brilliant expedi-
VQ-L. II. I tions,
rr 4 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
o o
IV.
c tions, found out an expedient to comfort themfelves
under their misfortune ; which was, to reduce the
fipahi's to half the number they were ordered to
maintain, and to apply their pay to their own be-
nefit j which they could eafily do, as the money
pafied through their hands. The agents for trade,
who had not thefe refources, accounted to the com-
pany but for a very fmall part of the profits made
upon the European goods they fold, though they
ought to have been all their own ; and fold them '
thofe of India at a very high price, which they
ought to have had at prime-cofl. Thofe who were
intrufted with collecting the revenue of any parti-
cular fpot, farmed it themielves under Indian
names, or let it for a trifle, upon receiving a hand-
fome gratuity; they even frequently kept back
the whole income of fuch eftates, under pretence
of fome imaginary robbery or devaftation, which
had made it impoflible to colled it. All under-
takings, of what nature foever, were clandeftinely
agreed upon j and became the prey of the perfons
employed in them, who had found means to make
themfelves formidable, or of fuch as were moft in
favour, or richeft. The authorized abufe that pre-
vails in India, of giving and receiving prefents oa
the conclufion of every treaty, had multiplied thefe
tranfactions without neceflity. The navigators who
landed in thofe parts, dazzled with the fortunes
which they faw increafed fourfold from one voyage
to another, no longer regarded their fhips, but as the
means of carrying on trade, and acquiring wealth.
Corruption was brought to its greateil heij
by people of rank, who had been difgraced and
ruin(
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
ruined at home ; but who, being encouraged by B
what they faw, and impelled by the reports that
were brought to them, refolved to go themfelvcs
into Afia, in hopes of retrieving their fhattered
fortunes, or of being able to continue their irre-
gularities with impunity. The perfonal conduct
! of the directors made it neceffary for them to con- .
nive at all thefe diforders. They were reproached
with attending to nothing in their office but the
credit, the money, and the power it gave them j
with giving the moft important pofts to their own
relations, men of no morals,, application^ or capa-
city; with multiplying the number of factors
| without neceflity and without bounds, to fecure
friends in the city and at court ; and, laftly, they
were accufed of obtruding upon the public com-
modities which might have been bought cheaper
and better in other places. Whether the govern-
ment did not know of thefe exceffes, or had not re-
folution enough to put a flop to them, it was, by
its blindnefs or its weaknefs, in fome meafure ac-
ceflary to the ruin of the affairs of the nation in
India. It might even without injuftice be charged
i with being the principal caufe of them, by fending
! fuch improper perfons to manage and defend an
important fettlement, which had no lefs to fear
from its own corruption, than from the Englifh
i fleets and armies.
THE misfortunes of the company abroad were Meafur
aggravated by their fituation at home. It was im- I^Fr^
mediately thought advifeable to lay a clear account JJjJ'"
of affairs before the proprietors. This difcovery iniaiu.
occafioned a general defpondency, which gave rife
I 2 tO
HrSTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
to a variety of different fchemes, all equally abfurd,
Thefe feveral fchemes were hailily difcuffed, nor
was it pofiible that any of them could be fixed upon
by men in fuch a ftate of uncertainty and diffidence.
The deliberations were carried on with too much
afperity ; and time, which was of fo much confe-
quence, was loft in upbraidings and invectives.
No one could forefee where thefe commotions
would end; when a young merchant of penetration
and judgment arofe. The proprietors liftened to
him with attention ; all difputes immediately fub-
fided, and frefh hopes began to dawn. They were
unanimous in adopting his opinion. The company,
which the enemies to all exclufive privileges wifhed
to fee abolilhed, and which fo many private inte-
refts had confpired to deftroy, flill maintained its-
ground : but it was put upon a better footing j a
circumftance which was abfolutely neceffary.
AMONGST the caufes that had occafioned the
diftrefles of the company, there was one which had
long been looked upon as the fource of all the reft >
this was the dependence, or rather the flavery, injj
which the government had kept that great
for near half a century.
EVER fmce the year 1723, the directors h
been chofen by the court. In 1730, a commifl!
appointed by the king was introduced into
adminiftration of the company. From this peri
there was an end to all freedom of debate ; ther
was no longer any connection between thofe
had the management of affairs and the proprieto
no immediate intercourie between the mana
andgovernment. All was directed by the influence
-
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
and according to the views of the court. Myftery, B
that dangerous veil of arbitrary adminiflration,
concealed all their operations; and it was not till
1744 that the proprietors were called together.
They were empowered to name fyndics, and to
call a general meeting once a year ; but they were
not better informed of the ftate of their affairs, nor
! more at liberty to direct them. The power of
i chufmg the directors was ftill vefted in the crown,
and inftead of one commiffary the king chofe to
: have two.
FROM this time two parties were formed. Each
commiffary had his own fcheme, his own favou-*
rites, and endeavoured to get his own projects
i adopted. Hence arofe divifions, intrigues, infor-
mations, and animofities, which originated in Paris,
and extended as far as India, and there broke out
j fn a manner fo fatal to the nation.
THE miniftry, fhocked at fuch a number of
abufes, and weary of thofe endlefs contefts, at-
tempted to remedy them. It was imagined they
had fucceeded, by appointing a third commifTary*
This expedient, however, ferved only to increafe
lithe evil. Defpotifm had prevailed while there was
but; one; divifion enfued on the nomination of two;
and from the moment three were appointed, all was
anarchy and confufion. They were reduced to
two, and pains were taken to preferve harmony as
much as poflible between them ; and in 1764 there
was but one, when the proprietors defired that the
company might be brought back to its original
form by reftoring its freedom.
I 3
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
THEY ventured to tell the government, they
might impute the difafters and errors of the com-
pany to themfelves, as the proprietors had not
been concerned in the management of their affairs ;
that they could never be carried on moil advan-
tageoufly both for them and for the ftate, till this
could be done with freedom, and till an immediate
jntercourfe was eflablifhed between the proprietors
and adminiftrators, and between the adminiftrators '
and the miniflry ; that whenever there was an in-
termediate perfon, the orders given on one part,
and the reports made on the other, would necef-
farily, in pafiing through his hands, take a tinclure
of his own private views and inclinations, fo that
he would always be, in fad, the real and fole ma-
nager of the company ; that fuch a manager, not
being himfelf perfonally concerned in the affairs of
the company, or not being a competent judge
of them, would always facrifice the welfare and
true mtereft of trade, to add to the tranfient pomp
gf his appointment, and to fecure the favour of j
placemen ; that, on the contrary, every thing
might be expected from a free admin iftration,
chofen by the proprietors, acting under their in-
fpection, and in concert with them, and fubject to
no kind of reflraint.
THE government was fenfible of the truth of
thefe reafons. It fecured the freedom of the corr>
pany by a folemn, edict ; and the fame merchant,
v/ho by his genius had juft given it a new exigence,
drew up a plan of provifionary flatutes, for a new
form of adminiftration,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
TftE intention of thefe ftatutes was, that the com-
pany might no longer be ruled by men who often
were not worthy to be its factors -, that the govern-
ment might no further interfere than to protect it j
that it might be alike prelerved from that flavery
under which it had fo long groaned, and from that
fpirit of myftery, which had perpetuated its corrup-
tion ; that there fhould be a conftant intercourfe be-
tween the managers and the proprietors; that Paris,
deprived of the advantage enjoyed by the capitals
of other commercial nations, of being a fea-port,
might acquire a knowledge of trade in free and
peaceable affemblies j that the citizen might form
juft notions of that powerful tie that connects all
nations together, and, by informing himfelf of the
fources of publte profperity, learn to refpect the
merchant whofe operations contribute to it,
and to defpife the profefiions that are deftrudtive
of it.
THESE wife regulations were attended with hap-
pier confequences than could poflibly be expected.
A great activity was obferved on all fides. During
the five years that the new adminiftration lafted, the
fales produced annually 1 8,000,000 livres *. They
had not been fo confiderable, even in thofe times
which had been looked upon as the moft profper-
OTJSJ for, from 1726 to 1756 inclufively, they had
amounted to no more than 437,376,284 livres f,
which makes upon an average, in peace and war,
14,108,912 J livres a year.
IT muft be confefled, that fmce the year 1764
the profits had not been what they were before.
787,500!. f A9A352izl- 8s- 6d. I 6if,2^L iBs.
I 4 The
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENT AND TRADE
1 K Tl
IV.
The difference between the purchafe and the fale,
which had been at leaft cent, per cent, was re-
duced to about feventy per cent. This diminution
of profit was owing to the want of flock, to the
ruin of the French credit in India, and to the ex-
orbitant power of the victorious nation that had
lately fubdued thofe diftant regions. The agents
for the company were reduced to procure money
and goods upon the moft exorbitant terms. They
obtained both from the Englifh merchants, who
were endeavouring to bring over to Europe the
immenfe fortunes they had amaflfed in Afia.
WITH thefe impediments, and under thefe dif-
agreeable circumftances, was the exclufive privi-
lege of trading to the Eaft Indies exercifed, when
the. government thought proper to fufpend it. Let
us now examine what was then the fituation of the
company.
BEFORE 1764, the number of fliares amounted
to 5j268. At that period the miniftry, who, in
i?47j and 1748, had given up to the pro?-
of indivi- prietors the produce of the fhares and bonds which
fubftiwted were their property, relinquifhed in their favour
the com*- the fhares and bonds themfelves, to the number of
Sie'ofthat IJ ?^3S to g etner j to indemnify them for the ex-
f he' et i y at f P ences t ^ e 7 nac ^ incurred during the laft war,
\is dec3y. Thefe iharts having been cancelled, there remain-
ed but 38,432,
THE wants of the company obliged them to
make a call of 400 liyres * per fhare. Upwards
of 34,000 lhares paid the call, The 4000 that
$4 not were reduced, by the terms of the edict
* 17!. 10 s,
which
IN THE EASV AND WEST INDIES. ,
which > empowered the ^company to make it, to B
five-eighths of the value of thofe which had paid ; v v '
fo that by this operation the number was reduced
to 36,920 whole Ihares and fix-eighths.
THE dividends on the fhares of the French
company, as of all other companies, have varied
according to circumftances. In 1722 it was 100
livres *. From 1723 to 1745 it was i5of. From
1746 to 1749 it was 70 J. From 1750 to 1758 it
was 80 . From 1759 to 1763 it was 40 || -, and
in 1764 it was but 20 livres**. This Jhews that
the dividend, and the value of the flock, which
always kept pace with it, was neceflarily affected
by the hazards of trade, and the fluctuation of po-
pular opinion. Hence that prodigious rife and fall
in the price of the fhares, which fell in one year
from two hundred ff to one hundred pifloles J J ;
then rofe to 1 800 livres , and ibon after fell to
700 ||||. Yet, in the midft of thefe revolutions,
the ftock of the company was much the fame. But
thfs is a calculation which the public never makes.
It is determined by the circumftance of the pre-
fent moment, and always trufts or fears beyond
the truth.
THE proprietors, who were under apprehenfions
of having their fortunes reduced to half in one day,
would no longer run the rifques of fuch afituation.
In laying in a frefh ftock to trade with, they de-
fired to fecure the remainder of their fortune in
* 4!. 75. 6d. f61. iis. 3d. 13!. is. 3d. 3!. IDS.
II il. 155. ** i;s. 6d. " ff 167!. i8s.
N. B. Each piftole is reckoned at i6s. pd. JJ 83!. 155.
^ 78!. 155. |||l3ol. i2s. 6d.
12* HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B IV K fuch a manner, as that the fhares fhould at all
1 \r ' times bear a fettled price, and an intereft that
could be depended upon. The government fettled
this matter by an edict iffued out in Auguft 1764.
The XHIth article exprefsiy fays, That, to fecure
to the proprietors a fettled income independent of
all future events of trade, a fufficient fund fhould
be detached from that portion of the contract
which was then free, to fecure to every fhare a
capital of 1600 livres*, and an intereft of 80
livres fj and that neither that intereft, nor that
capital, Jhould, in any cafe, or for any caufe whatfo-
ever, be anfwerable for fuch engagements as the com-
pany might enter into after the date of this editt.
THE company, therefore, owed for 36,920 fhares
and fix eighths, at the rate of 80 livres J per
fhare, an intereft amounting to 2, 953, 660 livres .
They paid for their feveral contracts 2,727,506
livres |1, which made in all 5,681,166 livres ** of
perpetual annuities. The life annuities amounted
tp 3,074,899 livres ff. The fum total of all thefe '
life annuities and annual payments was then
8,756,065 livres Jf. How the company raifed
money to anfwer thefe feveral demands, lhall be
the fubject of our next inquiry.
THAT great body, which had been much too
deeply concerned in Law's fcheme, had advanced
him 90,000,000 of livres . When that fyftem
failed, the government made over to them in pay-
* 70!. f 3!. ios. j 3!. ios. 129,222!. i2s. 6d.
J| 119,328!. 75. pd. ** 248, 551!. os. 3d.
tt 1 34S 2 61. i6s. 7id. \\ 383,577!. i6s. iod.
men*
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 123
ment the exclufive fale of tobacco, which then B IV K
brought in three millions * a year; but they were v___ v Z
left without a capital to trade with. This kept
them in a ftate of inaction till 1726, when the go-
vernment lent them its afliftance. The rapid pro-
grefs they made aftonifhed all nations, and feemed
to promife them a fuperiority over the moft flou-
rifhing companies. This opinion, which was the
general one, emboldened the proprietors to com-
plain that their dividends were not doubled and
trebled. They thought, as well as the public, that
the king's treafury was enriched with their fpoils.
The profound fecrecy with which every thing was
carried on, greatly ftrengthened thefe furmifes.
THE breaking-out of the war between France
and England, in 1744, diflblved the charm. The
miniftry, too much embarrafled in their own affairs
to think of doing any thing for the company, left
it to extricate itfelf. Then, indeed, every one
was furprifed to fee that Coloffus ready to fall,
which had never yet met with any (hock, and
whofe greateft misfortune had been the lofs of
two fhips of a moderate value. The company
would have been ruined, had not the government,
in I747 declared itfelf their debtor in the fum of
180,000,000 of livresf, and engaged to pay them
the intereft of that fum for ever at five per cent.
This engagement, which was in lieu of the exclu-
five fale of tobacco, is fo important a point in the
hiftory of the company, that it would not be fuf-
ficiently illuftrated, if we did not trace the matter
further back.
* 13 1, 250!. f 7, 875,000!.
THI
124 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK THE ufe of tobacco, which was introduced into
*-~-v-^ Europe after the difcovery of America, made no
very rapid progrefs in France. The confumption
was fo fmall, tliat the firft contract, which began
the firft of December 1674, and ended the firft of
October 1680, brought in but 500,000 livres* to
the government the two firft years, and 600,000 j*
the four laft; though the right of ftamping pewter
kad been joined to this privilege. This farm of
the revenue was confounded with the general
farms till 1691, when it ftill remained united
to them, and was rated at 1,500,000 livres J a
year. In 1697, it became once more a feparate
farm on the fame terms, till 1709, when it was
increafed to 100,000 iivres more, till 1715. It
was then renewed for three years only. The two
firft years ought to have produced 2,000,000 of
livres j|, and the laft 200,000 ** more. At that
period it was increafed to 4,020,000 livres ft a
year; but this lafted only from the firft of October
1718 to the firft of June 1720. Tobacco then
became a mercantile commodity all over the king-
dom, and continued fo till the firft of September
1721. During this ftiort interval, private people
laid in fuch a flock, that, when it came to be farmed
out again, it could be done but at a moderate price.
This contract, which was the eleventh, was for nine
years, to commence on the firft of September 1721,
to the -firft of October 1 7 30. The farmers were to
give 1,300,000 livres JJ for the firft thirteen
* 21,875!. f 26,250!. 165,625!. 4375 1 .
11 87,500!. * 8,750!. ff 175,875!. H 56,875!.
months j
" IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
months; 1,800,000 * for the fecond year; B
2,560,000 f for the third ; and 3,000,000 J for
each of the laft fix years. This agreement did not
take place, becaufe the India company, to whom
the government owed 90,000,000 livres , which
had been depofited in the royal treafury in I7iy>
demanded the farm of tobacco, which had then
been made over to them for ever, and which, from
particular events, they had never yet enjoyed.
Their petition was found to be juft, and they ob-
tained what they fo warmly folicited.
THEY managed this farm themfelves, from the
firft of October 1723, to the laft day of Septem-
ber 1730. The produce during that fpace was.
50,083,967 livres n fous 9 deniers || ; which
made 7,154,852 livres 10 fols 3 den. ** ayear;
cjut of this muft be deducted yearly 3,042,963 1.
198. 6d. ff for the charges of preparing the land.
THESE charges were fo enormous, that it was
thought the bufmefs, which grew every day more
confiderable, would be better in the hands of the
farmers-general, who would manege it at lefs ex-
pence by means of the clerks they employed for
other purpoies. The company accordingly farmed
it for eight years, at the rate of 7,500,000 livres JJ
for each of the firft four years, and 8,000,000
for each of the four laft. This contract was con-
tinued upon the fame terms till the month of June
1747 ; and the king promifed to account with the
78,750!. fii2,oool. 1131,250!. 3,937,500!.
|| About2,i9i,i73l. us. 7d. ** About 313,024!. i6s.
ft About 133,129!. i2s. 7^1. ft 328,125!.
350,000!.
9 company
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
K company for the increafe of the produce, as foon
as it fliould be known and afcertained.
AT this period, the king united the tobacco
farm to his other duties, creating and alienating,
for the ufe of the company, an annuity of nine
milli9ns * for ever, upon a capital of an hundred
and eighty millions f. This large compenfation
was thought to be due to them for the old debt of
ninety millions J; for the overplus of the profit
upon the tobacco farm, from 1738 to 1747 ; and
to indemnify them for the expences of the negroe
trade, for the lofles they had fuftained during the
war, for their giving up the exclufive privilege of
the trade to St. Domingo, and for the lofs of the
ton duty, which had been fufpended ever fince the
year 1731. Yetthis compenfation has been thought
inadequate by fome of the proprietors, who have
difcovered, that ever fince the year 1758, upwards
of 1 1,700,000 pounds weight of tobacco have been
annually fold in the kingdom at three livres a
pound, though it had been bought for twenty-
feven livres || a hundred.
The nation is of a very different opinion. The
managers, who prevailed upon government to ac-
knowledge fo large a debt, have been accufed of
facrificing the intereft of the public to that of a'
private fociety. A writer, who in our days fhould
examine whether this accufation were w r ell or ill-
grounded, would pafs for an idle man. Such a
difcuffion would be altogether needlefs, fince every
circumftance of this tranfaction has been made
* 393'75- > t 7,875,000!. J 3,937,500!. 2s. 7cU.
|| ih 35. 7[d.
public
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDJES. 127
public. It will be fufficient to obferve, that it was B ^ K
with the nine millions * a year, improperly facri- < v- '
ficed by the Hate, that the company was enabled
to anfwer the demand of 8,756,065 livres f with
which it .was charged, fo that the overplus re-
maining to them amounted to about 244,000
livres J of net revenue.
IT is true, they had private fimple-contracl:
debts to the amount of 74,505,000 livres ; but
they had in trade, in ftock, or in debts to call in,
70,733,000 livres j|; a fum nearly fufficient to
balance their accounts.
THEIR only riches confifted therefore in move-
able and unmoveable effects, to the amount of
about twenty millions **, and the profpect of the
extinction of the life annuities, which in time muft
bring in three millions ff a year. The actual va-
lue of this article might be reckoned equal to a
clear capital of thirty millions JJ.
INDEPENDENT of thefe properties, the com-
pany enjoyed fome very beneficial rights. The
exclulive fale of coffee had been granted them ;
but as public utility required that an exception
fhould be made in 1736, with regard to cof-
fee imported from the American illands, they
obtained, by way of compenfation, a yearly fum
of 50,000 livres , which was always duly paid.
Even the privilege for Mocha coffee was can-
celled in 1767, the government having allowed
* 393v5 o1 - t 3%3>77 l - l6s - 10 H. t 10,675!.
3' 2 59'593 J - i.S s - 113,094,568!. 155. - ** 875,000!.
ft 131,250!. n 1,312,500!. $$2,287!. los.
the
li* HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B CM) K t he importation of that of the Levant. The
* ^ ' company obtained no indemnification on this
account.
THEY had experienced a greater lofs the year
before. In 1720 they had been inverted with
the fole right of tranfporting flaves to the
American colonies. This fyftem foon appeared
to be erroneous j and it was agreed, that all the
merchants in the kingdom fhould be at liberty
to carry on the Have trade, upon condition of
adding a piftole * per head to the thirteen livres j"|
granted out of the royal treafury. Suppofmg
that 15,000 negroes were difpofed of every year|
Ln the French iflands, this made a clear incomel
of 345,000 livres J for the company. Thiaj
bounty, which was allowed them for a trade
they were not concerned in, was taken off ia|
1767, and was made up to them by a more rea-4
fonable equivalent.
AT the firft formation of the company they had;
obtained a gratuity of 50 livres upon every toaj
of goods they fhould export, and of 75 |[ uporn
every ton they fhould import from abroad. Thel
miniftry, upon the fuppreflion of the bounty uponl
negroes, increafed the gratuity upon every ton exJ
ported to 75 livres |j, and upon every ton imported'
to 80 **. If we rate both at 6000 tons a year J
we fhall find a produce of above a million ff foil
the company, including the 50,000 livres JJ they/
received upon the coffee.
* i6s. 9d. f us. 4Jd. I 15,093!. 155.
2l. 3 s. 9 d. || 3 1. S s. 7-td. * 3 1. ios. ft43.75 o1 -
tj2,i87l. ios.
WHJLS
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 129
WHILE the income of the company remained en- B 1V K
tire, their expences were leffened. By the edict of * .'
1764, the iflands of France and Bourbon were be-
come the property of the government, who engaged
to fortify and defend them. By this arrangement
the company was exonerated of two millions* a
year, without the leaft detriment to the exclufive
trade they enjoyed in thole two iflands.
WITH all thefe feemingly profperous circum-
ftances, the debts of the company were daily in-
creafmg. This muft inevitably happen, as their
income, together with the profits of their trade,
was not fufficient to defray the expences of carry-
ing it on, and the charges annexed to the crown,
which amounted together to eight millions j- a
year. They might even exceed this, as by their
nature they were fufceptible of endlefs incVeafe,
according to the political views of government,
which is the fole judge of their importance and
necefiity.
IN fo unfortunate a fituation, the company could
not pofiibly fupport itfelf without the afiiftance
of government. But for fome time paft the coun-
cil of Lewis XV. had appeared to be very indif-
ferent about the exiftence of that great body. At
laft an arret of council was iffued, bearing date
the ijth of Auguft 1769, by which the king fuf-
pended the exclufive privilege of the India com-
pany, and granted to all his fubjecls the liberty
of navigating and trading beyond the Cape of
I Good Hope. However, in granting this unex-
pected freedom, the government thought proper
* 87,500!. f 350,000!.
VOL. II. K to
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
to lay it under fome reftraint. The arret which
opens this new tract to private navigators, requires
them to provide themfelves with paflports, which
are to be freely given by the adminiftrators of the
India company. It obliges them to make their re-
turns to Port I'Orient, and no where elfe. It efta-
bliilies a duty by way of Indulto on all goods im-
ported from India j which, by a fecond arret of
council, iffued on the fixth of September follow-
ing, was fixed at five -per cent, on all goods com-
ing from India and China, and at three per cent,
upon all commodities of the growth of the iflands
of France and Bourbon.
THE arret of the i3th of Auguft, by only fuf-
pending the privilege! of the company, feemed to
leave to the proprietors the power of refuming it :
but, as they faw no probability of ever being able
to do this, they wifely determined to liquidate their
concerns in fuch a manner, as to fecure their credi-
tors, and the remains of their own fortunes.
FOR this purpofe they offered to give up to th<
king all the company's fhips, thirty in number
all the warehoufes and other buildings belongim
to them at Port I'Orient and in India ; the pi
perty of their factories, with the manufactures de-
pendent on them ; all naval and military (lores
and, laftly, eight hundred flaves which they
referved in the iflands. All thefe articles wer
valued at thirty millions * by the proprietor
who at the fame time demanded* the payment o
16,500,000 livres f which were due to them
the government.
* 1,312,500!. 1721,875!.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 131
THE king agreed to the propofal, but chofe to B v K
leflen the purchafe-money : not that the effects were v. -
not of ftill greater value while they remained in
the hands of the company j but, being made over
to the government, they brought an additional in-
cumbrance upon it. So that, inftead of 46,500,000
livres * which the proprietors demanded, the
prince, to clear all accounts with them, created a
perpetual annuity for their benefit of 1,200,000
livres f, upon a capital of thirty millions J. The
edict for -that purpofe was iflued out in January
1770-
TH is new contract the company mortgaged for
twelve millions , which they borrowed upon life
annuities at ten per cent, and by a lottery in Fe-
bruary following. This money was borrowed to
enable them to fulfil the engagements they had
entered into when they undertook the laft expedi-
tions j but it was inefficient j ib that, finding
themfelves utterly unable to raife more, the pro-
prietors, at their meeting on the yth April 1770,
made over their whole property to the king, ex-
cept the capital that had been mortgaged to the
proprietors of the fhares.
THE principal articles comprHed in this ceffion,
confifted in the abolition of 4,200,000 livres || in
life annuities} of that part of the contract of nine
millions ** which exceeded the capital of the
fhares; of the hotel of Paris j of the India goods
expected home in 1770 and 1771, fuppofed to be
worth 26,000,000 of livres j-f ; and, lailly, of
* 2,039,375!. f 52, 500!. 1 1,312, 500!. 525,000!.
II r8375ol. * 393,75^1. tt i,375 o1 -
K 2 three
132" HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B IV K three or -four millions * of debts, to be called in
* ^/ ~' from debtors who were moftly Iblvent, in India,
in the ifles of France and Bourbon, and at San
Domingo. The proprietors engaged at the fame
time to furnilh the king with a fum of 14,768,000
livres j-, to be raifed by way of a call, which was
fixed at 400 livres J per lhare. The government,
in accepting thefe feveral offers, engaged' on their
part to pay all the perpetual and life annuities
which the company was bound to pay ; all their
other engagements, amounting to about forty-
five millions j all the penfions and half-pays
granted by the company, amounting to 80,000
livres || a year ; laftly, to ftand to all the charges
and rifques attending a liquidation that muft ne-
ceffarily continue fome years.
THE capital of each lhare, which, by the edict
of Auguft 1764, had been fixed at 1600 livres **,
bearing an intereft of 80 livres ff, the king now
raifed to 2500 livres JJ 3 bearing intereft 125
livres a year. The new intereft was made fub-
ject to a deduction of a tenth, and it was agreed
that this deduction fhould be annually appropri-
ated to the paying off of the fhares by lot, on the
footing of their capital of 2500 livres |j|| ; fo that
the intereft on the fhares thus paid off, would in-
creafe the finking fund till the whole of the fhares
was finally paid off.
THESE refpective conditions are recorded in an
arret of council, of the 8th of April, including
* About 153,000!. upon an average. -1-646,1001.
117!. los. 1,968,750!. 113,500!. *' 70!.
ft 3!. ios. Jf 109!. 73. 6d. 5!. 95. 4id.
. iill 109!. ?s. 6d.
a report
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 13-3
a report of the deliberations held the day before B K
in a general meeting of the proprietors, and con- v ^ J
firmed by letters patent, bearing date the 22d of
the fame month. In confequence of thefe agree-
ments, the call has been paid, a furHciency for the
reimburfement of the fhares, to the number of
two hundred and twenty, has been taken out
every year, and the fimple contract debts of the
company have been duly paid when their time
was elapfed.
FROM all thefe particulars, it is no eafy matter
to frame an idea of the actual mode of exiftence .
of the India company, and of the legal ftate of the
trade they carried on. This company, which at
prefent has no property, no bufmefs, no object,
cannot however be confidered as being entirely
deftroyed, fmce the proprietors have referved the
joint flock that was mortgaged for their fhares ;
and that they have a common cheft, and deputies
to fuperintend their interefls. On the other hand,
their charter has been lufpended j but it is only
fufpended, and is not included among the articles
which the company has ceded to the king. The
law by which it was granted is flill in force j
and the fhips that are fitted out for the Indian
feas, cannot fail without a permiffion in the name
of the company. So that the freedom which has
been granted, is but a precarious one -, and if the
proprietors fhould offer to refume their trade, with
a fufficient flock to carry it on, they would have
an undoubted right to do it without any new law
to impower them. But except this nominal fight,
which in fact is much the fame as if it did not
exift, as the proprietors are not in a condition to
K 3 exercife
134, HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK exercife it ; all their other rights, properties, and
c.~vr^ factories, are now in the hands of government.
Let us take a curfory view of thoie fettlements,
beginning with Malabar.
Prefent BETWEEN the provinces of Canara and Calicut,
French up- lies a diftri<5l which extends eighteen leagues along
"jJJSJiJ the coaft, and is at moft feven or eight leagues
broad. The country, which is very unequal,
abounds with pepper and cocoa-trees. It is di-
vided into feveral lefs diftricts, fubject to as many
Indian lords, who are all vafials to the houfe of
Colafcry. The head of this Bramin family is al-
ways to confine his whole attention to what con-
cerns the worfhip of the gods. It would be be-
neath his dignity to ftoop to profane matters; and
the reins of government are given to his neareft
relation. The country is divided into two pro-
vinces. In the largeft, called the Irouvenate, is
the Englifh factory of Tellichery, and the Dutch
factory of Cananor. Thefe two nations fhare the
pepper trade between them; but the Englifh com-
monly carry off 1,500,000 pounds weight, and
there feldom remains more than 500,000 for the
Dutch.
THE fecond province, called Cartenate, extends
but five leagues along the coaft. Here the French
were called in by the natives in 1722, with a view
to engage them to aft againft the Englifh ; but an
accommodation having taken place, and made their
afliftance unnecefTary, they were forced to relinquifh
a poft where they promifed themfelves fome advan-
tages. Fired with refentment and ambition, they
returned in greater numbers in 1725, and efla-
blilhed themfelves fword-in-hand on the mouth of
3 the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 135
the river Mahe. Notwithftanding this act of vio- B v K
lence, they obtained of the prince, who governed y ^
that diftrict, an exclulive right to the pepper trade.
This favour was fo great an advantage to them,
that it gave rife to a colony of $,ooo Indians, who
cultivated 6,350 cocoa trees, 3,967 areka, and
7,761 pepper trees. Such was the ftate of this
fettlement, when the Englifh made themfelves
mafters of it in 1760.
THE fame fpirit of deftruction that they had
fhewn in all their conquefts, influenced them at
Mahe. Their intention was to pull down the
houfes, and difperfe the inhabitants. The fove-
reign of that country difluaded them from their
purpofe. All was fpared, except the fortifications.
When the French returned to their factory, they
found every thing much in the fame condition as
they had left it. It is their intereft to fecure
the advantages they enjoy, and it is no lefs incum-
bent on them to endeavour to improve them.
Mahe is furrounded with hills, on which were
creeled five forts, that no longer exift. Thefe
works were too numerous, though fome precau-
tions are abfolutely necefiary. It is not proper
to be perpetually expofed to the depredations of
the Nayers, who have formerly attempted to plun-
der and deftroy the colony, and who might pof-
fibly have ftill the fame intentions, in order to put
themfelves under the protection of the Englifh at
Tellicherry, which is but three leagues diftant
from Mahe.
BESIDES the pofls requifite to fecure the place
itfelf, it is very neceflary to fortify the entrance
K 4 of
136 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK o f the river. *' Since the Marattas have got fea-
v -^ ' ports of their own, they infeft the fea about Ma-
labar with their piracies. Thofe banditti even
attempt to land wherever they think there is
fome booty to be got. Mahe would not be fecure
from their attacks, if it contained money or com-
modities to tempt them.
THE French might make themfelves ample
amends for any expences they fliould incur, if
they did but carry on their trade with fpirit and
fkill. Their factory is the beft fituated for the
pepper trade; and the country would afford
2,500,000 pounds weight of that commodity.
What could not be confumed in Europe might be
fold in China, on the Red Sea, and at Bengal.
A pound of pepper would Hand them in twelve
fous *, and they would fell it for twenty-five or
thirty -f.
THIS advantage, confiderable as it is, would
be increafed by the profits upon European goods
which would be carried over to Mahe. Thofe
who are beft acquainted with that factory are of
opinion, that it will be an eafy matter to difpofe of
400,000 weight of iron, 200,000 of lead, 25,000
of copper, 2000 firelocks, 20,000 weight of gun-
powder, 50 anchors or graplings, 50 bales of
cloth, 50,000 ells of fail-cloth, a good quantity
of quickfilver, and about 200 cafks of 'wine or
brandy, for the French fettled in the colony, or
for the Englifh in the neighbourhood. Thefe
feveral articles together would produce at leafr.
? About 6d.*. f About is. 4<L on an average,
384,009
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 137
384,000 livres*, of which 153, 600 f would be B v K
clear gain, allowing the profit to be 40 per cent. *~~.^j
Another advantage attending this circulation is,
that there will always be a flock in the factory,
which will enable them to purchafe the produc-
tions of the country in the feafons of the year
when they are cheapen:.
THE greateft obftacle to trade is the cuftom-
houfe eftablifhed in the colony. Half the duties
belong to the fovereign of that country, and this
has always been a fubject of contention. The
Englifh of Tellichery, who laboured under the
fame grievance, have found means to prevent all
difputes about thefe duties, by paying a certain
yearly fum as an equivalent. The French might
do the fame; but they cannot expeft that the
prince would agree to it, unlefs they previoufly
pay him the fums he has lent, and no longer re-
fufe him the tribute ftipulated for the benefit of
living peaceably upon his territories. Matters can-
no-t be fo eafily adjufted at Bengal.
FRANCE has engaged, by the treaty of 1763, to f re ^ tftate
erecl: no fortifications and keep no troops in that French at
rich and extenfive country. The Englifh, who
are fovereigns there, will never fuffer the French
to deviate from what they have required. So that
Chandernagore, which before the laft war reckoned
60,000 fouls, and has now but 24,000, is, and
always will be, entirely an open place.
To this misfortune of a precarious fituation
may be added injuries and hardlliips of every
kind. Not fatisfied with the pofTeiTion of unlimited
* 16,800 1. f 6,720!.
authority,
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
authority, the Englifh have been guilty of the
moft fcandalous enormities. They have infulted
the French in their work-fhops; feduced their
workmen ; cut the linens off of the looms ; infifted
that the manufacturers fhould do no work but for
them in the three beft months of the year. ; and
that their own ladings fhould be picked out and
completed before any thing was removed out of
the work-fhops. The fcheme which the French
and Dutch had contrived together, of making an
exact eftimate of the number of weavers, taking
only half between them, and leaving the reft to
the Englifli, has been confidered as an infult.
That ruling nation have proceeded fo far as to
declare, that they would have their factors buy
the goods in Chandernagore ; and the French have
been forced to fubmit to this hardfhip, or they
would have been excluded from every market
in Bengal. In a word, they have fo much
abufed the unjuft right of victory, that a philo-
fopher might be tempted to wifh for the ruin of
their liberty, were not the people infinitely more
oppreflive and cruel under the government of one
man, than under a government tempered by the
influence of many.
As long as things remain upon the prefent foot-
ing in that opulent part of Afia, the French will
meet with perpetual hardfhips and mortifications,
and therefore no folid and lading advantage can
accrue to trade. They would be refcued from
this difgrace, if they could exchange Chanderna-
gore for Chatigan,
CHATIGAN
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
CHATIGAN is fituated on the confines of Arracan.
The Portuguefe, who in the days of their profpe-
rity endeavoured to get all the important pofts in
India into their own hands, made a confiderable
eftablilhment at that place. Thofe who were fet-
tled there threw off the yoke of their native coun-
try, when it became a part of the Spanilh domi-
nions, chufing rather to turn pirates than to be
(laves. They long infefted the neighbouring coafls
and feas with their depredations. At laft they were
attacked by the Moguls, who raifed a colony upon
their ruins, powerful enough to prevent any in-
roads which the people of Arracan and Pegu might
be tempted to make into Bengal. This place then
funk intp obfcurity till 1758, when the Englifli
arrived and fettled there.
THE climate is healthy, the waters excellent, and
provifions are in great plenty $ the landing is eafy,
and the anchorage fafe. The continent and the
ifland of Sandiva make a tolerable harbour. The
rivers Barramputri and Etki, which are branches
of the Ganges, or at leaft communicate with it,
greatly facilitate commercial operations. If Cha-
tigan is further off of Patna, Caflimbuzar, and
fome other markets, than the European colonies
on the river Hughly j it is near Jogdia, Dacca, and
all the manufactures of the lower river. It is a
matter of no confequence, whether fhips of bur-
den can or cannot enter the Ganges on that fide,
as the inland navigation is never carried on but
with boats.
THOUGH the knowledge they had of thefc ad-
vantages had determined the Englifh to feize upon
Chatigan,
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
Chatigan,we are apt to think they would have given
it up at the laft peace, to get rid of the French,
and remove them from a place which lies too near
them, and which long habit has endeared to them.
We even prefume, that at Chatigan the Englifh
would have defifted from thofe conditions they
required at Chandernagore, which ftamp a dif-
grace upon the pofTeffors, more detrimental to
the fchemes of commerce than it is poffible to
conceive. Trade is a free profefilon. The fea,
the voyages, the rifque, and the viciffitudes of
fortune, all infpire a love of independence. This
gives life and fpirit to trade, which, when con-
fined, languifhes, and is loft.
THE prefent opportunity is, perhaps, a favour-
able one, to think of the exchange we propofe.
The fortifications which the Englifh had begun
to erect at Chatigan having been thrown down
by frequent earthquakes, they have taken a diflike
to the place. As to the French, this inconve-
nience, great as it is, would be preferable to that
of living in a defencelefs town. It is better to
ftrive againft nature than againft men, and be
expofed to the fhocks of the earth than to the
infults of nations. The French, though reftrained
at Bengal, fortunately meet with fome compenfa- *
tion, enjoying a better fituation on the coaft of
Coromandel.
Prefent ^ t ^ ie nortn of that very extenfive coaft, they
Se a French P^" e ^ s Yanam, in the province of Rajahmandry.
ponthe This factory, which has no land belonging to it,
coroman- and is fituated nine miles from the mouth of the
j-j
river Ingerom, was formerly a very flourishing
one.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
one. Frommiftaken motives it was negle&ed about
the year 1748. It would, however, afford goods
to the value of 4 or 500,000 livres *, as the cot-
ton manufactures are very confiderable in that
neighbourhood, and the cottons remarkably fine
and good. It has been found by experience to be
a good market for difpofmg of European cloth.
The trade of this place would be more lucrative,
if they were not obliged to fhare the profit with
the Engliih, who have a fmall fettlement within
two miles of the French.
THE competition is much more detrimental to
their intereft at Mafulipatam. The French, who
formerly were mafters of the whole town, but have
nothing left now except the factory they had before
1749, cannot poffibly contend with the Englifh,
who make them pay duty for all their imports and
exports, and enjoy befides all the favour in their
own trade which fovereignty can command. Things
being thus circumftanced, the French confine their
dealings to the purchafe of fome fine handkerchiefs
and other callicoes, to the value of 1 50,000 livres f.
It is far otherwife at Karical.
THAT town, fituated in the kingdom of Tan-
jour, on one of the branches of the Caleroon,
which will bear Ihips of 150 tons burden, was
ceded to the company in 1738, by a dethroned
king, who was in want of protection. Having been
reftored before he had fulfilled his engagements, he
retraced the gift he had made. A nabob attacked
the place with his army, and in 1739 gave it up to
the French, who were in friendlhip with him.
* About 19,700!. f 6,562!.' ios.
Soon
lit* HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK Soon after this, the ungrateful and perfidious
; - v ~~j prince was ftrangled by the intrigues of his uncles ;
and his fucceflbr, who had inherited his enemies
with his throne, being defirous of obtaining the
friendfhip of a powerful nation, confirmed them.in
their porTeffion. The Englifh took the place in
v 1760, and blew up the fortifications. It was after-
wards reilored to the French, who returned thither
in 1765.
IN its prefent {late, Karical is an open place,
which may contain 15,000 inhabitants, moft of
them employed in weaving ordinary handker-
chiefs and cottons, for the wear of the natives.
The territory belonging to it, which has been con-
fiderably increaied by the conceffions which the
king of Tanjour made in 1749, is now once more
what it was at firft, two leagues in length, and one
league in the broadeft part. It is compofed of fif-
teen hamlets, of which one only deferves our no-
tice; this is called Tirumale-Rayenpatnam, and
contains no lefs than 25,000 fouls. They weave
and paint Perfians that are pretty fine, fit for Bata-
via and the Philippine iflands. The Coolies and
Mohammedans have fmall veflels, with which
they trade to Ceylon, and along the coaft.
FRANCE may draw annually from this fettle-
inent, two hundred bales of cottons or handker-
chiefs fit for Europe, and a large quantity of rice
for the fubfiilence of her other colonies.
'ALL goods bought at Karical, Yanam, and Ma-
fulipatam, are carried to Pondicherry, the chief
fettlement of the French in India.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
THIS town, which rofe from fuch fmall begin-
nings, in time became a great, powerful, and fa-
mous city. The ftreets, which are all ftrait, and
moft of them broad, are lined with two rows of
trees, which keep them cool even in the heat of
the day. The moft remarkable public edifices
are a mofque, two pagodas, two churches, and
the governor's houfe, which is reckoned the moft
magnificent building in the eaft. They had erected
a fmall citadel in the year 1704; but it is of no
ufe, fmce they have been allowed to build houfes
all round it. To fupply the lofs of this defence,
three fides of the town had been fortified with a
rampart, a ditch, baftions, and a glacis which
was unfinifhed in fome places. The road was de-
fended by fome batteries judiciotifly placed.
THE town, which was ftill a league in circum-
: ference, contained 70,000 inhabitants, of which
4000 were Europeans, Meftees, orTopafles. There
were at moft-i 0,000 Mohammedans ; the reft were
Indians, 15,000 of which were Chriftiajis, and the
others of feventeen or eighteen different cafts or
tribes. Three villages, dependent on the town,
might contain 10,000 fouls.
SUCH was the ftate of the colony, when the
Englifh made themfelves mafters of it in the be-
ginning of the year 1761, utterly deftroyed it, and
turned out the inhabitants. Others may, perhaps,
examine whether the barbarous right of war could
juftify fuch enormities. Let us turn away our eyes
from fo many cruelties committed by a free, mag-
nanimous, and enlightened nation ; and confider
j only the refolution France has taken to reftore
Pond i cherry
144 HISTORY, OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v O K P ncu 'cherry to i ts former fplendour. Every thing
^ v ' concurs to juftify the wifdom of this choice.
THIS town, like all others on the coaft of Coro-
mandel, has no harbour, but it has a much more
commodious road. The fhips can anchor clpfe to
the fhore, under the cannon of the fortifications.
Its territory, which is three leagues long and one
league broad, is nothing more than a barren fand-
bank on the fea-coafl ; but the greateil part is fit
for the culture of rice, vegetables, and a root called
chaya, which is ufed in dying. Two fmall rivers
that crofs the country, but are not navigable, afford
excellent water for the fame purpofe, particu-
larly for the blue dye. Three miles to the north-
eaft of the town is a hill, which riles a hundred
toifes above the level of the fea, and is a guide to
fhips at the diftance of feven or eighf leagues ;
which is a very confiderable advantage upon fo flat
a coaft. At the top of this hill is a very large
body of water, that has been collecting for ages,
and, after refrelhing and fertilizing a fpacious ter-j
ritory, flows down to water the grounds about Pon- ', j
dicherry. Laflly, the colony is favourably fituated j
for the reception of provifions and merchandife
from the Carnatic, the kingdoms of Myfore anew
Tanjour.
^SucH were the important reafons which deterJ
mined France to rebuild Pondicherry. As foon as i|
her agents appeared on the nth of April 1765,,!
the unfortunate Indians, who had been difperfed '
by the calamities of war, and by political intrigues, J
flocked thither in great numbers. By the begin-
ning of the year 1770, there were 27,000 wl
4
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
had rebuilt their ruined houfes. They are all
brought up in the idea that no man Can be happy
who does not die in the very place where he rlrft
faw the light. This prejudice, fo pleafmg to them,
and Which it may be fo ufeful to keep up, will
undoubtedly make them all return, as ibon as the
town is inclofed. The weavers, the dyers, the
painters, the merchants, thofe who have fome pro-
perty to preferve, only wait for this fecurity to
bllow their inclination.
IN their prefent ftate, the French factories in
ndia are very expenfive, and the returns from
'hem inconfiderable. Unfortunately this difadvan-
age is not compenfated by the iflands of France
ind Bourbon, which have not attained to that de-
gree of profperity that might be expected.
THE latter of thefe iflands was much extolled ; Prefent
>ut more fpeculation than induftry was beftowed of the
upon it, and the owners loft their time in conjee- fheTfu]
ures concerning the ufe it might be put to. France.
SOME were inclined to make a mart of it, where all
ndia goods fhould center. They were to be brought
hither on India bottoms, and then fhipped on board
r rench vefiels, which were never to go any further.
A. double advantage was thought to arife from this
cheme ; firft, in the leffening of expences, as both
he pay and the maintenance of India failors is very
rifling; and, fecondly, in the prefervation of the
"hips crews, which are often deftroyed by too long
i voyage, and ftill more frequently by the climate,
Specially at Bengal and at Arabia. This fyftem,
vhich ought, perhaps, to have been adopted, was
:onfidered as impracticable, on account of the fupr-
.You II. L pofed
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
> K no
IV.
K pofed neceflity of maintaining a formidable fleet
on the feas of Afia, to prevent or check the in-
fults that are often committed in thofe parts.
OTHERS were of opinion that the inhabitants of
the Ifle of France fhould be allowed to trade to
India, which they had never yet been fuffered to do.
The fupporters of this fyftem maintained, that the
propoled freedom would prove an abundant fource
of wealth to the colony, and confequently to the
mother-country. They might be in the right, but
the trials that have been made have not proved fuc-
cefsful i and, without examining whether this in-
novation had been judicioufly conducted, it was re-
folved that the ifland Ihould be entirely confined to
agriculture.
THIS new regulation gave rife to frefli miftakes.
Men were fent from Europe to the colony, who
neither underflood hufbandry, nor were accuftomed
to labour. The lands were^diftributed at a venture,
and without diftinguifhing what was to be cleared
from what did not want it. Money was advanced
to the planters, not in proportion to their induftry,
but to the intereft they could make with the go-
vernment. The company, who got cent, per cent.
upon the commodities the colony drew from Eu*
rope, and fifty per cent, upon thofe that were fent
in from India, required that the produce of the '
country fhould be delivered into their warehoulej
at a very low price. The oppreffion of the mono-
poly was aggravated by the tyranny of endl<
and needlefs feryices. To complete the misfortui
of the colony, the company, who had kept all
power in their own hands, broke the engagement
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 147
they had entered into with their fubjects, or rather B 1V IC
with their flaves. ' ^ '
UNDER fuch a government, no improvements
could be expected. Nothing was carried on with
fteadinefs. The culture of cotton, indigo, fugar,
arnotto, pepper, tea, cocoa, were all tried, but with
fo little attention, that no advantage was procured
from them. In purfuing chimerical projects, the
elTeritial cultures were neglected. Though in the
year 1765, there were in the colony 1469 white
people, befides the troops j 1587 Indians or free
negroes i 11,881 (laves; their productions did not
amount to more than 320,650 pounds weight of
wheat, 47,430 pounds of rice, 1,570,040 pounds
ofmaize, 142,700 poundsof kidney-beans, 135,500
pounds of oats. Thofe who had an opportunity of
feeing and obferving the agriculture of the Ifle of
France, found it little better than what they had
feen among the favageS.
SOME ufeful alterations have been made in the
colony fince it has been in the hands of government.
The culture of coffee has fince been introduced
there, as it had long been at Bourbon. This has
been attended with fo much fuccefs, that there is
reafon to expect, that fix or feven millions weight
may, in dine, be gathered, if a prudent adminiflra-
tion will only fupply the means of improving this
culture j fince, without fuch aftiftance, no colony
can poflibly profper. Thefe hopes have been en-
couraged by the profpect of another advantage.
IT is well known, that for thefe two hundred
years, the Dutch have been enriching themfelves
by the fale of cloves and nutmegs. To fecure to
L 2 themfdres
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
v K
K tliemfelves the exclufive trade of thefe articles, the/
have enflaved or utterly deftroyed the nation that
was in pofleflion of thofe fpices ; and, left the price
of them fhould fall even in their own hands, they
have rooted up in oft of the trees, and frequently
burn the fruit of thofe they had preferved. This
infamous avidity, which has fo often excited the
indignation of other nations, fo ftrongly exafperated
Mr. Poivre (who had travelled all over Afia as a
naturalift and a philofopher), that he availed him-
felf of the authority he was intrufted with in the Ifle
of France, and fent men into the leaft frequented
parts of the Moluccas, to fearch for what avarice
had hitherto withholden from the reft of the World.
The labours of thofe intrepid and fagacious naviga-
tors in whom he confided were crowned with fuccefs .
ON the i4th of June 1770, they brought to the
IHe of France 400 nutmeg-trees; 10,000 nutmegs,
either growing or ready to grow ; 70 clove-trees,
and a cheft of cloves, fome of which were grow-
ing, and already fprung up.
THIS rich prize was diftributed amongft the
rolonifts, to try all the different fofls, and every
afpect. Moft of the young plants died, and the
reft will not probably bear any fruit. But, what-
ever may happen, the Ifle of France muft always.
be allowed to be one of the moft valuable pofief-
fions for any nation defirous of trading to Afia.
IT is fituated in the African feas, juft at the
entrance of the Indian ocean. As it lies a little
out of the common track, its expeditions can
carried on with greater fecrecy. Thofe who wiJ
it was nearer our continent, do not corifider that,
2
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 149
it were fo, it would be impoflible to reacli the B ^
Coafts of Malabar and Coromandel in a month's * '
time, and the moft diftant gulphs in two months
at moft, which is an ineflimable advantage to a
nation that has no fea-port in India. This iflaad,
though in the fame latitude as the barren and
fcorching coafts of Africa, is temperate and
healthful. The foil is ftony, but tolerably fertile.
Experience has ihewn that it will produce moft of
the neceiTaries, and even of the luxuries of life.
Whatever it may want may be fuppiied from
JMadagafcar, which abounds with provifions ; and
from Bourbon, where the inhabitants have re-
tained their fimplicity of manners, and a tafte for
hufbandry. The iron that may be wanted, and
cannot be procured from thofe two iflands, might
be digged out of their own mines.
GREAT BRITAIN fees, with a jealous eye, her it behoves
Rivals porTefled of a fettlement which may prove verfaiiissto
the ruin of her flourifhing trade with Afia. At Kf^
the breaking-oyt of a war, her utmoft efforts will J^* n d " h d
certainly be aimed at a colony that threatens her r y will
richeft treafures. What a misfortune for France, /We in rhe
fhould ihe fufFer herfelf to be deprived of it !
YET this is by no means improbable, if we con-
fider that hitherto there has been no fettled plan
for fortifying this iiland -, that the means have
always been wanting, or mifapplied ; that the
miniftry of Lewis XV. have conftantly waited for
the difpatches of the adminiftrators to come to a
determination, juft as one would wait for the
return of a courier from the frontiers. Far from
fuppofing that the befiegers would meet with an,
L 3 infur-
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
infurmountable refinance, it is to be feared they
would fucceed in their defign by the forces they
have in India, without any fuccours from Europe.
BUT it is now time to deliver our opinion with-
out referve. Whoever furveys the coafls of the
Ifle of France, muft be aftonifhed to fee them
every where acceflible to boats. Though they are
furrounded with reefs, there are many bays where
troops maybe landed under cover of the (hips guns.
IN thole parts of the ifland where veffels are
obliged to keep further out, the fea is fo calm and
fmooth between the reef and the land, that boats
may come up in the night without the leaft danger.
IF in fome places between the reef and the land
the water is too fhallow for the boats to come afhore }/
there the troops may land, becaufe the water will]
not come up to their knees. The fea is fo calm be-
tween the land and the reefs, that this landing may.;
be effected with the greateftfafety. A retreat is morel
eafilyfecured in cafe of refiftance, and the boats wilu
be lefs expofed while the landing is carried on.
THIS is the true idea we are to frame of the Ifle
of France ; for, if we fometirnes meet with a point/
where a boat cannot land, we are fure of rinding
an opening at twenty toifes to the right or left^
The enemy therefore will never attempt to force a|
landing, unlefs they are too rafh and ignorant of;
the fituation. As it is impoffible to guard a, cqafl
that meafures forty leagues, there will always be
fome defencekfs place fit for landing.
DURING the laft war, batteries had been en
all round the lOand, which, pointing to the fe
'could only fire upon fhips anchored -at a diftane
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. iji
.or under fail. Some able engineers have difco- B 1V P K
vered that thefe batteries, erected at a great ex- <.- y ~.-/
pence, ferved no other purpofe but to divide the
forces i that they would be left without defence,
as they were ufelefs ; and that they would not refift
the fire of the fhips, which the beft fortifications
cannot (land againft. They are now abandoned,
and nothing has been fubftituted in their room.
THE harbour on the north-weft fide is the capi-
tal part of the ifland, and muft be the enemy's
principal object in their plan for an attack. The
nature of the ground will not admit of fortifying
it in ftich a manner as to enable it to fland a fiege.
This Ihould be fecured from a furprife j and a cen-
tral fpot in the internal part of the country fliould
.be fortified, from whence, by means of communi-
cations properly difpofed, the forces of the colony
might be fent with expedition to any part where
they might be wanted.
WITH fuch a poft of defence r as a lafl refource,
the enemy would be obliged to fight a number of
battles before the ifland could be fubdued. Nei-
ther could this be effected, if the roads cut through
the woods, and which lead from the internal parts
of the ifland to the fea-fhore, were fo artfully con-
trived as to facilitate the march of the befieged
towards the fliore, and at the fame time to obflruct
the progrefs of the enemy towards the inland parts.
The nature of the country will admit of this : it is
full of ravines which muft be crofTed, and of moun-
tains which interrupt the march. It is an eafy mat-
ter to feize the moft advantageous foliation.
HOWEVER, there is fo necefTary and abfolute a
connection between the Ifle of France and Pondi-
L 4 cherry*
i2 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
5 v K cherry > that thofe two poffeffions are .entirely de-
Ui -y *~* pendent on .each other ; for, without the Ifle of
France, there would be no protection for the fet-
tlements in India; and, without Pondicherry, the
Ifle of France would be expofed to the invafion of
the Englilh from Afia as well as from Europe.
THE Ifle of France and Pondicherry, when con-
fidered as having a neceffary and mutual connec-
tion, will be a fecurity to one another. Pondi-
cherry will protect the Ifle of France, as being the
rival of Madrafs, which the English mull always
cover with their land and fea forces ; and, on the
other hand, the Ifle of France will always be ready
to fuccour Pondicherry, or to act offenfively, as
circumftances fhall require.
FROM thefe principles it appears how neceffary
it is to put Pondicherry immediately in a ftate of
defence, Ever fince the year 1764, private intereft,
that clafhes with that of the nation, has made it a
matter of doubt which was the bed plan of forti-
fication for this important place. Conflderable fums
have already been expended upon this point, and
without any effect, becaufe they have been fuccef-
fively laid out upon contrary fyilems. It would
be needlefs to dwell upon the mifchiefs attending
thefe perpetual irrefolutions,
WHEN the Ifle of France and Pondicherry are
once put in a proper pofture of defence, trade may
then be thought of, which ceafed to exift from the
moment it became free, Indeed the voyages to,
China have continued; thofe to the iflands of France
Tv> e French and Bourbon have even increafed : but, except one
Icing once j* 1*1
firmly or two expeditions, which were owing to particu-
Ja iad5 ed i*T circuinitancesj no. prudent merchant has fent
his
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES... ,
his property to Malabar, Coromandel, or Bengal j
and the few, who have ventured to do it, have
been ruined. It could not be otherwife ; and yet
no inference can be drawn from thence in favour
of exclufive privileges.
pofed upon
IT may l^p remembered, that the ruin of the com- them,
pany, which would have happened of itfelf, was
haflened by avarice and animofity. Political views,
which had had no iliare in this event, had not
paved the way for the gradual introduction of that '
public and open trade, which was to fupply the
place of the trade carried on by an exclufive char-
ter. The fudden tranfition, therefore, from one
to the other, could not poffibly fucceed. Before
the new fyilem had been adopted, private mer-
chants ought to have been infenfibly, and by de-
grees, employed to continue the commerce in lieu
of the company. They fhould have been inftrucr.-
ed how to acquire a thorough knowledge of the
feveral branches of a trade to which they were ut-
ter ftrangers. It would have been neceflary to
allow them time to form connections in the facto-
ries ; and to favour and aflift them in their firft
expeditions.
BUT all thefe precautions would ftill have been
infufficient to infure the fuccefs of the French tra-
ders in India. It was impoffible they ihould be
able to ftrive againft the Englifh, who, being ma-
fters of every branch of trade, and, in all places,,
had all the advantages refulting from power, and
from the loofe principles which profperity infpires,
to enable them to defeat all attempts of this kind.
In -whatever manner, therefore, or in whatever
fhape,
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
K {hape, the trade of France was carried on, it was a
neceffary confequence of the fituation of affaii
that it muft fuffer greatly. It would undoubtec
meet with lefs oppofition, if the court of Verfaill<
were to put the fettlements in India in a com
tion to grant that proteclioij which every foverei<
owes to his fubjecls throughout his dominior
This oppofition would ftill be leffened in a greau
degree, if the Britifh miniftry would watch
the execution of treaties with that fteadinefs whic
juftice requires. But this opprefiion, equally dii
graceful to the nation that fuffers from it, and
the nation which allows it, can never be effeclu;
removed, but by reftoring the balance betwet
them ; and unfortunately this can only be done byj
a war.
FAR be it from us to fuggeft any idea that would
tend to rekindle the flames of difcord. Rather led
the voice of reafon and philofophy be heard b]fj
the rulers of the world. May all fovereigns, aftc
fo many ages of error, learn to prefer the virtuoi
glory of making a few men happy, to the mad
bition of reigning over wafted regions, andpeopl
groaning under the weight of oppreflion ! May
men become brethren , accuftom themfelves to a
iider the univerfe as one family under the eye
one common father! But thefe wilhes, which
thofe of every fenfible and humane man, will aj
{>ear as idle dreams to ambitious minifters, wl
hold the reins of empire. Their bufy and reflk
difpoiition will flill flied torrents of blood.
SOME pitiful commercial intereft will again ai
the French and the Englilh, Though Great Bi
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 155
tain, in mod of her wars, has aimed chiefly at B v K
deflroying the induftry of her neighbours 5 and - ** *
though the fuperiority of her naval forces may
ftill keep up this hope, which has fo often been
difappointed j we may fafely foretel that fhe would
chufe to remove the fcene of action from the feas
of Afia, where fhe would have fo little to gain,
and fo much to lofe. That power is not ignorant
of the fecret wifhes formed on all fides for the over-
throw of an edifice, which eclipfes all the reft. The
fubah of Bengal is fecretly exafperated that he has
not even the appearance of authority left. The
fubah of the Decan is inconfolable to fee his com-
merce under the controul of a foreign power. TJie
nabob of Arcot endeavours to. diibel the jealoufies
of his tyrants. The Marattas are exafperated to
find nothing but obftacles to their depredations.
All the powers in thofe parts either are actually
enflaved, or think themfelves on the eve of being
fo. England, we may prefume, would not wifh to
fee the French at the head of fnch a confederacy.
On the contrary, We may venture to foretel that
a ftricl neutrality for India would be the wifefl
plan they could purfue, and one they would moft
readily adopt.
BUT would this fyftem be as eligible for their
rivals ? Certainly not. The French are aware,
that warlike preparations made at the Ifle of
France might be employed with advantage j that
the conquefts of the Englifh are too extenfive not
to be open to attacks ; and that, iince their expe-
rienced officers are returned home, the Britifh pof-
felTions in. Indoflan are only guarded by young
people,
, S 6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS, &c.
BOOK people, who are more intent upon making their
w-3 i fortunes than upon military exercifes. It is, there-
fore, to be prefumed, that a warlike nation wou!4
eagerly feize an opportunity of repairing their for-
mer misfortunes. At the fight of their ftandards,
all thefe opprefled fovereigns would take the fieldi
and the rulers of India, furrounded with enemies,
and attacked at once on the north and on the
fouth, by fea and by land, would infallibly be
overpowered.
THEN the French, confidered as the deliverers
of Indoftan, would emerge from that ftate of hu-
miliation into which their own mifconduct hath
plunged them. They would become the idols of
the princes and people of Afia, provided the revo-
lution they brought about proved to them aleffbn
of moderation. Their trade would be extenfive
and flourifhing, fo long as they knew how to be
juft. But this profperity would end in fome fatal
cataftrophe, fhould an inordinate ambition prompt
them to plunder, ravage, and opprefs. To give
{lability to their fituation, they muft even, by
noble and generous proceedings, oblige their ri-
vals to overlook their advantages. No great de-
gree of magnanimity will be requifite, patiently to
view the operations of the northern nations of
Europe in the feas of Afia.
BOOK
C IJ7 3
BOOK V.
Trade of Denmark^ OJlend t Sweden, Pruffia y
Spain, and Ruffia, to the Eaji Indies. Some
important inquiries concerning the connec*
tions of Europe 'with India.
T T is the general opinion, that, in the earlieft B v K
JL times, a people called the Cimbri pofTefled, at *- -~~**J
i the extremity of Germania, the Cimbrian Cher- revolutions
fonefus, now known by the name of Holftein, inDcnmvk *
Slefwic, and Jutland; and that the Teutones lived
in the adjacent iflands. Whether thefe people had,
or had not, the fame origin, certain it is, that they
came out of their forefts, or out of their marfhes,
together in a body, and as one nation, and pene-
trated among the Gauls, in qu eft of booty, glory,
and a milder climate. They were even preparing
to crofs the Alps, when Rome thought it was proper
to ftem a torrent which carried all before it. Thofe
ibarbarians triumphed over all the generals that
proud republic fent to oppofe them, till the me-
morable asra when they were totally defeated by
Marius.
THEIR country, which became almoft a defert
after that terrible cataftrophe, was peopled again
by the Scythians, who, being driven by Pompey
3ii t of that vafl fpace between the Euxine and the
Cafpian fea, marched towards the north and weft
:>f Europe, fubduing all the nations they found
n their way. They conquered Ruflla, Saxony,
Weftpbalia,
* HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
o^o K Weftphalia, the Cimbrian Cherfonefus, and the
^j countries as far as Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
It is pretended that Wodin, their leader, traverfed
fo many countries, and endeavoured to fubdue
them, only with a view to excite the people againft
the formidable, odious, and tyrannical power of
the Romans. That fpirit of animofity, which he
had excited in the north, operated fecretly with fo
much force after his death, that in a few centuries
all nations agreed to turn their arms againft that
empire, the declared enemy of all liberty ; and,
after having fhaken it by repeated attacks, were at
length fuccefsful enough totally to iubvert it.
DENMARK and Norway remained without inha-
bitants after thefe glorious expeditions. By infen-
fible degrees they recovered their former ftate y
and began to be of fome confequenee again to-
wards the beginning of the eighth century. Their
valour now exerted itfelf, not on land, but on the
ocean. Surrounded as they were by two feas,
they commenced pirates, which is always the fir
Hep towards navigation in uncivilized nations.
THEY firft made trial of their ftrength agai
the neighbouring llates, and feized the few m
chant fhips they found failing up and down th
Baltic. Emboldened by thefe fuccefles, they w
enabled to plan more considerable undertakin
They infefled the leas and coafls of Scotland, Ire*
land, England, Flanders, France, and even of
Spain, Italy, and Greece. They frequently pe
trated into the inland parts of thofe extenfive co
tries, and even ventured upon the conqueft
Normandy and England. Notwithltanding
8 c
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
confufion that reigns in the annals of thofe barba-
rous times, we may ftill trace feme- of the caufes
of ib many extraordinary events.
THE inhabitants of Denmark and Norway had
originally a ftrong propenfity to piracy, which has
always been obferved by people bordering upon the
fea, when they are not reftrained by civilization
and good laws. Cuftom mufl neceflarily have made
j the ocean familiar to them, and inured them to its
! fr.orms. Having no agriculture, breeding but few
cattle, and finding but a fcanty refonrce from the
chace, in a country covered with ice and fnow,
they could have no ftrong attachment to their
native land. The facility with which they built
. their {hips, which were nothing more than rafts
icoarfely put together for the purpofe of failing
along the coafls, enabled them to go to all parts,
to land their forces, to plunder, and to reimbark.
Piracy was to them what it had been to the firfb'
heroes of Greece, the road to glory and fortune ;
an honourable profefllon, which confuted in a
iicontempt of all danger. This idea infpired them,
with invincible courage in their expeditions, fome-
Itimes under the joint command of different chiefs,
Ijand fometirhes divided into as many armaments^
as nations. Thefe fudden attacks, made in a
variety of places at the fame time, left only .to,
the inhabitants of the coafts, which were but ill
defended, in confequence of their being under a.
bad government, the dreadful alternative either of
being maflacred, or giving up all their property,
to redeem their lives.
THIS'
i6o HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K: THIS propenfity to plunder was a natural con"
c: v ' -y fequence of the favage life of the Danes and
Norwegians, and of the rough and military edu-
cation they received; but it was more particu-
larly the effect of the religion of Wodin. That
victorious impoftor improved, if we may be
allowed to fay fo, the natural fiercenefs of thofe
nations by his fanguinary tenets. He ordered
that all the implements of war, fuch as fwords,-
axes, and lances, fliould be deified. The mofl*
iacred engagements were confirmed by thefe in-
ftruments which they fo highly valued. A lance'
fet up in the middle of a plain, was the fignal fof
prayer and facrifice. Wodin himlelf at his death-
was ranked among the immortal gods, and watf
the firft deity of thofe horrid regions, where the^
rocks and woods were ftained and confecrated
with human blood. His followers thought they
honoured him by calling him the god of armies,-
the father of {laughter, the deftroyer of mankind/
the promoter of difcord. The warriors, wheilj
they went to battle, made a vow to fend him a
certain number of fouls, which they devoted t<f
him. Thefe fouls were the right of Wodin. Ir
was the general belief, that he appeared in every
battle, either to protect thofe who fought valiantly,
dr to mark out the happy victims he referved fof
himfelf ; that thefe followed him to the regions
of blifs, which were open to none but warriors.
The people ran to death, and to martyrdom, to
obtafc this reward. This belief increafed theil?
natural propenfity to war, till it grew to enthir-
fiafm, and to -a religious thirft for blood.
CHRISTI-
y.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 161
CHRISTIANITY overthrew all the ideas refult- B v K
ing from fuch a fyftem. Its miffionaries endea-
voured to bring their profelytes to a fedentary life,
that they might be fit to receive their inflec-
tions. They gave them adifguft for their roving
life, by fuggefting to them other means of fub-
fiflence. They were fo fortunate as to infpire
them with a love of agriculture, and more efpe-
cially of filhing. The great plenty of herrings,
which then came in fhoals to their coafts, afforded
them an eafy means of procuring food. When
they had fet apart a fufficient quantity of thefe
fifh for their own life, in order to preferve it,
they bartered the remainder for fait. This inter-
courfe was encouraged at its rife by one common
faith, new profpects, mutual wants, and great
fafety. Such a total revolution enfued, that, fince
the conversion of the Danes and Norwegians, not
a fingle inftance is to be found in hiftory of their
expeditions and depredations.
THE new fpirit, which feemed to animate Nor-
way and Denmark, could not fail of extending their
communication with the other nations of Europe;
Unfortunately it was intercepted by the afcendant
which the Hanfe towns had acquired. Even wheln
that great and fmgullr confedef'acy fell into decay>
Hamburgh (till maintained the fuperiority it had
obtained over all the fubjecls of the Danifh domi-
nions. They were beginning to break the bands
that had fubjefted them to this kind of monopoly,
when they were induced to undertake the naviga-
tion to the Eafl Indies by an incident that de-
ferves to be noticed,
VOL. II. M A DUTCH
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
) K
v.
BOOK A DUTCH factor, named Bofchower, being fcnt
by his nation to conclude a treaty of commerce
g a w with the kin g of Ceylon, fo ingratiated himfelf
carry on a Vith that monarch, that he became chief of his
trade with
injUa. council, his admiral, and was created prince of
Mingone. Bofchower, intoxicated with thefe
honours, haftened to Europe, to make a parade
of them before his countrymen. He took great
offence at the coldnefs with which thofe republi-
cans received the titled flave of an Afiatic court;
and was fo highly provoked at it, that he went
over to Chriftiern IV. king of Denmark, and
offered him his fervices, and the intereft he had
, at Ceylon. His propofals were accepted. He
failed in 1618,. with fix fhips, three of which
belonged to the government,, and three to the
company that had aflbciated themfelves to carry
on a trade to India, His death, which happened
in their pafifage, put an end to the hopes they had
conceived. The Danes met with a very bad re-
ception at Ceylon ; and their chief,. Ove Gieddfe
de Tommerup^ faw no other refource than to
carry them to Tanjour, ; a part of the continent
aeareft to that ifland,
TANJOUR is, a fmall ftate, which is but a hun-
dred miles in its greateft length,, and eighty in
its greateft breadth. It is of all that coaft the
province that bears the greateft quantity of ricer
This natural wealth, added to- a variety of ufeful
* ^manufactures, and a great plenty of roots for
dying, makes the public revenue amount to near
five millions *. Its fertility is owing to its being
*zi 8,750!.
watered
IN THE EAST AND -WEST INDIES. 163
Watered by the Caveri> a river which comes down B v *
from the mountains of Gate. At upwards of < *
four hundred miles from the head, it divides into
two dreams. At the entrance of Tanjour, the
eaftern branch takes the .name of Coleroon. The
other retains the name of Caveri, and fubdivides
again into four branches, which all flow within
the kingdom, and preferve it from that terrible
drought which burns up the reft of Coromandei
for the greateft part of the year.
THIS happy fituation made the Danes wilh to
form a fettlement in Tanjour. Their propofals
taet with a favourable reception. They obtained
a fruitful and populous territory ; on which they
built Tranquebar, and afterwards the fortrefs of
Dannebourg, fufficient for the defence both of
the road and the town. On their part, they en-
gaged to pay an annual homage of 16,500 livres*,
which is continued to this time.
CIRCUMSTANCES were favourable for eftablifli-
I ing a large commerce. The Portuguefe, who
groaned under the oppreffion of-^ foreign yoke,
made only feeble efforts to preferve their pof-
fefiions ; the Spaniards fent no fhips but to the
Molucca and Philippine iflands ; and the Dutch
were folely intent upon engroffing the fpice trade.
The Englifh felt the effects of the difturbances
their country laboured under, even in India. All
thefe powers could not fee this new" rival withouje
regret, but none oppofed it.
IN confequence of this, the Danes, whofetout '
with a capital of no more than 853,263 livres f,
* About 732!. f About 37,330!.
M 2 carried
1 64 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K carried on a pretty confiderable trade in all parts
UT y -^j of India. Unhappily the Dutch company, acquired
fuch a fuperiority, as to exclude them from the
markets where they had traded moft advantage-
oufly; 'and, by a ftill greater misfortune, the dif-
fentions, that rent the north of Europe, would
not permit the mother- country to attend to fuch
remote concerns as thofe of this fettlement. The
Danes at Tranquebar infenfibly fell into contempt,
both with the natives, who value men only in
proportion to their riches, and with the rival na-
tions, whofe competition they could not fuftain.
They were difcouraged by this inferiority; and the
company gave up their charter, and made over
their fettlements to the government, as an indem-
nification for the fums it had advanced,
change* the A NEW company was formed in 1670 upon
Daniflitrade . r i i i /-i -n- tr
has under- the rums or the old one. Chriitiern V. gave
In"*!" them, in fhips and other effe&s, to the value of
310,828 livres 10 fous*; and the adventurers
advanced 732,600 livres f. This fecond under-
taking, which was entered upon without a fuf-
ficient fund, proved ftill more unfuccefsful than j
the firil. After a few voyages, the factory ofj
Tranquebar was left to itfelf. Their fmall terri- ,
tory, and two veflels that they freighted for the
merchants of that country, were the only means (
they had to fupply the inhabitants and their garri- '
fon. Thefe relburces fometimes failed them; and,
to fave themfelves from the effects of famine, they-
were reduced to mortgage three of the four baf-:
tions that conftituted their fortrefs. They werfrj
* 13,598!. 145. n^d. f 32,051!. 5$.
fcarce
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 165
fcarce able to fit out a fhip for Europe once in B v K
three years with a very moderate cargo. >-..- v .
PITY feemed to be the only fentiment that fo
clefperate a fituation could infpire. But the ever
watchful jealoufy and fufpicious avarice of other
nations, ftirred up an odious war againft the Danes.
The Raja of Tanjour, who had frequently inter-
cepted their communication with his territory, at- '
tacked them in 1689, in the very town ofTran-
quebar, at the inftigation of the Dutch. That
prince had nearly taken the place after a fix months
fiege, when it was fuccoured and faved by the
Englifli. This event neither was, nor could be,
attended with any important conlequences. The
Danifh company declined daily, and was at length
totally ruined in 1730.
Two years after this, a new company was formed,
which ftill fubfifts. The favours that were heaped
upon it, to enable it to carry on a free and advan-
tageous trade, plainly fhew of what importance this
commerce appeared to the government. The char-
ter of the company is fettled for forty years. What-
ever belongs to the fitting out of their fhips is ex-
empted from all duties. The workmen they employ,
whether natives or foreigners, are not tied down
to the regulations of particular companies, which
are a reftraint upon induilry in Denmark, as well
as in other countries in Europe. They are not
obliged to ufe ftampt paper in their tranfaclions.
They have an abfolute jurii'diction over the per-
fons they employ ; and the fentences paflecl by
the directors are not liable to be reverfed, unlefs
the punifhment is capital. To remove even the
M 3 appear-
1 66 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK appearance of conftraint, the fovereign has re-
v. . y'.. ,t nounced the right he has of interfering in the ad-
miniftration of their affairs, as being chief pro-
prietor. He has no influence in the choice of
officers, whether civil or military, and has only
referved to himfelf a power of confirming the office
of governor of Tranquebar, He has even bound
himfelf to ratify all political conventions they may
think proper to make with the Afiatic powers.
IN return for fo ma,ny indulgences, government
has only required one per cent, upon all merchan-r
dize of India and China which fhouid be fent
abroad, and two and a half per cent, upon all that
fhouid be confumed at home,
THE grant containing the above conditions was
no fooner confirmed, than adventurers were fought
for j and, to engage them the more eafily, the
flock was diftinguifhed into two different kinds.
The firft, called fixed t was that in which all the;
effects the old company had in Europe and Afia
were deftined to be inverted. The other ftock;
was called variable^ becaufe every year it was
regulated by the number, the lading, and the
expence of the Ihips the company thought pro-
per to fit out* Every proprietor may chufe whe-
ther he will be concerned in thefe expeditions,
the profits of which are fettled at the clofe of
every voyage, If a.ny one fhouid decline to run
the rifquf, a circumftance which has never yet
Happened, the chance would then be offered to
another. By this arrangement, the company be-
eame permanent by the fixed ^ ar\4 annual by the
ftock,
i?
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 167
IT feemed a difficult matter to flate the fliare B v K
of expence that each of thefe funds was to bear. <- v--^
Every thing was fettled with more eafe than was
expected. It was agreed that the variable fhould
only pay the nece.flary expences for the purchafe,
the fitting out, iind the cargoes of the fhips.
All other charges were to be defrayed from the
fixed flock, which, by way of compenfation, was
to take up ten per cenf. upon all India goods
which fhould be fold in Europe, and five per cent*
upon all that fhould be fent out from Tran-
quebar. This continual addition to the fixed
flock has fo increafed the capital, that, inflead
of four hundred fhares at 1125 livres *, which
was the original flock of the company, it now con-
fifls of fixteen hundred fhares at 1687!. IDS. f.
It was fettled at this number in 1755 i and the
duties, which went to the increafe of the fixed
flock, have ever fmce been applied to the increaf-
ing of the dividend, which till then had been
taken upon the profits of the variable flock.
EVERY proprietor, though but of a fmgle
(hare, has a vote at the general meetings. A
proprietor of three fhares has two votes ; a pro-
prietor of five has three votes ; and fo on in the
fame proportion to twenty fhares, which entitle
the proprietor to twelve votes i but no man can
have any greater number.
WHEN the charter was renewed for twenty years
in 1722, fome new regulations were made. It has
been flipulated, that no member of the company
fliould at any time have more than three votes, .
*4 9 1. 4 s, 4 id, f 73!. i&. id.
M 4 and
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
and that none fhould be allowed to give his vote
in writing or by proxy.
DENMARK trades to the fame parts of Afia as
other European nations. The pepper brought
from Malabar does not, upon an average, exceed
fixty thoufand weight a year,
EVERY circumflance would lead us to imagine
that their trade muft be confiderable on the coaft
of Coromandel. They are in poffeffion of an ex-
cellent territory ; though it is but two leagues in
circumference, the population amounts to thirty
thoufand fouls. There are about ten thoufand in-
habitants in the town of Tranquebar 3 and twelve
thoufand more in a large village, where they work
at ordinary manufactures. The reft are ufefully
employed in fome fmaller villages. Three hun-
dred Danes, fifty of whom compofe the garrifon,
are the only Europeans in the lettlement. The
expence of maintaining them amounts to no more
than 96,000 livres * a year, which is nearly the
income drawn from them.
THE factors of the company have but little
bufmefs to tranfact. Two fhips only are difpatched
once in three years ; which convey no more than
1800 bales of ordinary cotton, and whofe freight
does not exceed 1,500,000 livres f. The factors
themfelves do not know how to improve their
leifure to the advancement of their own private
fortune. They have no other expedient than to
lend the fmall capital they have at their difpofal
to Indian merchants at a high intereft : and in-
deed Tranquebar, though an ancient fettlement,
- 4,200!. f 65,625!.
i has
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 169
has not that appearance of mduftry and opulence B D v K
which is obfervable in more modern fettlements < - v <*
which have been conducted with fpirit and (kill.
The French, driven out of their own fettlements,'
have contributed to give it fome degree of import-
ance ; but, upon their leaving it, the fettlement
fell again into the fame languid date as before.
Yet the fituation of the Danes in Coromandel
is not fo bad as at Bengal.
SOON after their arrival in Afia, they difplayed
their flag on. the Ganges. Their ill fuccefs foon
obliged them to quit it, and they never appeared
there again till 1755. Commercial jealoufy, which
is become the ruling paflion of our age, has fruf-
trated their views upon Bankibafar, and they have
been reduced to fix in the neighbourhood of that
place. The French; who alone had fupported the
new factory, found a refuge there during the
calamities of the laft war, and every affiftance that
friendfhip and gratitude could offer. Few ihips
come thither directly from Europe. Since 1757
there have been but two ; both their cargoes toge-
ther had coft but 2,160,000 livres* at home'.
THE trade to China being lefs tedious and le&
liable to obftacles, the Danifh company has pur-
fued it more warmly than either that to the Ganges
or to Coromandel, which require a previous (lock. ,
They fend a large fliip every year, and frequently
two. The teas, which were their chief return,
were moftly confumed in England. The acquifi-
tion that kingdom has made of the Ifle of Man,
which was the Maple for that contraband trade, by
* 94,500!.
depriving
1 7 o HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K depriving the Danes of that market, muft neceffa*
L ,' _f rily leflen their dealings with China.
The annual Tales of the company now amount
to 6,500,000 livres*. It is not probable that
they will increafe much. We know their expedi-
tions are eafily made, and at a trifling expcnce.
Their failors, though not fo venturous as thofe of
ibme other nations, have prudence and experience.
The iron they fend to India is found in the mines
of Norway. The government pays them a very
high price for the faltpetre it obliges them to bring
home. The national manufactures are neither fo
numerous nor fo much encouraged as to be any
hindrance to their fales. They can eafily difpofe of
their goods all over the North, and in fome part of
Germany. They have good laws, and their whole
condud deferves the highefl encomiums. Perhaps,
there is not any company that can be compared
to this in the honefty and prudence of their
tranfactions.
NOTWITHSTANDING all thefe advantages, the
Daniih company will always be in a declining
ftate. The confumption of their commodities
will never be very great, in a region which nature
has doomed to poverty, and which induftry itfelf
cannot enrich. The mother-country is neither po-
pulous nor powerful enough to afford them the
means of extending their commerce. Their flock,
is fmall, and will always continue fo. Foreigners
will not truft their money in the hands of a body
which is under the controul of arbitrary power in
jin abfolute monarchy. With a fyflem of laws
* 284,375^
thai
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
that would do honour to the beft-conftituted re-
public, they muft iuffer all the hardfliips of flavery.
A defpotic government, with the beft intentions,
can never have it in its power to do good. The
firil fleps taken by fuch a government are, to de-
prive the fubjects of that free exercife of their
will which is the true iburce of their activity;
and, when this fpring of action is once broken, it
can never be reftored again. It is mutual confi-
dence that connects mankind, unites their interefls,
and promotes trade. Whereas arbitrary power
puts an end to all confidence, becaufe it excludes
every idea of fecurity,
THE project formed in 1728, of transferring
the company from Copenhagen to Altena, could
not have remedied thefe inconveniences. The
fliips, indeed, would have been more eafily dif-*
patched, and would not have been expofed to the
danger of lofing their voyage, which fometimes
happens from the ice they meet with in the Sound ;
but we cannot agree with the authors of the
fcheme, that the vicinity would have induced
the Hamburghers to hazard their capitals upon a
trade for which they had always exprefTed an aver-*
!ion t So that we may venture to affirm, that
England and Holland were guilty of a needlefs act
)f tyranny, when they oppofed this domeftic plan
)f a free and independent power. Their anxiety
krith regard to Qftend was better grounded,
THAT knowledge of trade and government, Eftab
.nd that found philofophy, which jnfenfibly fpread JS1
iver all Europe, met with invincible obflacles in
jme monarchies, ^kefe improvements could not
I7 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K reach the court of Vienna, which was wholly in-
tent upon projects of war, and aggrandizement
by conquefts. The Englifti and Dutch, whofe
attention was engaged in preventing France fronv
increafmg her commerce, her fettlements, and her
navy, excited enemies againft her on the continent, I
and lavifhed immenfe fums upon the houfe of
Auftria, which were employed againft France :
but, at the peace, the luxury of one crown reftored)|
more riches to the other than it had taken from ittj
by the war.
THE power of the houfe of Auftria, which ought;
to be formidable from the extent of its dominions;
is confined by reafon of their fituation j for moft
of its provinces are diftant from the fea. The foil
of the country yields but a fmall quantity of wine,
and few of the productions that are ib much valued
by other nations. It affords neither oil, filk, nor
fine wool, which are in fo much repute. This ftatei
had no pretenfions to opulence, and knew not how!
to be frugal. With the ufual luxury and pomp of I
great courts, it gave no encouragement to indui
and manufactures, which might have fupplied
means of indulging that expenfive tafte. The
tempt in which it has always held the fciena
prevented its progrefs in every thing. Artifts
never be eminent in any country where they
not afiifted by men of learning. Sciences and
muft both languifh, wherever a freedom of thir
ing is not allowed. The pride and intolerant fpiril
of the Houfe of Auftria kept her vaft domains ir
a,ftate of poverty, fuperftition, and a rude kind
luxury.
Evi
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES*
EVEN the Low Countries, formerly fo celebrated
for their activity and induftry, retained nothing of
their ancient fplendour. Not a fingle ihip was to
i be feen in the harbour of Antwerp ; it was no
longer the ftorehoufe of the North, as it had been
for two centuries paft. Bruflels and Louvain, far
I from fupplying other nations with their clothing,
bought their own of the Englilh. That valuable
article, the herring-fifhery, had pafTed from Bruges
i to Holland. Ghent, Courtray, and fome other towns,
found their linen and lace manufactures decreafe
I daily. Thole provinces, placed between the three
moft enlightened and mod trading nations in Eu-
rope, had not been able, with all their natural
advantages, to fupport fo powerful a competition.
After ftriving fome time againft opprefllon, againft
impediments multiplied by ignorance, and againft
the privilege which a rapacious neighbour ex-
torted from the continual wants of government,
they were totally fallen to decay.
PRINCE Eugene, as great in a political as he was
in a military capacity, with a mind fuperior to every
prejudice, had been long in fearch of the means of
enriching a power, whole boundaries he had fo
greatly enlarged; when a propofal was made to him
of eftablifhing an India company at Oftend. The
firft contrivers of this fcheme had very extenfive
views. They pretended that, if this undertaking
could be accompliflied, it would excite a fpirit of
induftry in all the ftates under the dominion of the
houfe of Auftria ; would fupply that power with a
navy, one part of which would be in the Nether-
lands, and the other at Fiume and Trieft ; would
refcue
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
,
ndj
refcue it from the kind of dependence it was
under for the fubfidies from England and Hollan
and render it formidable to the coafts of Turkey,
and even to the city of Conftantinople.
THE able minifter, to whom this was addrefled,
was very fenfible of the value of fuch overtures ;
he would not, however, be too precipitate. To
accuftom his own court and all Europe to this new
eftablifhment, he ordered that two fhips friould be
fent out to India in 1717, with only his own
paflports. Their voyage was fo fuccefsful, that
more were fent out the following years. Every
expedition proved fortunate; and in 1722 the
court of Vienna thought it was neceflary to fecure
the property of the adventurers, who were for the
mod part Engliih and Dutch, by the moft advan-
tageous charter that ever had been granted.
THE new company, which had a capital of twenty
millions divided into ten thoufand fhares, appeared
with advantage in all the markets of India. They
made two fettlements, that of Coblom between Ma-
drafs and Sadrafpatnam, on the coafl of Coroman-
del ; and that of Bankibafar, on the Ganges. They
were even in fearch of a place where their fhips
might touch for refrefhments, and had turned their
views upon Madagafcar for that purpofe. The
company were fo fortunate as to be able to repofe
an entire confidence in their agents, who had fhewn
a degree of refolution fufficient to furmount every"
obftacle that jealoufy had thrown in their way; and
a fhare of underftanding which had extricated them
from all the ihares that had been laid for them.
This confidence -was Hill increafed by the richnefs
of
I
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
of their returns, and the value of their fhares, which
brought in fifteen per cent. It? is not to be fup-
pofed they would have been difappointed, had not
their projects been oppofed by political interefts.
To give a clear idea of the reafons of this policy,
we muft trace the fubject from the beginning.
WHEN Ifabella had fent out fliips to facilitate Caufes of
the difcovery of America, and which proceeded as J; h e n d f t r *
far as the Philippine iflands, Europe was funk company at
. _ . n r . , . Oftend.
m luch a itate of ignorance, that it was thought
proper to prohibit all fubjecls of Spain, who were
not natives of Caftile, from navigating to the Eaft
and Weft Indies. That part of the Low Countries
which had not recovered its liberty, having been
ceded in 1598 to the infanta Ifabella, on her mar-
riage with the archduke Albert, the new fove-
reignswere required to enter into afolemn engage-
ment, not to have any concern in this trade. W r hen
thefe provinces were again united to the monarchy
in 1638, no alteration was made in this odious il'i-
pulation. The Flemings, juftly offended at being
abridged of the right, which all people are by na-
kure entitled to, of trading wherever other'nations
are not legally poflefled of an exclufive privilege,
complained loudly of this impoiition. They were
feconded by their governor the cardinal Infant,
who procured the permifiion to trade to the Eaft
Indies. The aft to ratify this grant was not yet
iflued, when Portugal fliook off the yoke -under
which it had fo long been opprefied. The fear of
Increafing the difcontent of the Portuguefe, whom
the Spaniards wifhed rather to footh, prevented the
introduction of a new rival to the Portuguefe in
Afia,
>7 6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B K Afia, and protracted the conclufion of this import-
L. ./ > ant affair. It was not yet fettled, when it was re-
folved at Munfter, in 1648, that the fubjedls of
the king of Spain Ihould never extend their trade
in India beyond what it was at that period. This
act ought not to have been lefs binding to the em-
peror than it was to the court of Madrid ; fmce-
he poffeffes the Low Countries on the fame terms, ,
and with the fame reftri<5tions, they were fubj<
to when under the dominion of Spain.
SUCH were the arguments made ufe of by
Engliih and the Dutch, in order to effect the fu]
prefiion of the new company, whofe fuccefs g
them great umbrage. Thofe two allies, who
their maritime forces could have entirely deftro)
Oftend and its trade, were defirous of avoiding
difpute with a power which they themfelves h<
raifed, and which they thought they flood in need.j
of againft the houfe of Bourbon. So that, thoughi
they were determined not to fuffer the houfe oil
.Auftria to go to the fource of their riches, tho
contented themfelves with making remonftram
on the violation of the moft folemn engagement
They were feconded by France, which was equal
interefted in this matter, and was alfo guarant
of the violated treaty.
THE emperor paid no regard to thefereprefenl
tions. He was induced to perfiil in his undertJ
.ing by the obftinacy of his own difpofition, by
ambitious profpeclsthat had been iuggefled tohii
and by the great privileges and indulgences gran!
by Spain to the merchants rending in hisdominu
That crown then entertained the hopes of obt
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 177
ing the heircfs of the.houfe of Auiiria for Don" B v **
Caries, and thought no conceffions too great for v ^~-2
Inch an alliance. The union of thofe two courts,
which had always been confidered as irreconcile-
able, alarmed all Europe. Every nation thought
itfelf in danger. Nurnberlefs leagues were formed,
and many treaties concluded, to endeavour to dif-
iblvethat connection, which was thought to be more
dangerous than k really was. All thefe attempts
were ineffectual, tu, Jie council of Madrid, having
no more treafurcs to lavilh upon Germany, were
convinced that they were purfuing a vifionary inte-
"eft. Auftria was not alarmed at the defection of
ler ally, and ieemed determined to afiert her
:laims, and efpecially her commercial interefts.
Whether the maritime powers were intimidated
>y this Iteadinefs,' or whether, as was more pro-"
)ably the cafe, they only confulted the dictates
tf found policy, they determined to guarantee the
>ragmatic fandlion in 1727. The court of Vienna
acknowledged this important fervice, by facrifv-
cing the Oitend company.
THOUGH the public acts take notice only of a
ufpenfion for feven years, the proprietors plainly
aw that their ruin was determined, and that this
tipulation was only inferted from reJpeft to the
mperial dignity. They had too high an opinion 1
erf the court of London and the dates-general, to' -
uppofe they would have fecured the indivifibility
of the Auftria'n dominions for a mere momentary
advantage. This perfuafion determined them tor
think no more of Oitend, and to difpofe of their
lock fome other way. They made feveral iuc-"
VOL, II. N cdihre
i?< HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRAQE
B o^o K ce ffi ve attempts to form an eftablifhment at Ham-
y ' burgh, at Tried, and in Tufcany ; but all their
endeavours proved abortive, either from the bad-
nefs of the fituation, the efforts of powerful nations,
or the intrigues of politics. Thofe were the moll
fuccefsful who turned their views towards Sweden.
JketdT'f SWEDEN, whofe inhabitants, known by the name
the ancient of Goths, had contributed to the fubverfion of the
Roman empire, when they had fpread deftru&ion
with the violence and rapidity of a torrent, re-
treated into their deferts, and were loft in their
former obfcurity. Their domeftic contefts, which
were always violent, though continual, prevented
them from thinking of foreign wars, or from unit-
ing their intereflswith thofe of other nations. They
had unfortunately the worft of all conftitutions, in
which authority is fo divided, that neither of the
feveral powers knows exactly what fhare it ispofiefT-
ed of. The feveral diftincl: claims of the king, of
the clergy, of the nobility, of the cities, and of the
peafants, occafioned fuch a fcene of confufion,
it muft oftentimes neceflarily have proved the,
of the kingdom, if their neighbours had not
boured under the fame ftate of barbarifm. Guftai
Vafa put an end to that anarchy, by uniting tl
greater part of thofe powers in his own perfo
but he plunged the ftate into another calamity^
fatal as the former.
THIS country, from the great extent of its cot
its excellent harbours, its plenty of timber, its ir
and copper mines, and from its abounding wii
every material requifite to form a navy, feeined
it were defigned for navigation, which,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. *79
it neglected when it grew weary of piracy. The B v K
people of Lubeck traded with the Swedes for the ' v *
productions of their country ; and brought them
fait, fluffs, and all the foreign merchandize they
wanted. No fhips were i'een in their roads ; nor
were there any magazines in their towns, which
did not belong to that republic*
THE haughty foul of Guftavus could not brook
this dependence. He was determined to break the
bands that cramped the induftry of his fubjects ;
but he was too precipitate in his meafures. He fruit
his harbours againfl the people of Lubeck, before
he had built any fhips, or had got any merchants.
From this period there was no further intercourfe
between his fubjecu and other nations j and this
fudden and total interruption of trade proved fatal
I to agriculture, that firft of arts in all countries, and
I the only one then known in Sweden. The fields
|lay fallow, when the hufbandman no longer found
for the produce of his land that ufual and conftant
demand, which till then had been a fpur to his
linduflry. Some Englifh and Dutch fhips, which
.appeared there at diftant intervals, had not yet re-
vived the former fpirit of commerce, when Gufta-
vus Adolphus afcended the throne.
HE fignalized the firfl years of his reign by fe-
iveral ufeful alterations. Agriculture was encou-
raged ; the mines were worked with greater fkill ;
:he companies were formed to trade to Perfia and
:he Weft Indies > the foundations of a new colony
Iffere laid on the coaft of North America : the
Swedifh vefTels were feen in all the feas of Europe,
carrying copper, iron, wood, tallow, tar, hides,
N a butter,
HISTOkY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
butter, corn, fifh, and furs , returning with wine,
brandy, fait, fpicc, and all forts of fluffs.
THIS profperity was of fhor^duration. The wars
of the great Guftavus in Germany foon checked
the rifmg induflry of the Swedes. His fuccefTors
endeavoured to revive it ; but it was again de-
ftroyed by frefh wars, which lafted till the death of
Charles XII. During that long period, the kings
aimed only to acquire arbitrary power ; and the
genius of the nation was wholly turned to arms.
THE Swedes did not apply themielves to ufeful
purfuits, till they had loft all their conquefls, an4
till the elevation of Ruffia left them no hopes of
new ones. The ftates of the kingdom, having
abolilhed defpotilrn, corrected the abufes of fo<
faulty an administration. The rapid tranfition from
a ftate of flavery to that of liberty, did not how-
ever occafion thofe violent difturbances which
commonly attend fuch revolutions. All the changes
were made upon mature deliberation. The firft
attention was paid to the moft neceflary profef-
fions, which till then had been unnoticed, or de-
fpifed. The arts of convenience, or elegance, were
foon introduced. Several ufeful treatifes, not un-
worthy of the moft enlightened nations, were pul
tifhed on the moft abftrufe fciences. The youi
nobility travelled into every part of Europe where
they might gain any kind of knowledge. Thofe
citizens, who had been for a long time abfent froi
their country while it remained in a ftate of
and devaftation, returned and brought back wil
them the various talents they had acquired.
der, poliiical ceconomy, and the feveral brand
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
of government, became fubjects of inquiry. What-
ever concerned the republic was maturely dif-
cuffed in the general affemblies, . and freely ap-
proved or cenfured in the public writings. Im-
provements of eveiy kind were adopted, from
whatever part of the globe they came. Foreigners,
who introduced any new difcoveries, or any branch
ofufeful knowledge, met with encouragement; and
it was at this favourable juncture that the agents
of the O fiend company made their appearance.
A RICH merchant of Stockholm, named Henry
Koning, approved of their fchemes, and procured
the approbation of the diet in 1731. An India The Swedes
company was eftabliihed, with an exciufive privi- thcindU
lege of trading beyond the Cape of Good Hope. J'J"",,,,
The charter was only for fifteen years. It was which it ii
founded*
thought that this would be the bell expedient*
either to afford an early opportunity of rectifying
ny imperfedtons incident to new undertakings, or
o relieve the anxiety of many citizens who were
iiffatisfied with an undertaking which they thought
epugnant to the nature of the climate and the
:onftitution. In order, as much as poffible, to
unite the advantages of a free trade with thofe of
a privileged affociation, it was agreed that the
tock fhould not be fixed, and that each proprie-
or fhould be at liberty to withdraw his own at
the end of every voyage. As moft of the adven-
turers were foreigners, it was thought equitable to
ecure a pro^t to the nation, by obliging them to
Day the government 2250 livres * upon the cargo
t)f every fhip.
* 98!. 8s. gd.
N 3 NOTWITH-
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
NOTWITHSTANDING this duty, which almoft
confined their trade to China, the proprietors
c^'vided much greater profits than any other com-
pany ever did. This fucceis determined the ftates,
when they renewed the charter in 1746, to de-
mand 75,000 livres* per fhip, in lieu of the old
duty. Thefe terms were punctually complied
with till 1755 : then the directors, who were fen-
fible of the advantages of their fituation, endea-
voured to render it permanent, by fixing on a
firmer footing the tranfient aflbciation that had
intrufted them with the management of their
affairs ; and their fcheme was approved in a gene-
ral affcmbly of the nation. It was not to be ex-
pected that the proprietors would fo readily aflent
to a fyftem that abridged them of their liberty, and
was the more to be dreaded, as it had proved
fatal to other companies. They were, however,,
allured by the profpect of a more fixed dividend,
inftead of one which had for fome years varied to
an incredible degree ; a circumftance which was
either contrived to make the project fucceed, or
was a natural confequence of the fluctuation of
trade. They were finally determined by the in-
dulgence the government ftiewed them, in taking
no more than a duty of twenty per cent, upon tea
and all other India goods which fhould be confumed
within the kingdom, initead of 75,000 f livres
which had been paid for fix years upon every
fhip. This new regulation lafted till 1766, which
was the time of the expiration of the charter
granted twenty years before.
* 3,?8il. 55. f 3>28il. 55.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 183
THEY had not deferred to that time the taking B K
of proper meafures for the renewal of the com- - -i*
pany. As early as the 7 th of July 1762, a new
charter was granted for twenty years longer. The
conditions were more advantageous to the ftate,
than were expected by thofe who had not attended
to the profits of that trade. The company lent the
government 1,500,000 livres* without intereft,
and 3,000,000 f at fix per cent. The proprietors,
who advanced this money, were to be repaid gra-
dually out of the drawback of 112,500 livres J,
which they engaged to pay for every Ihip they
fhould fend out. A duty of one-fourth of the
produce was laid on all fuch of their commodities
as fhould be exported out of the kingdom > and
fuch as were confumed at home were to pay the
old duties, or fuch new ones as government fhould
think proper to lay on them. This is the regula-
tion that lubfifts ever fince 1766.
THE company have fixed the center of their
bufmefs at Gottenburgh, which is by far the mod
convenient port for that purpofe. At firft their
ftock varied from one voyage to another. It is
generally believed, that in 1753 it was fixed at
nine millions ||, though but fix were laid down.
Thofe, who are beft informed, are of opinion that
the laft regulation has really brought in ten mil-
lions f j but we know nothing on this important
point, except from conjecture, for it never was
laid before the public. As the Swedes had but
little fhare in this ftock, it was judged necefiary
* 65,625!. f 131,250!. I 4,921!. 175. 6d.
II 393>75 o1 * 262,500!, <i 437,500!.
N 4 to
1 84 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
! o^o K O concea i this circuL.ir.ance j and it was therefore
v *-" enacted, that any director, who ihould c! j
names of the proprietors, or the fums they had
fubfcribed, fhould be fufpendcd, or even depofed,
and fhould forfeit for ever ail the flock of which
.he. was poiTeffed. This myflerious conduct is flill
obferved. Indeed, the. accounts of the company
are regularly laid before twelve of the chief pro-
prietors, who are chofen once in four years at a
general meeting j but mercantile people will never
confider this as a fufncient fecurity ; and will always
think it ftrange, that a. free ftate fhould have
opened fuch a door for corruption. Secrecy, in
politics, is like lying; it may preserve a ftate for
a while, but finally ruins it. Both are only fer-
viceable to bad men.
THOUGH the company met with fqme misfor-
tunes, the dividend kept up to thirty-two per
cent, upon an average. This whole profit was
made upon fales that did not exceed fix millions
of livres * yearly. Eleven-twelfths of thole goods;
have been exported ; and" what little the Swedes
have confumed, they have pa,id for with their owr
commodities. The fmall value of the flock, ai
the few refources they had, would not admit
greater confumption, as will appear if we confide
the following particulars.
Prefcnt , THE extent of Sweden is 6900 leagues fqu,
Sweden allowing, ^ as is ufual in that country, but te
a half to a degree. A great part of it is covei
with immenfe lakes. The foil, which is moft cor
monly greafy clay, is harder to till than fand]
* 262,500 1.
groui
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 185
ground, but it bears more. The prodigious fnows B v K -
that cover it, preferve and cherifh the plants. Un- < ^^j
fortunately the winters are fo long, and the days
fo ihort, that there is but little time for the
labours of the field. Betides, as the men are
tiller and ftouter than in other countries, they
require more fubftantial food, and in larger
quantities.
FROM thefe reafons we fhould be apt to fufpect,
(hat the population never was very great in Sweden,
though it has been called the manufactory of human
kind. Probably the numerous bands that came
from thence, and which, under the ib-much-dreaded
name of Goths and Vandals, ravaged and fubdued
fo many regions of Europe, were only fwarms of
Scythians and Sarmatians, who came thither-in a
conftant fuccefiion by the north of Afia. Yet it
would be a miftake to fuppofe that this vaft
country was always as thinly peopled as it is now.
Some hiftorical proofs, which were laid before the
ftates at their laft meeting, convinced them that,
three hundred years ago, their country had more
inhabitants than it has at preient, though at that
time they profefied the catholic religion, which
.enjoins the monaftic life and the celibacy of
the clergy. It appears, from a very accurate ac-
count taken in 1760, by order of the govern-
ment, that Sweden, exclufive of her German do-
minions which are inconfiderable, has actually but
2,383,113 iubjefts; and that, in this population,
there are 1,127,938 men, and 1,255,175 women.
j By taking the mean term, this makes 345 inhabi-
tants to a league fquare. The two extremes are
i Gothia
186 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
o
V.
) K Gothia which has 1 148, and Lapland which
but two inhabitants to a league.
THE numbers would be greater in all the pro-
vinces, if they were not continually deferted by
the natives, who frequently never return. There
are men in all nations, who, either out of curio-
fity, or from a natural reftleflhefs, and without
any determinate object, are fond of going from
one country to another ; but this is only the
malady of a few individuals, and cannot be
confidered as the general caufe of a conftant
emigration. There is a natural propenfity in all
men to love their own country, which is rather
to be accounted for from moral, than from natu-
ral principles. An inherent fondnefs for fo-
ciety, the ties of blood and of friendfhip, an ac-
quaintance with the climate and language, that
partiality we are fo apt to contract for the place,
the manners, and the way of life we are ac-
cuftomed to ; all thefe are, to a rational being,
fo many attachments to the land in which he
was born and educated. They muft be power-
ful motives that can determine him to break;
all thefe ties at once, and to prefer another
country, where all will appear extraordinary
and new to him. In Sweden, where the whole
power refides in the ftates eompofed of the feveral
orders of the kingdom, even that of peafants,
every one fhould be more attached to his country;
yet emigrations are very frequent, and there muft
be fome caufe for them.
THE clafs of citizens moft attached to the
country, is that of the hufbandmen. Agricul-
ture
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 187
ture was tolerably flourifliing, till Guftavus Vafa B v *
prohibited the exportation of corn. Ever fmce -/ , _j
that fatal edict, it has always degenerated , and the
endeavours, ufed of late years to reftore it, have
i not altogether had the defired effect. Govern-
! ment buys every year part of the corn that is
wanted for home confumption ; and this fcarcity
; may laft long, as it is very difficult to breed large
| quantities of cattle. They muft be foddered for
nine months in the year j and men are wanting, to
cut up and to houfe that quantity of fodder
which the long winters require.
THE mines are not liable to the like inconve-
niences. They were long the chief fupport of
the kingdom ; but are fmce grown dependent on
the Englifh and Dutch, who have lent large fums
to carry on the works. A better management has
; gradually freed them from this bondage. The
filver mines annually bring in 4500 marks to the
ftate ; the copper-mines yield 8000 ingots, of
which 5500 are exported ; the iron mines yield
400,000 ingots, of which they export about
i 300,000. Thefe laft were eafily increafed, efpe-
cially in the northern provinces, which abound
with wood and water for the works, and where
the long and fevere winters are favourable to the
i tranfport. The ftates, held in 1765, forbad the
opening of any more, though no realbn of poli-
tical ceconomy can be afiigned for fuch a pro-
hibition. It is probable, that it took its rife
from the private and perfonal intereft of fome
leading men in the diet. The manufactures have
not been more encouraged than the mines.
3 TILL
iSS HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
3 c
v.
o o K TILL the happy revolution which reftored tl
J liberty of Sweden, the nation in general wei
clothed in foreign Huffs. At that memorabl
period, they were fenfible how impoflible it w;
to prevent this evil with their own wool, whi(
was extremely coarfe ; ewes and rams were there
fore fent from Spain and England, and by tl
precautions that have been taken, they have nc
much degenerated. As the flocks multiplied, tl
manufactures increafed to that degree, that
^763 they employed 45,000 hands. This pros
has diipleafed fome patriots, who thought it pi
judicial to agriculture. In vain were they tolc
that the manufactures promoted the confumpti<
of the productions of the land , that they mi
tiplied cattle, and that the cattle fertilized tl
ground; that there were in the kingdom
eight or ten towns, at moft, that deferved to
called fo, and that their population, relative
thac of the country, was but as one to twelv<
which was not the cafe in any other count*
Thefe reprefentations had no effect. The diet
1765, from party fpirit or ignorance, adopt
the views of thofe who were inclined to encoi
rage only the works of hufbandiy. To accor
plifli this, they have fhackled induftry
all the fetters they could devife. The coi
quence has been, that the artificers fought
employment in other places, efpecially in Rt
fia, and that Sweden has at prefent no m<
factures.
THEIR fifheries have not met with the fame
fate. The only one that deferves to be confir
dered
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDJES. 1
tiered in a political view is the herring-fifhery. B o v
It only began in 1740. Before that time, the < - v
herrings did not frequent the coafts of Sweden.
They then came in fhoals to the coaft of Gctten-
burgh, and have never forfaken it lince. Two
hundred thoufand barrels are annually exported,
which, at the rate of 20 livres* per barrel,
amount to 4,000,000 of livres f. About 8000
barrels are fent over to the Englifh iflands in
America. It is very furprifmg that the French,
who have more Haves, and fewer means of pro-
viding for them, fhould never have encouraged
the importation of fo defirable an article.
THE Swedifh nation was not yet pofTefTed of
the herring-fifriery, when they prohibited the
importation of all foreign commodities, and the
conveying their own from one harbour of the
kingdom to another in foreign bottoms. That
famous edict reftored navigation, which had long
fince been deflroyed by the calamities of war.
Their flag, which was unknown every where,
was now to be feen on all feas. Their feamcn
foon acquired fkill and experience. Some able
politicians were even of opinion that their pro-
grefs was growing too confiderable for a depo-
ipulated country. They thought it would be
more advifeable to keep to the exportation of
itheir own produce, and the importation of fuch
^foreign commodities as they wanted, and have
nothing to do with mere freight. This fyftem
was warmly oppofed. Some eminent ftatefmen
were of opinion that, far from cramping this
* 175. 6d. f 175,000!.
branch
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
y K K r
* K branch of induftry, it ought to be encouraged,
by abolifhing every regulation that might tend
to obftrud it. The exclufive right of pafTmg
the Sound was formerly appropriated to a few
towns, diilinguifhed by the name of Staple. All
the parts fituated to the north of Stockholm or Abo,
were obliged to fend their commodities to one of
thele ftaples, and there to take in thofe of the Bal-
tic, which they could have procured cheaper at firft
hand. Thofeodiousdiftincbions, contrived in barba-
rous times, and tending to favour the monopoly of
merchants, ftill fubfift to this day. The wifeft fpe-
culators in political matters wiihed to fee them abo-
lilhed, that a more general competition might pro-
duce greater induftry. But, whatever may be the
wifhes of the nation with regard to trade, no per-
fon is defirous of having the army augmented.
BEFORE the reign of Guftavus Vafa, every
Swede was a foldier. Upon an emergency of
the ftate, the hufbandman left his plough, and
took up his bow. The whole nation was inured
to war by their inceflant civil commotions. Go-
vernment had but five hundred men in pay, who
were always to hold themfelves in readinefs to
march. In 1542, this fmall corps was increafed
to fix thoufand. The peafants, upon whom thefe
troops were quartered, found the burden intole-
rable, and it was neceflary to free them of it. For
this purpofe, the uncultivated lands were incor-
porated with thofe of the crown ; and, when they
were cleared, they were allotted to the defenders
of their country. This excellent inftitution has
been continued ever fmce. Military men are not
fhut
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 191
fliut up in garrifons, to lead a life of idlenefs, B v K
as they are in other countries. From the gene- < % **
ral to the common foldier, every one has a houfe
which he lives in, and a fpot of ground of his
own which he improves. The extent and value
of the land is proportionable to his rank in the
army. This pofiefiion, which they hold from the
crown, is called Boftell, and is never granted but
in the domains belonging to government. The
army now confifts of eight regiments of horfe,
three regiments of dragoons, two regiments of
huffars, and twenty-one regiments of national in-
fantry, that are paid in the above manner ; and ten
regiments of foreign troops, who are paid in money,
and difpofed of in the provinces, and in the for-
trefies beyond the feas : all thefe forces together
amount to 50,000 men. This army is increafed
to 84,000 men, by the addition of 34,000 foldiers,
who are kept in referve, and have likewife their
BoftellSy and by their inftitution are deftined to
fupply the place of thofe who die among the
national infantry, are loft, or taken prifoners.
Twenty ftiips of the line, with a proportionable
.number of frigates, and a few galleys, complete
the forces of the republic.
To fupport thefe forces, the (late has only a
revenue of eighteen millions of livres*, which
arifes from a land-tax, the returns of the cuftoms,
duties upon copper, iron, and ftamped paper,
a poll-tax, and a free gift. This is a very fmall
fum for the expences of war, and the neceflities
of government ; and yet it muft alfo anfwer for
the payment of debts.
* 787,500!.
THESE
-
That
rbe-
more
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
THESE debts amounted to 7,500,000 livres*/
when Charles XI. came to the crown. Th
prince, who was an ceconomiit in a manner
coming a fovcreign, paid them off. He did
than this, for he redeemed fever al of the domains
conquered in Germany, which had been alienated
to powerful neighbours. He likewife redeemed
the crown jewels, upon which confiderable fums
had been borrowed in Holland. He fortified the
frontier towns, fuccoured his allies, and often fitte'd
out fquadrons to maintain his fuperiority on the?
Baltic, The events fubfequent to his death once
more plunged the nation into its former confufion,
which has continued increasing ever fmce, fo tha
the government was in debt 82,500,000 livresff
for "which they paid four and a half per cent, inte-
refh Of this capital, eight millions J are the pro-*
perty of foreigners, five millions belong to a
finking fund, eftabliihed to pay off the debts con-
tracted by Charles XII., a million and a half j[ tqr
fome communities, twelve millions and a half** WJ
pjivate perfons in Sweden., and fifty-five millions fti
to the bank. The beft calculators pretend that thi|$
bank, which belongs folely to the ftate, and is only
to be at their difpofal by the nation ,in a general
afTembly, has got as much by lending its paper
currency to private perfons, upon moveable and
immoveable effects, as the government owes it. :
In that cafe, the republic in fact owes but one-
third of the debt, for which it pays intereit, for
the fake of fupporting public credit.
* 328,125!. f 3> 6 9>375l- t 550,000!.
218,750!. || 65,625!. ** 546,875!.'
ft 2,406,250!.
THIS
IN TrfE fcASt AND WEST INDIES. i
'Tms credit is the more necefiary, as there does * v
hot, fmce the laft German war, remain two mil- * Sr-
lions * of fpeeie in circulation all ovsr the king-
dom. Paper currency is employed on all occa-
fions. As thofe who are entrufted with the ma-
nagement of the paper credit are fworn to keep
every thing relative to it a profound fbcret, the
quantity cannot be exactly afcertainedj but, from
the informations of the moil accurate obfefvefs,
we may venture to affirmj that the Him total of
bank notes amounts to no lefs than feventy-feven
I millions f.
POVERTY was not, however, the greatefl evil
under which Sweden laboured -, Ihe was threat-
ened with calamities of a more dangerous na-*
ture. Private intereft, which had taken place of*
public fpirit, filled the court, the fenate, and
all orders of the republic, with diftfuft. All
;bodies of men were bent upon each other's de-
ftruclion with unparalleled inveteracy. When the
toucans were wanting at home, they were fought
[for from abroad j and a man was not afhamed to
iconfpire in fome meafure with foreigners againfl
shis own country.
THE unhappy fituatiori of a ftate", apparently
free, kept up that flaviih difpofition, which de-
grades moft of the European nations ; they glo->
k'ied in their chains, when they beheld the fuf-
'crings of a people who had (haken orT their's^
I No one would be convinced that the Swedes
lad gone from one extreme to another; that,
,!O avoid the mifchief of arbitrary power, they
* 87,500!. f 3,368,750!.
VOL. II. O had
BOOK
V.
The king
ofPruflu
forms an
Eaft India
company at
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
had- fallen into the confufions of anarchy. Tl
laws had not provided means to reconcile the pri
vate rights of individuals with thofe of foci<
and the prerogatives it ought to enjoy for
common fafety of* its members.
IN that fatal crifis, it was expedient for tl
Swedes to entruft the phantom of a king,
their own creation, with a power fufficient
inquire into the abufes of the ftate, and find 01
proper remedies for it. This is the greatefb
of fovereignty a people can exercife , and it is
lofmg their liberty, to commit it to the cuftody
a guardian in whom they can confide, while th(
watch over the ufe he makes of the power del*
gated to him.
SUCH a refolution would have railed the Swede
to the greateft glory and happinels, and have ex-
cited a general opinion of their underftandim
and wil'dom ; whereas, by declining fo necefTary
meafure, they have compelled the fovereign
feize upon the fupreme authority. He n<
reigns upon his own terms j and his fubjefts h<
no other right left, but fuch as his moderatic
would not luffer him to deprive them of.
THIS event is too recent to allow us to entt
tain our readers with an account of it ; pofterit
mull be left to judge of it. Let us now inquii
into the connections, formed in India by the kii
of Pruffia.
Tins prince, in his younger years, wifely pi
ferred the advantage of trealuring up knowlec
to the ufual pleafures of his age, and the li
rious idlenefs of courts. An intercourfe wii
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 195
the greateft men of his time, joined to the fpirit of
obfervation, infenfibly ripened his genius, which
Charter of
was naturally active and eager for improvement, that Prince.
Neither flattery nor oppofition could ever divert
him from the deep reflections he was engaged
in. He formed the plan of his future conduct
and reign in the early part of his life. It was
foretold, on his acceffion to the crown, that his
minifters would be no more than his fecretaries ;
the managers of his finances no more than his
clerks -, and his generals no more than his aids
de camp. Some fortunate circumflances afforded
him an opportunity of difplaying to the whole
world the talents he had acquired in retirement.
With a quicknefs peculiar to himfelf, Frederic,
inftantly difcovering the plan it was his intereft
to purfue, attacked a power by which his an-
ceflors had been held in flavery. He obtained the
victory in five engagements againft that power,
deprived it of its beft provinces, and concluded a
peace with the fame wifdom that he had begun
the war.
THOUGH his wars were at an end, yet he did
not remain inactive. He afpired to gain the
admiration of thole very people whom he had
ftruck with terror. He collected all the arts
about him, to give an additional luftre to his
name. He reformed the abufes in the courts of
udicature, and dictated himfelf the wifeft laws.
A plain and invariable order was eftabliftied in
every part of government. As he was convinced
that the authority of a fovereign is a common
benefit to all his fubjects, a protection which all
O 2 Ihould
196 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K fhould equally partake of> he gave to every mi
* v ' the liberty of approaching his perfon, and of writ
ing to him. Every inftant of his life was devote
to the welfare of his people ; his very amufe
ments were made ufeful to them. His writing
on hiftory, morality, and politics, abounded wit
practical truths. Even his poetry was full of pr(
found and inftructive ideas. He was confiderinj
of the means of enriching his dominions, wh<
fome fortunate event put him in pofieffion of
Frielland in the year 1744.
EMBDEN, the capital of this little provina
was reckoned, two centuries agOj one of the b(
ports in Europe. The Englifh, compelled
abandon Antwerp, had made it the center of tht
connections with the continent. The Dutch
long attempted, though in vain, to appropriate'
it to themfelves, till it fo ftrongly excited their
jealoufy, that they even endeavoured to fill up
the port. It was in every refpect fit to become the
ftaple of a great trade. The diftanceof this little
country from the bulk of the Pruflian forces
might be attended with fome inconveniences -, but
Frederic expected that the terror of his name-:
would keep the maritime powers in awe. In this
perfuafion, he eftablifhed an Eaft India company,
at Embden in 1750.
THE capital of this new fociety was
livres*, chiefly fubfcribed by the Eaglith
Dutch, notwithftanding the fevere prohibit**
of their governments. They were allured by
unlimited freedom they were to enjoy, on p
* 170,625!.
ing
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 197
ing three per cent, to the fovereign, upon every B v K
fale they fhould make. The event did not anfwer v ^ <
their expectation ; fix {hips, fent fuccefUvely to
China, brought to the owners no more than their
bare capital, and a profit of ten per cent, in feven
years. Another company, formed foon after in
the fame place for Bengal, was ftill more unfuc-
cefsful. They never attempted more than two
expeditions ; and the only return they had was a
law-fuit, which probably will never be determined.
At the breaking-out of the lafl war, both thefe
companies were abolifhed.
THIS has been the only check the king of
Pruffla's greatnefs has ever received. We know
how difficult it is to judge of the merit of cotem-
poraries; becaufe they are not at a fufficient dif-
tance. Princes are of all men thofe we can leaft
hope to be acquainted with. Fame feldom fpeaks
of them without prejudice. We commonly judge
of them upon the reports of fervile flattery, or
unjuft envy. The clamours of the various interefts
and opinions, that are in perpetual agitation
around them, confound or fufpend the judgment
of the wifeft men.
YET, if we might be allowed to pronounce from
a multitude of facts connected together, we (hould
fay of Frederic, that he was able to extricate
himfelf from the fchemes of all Europe com-
bined againft him; that to the greatnefs and
boldnefs of his enterprizes, he joined the moft
impenetrable fecrecy in the execution of them j
that he introduced a total change in the art of
war, which, before his time, was thought to have
O 3 attained
198 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK attained its higheft degree of perfection ; that he
^ i fhewed a fortitude icarcely to be paralleled in
hiftory i that he turned his very miftakes to bet-
ter advantage than others do their fuccefs ; that
all mankind were either loft in filent admiration
of his actions, or could not fufficiently extol
them ; and that he reflected as much luflre upon :
his nation, as other nations reflect upon their-
fovereign.
THIS prince always appears formidable. The
opinion he has given of his abilities -, the inde-
lible remembrance of his actions -, an annual re-
venue of feventy millions * -, a treafure of more
than two hundred f ; an army of an hundred and
fourfcore thoufand men : all this muft fecure his
tranquillity. Unfortunately it is not fo beneficial
to his fubjects as it was formerly. He flill leaves
the management of the coin to the Jews, a cir-
cumftance which has occafioned the greateft
fufion. He has done nothing for the relief
the richer! merchants in his dominions, who ha\
been ruined by his fchemes. He has taken
moftconfiderable manufactures into his own han<
His dominions are full of monopolies, which
the bane of all induftry. His people, who id(
lized him, have been given up to a fet of forei*
plunderers. This conduct has occafioned fu
diftruft, both at home and abroad, that we
venture to affirm, that all endeavours to reftore
Embden company will prove ineffectual.
O FREDERIC! thou didft receive from N;
a bold and lively imagination, and unbounded
* 3,062,500!. f 8,750,000!.
fu
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 1459
fire of knowledge, a propenfity to an active life, B v K
and a flrength of conftitution to fupport the * tf
fatigues of it. Thine earlier years were devoted
to the ftudy of government, policy, and legifla-
tion. At the view of thy firft exploits, man-
kind, groaning under general opprefiion and fla-
very, feemed to find fome comfort in their mif-
fortunes, from the expectation that thou wouldft
be their avenger. They foretold thy fuccefies,
and implored a previous blefling upon them ;
and Europe diftinguifhed thee by the title of
King and Philofopher.
WHEN thou didft firft appear in the field, all
nations were aftonifhed at the rapidity of thy
marches, at the fkill difplayed in thy encamp-
ments, and at the excellent difpofition thou didft
make of thine army in battle. The ftrict dif-
cipline in which thy troops were trained, ex-
cited univerfal admiration, and infured them vic-
tory : all extolled that mechanical fubordination
which of feveral armies makes but one body,
whofe motions, being all governed by one fingle
impulie, exert their power at once towards the
fame object. Philofophers themfelves, prejudiced
by the hopes thou hadft raifed in them, and
proud to fee a friend of the arts and of man-
kind inverted with regal dignity, rejoiced per-
haps at thy victories, though obtained at the ex-
pence of fo much blood ; and they confidered thec
as a model for military kings.
BUT there is ftill a more glorious title ; that
of a patriot king. This is a title never given
to thofe princes, who, making no diftinction be-
O 4 twecn
JJDO HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B cy> K tween truth and error, juftice and partiality, goo4
t_ r - .__ and evil, confider the principles of morality merely
as metaphyfical fpeculations, and imagine that
human reafon is fwayed entirely by intereft. If
the love of glory were extinct in thy bread ; if
the powers of thy foul, exhaufted by thy great
exploits, had loft their force and energy ; if
the childifh pafiions of old age had reduced thee
to a level with the generality of kings; what
would then become of thy glory ? what would
become of thofe praifes which fame, and the im-?
mortal teftimony of literature and the arts, have
beftowed upon thee? But let us hope that thy
reign and thy life will not appear problematical
in hiftory. Let thine heart again be opened to
thofe noble and virtuous fentiments that were the
delight of thy younger days. Let the latter
years of thy life be employed in promoting the
felicity of thy people. Let fucceeding genera-
tions experience the effects of that happinefs thou
fhalt bellow upon the prefent. The power of
Pruffia is the work of thy genius , it has been
formed, and it muft be fupported by thee. It
muft be adapted to the ftate whqfe glory thou
haft raifed.
LET thofe numberlefs treafures that are buried
}n thy coffers circulate again, and give new life
to the ftate : let thy private poflefllons, which
a fudden change of fortune may deprive thee
of, be hereafter only fupported upon the bafis
of the national riches, which never can fail :
let thy fubjecls, bending under the intolerable
yoke of a fevere and arbitrary gpyernaient,
find
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 201
find in thee the affections of a parent, inftead
of the vexations of an opprefibr : let exorbi-
tant taxes upon individuals, and upon articles
of confumption, no longer obftruct the advance-
jnent of agriculture and induftry : let the inha-
bitants of the country, recovered from a ftate of
flavery, and thole of the towns, becoming per-
fectly free, pafs their lives agreeably to their
inclinations and refpective powers. Thus fhalt
thoij give ftability to the empire which thy bril-
liant talents have extended, and rendered illuftri-
ous; thus fhall thy name be inferted in the re-
fpectable but frnall lift of patriot kings.
LET thy virtues carry thee dill further, and
induce thee to procure the blefling of tranquil-
lity to the earth. Let the influence of thy me-
diation, and the power of thine arms, compel
all turbulent and reftlefs nations to accept of
peace. The univerfe is the country of a great
man ; it is the ftage fuited to the difplay of thy
abilities : mayft thou become the benefactor of all
mankind !
No greatnefs, no felicity, can exift in a mo-
narchy without the influence of the fovereign ;
but it does not folely depend upon the monarch
to do every thing that is calculated to procure
the happinefs of his people. He often meets with
powerful obftacles in the prejudices, the charac-
ter, and the difpofitions of his fubjects. Thefe
indeed may undoubtedly be corrected ; but, till
this change has been produced in Spain, we fhall
confider them as the principal caufe of the little
degree of fuccefs that has attended the projects fo
often
52 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
v K f ten formed, of rendering the trade of the Phili
v.
Settlement
of the
Spaniard*
in the
Philippine
Iflands.
*
pine iflands profperous.
THE Philippines, formerly known by the name
of the Manillas, form an immenfe Archipelago
to the Ealt of Afia. The mountains in thefe
iflands are peopled with favages, who feem to
be the oldefl inhabitants of the country. There
appears to be fome analogy between their lan-
guage and that of Malabar, whence it has been
fufpected that they might poffibly have come
from that pleafant region of India. Their life
is entirely the fame as that of beafts j they have
no fettled habitation, and feed upon the fruits
and roots they find in the woods ; and, when
they have exhaufted one fpot, they go and feed e
upon another. All endeavours to reduce them
to fubjection have proved ineffectual, becaufe no-
thing is more difficult than to fubdue a wandering
nation.
THE plains from which they have been driven*,
have been fucceffively inhabited by colonies from
Siam, Sumatra, Borneo, Macaflar, Malacca, the
Moluccas, and Arabia. The manners, religion,
and government, of thefe ftrangers, evidently
diftinguifh their feveral origins.
MAGELLAN was the firft European who dif-
covered thefe iflands. Upon fome difcontent,
he left Portugal, his native country, and entered
into the fervice of the emperor Charles V. and
palling the flreights that now bear his name, he
arrived at the Manillas in 1521. He unfortu-
nately died there j but probably this would not
have prevented the good confequences of his
voyage,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 205
voyage, had they not been interrupted by the B v K
following occurrences. '. /-
IN the fifteenth century, whilft the Portu-
guefe were beginning to make voyages to the
Eaft Indies, and endeavouring to monopolife the
trade of fpices, and of manufactures which had
been in conftant requeft among civilized nations ;
the Spaniards, by the difcovery of America, were
fecuring greater treafures than imagination could
form any conception of. Though both nations
were purfuing their refpeftive views of aggran-
dizement in far diftant regions, they might pro-
bably interfere with each other ; and their mu-
tual antipathy would have made fuck an event
dangerous. To prevent this, Pope Alexander
VI. fixed their refpeclive claims in 1493, in con-
fequence of that univerfal and ridiculous power
which the pontiffs had affumed for feveral cen-
turies, and which the idolatrous ignorance of
two nations, equally fuperftitious, ftill kept up y
that they might plead the excufe of religion
for their avarice. He gave to Spain all the
countries that fhould be difcovered to the weft
c/~ meridian taken a hundred leagues from the
Azores, and to Portugal whatever land they
might conquer to the eaft of that meridian. In
procefs of time, the two powers agreed to remove
the line of feparation two hundred and fifty
leagues further to the weft, as a means of fecuring
their tranquillity. The court of Rome was not
fufficiently acquainted with the theory of che earth,
to know, that, as the Spaniards advanced to the
weft, and the Portuguese to the eaft, they muft
meet
04 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK rneet at laft. Magellan's expedition evinced this
u-J^j truth. "
THE Portuguefe, who, though feamen them-
felves, had no idea that it was pofiible to fail
to India any other way than by the Cape of
Good Hope, - were greatly furprifed to fee the
Spaniards come thither by the South Sea. They
were apprehenfive for the Moluccas, upon which
their rivals pretended to have a claim, as like-
wife upon the Manillas. The court of Lifbon
was determined to run any rifque rather than
part with the fpice trade. However, before
they ventured to quarrel with the only power
whofe naval ftrength was then formidable, they
thought it advifeable to try the method of ne-
gotiation. They fucceeded better than they ex-
peeled. Charles V., who was frequently in want
of money to carry on his expeditions, confented,
for the fum of 3,420,000 livres *, to fufpend
the armament againft the Moluccas, till the re-
fpective claims fhould be adjufted. He even en- .
gaged, in cafe the decifion was favourable, not to
make any advantage of it till he had paid the
money he had received. After this accommoda-
tion, the Spanifh monarch was fo intent upon his
aggrandizement in Europe and America, that he
totally neglected the Eaft Indies.
IN 1564, Philip II. refumed the project
conquering the Manillas. The execution W2
committed to Michael Lopez de 1'Egafpe.
formed a permanent eftablifhment at Luconia, tl
chief of thofe iflands, and laid the foundation
* i49> 62 5 !
foi
IN THE EAST AND WEST INtJlES. 2a$
fome fettlements in the adjacent parts, parti cu- B v K
larly in Sibu, where Magellan had landed. His * ^
fuccefibrs would probably have made an en-
tire conqueft of this archipelago, if they had
been better fupported, or even if they had
not been under the neceffity of employing the
few troops they had in defending the Portu-
guefe in the Moluccas. The patience of the
Dutch triumphed over fuch weak and tardy ef-
forts ; which only ferved to prevent for a time
thofe rich pofTeflions from falling into their
hands > and which left the power that Spain had
over the Manillas (then called Philippines) in
a very languid flate, as it has continued ever fince.
IN thefe iflands, the number of Spaniards does Pref en t oatc
not exceed three thoufand ; there are three times ii pp i n e e
as many Meftees. They are all equally employed Ifland '
to keep in fubjeclion upwards of one million
three hundred and fixty theufand Indians, who
were fubdued at the time the computation was
made in 1752. Moil of them are Chriftians,
and all pay a tax of two livres thirteen fous *.
They are difperfed in nine iflands, and diftributed
1 into twenty departments, twelve of which are in
the ifland of Luconia, The capital, which was
always called Manilla, is fituated at the mouth of
a large river, at the bottom of a bay which
is thirty leagues in circumference. L'Egafpe
thought this a fit place to be the center of the
power he wanted to eftablifh, and accordingly
made it the feat of government and of trade.
Gomez Perez de las Marignas inclofed it with
walls,
2o6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK. W alls, and built Fort St. James in 1590. As this
c J ; harbour will admit none but finall fhips, it was
afterwards found expedient to fortify Cavite,
which is cliftant but three leagues, and is now
the harbour of Manilla. It is femicircular, and
the Ihips are on all fides flickered from the ibuth
winds, but expofed to thofe from the north, un-
lefs they anchor very clofe to the fliore. Three
or four hundred Indians were formerly employed
in the docks, which have been fo much in-
creafed within thefe few years, that men of war
are now built there for Europe.
THE fettlement is fubject to a governor, whofe
office continues eight years, but who is fubor-
dinate to the viceroy of Mexico. He commands
the army, difpofes of all civil and military em-
ployments, and may grant lands to the foldiers,
and even ere<5t them into fiefs. This power,
though fomewhat balanced by the influence which
the clergy and the inquifition afliime in all the
Spanilh fettlements abroad, has been found fo
dangerous, that many expedients have been de-?
vifed to check its exorbitancy. The moft ef-
feftual of thefe expedients is that by which it
is decreed, that the conduct of a governor fhali
be arraigned even after his death; and that, when
a governor is recalled, he fhall not quit the place
till his adminiftration has been inquired into.
Every individual is at liberty to complain ; and,
if he has fuffered any wrong, he is to be indem-
nified at the coft of the delinquent, who is like-
wife condemned to pay a fine to the fovereign,
for having brought an odium upon him. At the
time
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
time this wife inftitution was made, it was ob-
ferved with fwch rigour, that, when accufa-
tions were numerous and weighty againft the go-
vernor, he was impnfoned. Several died in con-
finement; and others were taken out, only with a
defign to inflict fevere punifhments upon them.
But corruption has fince infmuated itfelfj and the
perfon who fucceeds is commonly influenced either
by confiderable bribes^, or becaufe he intends to
practife the fame extortions himfelf, to palliate
thofe of his predeeeffor.
THIS collufion has brought on a fettled fyftem
of oppreffion. Arbitrary taxes have been levied;
the public revenue has been leiTened in pafling
through the hands that were appointed to collect
it; extravagant duties have made trade dege-
nerate into fmuggling ; the farmer has been com-
I pelled to lay up his crops in the magazines of the
government; and fome governors have carried
their tyranny to fuch atrocious lengths, as to de-
termine the quantity of corn that the fields were
I to produce, and to oblige the farmers to bring
I lit in j and not only to wait for the payment as
i long a time as their oppreffive matters fhould
I jthink proper, but alfo to receive it in whatever
manner it could be given to them. This tyranny
jhas determined vaft numbers of Indians to forfake
the Philippines, or to take refuge in the inaccef-
fible parts of thofe iflands. Several millions are
faid to have perifhed through ill ufage ; and ic
is impoflible to conjecture the number of thofe
whofe very exiftence has been prevented by the
negleft of cultivation, and confequently the wane
of
2 o3 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B CM> K of food. The few who have efcaped all thefe
w. -, * calamities, have only found a refuge by living
in a (late of obfcurity and wretchednefs. For
thefe two centuries paft fome governors have
attempted to put an end to thefe enormities;
but their endeavours have proved ineffectual, be-
caufe the abufes were too inveterate to yield to
a tranfient and fubordinate authority. Nothing
lefs than the fupreme power of the court of
Madrid could reftrain the fpirit of univerfal ra-
pacioufnefs ; but this power has never exerted
itfelf for fuch a purpofe. This fhameful neglect
is the true caufe why the Philippine iflands
have never been civilized, and have neither po-
licy nor trade. Their name would fcarcely be
known, were it not for their connections with
Mexico.
THOSE connections, which have fubfifted ever
fmce the firft fettlement of the Spaniards in the
Eaft and Weft Indies, confift only in conveying
the produce and merchandife of Afia to America
by the South Sea. None of the articles that
compofe thefe rich cargoes are the produce either
of the ground or of the manufactures of thofc
iflands. Their cinnamon is brought from Batavia*
The Chinefe bring them filksj and the Englifh
or the French fupply them with white li]
and printed callicoes from Bengal and Cororru
del. All the eaftern nations may freely tr
there; but the Europeans muft conceal their Ms
They would not be admitted without this precau-
tion, which, however, is but a mere ceremony.
From whatever port the goods have been brought,
they
IX THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 209
they muft come in before the departure of the B v *
galleons. If they fhould arrive later, they could v ^ >
not be difpofed of, or muft be fold at a lofs to
merchants, who flow them in warehoufes till the
next voyage. The payments are made in cochineal
and Mexican piaflres, and partly in cowries, which
are not current in Africa, but will pafs every
where on the banks of the Ganges.
THE people of this ifland feldom tranfact bufi-
nefs immediately with the Spaniards. Mofl of
them are fo difgufled with the fatigues of trade^
that they place all their money in the hands of
the Chinefe, who enrich themfelves at their coft.
If thefe agents, the moft active in Afia, had been
compelled to be baptized or to quit the country,
I as the court of Madrid had ordered in 1750, all
i bufmefs would have been thrown into the utmofl
confufion.
: SOME politicians think this plan would not be
detrimental ; an opinion that has been long enter-
tained. The Philippines had but jufl opened a
communication with America, when the Spaniards
(thought of giving them up, as being prejudicial
Ito the interefl of the mother-country. Philip II.
and his fucceflbrs conftantly rejected that propofal,
which was often renewed. The city of Seville
in 1731, and that of Cadiz in 1733, entertained
more rational notions. Both thefe cities ima-
gined, and it is rather furprifmg that the idea
did not occur fooner, that it would be advanta-
geous to the Spaniards to have a direct concern
with the trade of Afia, and that the pofleffions
:hey had in thole parts fhould be made the center
VOL. II. P of
no HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
of their traffic. In vain it was urged, that as
India affords filks and cottons fuperior to thofe of
Europe, both in workmanfhip and colouring, and
at a much cheaper price, the national manufac-
tures would be ruined. This objection might
have its weight with regard to fome nations ; but
appeared altogether frivolous, coniidering the fitu-
ation of Spain.
THE Spaniards, indeed, ufe none but foreign
fluffs and linen, either for wearing-apparel or fur-
niture. Thofe continual demands muft neceffa-
rily increafe the induftry, the wealth, the popu-
lation, and ftrength of their neighbours, who avail
themfelves of thefe advantages, to keep that na-
tion which fupplies them in a ftate of dependence.
It would furely be acting with, more wifdom
and dignity, were they to ufe the Indian manu-
factures. They would be preferable, both in
point of ceconomy and elegance, and would leflen
that competition which mutt prove fatal to them
in the end.
How much THE inconveniences, which ufually attend new
undertakings, are here previoufly obviated. The
^ anc ^ s which Spain poffefles lie between Japan,
China, Cochinchina, Siam, Borneo, Macafiar, and
the Moluccas, and are favourably fituated for form-
ing connections with thofe feveral kingdoms. If
they are too far diitant from Malabar, Corom
del, and Bengal, effectually to protect any fet
ments that might be formed there ; on the oth
hand, they are fo near feveral countries which the
Europeans frequent, that they could eafily excl
their enemies from thofe places in time of
Befi
F
:her
r
,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 211
Befides, their diftance from the continent fecures B v K
them from the ravages that it is expofed to, and ^-.^
prevents them from being tempted to interfere in
the divifions which arife there. This diftance,
however, does not prevent them from being fure of
fubfiftence at home. It is true, the Philippines
are fubjecl: to frequent earthquakes, and they have
inceffant rains from July to November; but all
this does not diminifh the fertility of the ground.
No country in Afia abounds more with fifh, corn,
fruits, vegetables, cattle, fago, cocoa-trees, and
efculent plants of all kinds.
THESE iflands afford even fome commodities
fit for the trade from one part of India to ano-
ther, fuch as ebony, tobacco, wax, thofe birds
nefts that are in fuch eftimation, pitch and tar,
a kind of white hemp fit for ropes and fails,
plenty of excellent timber, cowries, pearls j and
fugar, which may be cultivated to any quantity 5
and gold. There are inconteftable proofs, that, in
the earlieft times, the Spaniards fent over to Ame-
rica large quantities of gold found in the river
by the natives of this country. If the quantity
they now collect does not exceed twelve hundred
weight in a year, this muft be imputed to the
tyranny of the Spaniards, who will not fuffer them
to reap the benefit of their own induflry. A
reafonable moderation would induce them to re-
fume thefe labours, and to apply to others ftill
more beneficial to Spain.
The colony will then produce for exportation
to Europe, alum, buffalo {kins, caflia ; the Faba
Sanfti Ignatiiy a ufeful drug in phyfiCj indigo;
P 2 cocoa.
21 z HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS "AND TRADE
cocoa, which has been brought hither from Mexico,
and fucceeds very well ; woods for dying, cotton,
and baftard cinnamon, which will perhaps be
improved, and which the Chinefe were fatisfied
with, fuch as it was, before they frequented Ba-
tavia. Some travellers affirm, that the ifland of
Mindanao, where it grows, formerly produced clove
trees alfo. They add, that the fovereign of the
ifland ordered them to be rooted up, faying he
had better do it himfelf than be compelled to it
by the Dutch. This anecdote looks very fufpi-
cious. It is certain, however, that the vicinity
of the Moluccas affords opportunities for procur-
ing with great facility the trees that bear nutmegs
and cloves.
FOREIGN markets will furnifh Spain with filks,
callicoes, and other articles, of the produce of Afia,
for their own consumption, and will fell them
cheaper to the Spaniards than to their competi-.
tors. All other nations in Europe employ the
fpecie they get from America to trade with irt
India. Before this fpecie can reach the place of its
deftination, it muft have paid confiderable duties,.,
taken a prodigious compafs, and have been ex-
poled to great rifques ; whereas the Spaniards, by
fending it directly from America to the Philip-,
pines, would fave duties,. time, and infurance;,
fo that, 'by furnifhing the fame quantity of fpeci(
as the rival nations, they would in reality
their purchafes at a cheaper rate.
EVEN the quantity of fpecie conveyed fr<
one place to another might in time be din
nifhed, if thefe iflands were as much improve
as they might be. For this purpofe, the nations,
who
IN THE EAST AND_WEST INDIES. 213
who frequented thefe fea-ports before they were B v K
invaded by the Spaniards, fhould be recalled; < /- *
and every method fhould be ufed, to obliterate
from the memory of the Chinefe the fate of
thofe forty thoufand fubje6ls of their empire,
who were fettled in the Philippines, ; and were
almoft all inhumanly maflacred, becaufe they
would not tamely fubmit to the horrid yoke
\ that was laid on them. The Chinefe would
then ciefert Batavia, which is too far diftant,
and cauie'arts and agriculture to revive in thefe
ids. Their example would foon be followed
b .nany free traders of Europe, who are dif-
pcried in various parts of India, and confider
thcmfelves as victims to the monopoly of their
reipedive companies. The natives, excited to
labour by the advantages infeparable from fuch
il a competition, would no longer remain in a ftate
of indolence. They would be fond of a govern-
ment that would ftudy to promote their happi-
Ij nefs ; would cheerfully fubmit to its laws, and
I! in aihort time would themfelves become Spaniards.
j If our conjectures are well founded, fuch a co-
il lony would be more profitable than a mere inac-
:|tive fettlement, which devours part of the trea-
: r^fures of America. Such a revolution may eafily
;;|ibe brought about, and muft infallibly be haftened
i. by eftablifhing a freedom of trade, an unlimited,
; civil, and religious liberty, and a perfect fecurity
for the property of individuals.
THIS can never be the work of an exclulive
company. For thefe two centuries paft, fince
the Europeans have frequented the feas of Afia,
P 3 they
214 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B cy> K t h e y nave never been animated by a truly laud-
v v J able fpirit. In vain have fociety, morality, and
politics, been improved amongft us ; thofe diftant
countries have only been witneffes of our rapa-
cioufnefs, our reftleflhefs, and our tyranny. The
mifchief we have done to other parts of the world
has fometimes been compenfated by the know-
ledge we have imparted to them, and the wife
inftitutions we have eftablifhed amongft them:
but the Indians have Hill continued under their
former darknefs and defpotifm ; and we have
taken no pains to reicue them from thoie dread-
ful calamities. Had the feveral governments
directed the fleps of their free traders, it is pro-
bable that the love of glory would have been
united to a pafiion for riches, and that fome na-
tions would have made attempts fit to render their
names illuftrious. Such noble and difmterefted
intentions could never be purfucd by any com-
pany of merchants : who, being confined by the
narrow views of prefent profit, have never em-
- ployed their thoughts about the happinefs of the
people with whom they traded ; a circumflance,
which, being naturally expected, hath never been
imputed to them as a crime.
How much would it redound to the honour
of Spain, from which, perhaps, nothing great
is at prefent to be expected, to Ihew a fenfibi-
lity for the interelh of mankind, and to endea*
your to promote them ! That nation now be<-
gins to fliake off the fetters of prejudice, which
have kept it in a ftate of infancy, notwithftand"
ing its, natural ftrength. Its fubjects are not
yet
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 215
yet degraded and corrupted by the contagion B v K
of riches, from which they have been happily v - v -i
preferved by their own indolence, and by the
rapacioufnefs of their government. Thefe peo-
ple muft neceffarily be inclined to what is
goodj they are capable of knowing it, and no
doubt would practife it, having all the means
in their power from the poffefllons their con-
quefts have given them in the richeft countries
of the univerfe. Their fhips, failing from their
fevcral ports, might either meet at the Canary
iflands, or feparately proceed to their feveral
deftinations, and thus be the means of procuring
happinefs to the remoteft parts of Afia. They
might return from India by the Cape of Good
! Hope ; .but would go thither by the South Sea,
! where the fale of their cargoes would greatly
increafe their capitals. This advantage would
fecure to them a fuperiority over their competi-
tors, who fail with falfe bills of lading, feldom
carrying any thing but filver. They would meet
with a frefh iupply of provifions up the river
Plata, if they fhould be in want of them. Thofe
who were able to wait longer, would only put
into Chili, or even proceed to the ifland of Juan
Fernandez.
THIS delightful ifland, which takes its name
from a Spaniard to whom it had been given,
and who took a diflike to it after he had lived
there fome confiderable time, is fituated at no
leagues diftance from the continent of Chili.
Its greateft length is but about five leagues,
and the breadth not quite two. In this fmall
P 4 fpot,
2*6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K fpot, where the land is very mountainous and
* -v ' irregular^ there is a clear fky, pure air, excellent
water, and every vegetable that is deemed
fpecific -againit the fcurvy. It has appe;
from experience, that all forts of European ai
American corn, fruit, and quadrupeds, will fu(
ceed there extremely well. The coafts aboui
with fifh ; and, befides all thefe advantages, thei
is alfo a good harbour, where fhips are fheltei
from every wind but the north, and even tl
never blows fo ftrongly as to be attended wit
any danger.
THESE conveniences have induced all the
pirates, who have infefted the coafts of Peru, to
put in at Juan Fernandez. Anfon, who went
to the South Seas with more important projects,
found there a comfortable and fafe afylum. The
Spaniards, at length convinced that the precau-
tion they had taken to deftroy the cattle they had ;
placed there, is inefficient to keep off their em
mies, muft build a fort on the ifland. That mi]
tary poft will become a ufeful fettlement, if
court of Madrid will but attend to her own interc
It is needlefs to purfue this fubject any furth<
The plan, which we have done nothing m<
than fuggeft, would evidently tend to pror
{he trade, the navigation, and the greatnefs
Spain. The connexions that Ruffia keeps
with China by land, can never acquire the fa
Degree of importance.
General BETWEEN thefe two vaft empires, whofe grei
Tartly. nefs aftonifhes the imagination, there is an ir
menfe fpace^ known in the earlieft ages by
4 m
IN THE EAST AND, WEST INDIES. ji 7
name of Scythia, and fince by that of Tartary. B v K
This region, taken in its full extent, is bounded < *-**
to the weft by the Cafpian fea and Perfia; to
the fouth by Perfia, Indoftan, the kingdoms of
Arracan and Ava, China, and Corea; to the
eaft by the Pacific ocean ; and to the north by
j:he Frozen ocean. One part of thefc vaft deferts
is fubject to the Chinefe empire ; another is un-
| der the dominion of Ruffia ; the third is inde-
pendent, and is called Kharifm, and Greater and
Lefs Bucharia.
THE inhabitants of thefe celebrated regions
have always lived by hunting and filhing, and
upon the milk of their flocks ; and have ever
had an equal averfion for living in cities, a fe-
dentary life, and for husbandry. Their origin
and their cuftoms, fo far as we are acquainted
with them, are equally ancient, for the former
could never be traced on account of their feque-
tered and wandering way - of life. They have
lived in the fame manner as their forefathers
did ; and, if we look back to the remoteft anti-
quity, we fhall find a very ftriking refemblance
between the men of the earlieft ages, and the
Tartars of the prefent time.
THESE people have in general been followers
of the great Lama, who refides at Putali, a town
ifituated in a diftri6t which partly belongs to Tar-
ttary, and partly to India. This extenfive region,
where mountains rife above one another, is called
OBoutan by the inhabitants of Indoftan, Tangut
by the Tartars, Tfanli by the- Chinefe, LafTa by
the
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K the Indians beyond the Ganges, and Thibet b
u. v ' the Europeans.
THEIR religion appears, from monuments <
undoubted authority, to be of above three thoi
fand years {landing, and is founded on the exif
ence of a Supreme Being, and the fublimeft prir
ciples of morality.
t IT has been generally imagined, that the fol-
lowers of the Lama believe him to be immortal ;
that, in order to maintain the deception, this divi-
nity never appears but to a few favourites j that,
when he receives the adoration of the people, it
is always in a kind of tabernacle, where a dim
light fhews rather a faint reprefentation, than an
exact refemblance of that living god ; that, when
he dies, another priefl is fubftituted in his ftead,
as nearly of the fame fize and figure as poffible }
and that, by means of thefe precautions, the de-
lufiqn is kept up, even on the very fpot where
the farce is acted; and much more, without
doubt, in the minds of believers who are further
removed from it.
A SAGACIOUS philofopher has lately remo
this prejudice. It is true, the great Lamas feld
fliew themfelves, the better to maintain that ve
ration they have infpired for their perfon and t
myfteries ; but they give audience to ambaflado
and admit princes who come to vifit them. Bu
their perfon is feldom to be feen, except on fc
important occafions, or on great feftivals, t
picture is always in full view, being hung up o
the doors of the temple at Putali.
WH
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 219
WHAT has given rife to the fable of the im- B v K
mortality of the Lamas is, that it is a tenet of .. --..j
their faith, that the holy fpirit, which has animated
one of thefe pontiffs, immediately upon his death
pafles into the body of him who is duly elected
to fucceed him. This tranfmigration of the
divine fpirit is perfectly confonant to the doctrine
of the metempiychofis, which has always been the %
eftablifhed fyftem in thofe parts.
THE religion of Lama made confiderable pro-
grefs in early times. It was adopted in a large part
of the globe. It is profefifed all over Thibet and
Mongalia , is almoft univerfal in Greater and Lefs
Bucharia, and feveral provinces of Tartary ; and
has fome followers in the kingdom of Caffimere in
India, and in China.
THIS is the only worfhip that can boaftof fuch
remote antiquity, without any mixture of other
fyftems. The religion of the Chinefe has been fre-
quently adulterated by the introduction of foreign
deities and fuperftitionsj which have been adapted
to the tafte of the lower clafs of people. The Jews
have feen an end of their hierarchy, and their tem-
ple has been demolifhed. Alexander and Moham-
med ufed their utmoft endeavours to extinguilh the
facred fire of the Gaurs. Tamerlane and the Mo-
guls have in a great meafure diminished the wor-
fhipers of the god Brama in India. But neither
time, fortune, nor men, have ever been able to
(hake the divine power of the great Lama.
THIS (lability and perpetuity muft be peculiar
to thofe religions that have a fixed fyftem, a well-
regulated ecclefiaftical hierarchy, and a fupreme
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
kead, who by his authority fupports thofe doc-
trines in their primitive flate, by condemning all
new opinions, which pride might be tempted to
introduce, and credulity to adopt. The Lamas
themfelves confefs that they are no gods ; but they
pretend. to reprefent the divinity, and to have re-
ceived a power from heaven to decide ultimately
on whatever relates to public worfhip. Their
theocracy extends as fully to temporal as to fpi- j
ritual matters i but all civil matters, held pro-
fane by them, they confider as inconfiftent with
their dignity, and therefore commit the care of
government to perfons whom they judge to be
worthy of their confidence. This has fuccefilvely
occafioned the lofs of feveral provinces of their
vafl dominions, which have fallen a prey to theif
governors. The great Lama, who formerly was
abfolute matter of all Thibet, now poffefles but a
{mall part of it.
THE religious opinions of the Tartars have never
enervated their valour. It was to oppofe their in--;
roads into China, that, three hundred years before^
the chriftian sera, that famous wall was built,
which extends, from the river Hoambo to the fea
of Kamtfchatka ; which has a terrace running all
along the top of it, and is flanked in different part*,
with large ' towers, after the ancient manner of
fortifying. Such a monument fliews that there
muft have been at that time a prodigious popula-
tion in the empire : but at the fame time it ieems
to indicate that there was a want of prowefs and
military (kill. If the Chinefe had been men of
courage, they would themfelves have attacked the
roving
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 32l
'roving tribes, or kept them in awe by well-drfci- B K-
plined armies ; if they had been (killed in the art ^ t
of war, thty would have known that lines five
hundred leagues long could not be defended in
every part, and that, if they were broken but in
one place, all the reft of the fortification would
become ufelefs.
THE inroads, indeed, of the Tartars continued
till the thirteenth century. At that period, the
empire was conquered by thofe barbarians, under
the command of Gingis-Khan. This foreign power
was not deftroyed till after eighty-nine years,
when it fell into the hands of an indolent prince,
tyho was governed by women, and was a flave to
his minifters.
WHEN the Tartars were expelled from the con-
quefts they had made, they did not adopt the laws
and government of China. When they repaffed
the great wall, they relapfed into barbarifm, and '
lived in their deferts in as uncivilized a ftate as
they had done before. They united, however,
with the few who had continued in their roving
way of life, and formed feveral hords, which in-
enfibly became populous, and in procefs of time
.ncorporated into that of the Manchews. Their union
infpired them again with the projecl of invading
i^hina, which was torn with domeflic diflfentions.
The difcontented parties were then fo numerous,"
tfiat they had no lefs than eight different armies
inder the command of as many chiefs. In this con-
iifion the Tartars, who had long ravaged the north-
:rn provinces of the empire, feized upon the capi-
al in 1644, andfoon after upon the whole kingdom.
THIS
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
THIS revolution did not feem fo much to fubdue
China, as to add to its extent, by the acceflion
a great part of Tartary. Soon after t,his, Chii
was further enlarged by the fubmiffion of tl
Mogul Tartars, celebrated for having found<
moft of the thrones in Afia, and in particular, tl
of Indoftan.
THE conquerors fubmitted to the laws of tl
people they had conquered, and exchanged th<
own cuftoms and manners for thofe of their flav(
This has been alleged as a proof of the wifdom
the Chinefe- government; but itfeems to be no more
than a natural coniequence of this plain and fimplc
principle, that the lefs number muft: yield to the
greater. The Tartars, in the moft populous empire
upon .earth, were not in the proportion of one to
ten thoufand ; fo that, to bring about a change of
manners and government, one Tartar muft have
prevailed over ten thoufand Chinefe, which is
hardly poiTible in the nature of things. We have
fufficient proofs of the excellence of the Chinefe ad*
miniftration, without having recourfe to this. Be-f
fides, thofe Tartars had no fettled cuftoms and man-*> ;
nersj no wonder, then, if they adopted indifcrimi-^:
nately inftitutions they found in China. This revo-'
lution was fcarce completed, when" the empire*'
was threatened with a new enemy, that mighfc
prove a formidable one.
Contentions THE Ruffians, who towards the latter end of the-
flu* and* 1 * fi xteentn century had conquered the uncultivated
Chinefe in plains of Siberia, had penetrated through arnum-'
ber of deferts to the river Amour, which led them
to the eaftern fea, and as far as Selenga, which'
brought
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 223
brought them on the confines of China, a country B v K.
fo highly extolled for its riches. v_ ^
THE Chinefe were appreheniive that the incur- 1
fions of the Ruffians might in time give them fome
difturbance ; and they erected forne forts to re-
ftrain this neighbouring power, whofe ambition
began to excite their jealoufy. Sharp contefts
then arofe between the two nations concerning
their boundaries. Skirmifhes were frequent be-
tween the parties engaged in the purfuits of the
chace, and an open war was daily expected.
Very fortunately the plenipotentiary of the two
courts found means to bring about a reconcilia-
tion in 1689; the limits were fixed at the river
Kerbechi, near the place of negociation, 300
leagues from the great wall. This was the firft
treaty the Chinefe had ever been concerned in
fince the foundation of their empire, and it
brought on a new arrangement. They -granted
the Rt.flians the liberty offending a caravan every
year to Pekin, an indulgence which had always
been denied to foreigners with the utmoft pre-
caution. It was eafily perceived that the Tartars,
Chough they conformed to the manners and go-
vernment of the Chinefe, did not adopt their
political maxims.
THIS liberty granted to the Ruffians did not in- The Ruf-
pire them with moderation. Theyperfifled in their *
ifurpations, and built- a city thirty leagues beyond china 1 **
:he ftipulated limits, which they called Albaflin-
koi. The Chinefe, having in vain complained of
;his encroachment, at laft determined to avenge
hemfelvcs in 17 i 5 . As the Czar was engaged in
a war
4 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
OOK.- a war on the Baltic, and could notfpare troops tp
_ _^_ . defend the extremities of Tartary, the place' w;
taken -after a fiege of three years.
THE court of Peter/burgh was prudent enouj
not to give way to a fruitlefs refentment. Tl
fent;a minifter to Pekin in 1719, with inftrudic
to renew the trade that had been loft amidft
late difturbances. The negociation fucceeded ;
the caravan of 1 7 2 1 not being conducted with me
caution than the former, it was agreed that for
future no tranfacliions fhould be carried on betwt
the two nations except upon the frontiers. Frei
contentions have again interrupted this intercoui
and they now carry on only a contraband trac
even that is inconfiderable, but it is thought
Ruffians are endeavouring to increafe it.
THE advantages they will derive from it are ft
ficient to induce them to furmount all the diffia
ties infeparable from fuch an undertaking. Th<
are the only nation in Europe that can trade wit
the Chinefe without money, and barter their o^
commodities for thole of China. With their ri<
and choice furs, they will always purchafe what
. Ghinefe can furnifh to great part of the globe. Ir
dependent of the commodities they want for the
own confumption, they may eftablifh a commei
in the articles of tea and rhubarb. It would
both prudent and eafy to re-export thefe two
cles, becaufe, when brought over by land,
"will be preferved in higher perfection than th(
Can poflibly be in a voyage over thofe immenfe
feas, which every commodity, imported from fuch
lemote parts of Alia, mutt neceflarily pafs. But to
turn
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. ?z$
turn this trade to any advantage, it muft be con- B v K -
ducted upon other principles than have hitherto < -v ^
been followed.
FORMER-LY a caravan went every year from Pe-
terfburgh, traverfed immenfe deferts, and was met
on the frontiers of China by fome hundreds of fol-
diers, who efcorted it to the capital of the empire.
There all who belonged to it were fhut up in a
caravanfera, to wait till the merchants fhould offer
them the refufe of their warehoufes. The traffic \
being thus completed, the caravan returned to
RufFia, and arrived at Peterfburgh three years
after it had fet out from thence.
IN the ordinary courfe of things, the indifferent,
merchandife brought by the caravan would have,
been of very little value; but as this trade was car-
ried on for the court, and that the goods were al-
ways fold under, the immediate inipection of the
fovereign, commodities of the worft kind acquir-
ed a value. Being admitted to this kind of fair,
was a privilege which the monarch feldom granted
but to his favourites. All were defirous of apr<
proving themfelves worthy of this diftinction, and
the way to fucceed was by overbidding each other
without difcretion, as each was ambitious that his
name fhould appear upon the lift of the buyers.
Notwithflanding this fhameful emulation, what
was put up to fale was fo trifling, that the pro-
duce, deducting the confumption of the court,
never amounted to 100,000 crowns*. To make
this traffic of greater confequence 3 it fhoultj be
13,125!.
VOL. II.
iz5 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B ^ K intrufted to the (kill, activity, and management,
* v ' of private perfons.
Proieftsof THIS method fhould have been adopted, if
court t(f an communication could have been eftablifhed
fodia 10 tween Siberia and India, by Independent Tartai
through as peter the Firft had defigned. That great prim
Indepen- . . &
rfent Tar- whole mind was always engaged in fome uicnS
project, was defirous of opening that communicz
tion by means of the Sirth, which waters the Tui
keftan; and in 1719 he fent 2500 men in order
make himfelf mafter of that river.
THERE was no fuch river to be found ; its
ters had been turned off, and conveyed throu^
feveral channels to the lake Atall. This had be
done by the Ufbeck Tartars, who had taken ui
brage at the repeated obfervations they had fee
making. The Ruffians determined therefore
return to Aftracan. The court of Peterfbur<
was obliged to relinquifh the project, and remz
fatisfied with the intercourfe already formed wit
India by the Cafpian Sea.
Jstcrcourfe THIS was, in the remoteft ages, the track
Kuffia'and which the North and South communicz
with each other. The regions bordering:
O O
that immenfe lake,, which are at prefent
much depopulated, extremely poor, and in
favage eftate, afford to intelligent minds evi<
proofs of former fplendor. Coins of the anci<
Kaliphs are daily difcovered there, Thefe
numents, with others equally authentic, wot
feem to favour the account of fome Indians hz
ing been fkipv r recked on the coafts of the Elbe in
IN THfc EAST AND WEST INDIES. , 227
the reign of Auguftus, which has always been
confidered as fabulous, notwithftanding the con-
Current teftimony of cotemporary writers who re-
lated the fact. It is inconceivable how any inha-
bitants of India could fail on. the Germanic feasj
but, as Voltaire oblerves, it was not more won-
derful to fee an Indian trading in the northern
countries, than to fee a Roman make his way in-
to India through Arabia. The Indians went into
Perfia, where they embarked on the Hirtan-ifAn
Sea, failed up the Wolga, penetrated into Permia
by the Kama, and from thence might embark on
the Northern Sea or on the Baltic. Men of en-
terprifmg genius have appeared in all ages*.
WHATEVER may be thought of thefe conjec-
tures, the Englifh had no fooner difcovercd Arch-
angel, about the middle of the fixteenth century,
and fettled a commerce with Ruffia, than they
formed the project of opening a way into Perfia
by the Wolga and the Cafpian Sea, which would
be much eafier and fhorter than that of the Portu-
guefe, who were obliged to fail round Africa and
part of Afia, to get into the Gulph of Perfia. A
further inducement to attempt it was> that the
northern parts of Perfia, bordering upon the Caf-
pian Sea, produce much richer commodities than
the fouthern. The filks of Chirvan, Mazanderan,
and more efpecially Gilan, are the bell in all^the
eaft, and might be employed with advantage in
any manufactures. But the trade of the Englifh
Was not yet fufficiently confirmed, to encounter
the difficulties that mud attend ib vail and fo
Complicated an undertaking.
2 SOME
tz8 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
> o
v.
SOME years after, a duke of Holftein, who had
eftablifhed fome filk manufactures in his domi-
nions, was not deterred by thefe difficulties. He
wanted to get the raw filk from Perfia, and fent
ambalTadors thither, who loft their lives on the
Cafpian Sea.
WHEN the French were convinced of the in-
fluence of trr Ic on the political balance of Europe,
they alfo wilhed to procure Perfian fiiks by way of i
RulTia; but their fatal paflion for conqueft made,
them forget this project:, as well as many others
tfjat had been fuggefted by men of understanding,,
for the welfare of that great nation.
PETER I. guided by his own genius, his own
experience, and the informations of foreigners,
could not but be fenfible at laft, that his fubjects
were the people who ought to enrich themfelves by
the production: of Perfia, and in time that of India,
Accordingly in 1722, at the firft beginning of the
commotions that have overturned the empire of the
Sophis, that great prince feized upon the fertile re-
gions bordering on the Cafpian Sea. The heat ofi
the climate, the dampnefs of the foil, and the ma-
lignancy of the air, deftroyed the troops that were
left to defend thofe conquefts. Rufiia, however,
did not relblve to relinquifh the provinces Hie
ufurped, till fhe found in the year 1736 t
Kouli Khan, who had conquered the Tur
could compel her to reftore them.
THE court of Peterfburgh laid afide all thou
of carrying on any commerce with that par
the world, when an Engliih man of the narn
Eiton laid a fcheme, in 1741, for putting his
country
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 229
country in pofleffion of it. This enterprifmg man B v K
was in the fervice of Ruffia : his propofal was, to < \r*
convey the Englifh woollen cloths, by way of the
Wolga and the Cafpian Sea, to Perfia, to the north
of Indoftan, and to the greateft part of Tartary.
In confequence of this traffic, he was to receive^ in
exchange, gold, and fuch commodities as the Ar-
menians fold at an extravagant price, being ma-
fters of all the inland trade of Afia. This project
was warmly adopted by the Englifh company in
Mufcovy, and favoured by the Ruffian miniftry.
BUT the Englifh adventurer had fcarce begun
to put it in execution, when Kouli Khan, who
wanted bold and active men to fecond his ambi-
tion, found means to entice him into his fervice,
and by his affiftance to make himfelf matter of the
Cafpian Sea. The court of Peterfburgh, exafpe-
'ated at this treachery, revoked in 1746 all the
Privileges they had granted ; but this was an in-
:fFectual remedy for fo great an evil, The un-
imely death of the Perfian tyrant was much more
ikely to bring matter? into their former flate.
THAT great revolution, which once more plung-
*ct the Sophy's dominions into greater anarchy than
iver, reftored to the Ruffians the dominion over
:he Cafpian Sea, This was a necetfary prelude
:p the opening of a trade with Perfia and India,
Dut was not alone fufficient to tnfure its llic-
;efsj which met with almoft infuperable obfta-
:les from tile Armenians. An active nation, ac-
:uftomed to the eaftern manners, in poffefflon of
. large capital, extremely frugal in their expences,
vl)o had already formed connections from time
imme-
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
immemorial, entered into the minuteft details, and
embraced the moft comprehenfive fpeculations ;
fuch a nation was not eafily to be fupplanted.
Nor did the court of Peterfburgh expect it, but
wifely determined to allyre a number of thofe
artful, induftrious, and wealthy people, to fettle
at Aflracan, It is through their hands that all
merchandife, coming from Afia to Ruflia by land,
always did and ilill does pafs. This traffic is
very inconfiderable j and it will require time
fore it can be increafed, unlefs fome expedi<
can be found to difpofe of the articles by
exportation. To make this more evident, it
only be neceflary to take a curfory view of
prefent date of RuiTia.
state of the THIS empire, which, like all others, rofe fr
pire.andthe fmall beginnings, is become, in procefs of tir
"""'"maki tn ^ largeft in the world. Its extent from eaft
itfloumh. we fl. j s 2200 leagues, and from fouth to n<
about 800.
MANY of the people of this vail empire
had any form of government, and have none
this.day. Thofe who by violence, or from p
cular circumftances, have obtained the rule
the reft, have always been actuated by Afis
principles, and have been oppreffors or arbit
tyrants. The only point, in which they have
formed to the cuftoms of Europe, has been
inftitution of a peerage,
THESE are undoubtedly the chief caufcs whi<
have prevented the increafc of the human race
that immenfe country. By the furvey taken
1747, there appeared but 6,646,390 perfons wf
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 231
paid the poll-tax; and in theie were comprehended B v K
all the males from the infant to the oldeft man. u- - v - *
Suppofing the number of women to be equal to
that of men, there will appear to be 13,292,780
flaves in Ruflla. To this calculation muft be
added the clafles of men in the empire who are
exempt from paying this fhameful tax j t the mili-
tary, who amount to 200,000 men 3 the nobility
and ckrgy, who are fuppofed to amount to the
like number ; and the inhabitants of the Ukraine
and Livonia, computed at 1,200,000. So that
the whole population of Ruflla does not exceed
14,892,780 perfons of both fexes.
IT would be needlefs, as it is impoflible, to
number the people who rove about thofe vaft
deferts. As thefe hords of Tartars, Siberians,
Samoiedes, Laplanders, and Oftiacs, cannot con-
tribute to the wealth, fbrength, or iplendor of a
itate, they are to be reckoned of little or no con-
icquence in the account.
THE population being fmall, the revenues of
the empire cannot be confiderable. When Peter I.
came to the crown, the taxes brought in but
twenty-five millions * ; he raifed them to fixty-
five -f. Since his death they have not greatly in-
creafed; and yet the people are finking under a
burden which their ftrength, enervated by de-
fpotifm, is unable to lupport.
EVERY circumflance feems to call upon Ruflla
to provide a remedy againft this want of popula-
tion and wealth. The only effectual one is agri-
* 1,093,750!. t 2,843,750!.
culture.
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
culture. It would be needlefs to encourage it in
the northern provinces ; nothing can thrive in
thofe frozen deferts. The fcattered inhabitants of
this inhofpitable climate will never be fupplied
with any kind of food and raiment, except what
they can procure from birds, fiih, and wild beads j
nor will t-liey ever have any thing befides thefe to
pay their taxes with.
FURTHER from the north, nature begins to
a milder afpect, and the country is more populou;
and more capable of vegetation j yet throughout
inimenfe extent of territory there are no marks
plenty, from the want of men and fufficient meai
for the cultivation of the land. The foil will
come fufficiently fertile, if agriculture meets wit
reward and encouragement from the wifdom
government, The Ukraine deferves particular at
tendon,
THAT fpacious region, which lias belonged
the Porte ancj to Poland, and is now a part of tl
Czar's dominions, is perhaps the moft friiitfi
country in the known world. It lupplies Ruffi;
with moft of her home confumption, and article
of trade j and yet fhe does not receive the twentiet
part of what it might be made to produce. Tl
Cofiacks, who inhabit that country, have a] ITU
all periihed in deftruclive wars. Some attempt
have been made to replace them by Cftiacs
SamQiedes j but it'has not been confidered, that,
blending men fo fmall and deformed with others <
a tall, rabuftj and valiant race, the former w<
only ferve to make the latter degenerate, It wot
k? very eajy and practicable to give encouragemc
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 2
to the Moldavians and Walachians to fettle there, B v
as they profefs the fame religion as Ruffia, and ' w
confider it as the feat of the Greek empire.
NOTHING would be more conducive to cultiva-
tion than the working of the mines. Some are to
be met with in feveral provinces -, but they are
numerous in Siberia, though it is a low. country,
and the foil is moift and marfhy. The iron that is
dug out of thefe mines is better than in any other
part of Ruffia, and equal to that of Sweden. The
working of them would employ a number of men,
and furnifti excellent implements of husbandry to a
fet of miierable (laves, who are compelled to dig a
hard and flubborn foil with inftruments of wood.
Befides thefe iron mines, there are alfo others which
contain thofe precious metals that are fo eagerly
and fo univerfally coveted, and which are to be
found in no part of the country except Siberia.
The filver mines near Argun have long been known;
and others, both of filver and gold, have lately
been difcovered in the country of the Bafkirs. It
would be prudent for fome nations to neglect and
ftop up thefe fources of wealth; but that is not "
the cafe with Ruffia, where all the inland pro-
vinces are fo poor, that they are fcarcely acquaint-
ed with thofe figns that have been univerfally
agreed upon to anfwer every article of commerce.
THE trade which the Ruffians have opened with
China, Perfia, Turkey, and Poland, confifts prin-
cipally in furs, fuch as ermine, fables, white wolves,
and black foxes (kins, which all come from Siberia.
Some fkins that are remarkably fine, which have
long gloiTy hair, of a Ipca^tiful colour, or
happen
t34 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K happen to be particularly pleafing to the buyci
* v i fell ad a moft extravagant price. Thefe brancht
of commerce might become more coniiderable
and be extended to other objects.
BUT the greateft demand for the produce of tf
country will always be on the fide of the Balti<
It feldom paries through the hands of the Ruffij
merchants. They commonly 'want (kill, ftock, cre-
dit, and liberty. The import and export of
commodities is tranfaeted by foreign houfes.
No country is fo happily fituated for extendii
its commerce. Almoft all its rivers are navigable
Peter the Great improved this natural advant;
by the affiftance of art, and ordered canals to be a
to join thofe rivers together. The moft imports
of them are finifhed; others are not quite complet
cd> and fome are only planned. Such is the grar
project of joining the Cafpian Sea to the Euxint
by digging a canal from the Tanais to the Woh
UNFORTUNATELY thefe means, which rend(
the circulation of all commodities fo eaiy in tl
interior parts of RufTia, and fo much facilitate
intercourfe with all parts of the globe, are mac
ufelefs by thofe reftraints which are not to be u
mounted by induftry.
THE government have refervcd to thernfelv
O
the privilege of buying and felling the moft vali
ble productions of the country ; and, as long
this monopoly continues, trade will not be carri<
on with any degree of honefty or fpirit.
abolition of this deftructive monopoly would
-tribute to public profperity, but that alone won]
not be fufficient, without the reduction of the arn
, IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 55
WHEN Peter I. came to the crown, the military B V ^. K
in Ruffia confifted only of 40,000 Strelits, undif- v^-^-w
ciplined and ferocious men, who had no courage
but againft the people whom they oppreffed, and
againft the fovereign, whom they depofed or
murdered at pleafure. This great prince dif-
banded thofe feditious troops, and eftablifhed an
army, modelled after thofe of the other ftates in
Europe.
NOTWITHSTANDING the goodnefs of its troops,
Ruffia is, of all the different powers, that f which
ought to be the moft cautious of entering into a
war. The defire of acquiring an influence in the
affairs of Europe fhould never tempt the Ruffians
far from their own frontiers j they could not act
without fubfidies, and it would be the higheft ab-
furdity for a nation, that has but fix perfons to a
league fquare, ever to think of engaging in foreign
fervice, Nor fliould they be excited to hoftilities
by the defire of enlarging their dominions, which
are already too extenfive. Ruiiia will never reap
the benefit of the labours of the Czar, and form a
compact flatc, or become an enlightened amj
flourifhing nation 4 unlefs it renounces the rage of*
conqueft, to apply folely to the a"rts of peace.
None of its neighbours can compel it to depart
from this falutary fyftem.
ON the north fide, the empire is better guarded
by the frozen fea, than it would be by fquadrons
and fortreffes..
To the Eail, a fingle battalion and two field
pieces would difpcrfe all the hords of Tartars
that fhould attempt to rnpleft them.
SHOULD
336 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K SHOULD Perfia ever again become powerful
< .-,.-. .1 enough to make any attempts againft this empire,
they would be rendered ineffectual by the Calpian
Sea, and by thofe immenfe deferts which feparat
that country from Rufiia.
To the South, the Turks have at prefent loi
their power; and the war would be equally detri-
mental to the conquered or the conquering party,
on account of the fpot where it mufl be carried on.
To the Weft, the Ruffians have nothing to fe;
from the Poles, who never had any fortified towns,
nor troops, nor revenue, nor government, am
have hardly any territory left.
SWEDEN has loft all that made her formidable ;
and, without doubt, may even be deprived of Fin-
land, whenever it fhould fuit the intereft of tl
court of Peter/burgh.
SHOULD the genius of Frederick, which no\
ferves as a counterpoife in the North to the fora
of Mufcovy, defcend to his fucceffors, it is not
likely that the ambition of Brandenburgh fhoul
ever turn towards Ruffia. Thofe monarchs coulc
never venture an atta-ckupon that empire, withoi
turning their forces alfb towards Germany ; am
this would necelTariJy divide their ftrength in fucj
a manner, that it could not act with efficacy,
THE refult of thefe difcuffions is, that it is foi
the true intereft of Ruffia to reduce her lane
forces, and poffibly her navy alfo.
THE fmall connections of that empire with th<
reft of Europe were wholly carried on by lane
when 'the Englifh, in feeking a paffage to the
Indies by the northern feas, difcpvered the port
Archangel,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 337
Archangel. Sailing up the Dwina, they came to B v K>
Mofcow, and there laid the foundation of a new u -^J
trade.
RUSSIA had as yet no other communication with
her neighbours but by this port, when Peter I.
invited the traders who frequent the White Sea to
come to the Baltic, and endeavoured to procure a
more extenfive and advantageous mart for the pro-
ductions of his empire. His creative genius foon
enlarged his views. He was ambitious of making
his country become a maritime power, and fta-
tioned his fleets at Cronftadt, which is a harbour
to Peterfburg.
THE fea is not broad enough before the mouth
of the harbour. The fhips that are coming in are
forcibly driven by the impetuofity of the Neva
upon the dangerous coafts of Finland. The way
to it is through a channel fo full of breakers, that
they cannot be avoided unlefs the weather is re-
markably fine. The Ihips foon rot in the harbour.
The failing of the iqnadrons is greatly retarded by
the ice. There is no getting out but by an eafterly
wind ; and the wefterly winds blow in thofe lati-
tudes the greateft part of the fummer. Another in-
convenience is, that the dock-yards are at Peterf-
burg, from whence the fhips cannot get to Cron-
iladt, without pafllng over a very dangerous flat
that lies in the middle of the river.
IF Peter I. had not had that partiality which
great men have, as well as others, for their own
plans, he might eafily have been made fenfible that
fronftadt and Petersburg are improper places for
the
<2 3 S HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADfi
B o^o K (fog nava l forces of Ruffia, and that it is in vahi td
K. -y- / expect that art fhould remove every natural difad-
vantage. He would have given the preference to
Revel, which is much fitter for the purpofe. Per-
haps too, his own reflections would have led hin
to confider that the nature of his empire was m
calculated for that Ipecies of power.
RUSSIA has but few fea-coafts j moft of them ai
not peopled ; and no navigation will ever be car-
ried on, unlefs there fhould be a change of govern-
ment. Where then will officers be found capable
of commanding men of war ?
PETER I., however, found means to form a navy.
Apaffion, which nothing could controul, made hir
furmount obftacles which were thought to be in-
vincible 5 but this he did with more parade thai
utility. If ever his fucceffors are earneflly intent
to promote the good of their empire, they wil
forego the vain glory of difplaying their flag ii
diftant latitudes, where they have no trade to pro-
tect, as theirs is all carried on upon their owi
coafts, and only by foreign merchants. Whe
the Ruffians thus change their fyftem, they will
the needlefs expence of thirty-fix or forty men
war, and will be fatisfied with their galleys, whi<
are fufficient for their defence, and would evei
enable them to attack all the powers on the Baltic
if it fhould be neceffary.
THESE galleys are of different rates : fome ai
fitted for cavalry, but a greater number for infa
try./ As the troops themlelves, who are taught
manage die oar, compofe the crew } the galleys ar
an
. IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. ^
armed without expence or delay. The anchor is B K
dropped every night, and the troops land where - -v
they are leaft expected.
WHEN the landing is effected, the troops draw
the galleys afhore, and form a kind of intrench-
ment with them. Part of the army are left as a
guard, and the reft difperfe about the country that
they intend to lay under contribution. When thp
expedition is over, they reimbark, and renew their
plunders in other places. Experience has fhewit
how much may be done by thefe armaments.
THE changes we have fuggefted are indifpenf-
ably neceffary to render Ruffia a fiouriihing ftate ;
but this is not the only thing required. To infure
the continuance of her profperity, fome (lability
Tnufl be given to the order of the fucceflion. The
crown of Ruffia was long hereditary; iPeter I. made
it patrimonial ; and it became elective at the laft
revolution. But every nation would wifli to know
upon what right its government is eftabliflied ; and
the claim that has the greateft effect upon the peo-
ple is birth-right. When this evident mark- of
fucceflion is removed from the eyes of the multi-
tude, univerfal revolt and dilTcntion prevail.
BUT it is not enough to give the people a
fovereign whom they cannot refufe to acknow-
ledge : that fovereign muft make them happy ; and
this can never be done in Ruffia, till the form of
government is changed.
CIVIL flavery is the condition of every fubject
in the empire, who is not noble : they are all at
the difpolal of their barbarous mafters, as catrie
are in other countries. Amongft thefe Haves, none
are
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
1 K. an
V.
BOOK are f o jj] u f e d as thofe who till the ground ; thofc
valuable men, whofe eafe, happinefs, and freedom,
have been celebrated with iuch enthufiafm in hap-
pier climates.
POLITICAL flavery is the lot of the whole natioi
fince the fovereigns have eftablifhed arbitn
power. Among the fubjec~bs who are confiderc
as free, not one can be morally certain of tl
fafety of his perfon, the property of his fortum
or even of his liberty, which may at any time
taken away, .except in fome cafes previoufly det(
mined by law.
EUROPE has long been entertained with tl
proje6t of a code of laws preparing for Rui
The great princels, who now governs that ei
pire, well knew, that the people themfelves mi
approve the .laws they are to obey, that th(
may reverence and value them as their own worl
and thus addreffed the deputies from all the citi(
of her vafl empire : My children^ confider
with me, the interefts of the nation \ let us tc
ther draw up a body of laws, which may eftablijt
public felicity upon a permanent bafis. But
are laws without magiftrates ? What are mat
ftrates, whofe fentence the defpot may revei
according to his own caprice, and even pui
them for pafllng it ?
UNDER fuch a government, no tie can fubl
between the members and their head. ' If
is always formidable to them, they are
kfs fo to him. The flrength he exerts to
prefs them, is no other than their own unii
ftrength turned againft themfelves. Defpair,
nobl
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.' ? 2
nobler fentiment, may every moment turn it B v
againft him. .. -,..
THE refpedl due to the memory of fo great
Iman as Peter I. ought not to prevent us from
declaring that his talents did not enable him at
one view to difcover every requinte necefiary to
form a well-conftituted ftate. He was naturally
a man of genius, and had been infpired with a
love of glory. This paffion made him active,
patient, affiduous, indefatigable, and capable of
conquering every difficulty which nature, igno-
rance, cuftom, or obftinacy, could oppofe to pre-
vent the fuccefs of thefe enterprizes. With thefe
virtues, and the foreign aids he called in, he fuc-
ceeded in eftablifhing an army, a fleet, and a fea-
port. He made feveral regulations necefTary for
the profecution of his great projects ; but though
he has been generally extolled as a lawgiver, he
only enacted two or three laws, and thole bear a
ftamp of a favage difpoiition. He never proceeded
fo far as to combine the happinefs of his people
with his own perfonal greatnefs. After his noble
inftitutions, his people ^were as wretched as ever,
and ilill 'groaned under poverty, flavery, and op-
preffion. He never relaxed in any one inftance his
arbitrary power, but rather made it more oppref-
five j and bequeathed to his fuccefTors that deteft-
able and pernicious idea, that the fubjecls are no-
thing, and that the fovereign is all*
SINCE his death, it has been repeatedly averted
that the nation was not yet fufficiently enlightened
to receive any benefit from being made free. But
let flatteringcourtiers and falie minifters learn, that
VOL. II. R liberty
i*z HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND
B v K liberty is the birth-right of all men ; that every
well-regulated fociety ought to be directed to the
general good ; and that it is power obtained by
unlawful means which has deprived the great
part of the globe of this natural advantage.
CATHERINE, who feems to have afcended
throne with an ambition for great actions, begii
to be fenfible, that ravages committed in the
ferts of Moldavia, and in fome defencelefs iflanc
bought with the lives of two or three hundi
thoufand men, will not endear her name to
terity. She is labouring to inftil notions of libei
into a people fbupiried by flavery ; but it is doul
ful whether Ihe will fucceed with the prefe
generation.
WITH regard to the next, perhaps, the b<
method would be, to chufe out one of the m(
fertile provinces of the empire, to erect hat
tations there, and to fupply them with all
implements of hufbandry, and to allot a porri<
of land to each houfe. It would then be pi
per -to invite free men from civilized countri<
to give them the entire property of the hoi
and lands prepared for them, to fecure to then
fubfiltence for three years, and to have them
verned by a chief who has no property in the coui
try. A toleration fhould be granted to all religior
and confequently private and domeftic wori
ihould be allowed, but no public form- of we
be eftablifhed.
FROM thence the feeds of liberty would fpread
over the empire : the adjacent countries would fee
the happinefs of thefe colon-ills, and wilh to be as
happy
7
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 243
happy as they. Were I to be caft among favages, B v K
I would not bid them build huts to fhelter them < ^- *
from the inclemency of the weather -, they would
only laugh at me ; but I would build one myfelf.
When the fevere feafon carne on, I fhould enjoy the
benefit of my forefight -, the favage would fee it,
and next year he would imitate me. It is the fame
with an enflaved nation ; we are not to bid them
be free ; but we are to lay before their eyes the
iweets of liberty, and they will wifh for them.
I WOULD by no means impofe upon my colomfts
the burden of the firft expences I had incurred on
their account ; much lefs would I entail the pre-
tended debt upon their offspring. This would be
falfe and inhuman policy. Is not a ftate fufficiently
rewarded bya man of twenty, twenty-five, or thirty-
years of age, who voluntarily devotes his perfon,
his ftrength, his talents, and his life, to the fervice
of the public ? Muft he pay a rent likewife for the
prefent he makes ? When he becomes opulent, he
may be confidered as a fubjeft, but not till the
third or fourth generation, if the project is meant
to fucceed, and if the people are to be brought to
that condition, the advantages of which they have
had time to be acquainted with.
IN this new arrangement, where the interefts
of the monarch will be blended with thofe of the
fubjecl, in order to ftrengthen Ruflia, fhe muft
aim lefs at glory, and facrifice the influence fhe has
aflumed over the general affairs of Europe. Peterf-
burg, which has improperly been made a capital,
nnuft be reduced to a meer commercial flaple;
and the feat of government transferred to the
R 2 heart
244 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
v K heart of the empire. It is from fuch a center oi
< ^- 1 dominion, that a wife fovereign, acquainted with
the wants and refources of his people, will effec-
tually labour to unite the detached parts of that
large empire. From the fuppreflion of every kind
of Ilavery will fpring up a middle ftate among
the people, without which, neither arts, manne.
nor learning, ever exifted in any nation.
TILL this is accomplilhed, the court of Ru
will endeavour in vain to enlighten the nation,
inviting famous men from all countries. T
exotics will perifh there, as foreign plants do
our green-houfes. In vain will they erect fch
and academies at Petersburg ; in vain will t
I fend pupils to Paris and to- Rome, to be train
up under the- beft mafters. Thofe young men,)
90 their return from their travels, will be forced
to neglect their talents, and embrace an inferior]
ftation to procure a fubfiftence. In all under-
takings, much depends upon the firft fteps we
take j and the firft ftep is certainly to encouragg
mechanic arts, and the lower claffes of men.
we learn to till the ground, to drefs fkins,
manufacture our wool, we fhall foon fee weal
families fpring up. From thefe will arile c
dnen, who, not chufmg to follow the labori
profeflions of their fathers, will begin to thi
to converfe, to write, and to imitate nature;
then we fhall have ghilolbphers, orators,
painters, and ftatuaries. Their productions
be fought after by rich men, and they will p
chafe them. As long as men are in want, they
will work, and continue their labour till their
wants
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES,
wants are fatisfied. Then they become indo-
lent, and unable to employ their time j and thus
the finer arts are in all places the offspring of
genius and indolence, for men fly to them when
they have no other refources.
IF we attend to the progrefs of fociety, we
lhall find hufbandmen plundered by robbers; thefe
hufbandmen felect a few from among themfelves
to oppofe the robbers, and thus they commence
foldiers. Whilit fome are reaping, and the reft
upon guard, fome perfons looking on fay to
the labourers and foldiers, You feem to be hard
at work ; if you that are hufbandmen will feed
us, and you that are foldiers will defend us,
we will beguile your labours with our fongs and
dances. Hence the origin of the troubadour,
or bard, and of the man of fcience. In, pro-
i cefs of time, the latter is fometimes joined with
he chief againfl the people, and fings the praiies
f tyranny; fometimes with the people againft
he tyrant, and then he fings the praifes of li-
berty. \Vhichever part he takes, he becomes in
ime a citizen of confequence.
LET us attend to the ufual progrefs of na-
:ure, and indeed it would be in vain to depart
rom it. We fhall find all our efforts ineffec-
ual, and every thing tending to decay around
is ; we fhall be nearly in the fame barbarous ftate,
rom which we endeavoured to extricate our-
elves; nor lhall we be able to effect this, till
bme events occafion an imperfect police to be
ftablifhed, whofe progrefs at moft can only be
ccelerated by foreign afliftance. This is all we
R 3 can
*4<5 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K can reafonably expect, and we muft continue to
^ i cultivate our land.
IN this we fhall find another advantage, which
is, that the arts and fciences of our own growth
will gradually advance towards perfection, and
fhall be originals ; whereas, if we copy foreij
models, we fhall be ignorant of the caufe of th<
perfection, and we fhall never be any thing m<
than imperfect imitators.
THE picture we have here ' drawn of Rul
may be thought to be an improper digrefFit
but, perhaps, this is the time to form a ris
cftimate of a power, which, for fome years
has acted fo confpicuous and dillinguilhed a pi
Let us now enquire into the connections otl
European nations have formed with China.
Comee- INDUSTRY prevails among the Chinefe m<
tionj of i-i
the Euro- than among any other people in tne world ;
cbba!*' 1 haps, indeed, it is the only country in which
fhat'em- ^ e P er ^ on can De found. Though the art
pjf e e ^ ith printing is known there, and general educatu
it/twdc. carefully attended to, yet the Chinefe cannot
either a capital building or a beautiful flat
or any elegant compofitions in poetry or pi
they have no mufic nor painting ; nor have
any of that kind of knowledge, which a man
reflection, and even unconnected with fociet
might by his own induftry carry to a great
gree of perfection. As their cuftoms allow
no emigration, and as the empire is extremely
populous, their labours are confined to the ne-
* ceflaries of life. More profit attends the inven-
tion of the moft trifling ufeful art, than is ck-
rh
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 247
rived from the moft fublime difcovery which is B v K
only an exertion of genius. A man, who can turn ^ y '
the cuttings of gauze to fome ufe, is more efteemed
than one who can folve the moft difficult pro-
blem. In this country it is a queftion ftill more
frequently afked than among ourfelves, What is
t'be ufe of this? The apprehenfion of a fcarcity
fills the mincl of every citizen with anxiety : they
all exert their utmoft endeavours, and lofe no
time in endeavouring to prevent it. Private in-
tereft is the fecret or open fpring of all the
actions of the Chinefe. They muft therefore ne-
cefTarily be addicted to lying, fraud, and theft j
nd muft be mean, felfifh, and covetous.
AN European, who buys filks at Canton, is
cheated in the quantity, quality, and price. The
goods are carried on board j where the difhonefty
of the Chinefe merchant is foon detected. When
he comes for his money, the European tells him,
Chinefe, thou haft cheated me. That may be,
replies the Chinefe, but you muft pay. But, fays
the European, thou art a rogue, a fcoundrel, a
wretch, European, anfwers the Chinefe, that
may be, but I muft be paid. The European
pays i the Chinefe takes his- money, and fays at
parting, What has thy anger availed thee ? what
advantage haft thou obtained by thy abufe of
me ? would it not have been much better to have
paid at once, and have been filent ? Wherever
men are hardened to infults, and are not afhamed
of dilhonefty, the empire may be very well
governed, but the morals of the people muft be
very bad.
R 4 THIS
248 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K THIS difpofition for gain made the Chinefe re-
< * nounce the ufe of gold and filver coin in their in-
land trade. They were forced to this by the great
increafe of coiners, and were reduced to the nc
cefiity of ufmg only copper money.
COPPER becoming fcarce, though hiftory
not informed us by what means, thofe fhells wer<
afterwards brought into ufe, fo well known
the name of cowries. The government, having
obferved that the people grew diiTatisfied with
fo brittle a commodity in lieu of coin, ordered
that all copper veffels in the empire fhould
brought to the mint. This ill-judged expediei
proving inefficient to anfwer the demands of tl
public, ,about four hundred temples of the
Fo were ordered to be demoliihed, and all
idols melted down. After this, the court r.
the magiftrates and the army, partly in coppe
and partly in paper currency. The people we
fo exafperated at thefe dangerous innovations,
the government was obliged to drop them. Frc
that time, which was three hundred years
copper coin is the only legal money.
NOTWITHSTANDING the felf-interefted difp
tion of the Chinefe, their foreign connections. \\
for a long time but fmall. Their referved bel
viour with other people proceeded from the coi
tempt they had for them. They grew defirc
however, of frequenting the neighbouring por
and the Tartar government, lefs folicitous to
ferve the ancient manners than the former go^
ment was, favoured this means of increaling
wealth of the nation. Voyages were openly un-
dertaken,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
dertaken, which before were only tolerated by the
interefted governors of the maritime provinces.
A people fo famed for their wifdom could not
fail of meeting with a favourable reception where-
ever they went. They took advantage of the
high opinion other nations entertained of their
tafte, to recommend the commodities they had
to difpofe of; and their activity exerted itleif on
the continent as well as by lea.
CHINA at prefent trades with Corea, which is
fuppoled to have been originally peopled with
Tartars. It has certainly often been conquered
by them, and has been fometimes fubjedt to, fome-
times independent of, theChinelej to whom it
now pays tribute. Here they carry china-ware,
tea, and filks ; and in return bring home hemp
and cotton, and an ordinary fort of ginfeng.
THE Tartars, who may be confidered as foreign-
ers, purchaie of the Chinefe woollen fluffs, rice,
tea, and tobacco, for which they give them fheep,
oxen, furs, and chiefly ginfeng. This ihrub grows
only upon the hlgheft mountains, in the thickeft
foK-ils, and about craggy rocks. The ftem is fome-
wl;at hairy, ftraight, round, and of a deep red, ex-
cept towards the bottom, where it becomes whitifh.
It grows to the height of about eighteen inches.
Towards the top, it throws out branches which
bear oblong leaves, that are final 1, woolly, jagged,
of a dark green on the,upper fide, and whitifn and
gloiiy on the back. The age of the Ihrub is known
by the fhoots, and its value increafes in proportion
to its age. The virtues of the ginieng are many ; but
it is generally allowed to be a flrengthener of the
ftomach,
\
150 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
I o o K ftomach, a purifier of the blood. The Chinefe are
v^-^-^j fo fond of it, that they never think they can pay
too dear for it. The government lends out ten
thoufand Tartar foldiers every year to gather this
plant j and every one is obliged to bring home two
ounces of the beft ginfeng gratis, and for the reft
they are paid its weight in filver. Private perfons
are not allowed to gather it. This odious prohibi-
tion does not prevent them. If they did not break
this unjuft law, they would not be able to pay for
the commodities they buy in the empire, and con-
fequently muft fubmit to the want of them.
WE have already taken notice of the trade of
China with the Ruffians. ^A.t prefent it is of little
confequence, but it may and muft become con-
fiderable.
THE trade China carries on with the inhabitants
of Lefs Bucjiaria coniifts only in exchanging its tea,
tobacco, and woollen cloth, for the gold duft thefe
people find in their ftreams when the fnow begins
to melt. If ever thofe favages learn to work the
mines that their mountains abound with, their con-
nections, which are now fo few, will foon increafe,
and it is impofli ble tp determine how far they may
fae extended.
THE empire of China is parted from the Mog
dominions, and other parts of India, by fan
mountains, and rocks, which prevent all co
munication ; their inland trade is, therefore,
contracted, that it does not exceed eight of nine
millions *. That which they carry on by fea is
more confiderable.
* On an avenge, about 372,000!.
IT
gur
i
IN THE EAST A^D WEST INDIES.
IT is fupported by their filks, their tea, their B v
china, and Tome articles of le/s confequence. Japan v v
pays the Chinefe in copper and gold j the Philip-
pine ifiands, with piaftres ; Batavia, with pepper
and other fpices; Siam, with woods for dying,
and with varnifh ; Tonquin, with filk j and Co*
chinchina, with fugar and gold. All thefe feve-
ral articles together may amount to thirty mil-
lions*, and employ a hundred and fifty velTels. The
Chinefe get at leaft cent, per cent, upon them, of
which Cochinchina pays half. Their correfpondents
in moft of the towns they trade with are defcendents
of their own countrymen, who fled from China
when the Tartars made thcmfelves matters of it.
THE trade of China, which is not carried on to
the north beyond Japan, nor to the eaft beyond
the (freights of Malacca and of Sunda, would pro-
bably have been extended, if the Chinefe fhip-
builders had not been fo wedded to their old cuf-
toms, and had condefcended to receive inftruclion
/rom the Europeans.
WHEN the Europeans firft appeared upon the
coafts of China, they were admitted equally into
all the ports. Their extreme familiarity with the
women, the'ir haughtinefs with the men, and re-
peated acts of infult and indifcretion, foon deprived
them of that privilege ; and now they are only
fuffered to put in at Canton, the fouthernmoit har-
bour of the empire.
THE city of Canton is fituated on the banks of"
the Tigris, a large river, which on one part com-
municates with the remoteft provinces by means of
* 1,312,500!.
fcveral
252 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK feveral canals, and on the other admits the largeft
\^^-~j {hips to come up to its walls. Formerly the French
fhips were to be leen there with the Chinefe vef-
fels ; but now all European fhips are obliged to
anchor at Hoaung-pon, four leagues from the city.
It is not clear, whether the Chinefe were induced
to take this precaution from the fear of being fur-
prifed, or whether it was a contrivance of men in
power for their own private mtereil. The mii-
truftful and rapacious difpofition of the Chincle
authorifes both thefe conjectures,
THIS regulation did not affecb the failors thcm-
felves i they Mill enjoyed in Canton all the freedom
that is confident with public tranquillity. They were
naturally inclined to make an improper ufe of this
indulgence, and they loon grew tired of the cir-
cumfpec~iion which is requifite under a government
fo much addicted to ceremony. They were pu-
nifhed for their imprudence, and forbidden all ac-
cefs to men in power. The magiflrate, wearied out
with their perpetual complaints, would no longer,
hear them but through the channel of interpreters
who were dependent on the Chinefe merchants.-
All Europeans were ordered to refide in one par-,-
ticular part of the town, that was allotted to them.-
None were exempted but fuch as could procure a.
perfon who would be anfwerable for their goodi
behaviour. The reftraints were made frill more
grievous in 1760, The court, being informed by the;
Englifh, that trade laboured under great difficulties,
fent commifTaries from Pekin, who were bribed by-
trie parties accufed. Upon the report made by,
theie partial men, all the Europeans were con-
fined
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 253
O O K
V.
fined in a few houfes, where they could only trade
with fuch merchants as -had an exclufive privilege. v_^_^
This monopoly has lately been abolifhed, but the
other reftraintsftill continue the fame'.
THESE mortifications have not induced us to re-
linquifh the trade to China. We continue to get
from thence tea, china, raw filk, manufactured
filks, varnifh, paper, and fome other articles.
THE tea-plant is a fhrub about as high as our TheEur0 '
peans luv
pomegranate or myrtle. It is propagated by feeds> traacchma.
which are fown in holes three or four inches deep.
No, part of it is ufed but the leaves; which it
bears in abundance at three years old, but a lefs
quantity at feven. It is then cut down to the Item
to- obtain the fhcots, every one of which bears
nearly as many leaves as a whole fhrub.
TEA is cultivated in moft provinces of China,
but is not equally good every where; though care
is always taken to place it in a fouthern afpect and
in valleys. The tea that grows in Itony ground is
far preferable to that which grows in a light foil,
but the worn: fort is that which is produced in a
oJjyifn ground.
- THE different degree o,'" perfection in tea doe
not arife merely from the difference of foil ; but
chieMy from the feafon in which it is gathered.
THE tea is gathered in March, w r hen the leaves
are yet fmall, tender, and delicate ; and this is
called Imperial Tea, becaufe it is chiefly referved
for the ufe of the court and people of rank. The
fecond time of gathering it is in April ; the leaves
are then larger and more fpread, but of lefs qua-
lity than the firft. The lalt and word kind of tea
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
is gathered in May. It is all clofely packed up in
chefts made of a coarie kind of tin, that the air
may not get at it, which would fpoil its flavour.
TEA is the common drink of the Chinefe ; and;
was not introduced among them through vain ca-
price!, Almoft throughout the empire, the water
is unwholefome and naufeous. Of all the methods
that were tried to improve it, none fucceeded fo
well as tea. Upon trial it was thought to be en-
dued with many virtues, and extolled as an excel-
lent diflblvent, a purifier of the blood, a flrength*
ener of the head and ftomach, and a promoter of
digeftion and perfpiration.
THE high opinion which the Europeans, who
firft went into China } conceived of its inhabitants,
induced them to adopt the high, though, perhaps,
Exaggerated opinion the Chinefe had of tea. We
caught' the enthufiafm j and it has gone on in-
creafing in the North of Europe and America,
where the air is thick and loaded with vapours.
WHATEVER may be the influence of prejudice in
general, yet it muft be allowed, that tea produces
ibme good effects in thofe countries where the ufe
of it is univerfally adopted : but thefe effects can-
not be fo great any where as in China. We know
the Chinefe referve the beft tea for themfelves, and
adulterate that intended for exportation, by mixing
with it other leaves, which referable thofe of tea
in fhape, but may not have the fame properties.
We know too, that, fince the exportation has been
fo great, they are not fo curious in the choice of
the foil, nor fo careful in the preparing of it.
Our manner of ufmg it may likewife contribute to
leflen
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
leflen its virtues. We drink it too hot and too
ftrongi we put in a great deal of fugar, frequently
perfumes, and fometimes pernicious liquors. Be-
fides all this, its being conveyed fo far by fea is
alone fufEcient to exhauft moft of its falubrious
i'alts.
WE fhall never be able to determine exactly the
virtues of tea, till it is tranfplanted into our own
climates. We began to defpair of fuccefs, though
the experiments had been only made with feed,
ijand of a bad fort too. At laft a tree has been
brought over, the ftem of which meafured fix
; inches ; and it has been put into the hands of Lin-
mzus, the moft celebrated botanift in Europe. He
has found means to preferve it, and thinks he fhall
jbe able to propagate it in open air, even in Swe*
den, fmce it thrives in the northern parts of China,
jit will be a very great advantage to us, if we can
cultivate a plant, which can never fuffer fo much
;by change of foil, as by growing mufty in the long
voyage it muft undergo in being brought from
.jibroad. It is not long fmce we had as little pro-
ject of attaining to the art of making porce-
I Iain.
SOME years ago there were in the collection of eEu-
^ J . peans buf
j Count Caylus two or three little fragments of a porcelain \u
fe fuppofed to be Egyptian, which being care-
fully analyfed proved to be unglazed porcelain. If
j:hat learned man is not miftaken, or has not been
"nifinformed, the making of porcelain was known
\n the rlourifliing days of ancient Egypt. But,
vithout fome more authentic monuments than the
Allegation of a fingie fact, we muft not deprive
China
256 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK. China of this, invention, where the arc has been
i^^ . _f known for a longer time than we can trace.
EGYPT is luppoied by many to have the pre-
eminence in point of antiquity, both in regard to
its foundation, and to laws, fciences, and arts, in
general, though perhaps China may have as good
a claim. Nor can it be certainly determined, whe- j
ther thefe two empires are not equally ancient, and
have not received all their focial inftitutions from '*
a people inhabiting the vail region that divide* I
them ? Whether the favage inhabitants of the great
mountains of Ana, after wandering about
many ages on the continent that forms the cen
of our hemifphere, have not infenilbly dilper:
themfelves towards the coafts of the feas that f\
ropnd it, and formed themfelves into feparate
tjons in China, India, Perfia, and Egypt ? \V
ther the fucceiiive floods, which may have h
pened in that part of the world, may not have i
eloied and confined them to thole regions full
mountains and deferts ? Thefe conjectures are
foreign to the hiftory of commerce, which in
ture times mull greatly tend to illufcrate the gen
ral hiftory of the human race, of the feveral fet
ments they have formed, of their opinions,
inventions of every kind.
THE art of making porcelain is, if not one
the moil wonderful, at leailone of the moft pi
ing that men have ever dilcovered ; it is the
neis of luxury, which is preferable to its ma
licence.
: PORCELAIN- is an earthen ware of the moft per-
fect kind. It varies in colour, texture, andtranf-
6 parency.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 257
parency. Tranfparency, indeed, is not effential to
it, for there is a great deal of very fine porcelain
which has not this quality.
IT is ufually covered with white or coloured
varnifli. This varnilri is merely a layer of melted
glafs, which muft never be completely tranfparent.
This is ftiled glazed porcelain, and is properly
what we call china ; the unglazed is diftinguifhed
by the name of porcelain bifcuit. This is intrin-
fically as good as the other, but is neither fo ele-
gant, fo bright, nor fo beautiful.
THE word earthen-ware is well adapted to por-
celain, becaufe, as all other earthen ware, the fub-
ftance of it is pure earth, without any alteration
from art but the mere diviiion of its parts. No
metallic or faline fubftance whatever muft enter in-
to its compoiition, not even in the glazing, which
muft be made of fubftances nearly, if not altoge-
ther, as fimple.
THE beft porcelain, and commonly the clofeft,
is that which is made of the fimpleft materials,
fuch as a vitrifiable ftone, and a pure and white
clay. On this laft fubftance depend the clofenefs
and compactnefs of porcelain, and indeed of ear th-
en- ware in general.
THE connoifleurs divide the china that comes
from Afia into fix clafles j the fronted china, the
old white, the Japan, the Chinefe, the Chinefe
japan, and the Indian. Thefe feveral appellations
rather denote a difference that ftrikes the eye than
a real diftinftion.
THE trouted china, which no doubt is called
fo from the refemblance it bears to the fcales of a
VOL. II, S trout,
* HISTORY OF 1 SETTLEMENTS AND TKAD
v K trout > fems to be the moft ancient, and favours
v ' moft of the infancy of the art. It has two imper-
fections. The pafte is always veiy brown, and
the furface appears full of cracks. Thefe cracks
are not only in the glazing, but in the porcelain it-
felf ; and therefore this fort has but a fmall degr
of tranfparcncy, does not found well, is very brit-
tle, and bears the fire better than any other. Tc
hide thefe cracks, it is painted with a variety of c<
lours : in this kind of ornameht confifts its on!
value. The facility with which Count Lauragai
has imitated it, has convinced us that it is only
imperfect fort of porcelain.
THE old white is certainly very beautiful, wh<
ther we confider only the glazing, or examine tf
bifcuit. This is very valuable porcelain, but vei
fcarcc, and but little ufed. The pafte of it feei
to be extremely fhort, and fit only for fmall vafe
figures, and other ornamental china. It is fold
trade for japan, though it is certain that fome vei
fine of the fame kind is made in China. It is
two different hues ; the one a perfect cream-c<
lour, the other a hlueifh white, which makes
look more transparent. The glazing leems to
more incorporated into this laft. This fort hi
been attempted at St, Cloud, and fome pieces hai
been produced that looked very beautiful > bi
thofe who have narrowly examined them, have fa
they were no better than frit or lead, and woi
not bear a comparifon.
THE japan is not fo eafily diftinguifhed as:
people imagine from the fined of the fort made in
China. A connoifleur, whom we have confulted,
7 pretends
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 259
pretends that in general the glazing of the true ja- B v K
pan is whiter, and has lefs of the blueifh caft, than -v *
the porcelain of China, that the ornaments are laid
on with lefs profnfion, that the blue is brighter,
and the patterns and flowers not fo whimfical, and
better copied from nature. His opinion feems to be
confirmed by the teftimony of fome writers, who
tell us, that the Chinefe who trade to Japan bring
home fome pieces of china that make more fhow
than their own, but are not fo folid ; and that they
ferve to ornament their apartments, but they never
ufe them, becaufe they will not bear the fire well.
All china glazed with coloured varnifh, whether
fea-green, blueifh, or purple, he believes to be Chi-
nefe. All the japan brought into Europe comes
from the Dutch, who are the only Europeans that
are fuffered to come into that empire. Poflibly they
may have picked it out of the porcelains brought
hither every year by the Chinefe, or they may
have purchafed it at Canton. In either cafe, the
diftinftion between the porcelain of Japan and that
of China would not be founded on fact, but merely
on prejudice. From this opinion it is plain, that
what is fold here for japan is very fine china.
THERE is lefs doubt about what we call porce-
lain of China. The glazing has a bluer caft' than
that of Japan,, is more highly coloured, and the
patterns are more whimfical. The pafte is in gene-
ral whiter and more compact ; the grain finer and
clofer, and the china thinner. Amongft the feve-
ral forts made in China, there is one that is very
ancient; it is painted of a deep blue, a beautiful
red, or a green like verdigreafe, and is very coarle.,
S 2 very
o HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
o^o K very thick, and very heavy. Some of this is trou ted,
.-.,-.^ and the grain is often dry and brown. That which
is not trouted has a clear found, but both want
transparency. It is fold for old china, and the fineft
pieces are fuppofed to come from Japan. It was
originally a better fort of earthen-ware, rather than
a true porcelain; time and experience may have
improved it. It is grown more tranfparent, and
the colours being more carefully laid on, they look
brighter. The efiential difference between this and
ether china is, that this is made of afhorterpafte
and is very hard and folid. The pieces of this chin
have always at the bottom the marks of three or
four fupporters, which were put to prevent it
giving way in baking. By this contrivance, th
Chinefe have fucceeded in making very large pieces
of porcelain. Thofe that are not of this fort, an
which is called modern china, are of a longer pa
and finer grain, and are higher glazed, whiter
and clearer. They feldom have the marks of th
fupporters, and their tranfparency has nothin
glafly in it. All that is made with this pafte is eafil
turned, fo that it is vifible the workman's hand
glided over it, as over a fine fmooth clay. There i
an infinite variety of this fort of china, both as t
.form, colouring, workmanfhip, and price.
A FIFTH fort is what we call Chinefe japan, b
caufe it unites the ornaments of the porcelai
which is thought to come from Japan with th
that are rriore in the Chinefe tafte. Among t
kind of porcelain, there is fome that is ornament
with a very fine blue, with white fcrolls. The
glazing of this kind is remarkable for being a true
2 whi
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 261
white enamel, whereas that of the other forts is B v K
half tranfparent: for the Chinefe glazing is never < v
entirely fo.
THE colours in general are laid on in the fame
manner, both on the true china and the imitations
of it. The firft and moft lafting of them is the
blue that is extracted from fmalt, which is nothing*
more than the calx of cobalt. This colour is com-
monly laid on before the pieces are either glazed
or baked, fo that the glazing that is put on after-
wards ferves as a diffolvent. All the other colours,
and even the blue that enters into the compofition
on the pallet, are laid on over the glazing, and
muft firlt be mixed up and ground with a faline
fubfrance or calx of lead, that favours their ingrefs
into the glazing. It is a pretty common thing for
the Chinefe to colour the whole of the glazing ;
the colour is then laid on neither above nor below
it, but is incorporated into the glazing itfelf. Some
very extraordinary fanciful ornaments are made in
this manner. In whatever way the colours are ap-
plied, they are commonly extracted from cobalt,
gold, iron, mineral earths, and copper. That
which is extracted from copper is a very delicate
colour, and requires great care in the preparation.
ALL the forts of porcelain we have defcribed
are made at King-to-chin, an immenfe town in
the province of Kiamfi. This manufacture em-
ploys five hundred furnaces and a million of men.
It has been attempted to be made at Pekin and
other places of the empire \ but it has not fuc-
ceeded anywhere, though the fame workmen have
been employed^ and the fame materials made ufe
S 3 Of;.
262 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK o f. f that this branch of induftry is entirely given-
v^vl^. up, except in the neighbourhood of Canton,'
where the fort of porcelain is made that is known
amongLl us by the name of India china. The
pafte is long and yielding j but in general the co-
lours, efpecially the blue, and the red of mars,
are far inferior to what comes from Japan and the
interior parts of China. All the colours, except
the blue, ftand up in lumps, and are very badly
laid on. This is the only China that has purple,
which has given rife to that abfurd notion .of its
being painted in Holland. Moft of the cu[ s, and
plates, and other vefTels, our merchants bring
home, are of this manufacture, which is lefs
efteemed in China than our delft is in Europe.
ATTEMPTS have been made to introduce this art
into Europe. It has fucceeded beft in Saxony.
The porcelain that comes from this country is real
porcelain, and probably made with very fimple
materials, though prepared and mixed with more
art than in Afia. This curious preparation, to-i
gether with the fcarcity of the materials, is no
doubt what makes the Drefden porcelain fo dear.
As there is but one fort of pafte that comes from
that manufacture, it has been furmifed, and not
without fome degree of probability, that the Sax^
ons were only in pofieflion of their own fecret, and
by no means of the art of making china. What
feems to confirm this fufpicion is the great affinity
between the Saxon and other German porcelain,
which feems to be made in-on the fame principle*
HOWEVER this be, it is certain no poccelain is
higher glazed^ fmoother, better fhaped,. more pleaf-
ing
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 263
ing to the eye, or more folid and durable. It will B v K
refift a fierce fire much longer than many of the ' v '
forts made in China. The colours are finely dif-
pofed, and executed in a mafterly manner; none
are fo well adapted to the glazing; they are blend-
ed with great exactnefs ; they are bright, without
being fhaded and glazed, like thofe of moft of the
porcelain made at Sevre.
THE mention of this place reminds us that we
muft take notice of the porcelain made in France.
This, like the Englifh, is only made with frit; that
,5s, with ftones that are not fulible in themfelves,
but receive a beginning of fufion from the mixture
of a greater or lefs quantity of fait; and accordingly
it is more glafTy, of a loofer texture, and more brit-
tle than any other, That of Sevre, which is by far
the word of all, and always looks yellowilh and
dirty, which betrays the lead they put into the
glazing, has no other merit than what it derive?
from the excellence of the artifts that are employ-
ed for the patterns and penciling. Thefe great
mafters have difplayed fo much tafle in the execu-
tion of fome of the pieces, that they will be the ad-
miration of pofterity ; but in itfelf this ware will
never be but an object of tafte, luxury, and ex-
pence. The fupporters will always be a principal
caufe of its dearnefs,
ALL porcelain, when it receives the laft effect of
the fire, is actually in a Hate that has a tendency to
fufion, is foft and pliable, and might be worked
like red-hot iron. There is none but what will
bend and give way when it is in that ftate. If the
pieces, when they are turned, are thicker, or pro-
S 4 jc6t
)E
nereft
?
264 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K J e< ^ more on one fide than another, the ftrongeft
L -v will infallibly bear away the weakeft -, they will
warp to that fide, and the piece is fpoiled. This in-
convenience is prevented, by propping it up with
bits of porcelain made of the fame pafte, of diffe-
rent fhapes, which are applied under or to the parts
that project, and are moft in danger of being warp-
ed. As all porcelain (hrinks in baking, the pro]
mufl alfo be made of fuch materials as will yield ii
the fame degree exactly as the pafte they are in-
tended to fupport. As the different paftes do not
fhrink equally, it follows that the props muft b*
made of the fame pafte as the piece they fupport.
THE fofter the china is, and the more inclining
to vitrification, the more it wants to be proppc
up. This is the great fault of the Sevre china .
the pafte is very coftly, and frequently more of il
IB wafted in props, than is employed in making of
the piece itfelf. The neceffity of this expenfive me-
thod produces another inconvenience. The glaz-
ing cannot be baked at the fame time as the porce-
lain, which therefore muft twice undergo the heat
of the furnace. The porcelain made in China, am
the beft imitations of it, being of a ftiffer pafte,
and lefs fufceptible of vitrification, feldom want
any props, and are baked ready glazed. The]
confequently confume much lefs pafte, are feldor
fpoiled, and require lefs time, as well as lefs fin
and trouble.
SOME writers have urged, in favour of the fupe-
riority of Afiatic china, that it refifts fire bettei
than ours j that all European china will melt ii
of $axony, but that the Drefden itfelf wil
mel
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
melt in the foreign china. This aflertion is en-
tirely erroneous, if taken in its full extent. Few
porcelains of China will (land the fire fo well as
the Drefden ; they fpoil and bubble in the fame
degree of fire which ferves to bake that made by
Count Lauragais ; but this is a circumftance of fo
little confequence, that it fcarce deferves attention.
Porcelain is not intended to return into the furnace
when once it is taken out, nor is it defigned to
bear the action of an intenfe fire.
IT is in point of folidity that the foreign porce-
lain truly excels that of Europe ; it is by the pro-
perty it has of heating quicker and with lefs rifque,
and of bearing, without danger of being broken,
the fudden effect of cold or boiling hot water; by
the facility with which it is moulded and baked,
which is an ineftimable advantage, as pieces of all
lizes can be made with great eafe, as it can be baked
without any rifque, be fold at a lower price, be of
more general ufe, and confequently become the
object of a more extenfive trade.
ANOTHER great advantage of the India porcelain
is, that the fame pafte is very ufeful for making cru-
cibles, and a variety of fuch veiTels which are con-
ftantly ufed in the other arts. They not only bear
the fire for a longer time, but communicate no-
thing of their fubftance to what is melted in them.
This fubftance is fo pure, white, compact, and
hard, that it will fcarce melt at all, and acquires
no kind of tinge.
FRANCE is at the eve of enjoying all thefe ad-
vantages. It is certain that Count Lauragais, who
ha*
266 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K nas i on g been in fearch of the fecret of the Chi*
u -^ ' nefe, has at laft made fome china that is very like
it. His materials have the fame properties, ancj
if they are not exactly the fame, at leaft they
a fpecies of the fame kind. Like the Chinefe,
can make his pafte long or fhort, and follow
ther his 6wn or fome other procefs. His porcelaii
is not inferior to that of the Chinefe in point
pliablenefs, and is fuperior to it in point of gla2
ing ; perhaps too in the facility with which it tak(
the colours. If it can be improved to luch a d<
gree as to have as fine and as white a grain,
may difpenfe with the porcelain of China. Bi
we cannot ib well do without their filk.
TheEuvo. THE annals of this empire afcribe the difcovei
K^n"* of filk to one of the wives of the emperor Hoangti,
China. -j-fa emprefles amufed thernfelves with breeding
filk-worms, drawing the filk, and working it. It
even faid, that to the interior part of the pah
there was a piece of ground fet apart for the cul-
ture of mulberry^trees. , The emprefs, attend*
by the chief ladies of her court, went in peribr
and gathered the leaves of fome of the branch*
that v/ere brought down fo as to be within he
reach. So prudent an inftance of policy promot
this branch of induftry to fuch a degree, that tl
Chinefe, who before were only clothed in fkin;
foon appeared drefled in filk. The filks, that we
now grown very common, were foon brought
great perfection. The Chinefe were indebted fe
this lafb advantage to the writings of fome inj
nious men, and even of fome miniflcrs, who die
nc
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 267
not think it beneath them to attend to this new BOOH
art. All China learnt from their theory every -_-/ _r
thing belonging to it.
THE art of breeding up filk-worms, and of fpin-
ning and weaving their filk, extended from China
to India and Perfia, where it made no very rapid
prqgrefs ; if it had, Rome would not, at the end
of the third century, have given a pound of gold
for a pound of filk. Greece having adopted this
art in the eighth century, filks became a little more
known, but did not grow common. They were long
confidered as an article of luxury, andreferved for
perfons in the moft eminent ftations, and for the
greatefl folemnities. At lafl Roger, king of Sicily,
fent for manufafturers from Athens ; and the cul-
ture of the mulberry-tree foon pafied from that
ifland to tlie neighbouring continent. Other coun-
tries in Europe wiilied to partake of an advantage
from which Italy derived fo much wealth; and after
fome fruitlefs attempts they attained it. However,
from the nature of the climate, or fome other caufe,
it has not equally fucceeded in every place.
THE filks of Naples, Sicily, and Reggio, whe-
ther in organzin or in tram, are all ordinary filks ;
but they are ufeful, and even neceflary for bro-
cades, for embroidery, and for all works that re-
quire ftrong filk.
THE other Italian filks, thofe of Novi, Venice,
Tufcany, Milan, Montferrat, Bergamo, and Pied-
mont, are ufed in organzin for the warp, though
they are not all equally fine and good. The
Bologna filks were for a long time preferred to any
Other. But fmce thofe of Piedmont have been im-
proved,
268 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K proved, theyjuflly claim the preference, as being
^ ' the fmootheft, the fined, and the lighteft. Thofc
of Bergamo come neareft to them.
THOUGH the Spanilh fiiks in general are v<
fine, thofe of Valencia are by far the befl. Tl
are all fit for any fort of manufacture ; the 01
fault they have, is being rather too oily, which is
great detriment to the dye.
THE French filks excel moft others in Euro]
and are inferior to none but thofe of Piedmont
Bergamo in point of lightnefs. Befides, they
brighter coloured than thofe of Piedmont ;
more even and Wronger than thofe of Bergan
Some years ago, France produced fix thoufa
quintals of filk, which fold from fifteen to twent
one livres* a pound, coniifting of fourteen ounc<
At an average of eighteen iivrcs j, it produced
incoiiiv. 01" ten millions J. When the new plant
tions are improved ib much as to produce what
expected from them, France will be eafed of th<
fum fhe pays to foreign powers for this article, ,
which is flill a confiderable one.
THE variety of iilk produced in Europe has not'
yet enabled us to diipenfe with that of the Chinefe. ,
Though in general it is uneven and heavy, it will i
always be in requeft for its whitenefs. It is gene-
rally thought to derive this advantage from nature; ,
but it is more probable, that, when the Chinefe
draw the filk, they put fome ingredient into the
bafon, that has the property of expelling all hete-
rogeneous fubflances, or at leafl the coarfeft parts
* From about 135. to about i8*s. 6d. f 155. yd.
J 437>5 o1 '
of
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 69
of them. The little wafte there is in this filk B (M> K.
compared to any other, when it is boiled for dying, J
feems to give great weight to this conjecture.
HOWEVER this be, the Chinefe filk is fo far
fuperior to any other in whitenefs, that it is the
only one which can be ufed for blondes and gauzes :
all our endeavours to fubftitute our own in the
blonde manufactures have been fruitlefs, whether
we have made ufe of prepared or unprepared filk.
The attempts in gauze have not been quite fo un-
fuccefsful. The whiteft French and Italian filks have
been tried, and feemedto anfwer tolerably well -, but
neither the colour nor the drefiing were fo perfect
as in the gauzes made with the Chinefe filk.
IN the lad century, the Europeans imported
very little filk from China. The French filk fuc-
ceeded very well for black and coloured gauze,
and for cat-gut that was then in fafhion. The tafte
that has prevailed thefe forty years paft, and more
efpecially the laft twenty-five, for white gauzes and
blondes, has gradually increafed the demand for
this production of theEaft. Of late ithas amounted
to eighty thoufand weight a-year, of which France
has always taken near three-fourths. This impor-
tation has increafed to fuch a degree, that in 1766
the Englifh alone imported a hundred and four
thoufand weight : as it could not be all confumed
in gauze and blonde, the manufacturers have ufed
it for tabbies and hofe. The ftockings made of this
filk are of a beautiful white that never changes,
but are not near fo fine as others.
BESIDES this filk, fo remarkable for its white-
nefs, which comes chiefly from the province of
Tche-
a 7 o HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK Tche-Kiang, and is known in Europe by tl
i__ w ' name of Nanking-filk, which is the place wh(
moft of it is prepared, China produces ordin;
filks, which we call Canton. As thefe are only
for fome kinds of tram, and are as dear as
own, which anfwer the fame purpofe, very fe
are imported.. What the Englifh and Dutch brir
home does not exceed five or fix thoufand piect
The manufactured filks are a much more confic
able article.
THE Chinefe are not lefs ingenious in weaving
their filks than in preparing them. This does not-
extend to thofe that are mixed with gold andi
filver. Their manufacturers have never knowir
how to draw out thefe metals into thread, and
the whole of their art confifts in rolling their:
filks upon gilt paper, or putting the paper upon
them after they are woven. Both methods area
equally bad.
THOUGH, in general, men are more apt to bei
pleafed with novelty than with true excellence,
yet die Europeans have never been tempted to
buy thefe fluffs. They have been equally difgufodH
at the aukwardnefs of the patterns, which exhibit!
nothing but diftorted figures, and unmeaning!
groupes ; they difcover no tafte in the difpofition
of the lights and fhades, nor any' of that elegance*
arid eafe that appears in the works of our good
artifts. There is a ftiffnefs and a want of free-
dom in all they do, that is difpleafing to perfons?
of any tafte; all favours of their particular turn
of mind, which is destitute of vivacity and ele-
vation.
THE
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 271
THE only thing that makes us overlook the de- B v K
fects in thofe works that reprefent flowers, birds, i..-,'-j
or trees, is, that none of thofe objects are raifed.
The figures are painted upon the filk itfelf with
indelible colours ; and yet the deception is fo per-
fect, that all thefe objects appear to be brocaded
! or embroidered.
As for their plain filks, they want no recom-
mendation, for they are perfect in their kind j and
ib are thei* colours, efpecially the green and the
I red. The white of their damafks has fomething
! extremely pleafmg. The Chinefe make them only
with the filk of Tche-Kiang. They thoroughly
I boil the warp, as we do, but only half-boil t]ie
woof. This method gives the damalk more fub-
I ftance and ftiffhefs. It has a reddifh caft without ,
i being yellow, which is very pleafmg, and has not
(that glare that dazzles the fight. This agreeable
! white is likewife obferved in the Chinefe varnifh.
THIS varnifh is a kind of liquid gum, of a
'reddifh colour. The Japan varnifh is preferable fa^ir
to that of Tonquin and Siam, and thefe are much w a a p r e e r ' a
sbetter than that of Cambodia. The Chinefe buy china,
lit at all thefe markets, becaufe from their pro-
Ivinces they cannot procure a fufficient quantity
for their own confumption. The tree that yields
the gum from which the varnifh is made, is called
Tfi-chu, and refembles the afh, both in the bark
and the leaf. It never grows above fifteen feet,
and the ftem commonly meafures two feet and a
half in circumference. It bears neither flowers
nor fruit, but is propagated in the following
manner.
72 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K. J N tne fpring, when the fap of the Tfi-chu
*- v ' begins to form, the ftrongeft fhoot that grows out
of the item is chofen, and covered all over with
yellow earth; then it is wrapped round with
mat, to protect it from the effect of the air.
the fprig foon takes root, it is cut and planted ii
autumn ; but if it proves backward, this is do
ferred to another opportunity. At whatever fe<
fon it is done, the young plant muft be pr<
ferved from the ants, which is effected by filling
the hole with allies.
THE Tfi-chu yields no varnifh till it is feven
eight years old, and then only in iummer.
diftils from incifions made at different diflances ij
the bark, and is received in a fhell fixed at e<
incifion. It is reckoned a good produce, whe
twenty pounds of varnifli are collected in one nigl
out of a thoufand trees. This gum is fo noxioi
that thofe who ufe it are obliged to take coni
precautions to guard againft its malignancy. Tl
artifls rub their hands and faces with rape oil
fore they begin, and after they have done th<
work, and wear a mafk, gloves, boots, and
breaft-plate.
THERE are two ways of ufmg the varnifli. Tl
firft is to rub the wood with a particular fort
oil ufed in China j and as foon as it is dry, the
.nifli is laid on. . It is fo tranfparent, that the
of the wood appear tinged through it, if it is
on but two or three times. If it is repeatedly 1;
on, it may be brought to fhine like a lookii
glafs. Th<e other way is more complicated,
kind of pafle-board is glued by the help of rm
JN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES,
tic over the wood. On this fmooth and folid
ground are fpread feveral layers of varnifli. It
muft be neither too thick nor too liquid ; and in
this juft medium the fkill of the artift principally-
con fids.
WHICHEVER way the varnifh is laid on, it effec-
tually preferves the wood from decaying. The
worm can fcarce penetrate it, and the damp does
not affect it in the leaft ; and with a little care, this
varniih leaves no fmell behind.
THIS varnifh is as pleafmg to the eye as it is
durable. It may be applied on gold and filver,
and mixed with all forts of colours. Upon it are
painted figures, landfcapes, palaces, hunting par^
ties, and battles* In fhort, it would not be deficient
in any refpecl, if it were not generally fpoiled by
the badnefs of the Chinefe drawing.
t NOTWITHSTANDING this defect, the making of
this ware requires much pains and conftant atten-
tion. The varniih muft be laid on nine or ten times
at leaft, and cannot be fpread too thin. There
muft be a fufncient time allowed between the ap-
plication!^" each layer, that it may be fufTered to
dry. A- longer time ftill muft be allowed between
the laft layer *and the polifhing, painting, and
gilding. A whole fummer is hardly fufficient for
all this procefs at Nanking, from whence the court
and the chief cities of the empire are fupplied.
It is carried on with greater expedition at Canton.
As there is a great demand of this ware for Europe,
and as the Europeans will have it made according
'to their own plan, and will allow but a fhort time
to complete it, it is ufually finifhed in too -great
. VOL. II. T hafte.
74 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
3 o
v.
} K hafte. The artift, not having time to give t\
neceflary degree of perfection to his work, is fatis
fied if he can but make it pleafmg to the
The Chinefe manufacture of paper is not liable
the fame imperfections.
ORIGINALLY the Chinefe wrote with a fte
bodkin upon wooden tablets, which, being faftei
together, made a volume. They afterwards tra(
their characters upon pieces of filk or linen, cut
any length or breadth. At laft, about fixteen hui
dred years ago, they found out the fecret of makii
paper.
IT is generally imagined that this paper is m;
with filkj but whoever is acquainted with
practice of the art, muft know that filk can n
be fo divided as to be wrought into a pafle of eqi
confiftence. The beft Chinefe paper is made wit
cotton, and would be equal, if not preferable,
ours, if it were as durable. *
THE ordinary paper, which is not intended fo
writing, is made of the firft or fecond bark of
mulberry-tree, the elm, the cotton-tree, but chief
of the bamboo. Thefe fubftances, aftur they
become rotten by foaking in muddy water, are
ried in lime j then bleached in the fun, and boil(
in coppers to a fluid pafte, which is ipread uj
hurdles, and hardens into iheets, that meafure
or twelve feet, or more. This is the paper ufed
the Chinefe for furniture. It has a very pleafn
effect from the luftre they give it, and from
variety of fliapes into which they form it.
THOUGH this paper is apt to crack, to be ii
jured by damps, and to be worm-eaten, it is be-
2 come
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 275
come an article of trade. Europe has borrowed from BOOK
Afia the idea of furnifhing clofets and making - ^^
fcreens with it ; but that tafte begins to decline.
The Chinefe paper is already difcarded for that of
the Englifh, the ufe of which will certainly be con-
tinued when it has attained a greater degree of per-
fection. The French begin to imitate this novelty;
and in all probability it will be univerfally adopted.
BESIDES the articles already mentioned, the Eu-
ropeans bring from China ink, camphire, borax,
rhubarb, gum-lac, and rattans, a kind of cane that
ferves to make elbow-chairs 3 and formerly they
brought gold from thence.
IN Europe a mark of gold is worth about four-
teen marks and a half of filver. If there were a
country in which it was worth twenty, our mer-
chants would carry gold thither to change it for
filver. They would bring us back that filver, to
receive gold in exchange, which they would again
carry abroad for the fame purpofe. This trade
would be continued in this manner till the relative
value of the two metals came to be much the fame
in both countries. It was upon this principle, that
for a long time filver was fent to China, to be bar-
tered for gold; by which traffic a profit of 45 per
cent, was made. It was never carried on by the
charter companies ; becaufe the profit they made
upon it, however confiderable it may appear,
was yet much inferior to that obtained upon their
own merchandife. Their agents, who were not
indulged in chufmg what trade they pleafed, at-
tended to thefe fpeculations for their own advan-
tage. They purfued this branch of commerce
T 2 with
6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
OOK w ith fo much affiduity, that in a fhort time the re-
-y, .-, turns were not fuffi cient to induce them to continue
it. Gold is of greater or lefs value at Canton, ac-
cording to the feafon of the year; its value is higher
from the beginning of February to the end of May
than through the reft of the year, when the har-
bour is full of foreign fhips. Yet in the moft fa-
vourable feafon no more than eighteen per cent.
is to be made of it, which is not a fufficient in-
ducement for any one to undertake it. The only,
agents, who have not been fufferers by the cefia-
tion of this trade, are thofe of the French com-
pany, who were never allowed to be concerned in
it. The directors referved that profit for them-
felves. Many attempted it ; but Caftanier was
the only one who carried on the trade with abili-
ties and fuccefs. He fent goods to Mexico -, thefe
were fold for piaftres, which were carried to Aca-
pulco, then to the Philippines, and from thence
to China, where they were bartered for gold. That^
able man by this judicious circulation had opened,
a track, which it is furprifmg that no one has fmce
purfued.
ALL the European nations, which fail beyond
the Cape of Good Hope, go as far as China. The
Portusuefe were the firft who landed there. The
t>
Chinefe gave them the town of Macao, which was
built upon a barren and rugged fpot, on the point
of- a little ifland at the mouth of the river Canton,
and with it a territory of about three miles in cir-
cumference. They obtained the freedom of the
harbour, which is too narrow, but fafe and com-
modious, upon the condition of paying to the em-
pire
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. : , 272
pire all the duties to be levied on the fhips that B v K
ihould come in ; and they purchafed the liberty of /~ '
building fortifications, by engaging to pay a yearly
tribute of 37,500 livres *. As long('as the court
of Liibon maintained the fovereignty c^f the Indian
feas, this place was a famous mart. ^It declined
in proportion to the power of the Portuguefe, and
gradually came to nothing. Macao has no longer
any connection with the mother-country, and fits
out no more than three fmall veflels, one for
Timor, and two for Goa. Till' 1744, the remains
of that once flourishing fettlement ftill enjoyed
fome kind of independence. The murder of a
-Chinefe determined the viceroy of Canton to apply
to his court for a magiftrate to inftrudb and govern
the barbarians of Macao ; thefe were the words
of his petition. The court fent a Mandarin, who
took pofieflion of the town in the name of his
mailer. He fcorned to live amon'g foreigners, who
are always held in great contempt, and fixed
his refidence at the diicance of a league from the
town.
THE Dutch met with worfe contempt about a
century ago. Thofe republicans, who, notwith-
ftanding the fuperiority they had gained in the
Afiatic feas, had been excluded from China by
the intrigues of the Portuguefe, at lad got accefs
to the ports of that empire. Not content with the
precarious footing they had obtained there, they
attempted to ereft a fort near Hoaungpon, under
pretence of building a warehoufe. It is faid, their
defign was to make themielves matters of the navi-
* 1640!. I2S. 6d.
T 3 , gation
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
gation of the Tigris, and to give law both to the
Chinefe and to foreigners who were defirous of
trading to Canton. Their views were difcovered too
loon for their intereft. They were all mafTacred ;
and it was a great while before any of their nation
could venture to appear again upon the coafts of
China. They were feen there again about the year
1730. The firft fhips that arrived there came from
Java. They brought various commodities of the
growljh of India in general, and of their own colo-
nies in particular, and bartered them for thofe of
the country. The commanders of thefe veffels,
wholly intent upon pleafmg the council of Batavia,
from which they irrftnedktely received their or-
ders, and expected their promotion, had nothing in
view but to difpofe of the mercharrdife they were
intruded with, without attending to the quality of
that they received in return. The company foon
found, that in confequence of this proceeding they
never could fupport themfelves againft their com-
petitors. This confideration determined them te
lend fhips directly from Europe with money. They
touch at Batavia, where they take in fuch commo-
dities of the country as are fit for China, and return
directly into our latitudes, with much better lad-
ings than formerly, but not fo good as thole of
the Englilh.
OF all the nations that have traded to China,
the Englifh have been the moft conftant. They
had a factory in the ifland of Chufan," at the time
when affairs were chiefly tranfafted at Emouy.
When it was removed to Canton, this factory ftill
continued as before. As their company were re-
quired
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. $79
quired to export woollen cloths, they determined B V Q ^
to keep agents conftantly at this place to difpofe v \r- &
of them. This cuflom of the Englifh, joined to
the great demand for tea in their fettlements, made
them, towards the end of the laft century, maf-
ters of almolt all the trade carried on between
China and Europe. The heavy duties, laid by the
Britilri government orr that foreign production, at
laft made other nations, and France in particular,
fenfible of the advantages of this commerce.
FRANCE had formerly a particular company for
the trade of China in 1660. A rich merchant of
Rouen, named Fermanel, was at the head of the
undertaking. He had computed that it could not
Jbe well carried on with lefs than a capital of
220,000 livres *, and the fubfcriptions amounting
only to 140,000 f, occafioned the illfuccefs of the
voyage. The averfion, naturally entertained for a
people who believed that foreigners came among
them for no other purpofe than to corrupt their
morals, and to deprive them of their liberty, was
confiderably increaied by the lofles that were fuf-
tained. In vain, towards the year 1685, did the
Chinefe alter their opinion, and confequently their
behaviour. The French feldom frequent their
ports. The new fociety formed in 1698, was not
more active than the former ; nor did they fucceed
in this trade, till it came to be united with that of
India, and equally divided.
THE Danes and the Swedes began to frequent
the ports of China about the fame time, and have
* 9,625!. t 6,125!.
T 4 afted
28* HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS ANt> TRADE
B 6 o K acted upon the fame principle as the French. The
*& v Embden company would probably have adopted
it likewife, had it fubfifted long enough.
Sums bid THE annual purchafes made by the Europeans
chlrby r ' ln China, if we compute them by thofe of the
pean^n " J^* 1 7^> amount to 26,754,494 livres*; this
China. f umj above four-fifths of which is laid out on
the fmgle article of tea, has been paid in piaftresj
or in goods carried by twenty-three fhips. Swe-
den has furnifhed 1,935,168 livres f in money,
and 427, 500 J in tin, lead, and other commo-
dities. Denmark, 2,161,630 livres in money;
and 23 1 ,000 i| in iron, lead., and gun-flints. France,
4,000,000 ** in money, and 400,000 ft ^
drapery. Holland, 2,735,400 JJ in money, and
44,600 in woollen goods, befides 4,000,150 |||
in the produce of her colonies. Great Britain,
5,443,566 livres *** in money, 2,000,475 ttt &
woollen cloths, and 3,375,000 1 Jf in various arti-
cles from different parts of India. All thefe fumi
together amount to 26,754,494 livres . We
do not include in this calculation 10,000,000 |||||
in fpecie, which the Englifh have carried over and
above what we have mentioned, becaufe they were
deftined to pay off the debts that nation had con-
tracted, or to lay in a flock to trade upon the in-
tervals between the voyages.
* About 1,170,500!. f 84,663!. 12 s. J 18,703!. 2s. 6d.
94,571!. 6s. 3d. ||io,io61.5s. ** 175,000!.
ff 17,500!. tt 119,673!. 155. 1,951!. 55.
HI) 175,006!.. iis. 3d. *** About 238,000!.
tft Above 87,500!. ttt. Above 147,600!.
About 1,170,500!. lllil!437>5 l-
If
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
IT is not eafy to conjecture what this trade wi,ll
hereafter be. Though the Chinefe are fo fond of
money, they feem more inclined to fruit their ports
againit the Europeans, than to encourage them to
enlarge their trade. As the fpirit of the Tartars has
fubfided, and the conquerors have imbibed the china,
maxims of the vanquifhed nation, they have
adopted their prejudices, and in particular their
averfion and contempt of foreigners. They have
difcovered thefe difpofitions, by the humiliating
hardfhips they have impofed upon them, after hav-
ing treated them with great refpect. The tranfi-
tion is but fhort from this precarious fituation to a
total expulfion. It may not be far off; and this is
the more likely, as there is an active nation who,
perhaps, is fecretly contriving to effecl: it.
THE Dutch are not ignorant that all Europe
is grown very fond of feveral Chinefe produc-
tions. They may readily fuppofe, that the im-
poffibility of procuring them from the firfl hand
would not hinder the confumptjon. If all Eu-
ropeans were excluded from China, the natives
would export their own commodities. As their
(hipping is not fit for a long navigation, they
would be under a neceflity of carrying them to
Java or to the Philippines, and then we muft buy
them of one of the two nations, to whom thefe co-
lonies belong. The competition of the Spaniards
is fo inconfiderable, that the Dutch might be cer-
tain of engrofimg the whole trade. It is hardly pof-
fible to fufpect thefe republicans of any thing fo
bafe, but it is well known they have been guilty of
greater vilifies for interefts of lefs confequence.
4 IF
, HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
IF the ports of China were once fhut, it is pro-
bable they would be fo for ever. The obftinacy
of that nation would never fuffer them to retract,
and there is no appearance that they could be com-
pelled to it. What meafures could be taken againft
a ftate at the diftance of eight thoufand leagues ?
No government caa be fo abfurd as to imagine,
that. men, .after the fatigues of fo long a voyage,
would venture to attempt conquefts in a country
defended by fuch a number of people, however
deflitute of courage this nation, which has never
tried its ftrength againil the Europeans, may be '
fuppoled to be. The only way in which we could
diitrefs thefe people, would be by interc^-ang
their navigation, which is an object they pay little
attention to, as it neither aiiects their fubfiftence
nor their conveniences.
EVEN this fruitlefs revenge would be practi-
cable but for a fnort time. The fhips employed
in this piratical cruifc would be driven from thofc
latitudes one part of the year by the monfoons,
and the other part by the iiorms they call typhons,
which are peculiar to the feas of China.
HAVING thus explained the manner in which
the Europeans have hitherto carried on the Eaft
India trade, it will not be improper to examine
three queftions, which naturally arife upon the iub-
jecl, and have not yet been decided, i. Whether
it is advifeable to continue that trade. 2. Whe-
ther large fettlements are neceffary to carry it on
with fuccefs. 3. Whether it ought to be left in
the hands of charter companies. We fhall dif-
cufs thefe points with impartiality, as we have no
other
JN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 283
other concern in the caufe, but the intereft of B v K
mankind. ' s-~~t
WHOEVER confiders Europe as forming but whether
one body, the members of which are united in <houid C
one common intereft, or at leaft in the lame $?!
kind of intereft, will not hefitate to pronounce, Wlthlndia<
whether her connections with Afia are advan-
tageous or not. The India trade evidently en-
larges the circle of our enjoyments. It procures
us wholefome and agreeable liquors, conveniences
of a more refined nature, more fplendid furni-
ture, fome new pleafures, and a more comfort-
able exiftence. Such powerful incentives have had
the fame influence upon thofe nations, who, from
their fituation, activity, good fortune in making
dif coveries, and boldrtefs in enterprizes, can pro-
cure thefe enjoyments for themfelves at their very
fource; as upon thofe who are unable to ac-
quire them, unlefs through the channel of the
maritime ftates, whofe navigation enabled them
to difperfe the fuperfluities of their enjoyments
over the whole continent. The Europeans have
been fo eager in their purfuit after thefe foreign
luxuries, that neither the higheft duties, the
ftricteft prohibitions, nor the fevered penalties,
have been able to reftrain it. Every govern-
ment, after having in vain tried to fubdue this
inclination, which only increafed by oppofition,
has been forced at laft to yield to it; though
general prejudices, which were ftrengthened by
time and cuflom, made them conlider this com-
pliance as detrimental to the flabUity of the
common good.
BUT
.
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BUT the time was come, when it became ne-
ceflary to remove the reftraints. Can it be a
matter of doubt, whether it is beneficial to add
the enjoyments of foreign climates to thofeofour
own ? Univerfal fociety exifts as well for the com-
mon intereft of the whole, as by the mutual inte-
reft of all the individuals that compofe it. An in-
creafe of felicity muft, therefore, refult from a ge-
neral intercourfe. Commerce is the exercife of that
valuable liberty, to which nature has invited all
men 3 which is the fource of their happinefs, and
indeed of their virtues. We may even venture to
affert, that men are never fo truly fenfible of their
freedom as they are in axommercial intercourfe-; ,
nor is any thing fo conducive to it as commercial
laws : and one particular advantage derived from
this circumftance is, that as trade produces liberty, ,
fo it contributes to preferve it.
WE muft be but little acquainted with man, if I
we imagine, that, in order to make him happy, hfl
muft be debarred from enjoyments. We gran
that the being accuftomedtowant the conveniences
of life leflens the fum of our misfortunes; but by
diminifhing our pleafures in a greater proportion-
than our pains, we are rather brought to a ftatc
of infenfibllity than of happinefs. If nature has gjfl
ven man a heart fufceptible of tender impreffionsfi
if his imagination is for ever involuntarily em- \
ployed in fearch of ideal and delufive objects of ll
happinefs ; it is fit that his reftlefs mind ihc
have an infinite variety of enjoyments to purfu
But let reafon teach him to be fatisfied with fu<
things as he can enjoy, and not to be anxious
the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
thofe that are out of his reach ; this is true wif- B
dom. But to require, that reafon fhould make us * J
voluntarily reje6t what it is in our power to add to
our prefent happinefs, is to contradict nature, and
to fubvert the firft principles of fociety.
How lhall we perfuade man to be content with
the few indulgences that moralifts think proper to
tallow him ? How lhall we afcertain the limits of
what is necefTary, which varies according to his
fituation in life, his attainments, and his defires?
INo fooner had his induflry facilitated the means of
procuring a fubfiftence, than the leifure he gained .
oy this was employed in extending the limits of
iiis faculties, and the circle of his pleafures. Hence
ijirofe all his factitious wants. The difcovery of a
[new fpecies of fenfations excited a defire of pre-
:erving them, and a propenfity to find out others,
frhe perfection of one art introduced the know-
hedge of feveral others. The fuccefs of a war,
pccafioned by hunger or revenge, fuggefted the
action of conqueft. Navigation put men under a
fccceflity of destroying one another, or of forming
gt general union. Commercial treaties between
nations parted by the feas, and focial compacts
between men difperfed upon the earth, bore an
^xact refemblance to each other. Thefe feveral re-
lations began bycontefts, and ended by aflbciations.
War and navigation haveoccafioned a mutual com-
nunication between different people and different
' :olonies. Hence men became connected with each
)ther by dependence or intercourfe. The refufe of
ill nations, mixing together during the ravages of
var, are improved and polifhed by commerce;,
the
6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADS
oo K the intent of which is, that all nations fhould con-
-,-,., / fider themfelves as one great fociety, whofe mem-
bers have all an equal right to partake of the con-
veniences of the reft. Commerce, in its object
and in the means employed to carry it on, fup-
pofes an inclination and a liberty between all na-
tions to make every exchange that can contribute
to their mutual fatisfaction. The inclination and
the liberty of procuring enjoyments are the only
two fprings of induftry, and the only two princi-
ples of focial intercourfe among men.
THOSE who cenfure the trade of Europe with
India, have only the following reafons to allege
againft an univcrfal and free intercourfe ; that it is
attended with a confiderable lofs of men j that it
checks the progrefs of our induftry ; and that it
leflens our ftock of money. Thefe objections arc
eanly obviated.
As long as every man lhall be at liberty to
chufe a profeflion, and to employ his abilities in)
any manner moft agreeable to himfelf, we need
not be folicitous about his deftiny. As in a ftate
of freedom every thing has its proper value, no>
man will expofe himfelf to any danger, without,
expecting an equivalent. In a well-regulated fo->
ciety, every individual is at liberty to do what is
moft conformable to his inclination and his intereft,!
provided it is- not inconfiftent with the properties 1
and liberties of others. A law, that ihould pro-
hibit every trade in which a man might endanger
his life, would condemn a great part of mankind
to ftarve, and would deprive fociety of numberlefs
advantages. We need not pafs the Line to carry
on
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
on a dangerous trade ; fmce, even in Europe, we
may find many occupations far more deflrudtive to
the human race than the navigation to India. If
the perils attending fea-voyages deftroy fome of
our men, let us only give due encouragement to
i the culture of our lands, and our population will
be fo much increafed, that we fhall be Better able
to fpare thofe felf-devoted victims who are fwal-
! lowed up by the fea. To this we may add, that
moft of thofe who perifh in long voyages are loft
through accidental caufes, which might eafily be
: prevented by more wholefome diet and a more re-
!gular life. But if men will add, to the vices pre-
ivalent in their own climate, and to the corruption
tof their own mariners, thofe of the countries where
Ithey land, it is no wonder if they cannot refiit
tthefe united principles of deftrudion.
EVEN fuppoling that the India trade fhould coft
Europe as many men as it is faid to do, are we
certain that this lofs is not compenfated by the
labours to which that trade gives rife, and which
encourage and increafe our population ? Would
(not the men, difperfed upon the feveral fhips con-
tinually failing in thefe latitudes, occupy a place
jpon land which is now left vacant for others ? If
sve confider attentively the number of people con-
cained in the fmall territories of maritime powers,
sve fhall be convinced, that it is not the navigation
:o Afia, nor even navigation in general, that is
letrimental to the population of Europe : but, on
:he contrary, navigation alone may, perhaps, ba-
ance all the caufes that tend to the deftrudlion and
iecreafe of mankind. Let us now endeavour to
remove
a88 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK remove the fears of thofe who apprehend that the
v v! i India trade leflens the number of our manufacto-
ries at home, and the profits arifing from them.
ADMITTING it true, that it had put a flop to
fome of our labours, it has given rife to many more.
It has introduced into our colonies the culture of
fugar, coffee, and indigo. Many of our manu-
factures are fupported by India filk and cotton.
If Saxony and other countries in Europe make
very fine china j if Valencia manufactures Pekin$
fuperior to thofe of China; if Switzerland imitates
the muflins and worked callicoes of Bengal ; if
- England and France print linens with great ele-
gance j if fo many fluffs, formerly unknown in
our climates, now employ our bed artifls ; are we
not indebted to India for all thefe advantages ?
LET us proceed further, and fuppofe that we
are not indebted to Afia for any of our improve-
ments, the confumption we make of its commodfr
ties cannofrtherefore be detrimental to ourinduftry*
for we pay for them with the produce of our own
- manufactures exported to America. I fell a hun-
dred livres worth of linen to the Spaniard, and fend
that money to the Eafl Indies. Another fends the
fame quantity of the linen itfelf. We both bring
home tea. In fact, we are both doing the fame
thing j we are changing a hundred livres worth of
linen into tea: the only difference is, that the one
does it by two tranfactions, and the other by a
fmgle one. Suppofe the Spaniard, inflead of giving
me money, had given me goods that were faleable
m India, I fhould not have hindered our artificers
by carrying them thither. Is it not the very fame
thins;
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 289
thing as if I had carried our own produce thither ? B v K
I fail from Europe with the manufactures of my w* w -J
own country' j I go to the South Sea, and ex-
change them for piaflres , I carry thofe piaftres to
India, and bring home things that are either ufe-
ful or agreeable. Have I been the means of re-
ftraining the induftry of my country ? Far from it ;
| I have extended the confumption of its produce^
I and multiplied the enjoyments of my countrymen.
But what mifleads the oppofers of the India trade
is, that the piaftres are brought over to Europe
! before they are carried to Afia. And; laftiy, whe-
ther the money is or is not employed as the inter-
mediate pledge of exchange, I have either directly
or indirectly made an exchange with Afia, and
i bartered goods for goods, my manufactory for
; theirs, my productions for their productions.
BUT it is objected by fome difcontented men,
that India has at all times fwallowed up all the
treafures of the univerfe. Ever fince chance has
taught men the ufe of metals, fay thefe cenfurers,
'they haveneverceafed tofearchforthem. Avarice,
|i ever refllefs, has not forfaken thefe barren rocks,
where nature has wifely concealed thole infidious
treafures. Since they were taken out of the bowels
of the ear th > th<:y have constantly been diffufed
upon it; andnotwithftanding the extreme opulence
of the Romans^ and of fome other nations, they
have difappeared from Europe, Africa, and fome
parts of Afia. India hath entirely abforbed them.
Riches are all taking the fame coiirfe ; pafling on
continually from weft to eaft, and never returning.
It is therefore for India that the mines of Peru
VOL. II. U have
290 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K. have b een opene^ anc [ f or the Indians that the
* v ' Europeans have been guilty of fo many crimes in
America. Whilft the Spaniards are lavifhing the
lives of their (laves in Mexico, to obtain filver out
of the bowels of the earth, the Banians take flill
more pains to bury it again. If ever the wealth of
Potofi fhould be exhaufted, wemuft go in fearch for
it on the coaft of Malabar where we have lent it.
When we have drained India of its pearls and
fpices, we fhall, perhaps, by force of arms re cover
from them the fums thofe luxuries have coft us.
Thus fhall our cruelties and caprices remove the
gold and filver into other climes, where avarice and
fuperftition will again bury them under ground.
THESE complaints are.notaltogether groundlefs.
Ever fmce the reft of the world have opened a
communication with India, theyhave conftantly ex-
changed gold and filver for arts and commodities.
Nature has fupplied the Indians the few neceffaries
they want ; their climate will not admit of our,
luxuries ; and their religion gives them an abhor-
rence for fome things that we feed upon. As their"
cuftoms, manners, and government, have conti-
nued the fame, notwithstanding the revolutions
that have overturned their country, we mud not
expert they fhould ever alter. India ever was, and
ever will be, what it now is. As long as any trade is
carried on there, money will be brought in, and
goods fent out. But before we exclaim againii the
abufe of this trade, we fhould attend to its -pro-
grefs, and confider what is the refult of it.
FIRST, it is certain our gold does not go to
India. U has gold of its own, befides a conftant
fupply
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 291
fupply from Monomotapa, which comes by the B v K
eaftern coait of Africa, and by the Red Sea; from < ^--^
the Turks, which is brought by the way of Arabia
and BafTpra; and from Perfia, which is conveyed
both by the ocean and the continent; This enor-
mous mafs is never increafed by the gold we pro-
cure from the Spanifh and Portuguefe colonies. In
fhort, we are fo far from carrying gold to Afia*
that for a long while we carried filver to China to
barter it againft gold.
EVEN the filver which India gets from us is by
no means fo confiderable as may be imagined from
the immenfe quantity of Indian goods we bring
home. The annual fale of thefe goods has of late
years amounted to a hundred and fifty millions *.
Suppofing they have coft but half of what they
fold for> feventy-five millions j- muft have been
fent to India to purchafe them, befides what muft
have been fent over for our fettlements. We fhall
not fcruple to affirm, that, for fome time paft, all
Europe has not carried thither more than twenty-
four millions J a year. Eight million's are fent
from France, fix || from Holland^ three ** from
England, three j-f from Denmark^ two JJ from
Sweden, and two from Portugal.
THIS calculation will not appear improbable, if
we confider, that though in general India is in no
want either of our produce or of our manufactures,
yet they receive from us, in iron, lead, copper,
*6,o62,5ool. f3, 281, 250!. I 1,050,000!.
350,000!. 11262,500!. ' ** 131, 250!.
tf 131,250!. Jj8 7 , 5 col. 87,500!.
U 2, woollens,
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
woollens, and other lefs articles, to the full amount
of one-fifth of the commodities we buy there.
THIS mode of payment is augmented by the
produce of the European fettleinents in Afla.
The mofc confiderable are thofe of the fpice iflands
for the Dutch, and of Bengal for the Englifh.
THE fortunes made by the free traders and
agents in India contribute alfo to leflen the export-
ation of our fpecie. Thofe induflrious men de-
pofit their ftock in the coffers of their own coun-
try, or of fome other nation, to be repaid them in
Europe, whither they all return fooner or later.
So that a part of the India trade is carried on witk-
money got in the country.
PARTICULAR events alfo put us fometimes in,
pofleffion of the treafures of the Eaft. It is unde-
niable, that, by the revolutions in the Decan and
Bengal, and by difpofmg of thefe empires at plea-
fure, the French and the Englifh have obtained the
wealth accumulated for fo many ages. It is evi-
dent that thofe fums, joined to others lefs confi-
derable, which the Europeans have acquired by
their fuperior fkill and bravery, muft have re-
tained a great deal of fpecie among them, which
otherwife would have gone into Afia. '
THAT rich part of the world has even reftored
to us fome of the treafure we had poured into it.
The expedition of Kouli Khan into India is univer-
fally known ; but it is not equally fo, that he
wrefted from the effeminate and cowardly people
of this country upwards of 2,000,000,000* in
Ipecie, or in valuable effects. The emperor's pa-
* 87,500,0001.
lace ,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 293
lace alone contained ineftimable and innumerable B v K
treafures. The prefence chamber was covered with - v-*-*
plates of gold; the cieling was fet with diamonds.
Twelve pillars of maflive gold, adorned with pearls
and precious ftones, furrounded the throne, the
canopy of which was remarkably beautiful, and
reprelented a peacock, with wings and tail ex-
tended to overfhadow the monarch. The diamonds,
rubies, emeralds, and all the fparkling gems which
compofed this curious piece of workmanfhip, per-
fectly imitated the colours of this beautiful bird.
No doubt part of that wealth is returned into India.
Much of the treafure brought to Perfia from the
conqueft of the Mogul, mufl have been buried
j under ground during the fubfequent wars -, but the
feveral branches of commerce muft certainly have
I brought Ibme to Europe through fuch channels as
are too well known to make it neceffary to fpecify
them.
ADMITTING that none of thefe riches have
reached us, the opinion of thofe who condemn the
trade of India, becaufe it is carried on with fpecie,
(will not be better fupported, which m~y be eafily
f proved. Gold and filver are not the produce of our
foil, but of America, -and fent us in exchange for
the productions of our own country. If Europe did
not remit them to Afia, America would foon be
unable to return any to Europe. The too great
plenty of it on our continent would fo reduce its
value, that the nations who bring it to us could no
longer get it from their colonies. When once an
ell of linen cloth, which is now worth twenty fols*',
* 10 d. [.
U 3 rifcs"
294 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K r if es to a piftole*, the Spaniards cannot buy it of
u-v- / us, to carry it to the country which produces fiiver.
The working of their mines is expenfive, When
this expence lhall have increafed to ten times that
fum, and the value of fiiver is ftill the fame, the
bufinefs of working in the mines will be more
coftly than profitable to the owners, who will con-
fequently give it up. No more gold and fiiver will
come from the new world to the old ; and the Ame^
ricans will be obliged to neglect their richeft mines,
as they have gradually forfaken the lefs valuable
ones. This event would have taken place before,
if they had not found a way of difpofmg of about
3,000,000,000 f in Afia, by the Cape of Good
Hope, or by the Philippine iflands. Therefore this
circulation of money into India, which fo many
prejudiced perfons have hitherto confidered as a
ruinous exportation, has been beneficial both to
Spain, by fupporting the only manufacture Hie has,
and to other nations, who without it could never ;
have difpofed of their produce, or of the fruits of'
their induftry. Having thus juftified the India trade, '{
we ihall next proceed to inquire whether it has been
conducted on the principles of found policy.
An inquiry ALL the nations in Europe, who have failed
is nectary, round the Cape of Good Hope, have aimed at
repeat Eu ~ founding great .empires in Afia. The Portuguefe,
jt^fiT 5 who led the way to thofe wealthy regions, firft fet
b'.sfhments us t fe example of a boundlefs ambition. Not con^
in Ino:a, in
order to car-- tent with having made themfelves mailers of the
tr 9 de. e iflands in which the choiceft productions were to be
fpund, and erected fortrefles wherever they were
* j6s. 9d. f 131,250,000!.
3 necelfary
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 295
necefTary to fecure to themfelves the navigation of B v K
the Eaft, they afpired allb to the authority of giv- ' ^ J
ing laws to Malabar, which, being divided into
feveral petty fovereignties, that were jealous of,
or at enmity with each other, was forced to fubmit
to the yoke.
THE Spaniards did not at firft fhew more mode-
ration i even before they had completed the con-
quefl of the Philippine Iflands, whicn were to be
the centre of their power, they ftrove to extend
their dominion further. If they have not fmce
fubdued the reft of that immenfe Archipelago, or
filled all the adjacent countries with their enor-
mities, we muft look for the caufe of their tran-
quillity in the treafures of America, which con-
fined their purfuits, though they did not fatisfy
their deilres.
THE Dutch deprived the Portuguefe of their
mofcconfiderable pofts on the continent, and drove
them out of the fpice iflands. They have pre-
ferved thofe poifeffiGns, and fome later acqiiifitions,
only by eftablifhing a form of 'government lefs op-
preiTive than that of the nations on whofe ruins
they were rifing.
THE flownefs and irrefolution of the French in
their proceedings prevented them for a confider-
able time from forming or executing any great
pioirfts. As loon as they found themfelves fuf-
ficiently powerful, they availed themfelves of the
fubverfion of the power of the Moguls to ufurp the
dominion of Coromandel. They obtained by con-
queft, or by artful negociations, a more extenfive
U 4 territory
zg6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
territory than any European power had ever pof-
fefTed in Indoftan.
THE Engliih, more prudent, did not attempt to
aggrandife chemfelves, till they had deprived the
French of their acquifitions, and till no rival nation
could act uj-iinft them. The certainty of having
none but the natives of the country to contend
wk':, determined them to attack Bengal. This was
the pi y/ince of all India which afforded moft com-
modities fit for the markets of Afia and Europe, and
was likely to confume moft of their manufactures :
it was alfo that which their fleet could moft e/recr
tually protect, as it hath the advantage of a great
river. They have fucceeded in their plan of con-
queft, and flatter themfelves they (hall long enjoy
the fruits of their victory.
THEIR fuccefies, and thofe of the French, have
aftonifhed all nations. It is eafy to conceive how
folitary and defencelefs iflands, that have no con-
nection with their neighbours, may have been fub--
du.ed. But it is very aftonilhing, that five or fix:
hundred Europeans fhould at this time have beaten
innumerable armies of Gentiles and MohammtiJ
dans, moftly fkilled in the art of war. Thefe ex-
traordinary fcenes, however, ought not to appear
furprifmg to any one who coniiders what has hap-
pened before.
THE Portuguefe had no fooner appeared in the
eaft, than with a few Ihips and a few foldiers they
fubverted whole kingdoms. The eftablifhment of
fome factories, and the building of a fmall num-
ber o^f forts, was fufficient to enable them to crulh
the
IN THE EAST ANB WEST INDIES.
the powers of India. When the Indians were no B
Jonger opprefled by the firft conquerors, they were
ib by thofe who expelled and fucceeded them. The
hiftory of thefe delightful regions was no longer the
hiftory of the natives, but that of their tyrants.
BUT what fmgular men muft thefe have been,
who never could gather any improvement from
experience and adverfity ; who furrendered them-
felves to their common enemy without making any
refiftanee, and who never acquired fkill enough
from their continual defeats to repulfe a few ad-
venturers, caft as it were from the fea upon their
coafts ! It is a matter of doubt whether thefe men,
alternately deceived and fubdued by thofe who at-
tacked them, were not of a different fpecies. To
refolve this problem, we need only trace the caufes
of this weaknefs in the Indians; and our firft in-
quiry lhall turn upon that fyftem of deipotifm with
which they are opprefled.
THERE is no nation, which, as it becomes civi-
lized, does not lofe fomething of its virtue, courage,
and independence ; and it is evident that the inha-
bitants of the fouth of Afia, having been firft col-
; ledted into focieties, muft have been the earlieft ex-
! pofed to defpotifm. Such has been the progrefs of
jail aifociations from the beginning of the world..
: Another truth, equally evident from hiftory, is, that
all arbitrary power haftens its own deftruction ; and
that revolutions will reftore liberty, fooner or later,
"as they are more or lefs rapid. Indoftan is perhaps
the only country, in which the inhabitants, after
having once loft their rights, have never been able
to recover them. Tyrants have frequently been
deftroyeJ i
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TR4DE
deftroyed; but tyranny has always fupported
itfelf.
CIVIL flavery has been added in Irxiia to politi-
cal llavery. The Indian is not matter of his own life;
he knows of no law that will protect it from the
caprice of the tyrant, or the fury of his agents. He
is not mafter of his own understanding; he is de-
barred from all fhidies that are beneficial to man-
kind, and only allowed fuch as tend to enflave him.
Jle is not mailer of his own field ; the lands and
their produce belong to the fovereign, and the:
Jabourer may be fatisried if he can earn enough to>
fubfift himfelf and family. He is not matter or" his
own induftry ; every artift, who has had the mif-
fortune to betray -fome abilities, is in danger of
being doomed to ferve the monarch, his deputies,
or fome rich man who has purchafed a ri^ht to
employ him as he pleaies. He is not mafter of his
own wealth : he buries his gold under ground, to
fecure it from the rapacious hand of power ; and
leaves it there at liis death, abfurdiy imagining it
will be of fervice to him in the next world. No
doubt this abfolute and tyrannical authority, with
which the Indian is every where oppreffed, muft
fubdue his fpirit, and render him incapable of
thofe efforts that courage requires.
THE climate of Indoitan is another impediment
to any generous exertions. The indolence it infpires
is an invincible obftacle to great revolutions and vi-
gorous oppofitions, fo common in the northern re-
gions. The body and the mind, equally enervated,
have only the virtues and vices of flavery. In the
fecond, or at fartheft in the third generation, Tar-
tars.,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIT'.S. 299
tars, Turks, Perfians, and even Europeans, contract B v K
the flothful difpolition of the Indians. Thefe in- v y, i
fluences of the climate might certainly be fubdued
by religious or moral infritutions j but the fuperfti-
tions of the country will not admit of fuch exalted
views. They never proinife future rewards to the
generous patriot, who falls in his country's caufe.
While they advile, and fometimes command fui-
cide, by reprefenting in a flrong light the alluring
profpect of future happinefs, they at the fame
time ftrictly forbid the effufion of blood.
THIS circumftance is a neceiTary confequence of
the doctrine of tranfmigration, which rnuft infpire
its followers with conitant and univerfal benevo-
lence. They are in continual fear of injuring their
neighbour, that is, all men and all animals. How
can a man reconcile himfelf to the idea of being
a foldier, when he can fay, Perhaps the elephant
or the horfe I am going to deilroy may contain
the foul of my father perhaps the enemy I fliall
kill has formerly been the chief of my family ?
Thus, in India, religion tends to keep up the fpirit
pf cowardice which refults from defpotifm and the
nature of the climate ; the manners of the people
Contribute liiil more to increafe it.
IN every country, love is the ruling paflion, but
it is not equally llrong in every climate. While
northern nations are moderate in their defires, the
fbu them ones indulge in them with a degree of
ardour fuperior to every reftraint. The policy of
princes has fometimes turned this paflion to the ad-
vantage of focietyj but the legiflators of India feem
fp have principally intended to increafe the fatal
influence
300 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K influence of their ardent climate, Tfre Moguls, the
y -. y --; laft conquerors of thofe regions, have proceeded
ftill further. Love is with them a fhameful and
deftruclive excefs, confecrated by religion, by the
laws, and by government. The military conduct f
of the nations of Indoflan, whether Pagans or
Mohammedans, is confiftent with their diflblute
manners. We fhall mention fome particulars taken i
from the writings of an Englifh officer remarkable
for his military exploits in thofe parts.
THE foldiers make 'up the fmalleft part of the
Indian camps. Every trooper is attended by hisi
wife, his children, and two fervants ; one to loolc!
after his horfe, and the other to forage. The train i
of the officers and generals is proportionable toi
their vanity, their fortune, and their rank. The-;
fovereign himfelf, more intent upon making a pa-*'?
rade of his magnificence than upon the necefllties^
of war, when he takes the field, carries along withfc
him his feraglio, his elephants, his court, and al4
moft all the inhabitants of his capital. To provide'!
for the wants, the fancies, and the luxury of thiii
ftrange multitude, a kind of town muft of courfcJ
be formed in the midft of the army, full of magfl
zines and unnecefTary articles. The motions of &
body fo unwieldy and fo ill-arranged cannot but!
be very flow. There is great confufion in their i
marches, and in all their operations. Howevefci
abftemious the Indians, and even the Moguls, may i
be, theymuft often experience a want ofprovifionM
and famine is ufually attended with contagious i
diitempers, and occafions a dreadful mortality.
THESE
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 301
' THESE diftempers, however, feldom deftroy any B v K
but recruits. Though, in general, the inhabitants ^ f
of Indoftan affect a ftrong pafTion for military
glory, yet they engage in war as feldom as they
can. Thofe, who have been fo fuccefsful in battle
as to obtain fome marks of diflinction, are excufed
from ferving for fome time ; and there are few
jthat do not avail themfelves of this privilege.
|The retreat of thele veterans reduces the army to a
contemptible body of foldiers, levied in hafte in
the feveral provinces of the empire, and who are
utterly unacquainted with difcipline.
THE nature of the provifions on which thefc
troops fubfift, and their manner of living, is en-
tirely confident with this improper mode of raifing
them. At night they eat a prodigious quantity of
irice ; and after this meal they take ftrong opiates,
which throw them into a deep fleep. Notwith-
ftanding this pernicious cuflom, no guards are
placed about their camp to prevent a furprize ; nor
Is it pofTible to make a foldier rife early even
p execute any enterprize that may require the'
greateft difpatch.
THE military operations are regulated by birds
^>f prey, of which there are always a great num-
ber in the army. If they are found heavy or lan-
guid, it is an unfavourable omen, and prevents
the army from giving battle : if they are fierce and
violent, the troops march out to action, whatever
reafons there may be for avoiding or deferring it.
This fuperftition, as well as the obfervance of
lucky and unlucky days, determines the fate of the
beil-concerte'd defigns.
No
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
No order is obferved in marching. Every fol-
dier goes on as he pieafes, and only follows the
corps to which he belongs. He is frequently
feen carrying his provifions upon his head, with
the veflels for dreffing them -, whilft his arms arc
carried by his wife, who is commonly followed
by feveral children. If a foot-foldier has any rela- i
tions, or bufmefs to tranfact, in the enemy's army,
he is under no apprehenfion in going to it j and i
returns to join his colours without meeting with I
the leaft oppofition.
THE action is not better conducted than thcrj
preparations for it. The cavalry, in which con- \
fifts the whole ftrength of an Indian army (for then'
infantry are held in general contempt), are ufefutfi
enough in charging with the fword and fpear, but il
can never Hand the fire of cannon and mufquetry...
They are afraid of lofing their horfes, which arctf
moftly Arabian, Perfian, or Tartar, and in which ;
their whole fortune confifls. The troops that com* 4
pofe this cavalry are held in great efteem, and well
paid : they are fo fond of their horfes, that fome- '.
times they will go into mourning upon lofing them,
THE Indians dread the enemy's artillery, as
much as they confide in their own ; though they
neither know how to tranfport it, nor how to maker
ufe of it. Their great guns, which are called by >
pompous names, are generally of a very extraof-
dinary fize, and rather prevent than aflift the gain-
ing of a victory.
THOSE who are ambitious of being diftinguifhed
intoxicate themfelves with opium, imagining that
it warms the blood, and animates them to the per-
formance
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
303
formance of heroic actions. In this temporary BOOK
ftate of intoxication, thfey bear a greater refem- -., -,'-,.__
bknce, in their drefs and impotent rage, to womea
actuated by a fpirit of enthufiafm, than to men of
courage and resolution.
THE prince who commands thefe defpicable
troops is always mounted on an elephant richly
caparifoned, where he is at once the general and
the itandard of the whole army, whole eyes are
fixed upon him. If he flies, he is (lain -, the whole
[machine is deftreyed ; the feveral corps difperfe,
jbr go over to the enemy.
THIS defcription, which we might have enlarged
(bpon without exaggeration, renders probable the
[account gi^n of our luccefies in Indoitan. Many
Europeans, judging of what might be effected in
the inland parts by what has been done on the
I coafts, imagine we might fafely undertake the con-
^queit of the whole country. This extreme confi-
dence arifes from the following circumftance: that
|n places where the enemy could not harafs their
poops in the rear, nor intercept their fuccours,
they have overcome tim9rous weavers and mer-
zhar.ts, undliciplined and cowardly armies, weak
;princes jealous of each other, and perpetually at
war with their neighbours or their own fubjecls-.
ijThey don-ot confider, that, if they wanted to pene-
trate into the interior parts, they would allperila
before they had proceeded halfway up the country.
The exceflive heat of the climate, continual fatigue,
numberlefsdifeafes,want of provifion, and a variety
of other caulVs, would foon confiderably diminifh
their numbers, even thoiigh they had nothing
to
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TtfADE
to apprehend from thofe troops that might mole$
them.
WE will fuppofe, however, that fen thoufand
European foldiers had anally over-run and ravag-
ed India from one end to the other : what would be
the conlequence ? Would thefe forces be fufficient
to fecure the conqueft, to keep every natidn, ever)'
province, every diftricl:, in order? And if this num-
ber is not fufficient, let it be calculated what num-
ber of troops would be neceflary for the purpofe:
BUT let us admit that the c.qnquerors had firmly
eftablifhed their government in India, they would
ftill reap very little advantage from this circum-
ftance. The revenues of Indoftan would be fpent
in Indoftan itfelf. The European power, that had
purfued this projecVof ufurpation, would have ex-
perienced nothing but a considerable decreafe in
its population, and the difgrace of having folio
a vifionary fyftem.
THIS, indeed, is now an ufelefs queftion, fin
the Europeans themfelves have made their fuft
ceis in Indoftan more difficult than ever. By
engaging the natives to take a part in their mur
tual diffentions, they have taught them the art
of war, and trained them to arms and difci-
pline. This error in politics has opened the eyes
of the fovereigns of thofe countries, whofe ambi-
tion has been excited . to eftablifh regular troops*
Their cavalry marches in better order j and their
infantry, which was always confidercd in fo de
fpicable a light, has now acquired the fir
of our battalions. A numerous and well-
naged artillery defends their camps, and pro
x
C HI
incc
-mnefs
ll-ma-
rotecb
""
tK THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
their attacks. The armies, compofed of better
troops, and better paid, have been able to keep
the field longer.
THIS change, which might have been forefeenj
had the Europeans not been blinded by temporary
intereft, may in time become fo cgmiderable, as
to raife unfurmountable obftacles to the defire they
have of extending their conquefts in Indoftan, and
poffibly they may lofe thofe they have already
made. Whether this will be a misfortune or an
advantage, is what we fhall next take into confider-
ation.
WHEN the Europeans fird began to trade in that
wealthy region, they found it divided into a great
many fmall ftates, fome of which were governed
by princes of their own nation, and fome by Patafi
kings. Theirmutual hatred was the occafion of con-
tinual contefls. Befides the wars that were carried
on between province and province, there was a
perpetual one between every fovereign and his fub-
jects. It was fomented by the tax-gatherers, who,
to ingratiate themfelves at court, always levied
heavier taxes than had been laid on the people.
Thefe barbarians aggravated this heavy burden by
the oppreflions they made the inhabitants furFer.
Their extortions were only another method of fe-
I curing to themfelves the pofts they enjoyed, in a
country where he was always in the right who has
the molt to give.
FROM this anarchy and thefe violent proceed-
ings, it was imagined, that, to fettle a fafe and
permanent commerce, it was neceffary to fupport
it by the force of arms j and the European fatto-
VOL. II. X rie*
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
ries were accordingly fortified. In procefs of
time, jealoufy, which divides the European na-
tions in India, as it does every where elfe, expofed
them to more considerable expences. Each of
thefe foreign nations thought it necefTary to aug-
ment their forces, left they Ihould be overpowered
by their rivals.
THE dominion of the Europeans, however, ex-
tended no further than their own fortrefles. Goods
were brought thither from the inland parts with
little difficulty, or with fuch as was eafily overcome.
Even after the conquefts of Kouli-kan had plunged
the north of Indoftan into confufion, the coafl of
Coromandel enjoyed its former tranquillity. But
the death of Nizam-al-Muluc, Subah of the De-
can, kindled a flame which is not yet fully ex-
tinguifhed.
THE difpofal of thofe immenfe fpoils naturally
belonged to the court of Dehly ; but the weaknefs
of that court emboldened the children of Nizam
to difpute their father's treafure. To fupplant each
other, they had recourfe alternately to arms, to
treachery, to poifon, and to afiafimations. Moft of
the adventurers they engaged in their animofities
and crimes perifhed during thefe horrid tranf-
aftions. The Marattas alone, a nation who alter-
nately fided with both parties, and often had troops
in each, feemed as if they would avail themfelves of
this anarchy, and invade the fovereignty of the De-
can. The Europeans have pretended it was greatly
their intereft to oppofe this deep but fecret defign,
and they allege the following reafons in thc.r de-
fence :
THE
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
Marattas, fay they, are thieves, both from
education and from their political principles.
They have no regard to the law of nations, no no-
tion of natural or civil right, and fpread defolation
wherever they go. The mod populous countries
are abandoned at the very report of their approach.
In the countries they have fubdued/ nothing is to
be feen but confufion, and all the manufactures
are deftroyed.
THE Europeans, who were moft powerful on the
coaft of Goromandel, thought fuch neighbours
would utterly deftroy their trade ,- and they could
never venture to fend money by their agents to buy
goods in the inland countries/ as they would cer-
tainly be plundered by thefe bariditti. The defire
of preventing this evil, which muft ruin their for-
tunesy and deprive them of the benefit of their
fettlements, fuggefted to their agents the idea of a
new fyftem.
IT was aflertedy that,- in the pfefent fituation of
Indoftan,- it was impofllble to keep up ufeful con^
neftions without a military eftablifhment : that,
at fo great a diftance from the mother-country,
the expence could not pofiibly be defrayed out of
the mere profits of trade,- were they ever fo great :
that therefore it was abfolutely necefifary to pro-
cure fufficient poiTeflions toanfwer thefe great ex-
pences ; and confequently that the porTeflions muft
be confiderable.
THIS argument, probably fuggefted to conceal
infatiable avarice and bouridlefs- ambition, and
which the paflion for conqueft may have occasioned
to be confidered as a very flrong one, may per- 1
X a ' hapj
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
K
B CMD K na p s De a m ere illufion. A variety of natural, mo*
r al, and political reafons may be urged in oppo-
fition to it. We fhall only infift upon one, which is
founded upon a fact. From the Portuguefe, who
firft attempted to aggrandize themfelves in India,
to the Englilh, who clofed the fatal lift of ufurp-
ers, not one .icquifition,. however important or
trifling, except Bengal and the Spice iflands, has
ever paid the expence of taking and fupporting,
it. The more extenfive the pofTeflions have been,
the greater has been the expence of maintaining
them to the ambitious power that had, by what-
ever means, acquired them.
THIS is what will always happen. Every nation
that has obtained a large territory will be defirous
of prelerving it. It will think there is no lafety but
in fortified places, and will conftantly multiply
them. This warlike appearance will deter the huf-
bandman and the artift, who will not expedt to en-
joy tranquillity. The neighbouring princes will
grow jealous* and will juftly be afraid of falling a
prey to a trading nation now become a conquering
one. In confeq.uence of this, they will be clevifing
means to ruin an oppreflbr, whom they had admit-
ted into tl;eir harbours with no other view than to
Increafe their own treafures and power. If they find
themfelves under a necefilty of entering into a
treaty, they will at the inftant of figning fecretly
vow the destruction of their new ally. Faliehood
will be the bafis of all their agreements j and the
longer they have been forced to diffemble, the
more time they will have had to prepare the means
4eftined to deilroy their enemy.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 309
THE juft apprehenfion of thefe perfidies will BOOK
oblige the ufurpers to be always upon their guard. u, ^ J
If they are to be defended by Europeans, what a
confumption of men for the mother-country ! what
an expence to raile them, to tranfport them into
thefe countries, to maintain and recruit them ! If,
from a principle of ceconoiny, they content them-
felves with the Indian troops, what can be expected
from a confufed and unprincipled multitude, whofe
expeditions always degenerate into robbery, and
conflantly end in a fhameful and precipitate flight ?
Their principles, whether natural or moral, are fo
weakened, that even the defence of their gods and
their own hoiifeholds could never inipire the boldeft
among them, with any thing beyond a fudden and
tranfient exertion of intrepidity. It is not probable
that foreign intereils, ruinous to their country,
fhould ever animate men whofe minds are funk in
indolence and corruption : is it not more probable
that they will be ever ready to betray a caufe they
abhor, and in which they find no immediate and
lafling advantage ?
To thefe inconveniences will be added a fpirit of
extortion and plunder, which even in the times of
peace will nearly refemble the devaftations of war.
The agents, intruded with thofe remote concerns,
will be defirous of making rapid fortunes. The flow
and regular profits of trade they will not attend to,
but will endeavour to promote fpeedy revolutions
in order to acquire great wealth. They will have
occasioned innumerable evils before they can be
controuled by authority at the diftance of fix thou-
fand leagues. This authority will have no force
X 3 againft
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
againft millions ; or the perfons intrufted with it
will arrive too late to prevent the fall of an edifice
fupported on fo we.ak a foundation.
THIS refult makes it needlefs to inquire into the
nature of the political engagements the Europeans
have entered into with the powers of India. If thefe
great acquifitions are hurtful, the treaties made to
procure them cannot be rational. If the merchants
of Europe are wife, they will forego the rage of
conqiieft, and the flattering hopes of holding the
balance of Afia.
THE court of Dehly will finally fmk under the
weight of mteftine divifions, or fortune will raife
jup a prince capable of reftoring it. The govern-
ment will remain feudal, or once more become de-
fpotic. The empire will be divided into many in-
jdependent dates, or will be fubjedt only to one
mailer. Either the Marattas or the Moguls will be-
come a ruling power ; but the Europeans fhould
not be concerned in thefe revolutions -, whatever be
the fate of Indoftan, the Indians will flill continue
itheir manufactures, and we fhall purchafe them.
IT would be needlefs to allege, that the fpii
which has always prevailed in thofe countries
forced us to depart from their common rules
trade ; that we are in arms upon the coafls ; tl
this pofition unavoidably obliges us to interfei
with the affairs of our neighbours j and that, if i
avoid all intercourfe with them, fuch a reierve
certainly prove extremely detrimental to our ij
terefts. Thefe fears will appear groundlefs
fenfible men, who know that a war in thofe dij
tant regions muft be ftill more fatal to the Euro-
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES,
peans than to the natives; and that the confequence
will be, that we muft either fubdue the whole,
which is fcarcely pofiible, or be for ever expelled
from a country where it is our advantage to main-
tain our connections.
THE love of order and tranquillity would even
make it defirable to extend thefe pacific views ; and,
far from thinking that great pofTefiions are necef-
fary, time will probably difcover even the inutility
of fortified pofts. The Indians are naturally gentle
and humane, though crufhed under the fevere bur-
den of defpotifm. The nations, who formerly traded
with them, always commended them for their can-
dor and honefty. The Indians are now in a ftate
of confufion, equally alarming to them and to us.
Our ambition has carried diicord into all parts of
their country, and our rapacioufnefs has infpired
them with hatred, fear, and contempt for our con-
tinent ; they look upon us as conquerors, ufurpers,
and oppreflbrs, fanguinary and avaricious men.
This is the character we have acquired in the eaft.
Our examples have increafed the number of their
national vices at the fame time that we have taught
them to be in guard againft ours.
IF in our tranfactions with the Indians we had
been guided by principles of probity i if we had
Ihewn them, that mutual advantage is the bails of
commerce j if we had encouraged their cultivation
and manufactures, by exchanges equally advan-
tageous to both j we fhould infenfibly have gained
their affections. If we had fortunately taken care to
preferve their confidence in our dealings with
them, we might have removed their prejudices,
X 4 and,
3 I2 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K and, perhaps, changed tlieir form of government,,
v* v ^ We ihould have fucceoled Ib far. as to ! iave lived
amongft them, and trained up civilized nations
around us, who wouid have proceeded our iettie-
ments for our mutual mterefts. Every one of our
eltabliiliments would have oeen to c ch u-tij.i in
Europe as their native country, where t.iey W.K . 1
have found. a lure protection. Our iicuatipn in
India is the confequence of our proiiigacy and
of the fanguinary fyfiems we have introduced
there. The Indians imagine nothing is due to
us, becaule all our actions have ihewn that we
did not think ourlelves under any ties with reipe6t
to them.
THIS flate of perpetual contention is difpleafmg
to moft of the A.lacic nations, and they ardently
wilh for a happier change. The diforder of our
affairs mult have infpired us with the fame fenti-p
ments. If we are all in the fame difpolitions, and
if one common incereil really inclines us to peace
and harmony, the mofl effectual way to attain this
'defirable end would perhaps be, that all the
European nations, who trade to India, fnould agree
among themfelves to. preferve a neutrality in thofe
remote feas, which fhov-ld never be interrupted
by the disturbances that fo frequently happen or>
our own continent, If we could once confider
ourlelves as members of one great commonwealth,
we fhould not want thofe forces \yhich make us
odious abroad, and ruinous at home, But, a/ our
prefent fpirit of difcord will not permit us to ex-
pedt that fuch a change can foon take place, it re-:
mains only that we no\v confider, whether Europe
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 313
ought ftill to carry on the India trade by charter B ~ v K
companies, or to make it a free trade. -v *
IF this qii; ilion were to be decided upon gene- whether
/ral principles, it would beeafily anfwered. If we o"ghTto lay
afk whether, in a (late which allows any particu- t r p a ~ d n e * e , B-
lar branch of trade, every citizen has a right to . d t 'J n b r y c *?
part.ike of it; the anfwer is ib plain as to leave no ciu five char*
room for difcuffion. It would be unnatural, that
fubjects who fhare alike the burden and public
expence of civil ibciety, fhould not be alike par-
takers of the benefits arif>ng from the compact that
unites them ; they would have caufe to complain,
that they fuftain all the inconveniences of fociety,
and are deprived of the advantages they expected
to receive from it.
ON the other hand, political notions are per-
fecT:ly reconcileable with thefe ideas of juftice. It
is well known that freedom is the very foul of com-
merce, and that nothing elfe can bring it to per-
feftion. It is generally allowed that competition
awakens induflry, and gives it all the vigour it is
capable of acquiring. Yet, for upwards of a cen-
tury, the practice has conftantly been contradic-
tory to thefe principles.
ALL the nations of Europe, that trade to India,
carry on that commerce by exclufive companies ;
and it muft be confefied, that this practice is plau-
fible, becaufe it is hardly conceivable that great and
enlightened nations fhonld have been under a mil-
take for above a hundred years on fo important a
point, and that neither experience nor argument
:flhould have undeceived them. We muft conclude
v
3H HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B K therefore that either the advocates for liberty havr
given too great a latitude to their principles, ci
the favourers of exclufive privilege have too ftre-
nuoufly aflerted the neceflity of fuch limitations ;
poffibly, both parties, from too great an att
ment to their refpective opinions, have
deceived, and are equally diftant from
truth.
EVER fmce this famous queftion has been
bated, it has always been thought to be a
fimple onej it has always been fuppofed that ai
India company muft neceiTarily be exclufive, am
that its exiftence was eflentially conne&ed with it
privilege. Hence the advocates for a free trad;
have afferted that exclufive privileges were odious
and, therefore, that there ought to be no company
Their opponents have argued, on the contrary
that the nature of things required a company ; am
therefore that there muft be an exclufive charter
But if we can make it appear that the reafon
urged againft charters prove nothing againft com
panics in general, and that the circumftances whicl
may render it neceflary to have an India company
do not fupply any argument in favour of a charter
if we can demonftrate that the nature of thing
requires, indeed, a powerful affociation, a com
pany for the India trade - s but that the exclufiv
charter is connected only with particular caufes
infomuch that the company may exift without th
charter ; we fhall then have traced the fource o
the common error, and found out the folutior
the difficulty.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
LET us inquire what conftitutes the particular
lature of commercial tranfactions. It is the cli-
nate, the produce, the diflance of places, the form
f the government, the genius and manners of the
>eople who are fubject to it. In the trade with In-
lia, the merchant mufl undertake a voyage of fix
houfand miles 5n fearch of the commodities which
he country fupplies : he mufl arrive there at a
rertain feafon, and wait till another for the proper
tfinds to return home. Therefore every voyage
:akes up about two years, and the proprietors of
:he veffels mufl wait this time for their returns.
This is the firft and a very material circumflance.
THE nature of a government in which there is
icither fafety nor property will not permit the
people to have any public marks, or to lay up
my ilores. Let us reprefent to ourfelves men who
are deprefied and corrupted by defpotifm, work-
men who are unable to undertake any thing of
themfelves j and, on the other hand, nature more
liberal in her gifts, than power is rapacious, fup-
plying a flothful people with food fufficient for
their wants and their defires ; and we fhall wonder
that any induftry fhould be found in India. And
indeed it may be affirmed, that fcarce any manu-
facture would be carried on there, if the workmen
were not encouraged by ready money, or if the
goods were not engaged for a year before they are
wanted. One third of the money is paid at the
time the work is orderedj another when it is half
done, and the remainder on delivery of the goods.
From this mode of payment there is a considerable
difference made, both in price and in the quality
of
i
s
16 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
v K of the goods; but from hence likewife arifes a
v~*J ceflity of havin'g one's capital out a year longer
that is, three years inftead of two. This is
alarming circumftance for a private man, ei
cially if we confider the Jargenefs of the capi
that is requifite for fuch /undertakings.
As the charges of navigation and the rifques an
very great, they cannot be fupported without bring-
ing home complete cargoes, that is, cargoes oft
million or a million and a half of livres*, at prime-
cofl in India. Where (hall we find merchants, 01
even men poiTefTed of a fufEcient capital to enable
them to advance fuch a fum, to be reimburfed onlj
at the end of three years ? Undoubtedly there are
very few in Europe ; and among thofe who might
have the power, fcarce any would have the will. I
If we confult experience, we {hall find that men 01
moderate fortunes only are the perfons who are
inclined to run great rifques, in order to make
great profits. But when once a man is poflefTetJ
of an ample fortune, he is inclined to enjoy it,
and to enjoy it with fecurity. The defire of riches
cannot indeed be fatisfied by the pofleflion of thenij
which, on the contrary, frequently increafes it;
but, at the fame time, the pofieffion of wealth
furnifhes various means of gratifying that defiife
without either trouble or danger. This opens CO
our view the necefiity of entering into afibcia*
tions, where a number of men will not fcruple
to be concerned, becaufe every individual will
venture but a fmall part of his fortune, and wifl
rate the meafure of his profits upon the united
* About 54,700 1. on an average.
8 Hock
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 3*7
.lock of the whole fociety. This neceffity will B v K
Appear dill more evident, if we confider how the u- v-o
Dufinefs of buying and felling is managed in India,
id what precautions it requires.
To make a previous agreement for a cargo,
ove fifty different agents muft be employed, who
e diiperfed in different parts, at the diftance of
ree, four, and five hundred leagues from each
her. When the work is done, it muft be ex-
mined and meafured> otherwife the goods would
on be found faulty, from the want of honefty
the workmen, who are equally corrupted by
e nature of their 'government, and by the in-
uence of crimes of every kind which the Euro-
cans have fet them the example of for thefe three
nturies paft.
AFTER all thefe details, there are ftill other
)erations remaining equally neceflary. There
uft be whitfters, men to beat the linens, packers,
nd bleaching-grounds, which muft be fupplied
ith pools of water fit for the purpofe. It would
ertainly be very difficult for individuals, to attend
nd to obferve all thefe precautions ; but even
dmitting it pofllble for induftry to effect this, yet
could only be done as long as each of them
ould keep up a continued trade, and regularly
lip off frefli cargoes. All thefe particulars are
ot to be executed in a fhort time, and not with-
ut eftablilried connections. Every private man, %
Kerefore, fliould be able to fit out a fhip annually
uring three years, that is, to difburfe four mil-
ons of livres*. This is evidently unpofnblei and
* 175,000!.
it
3i8 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK i t i s plain that fuch an undertaking can only b
v v~- j carried into execution by afocicty.
BUT, perhaps, fome commercial houfeswillb
eflablilhed in India, on purpofe to tranfacl thi
previous bufmefs, and to keep cargoes in readinel
for the ihips that are to be fent off to Europe.
THiseftablifhment of trading houfes at fix thou
fand leagues from the mother country, with th
immenfe Hock that would be requifite to pay th
weavers in advance, feems to be a vifionary fchemt
inconfiflent with reafon and experience. Can it b
ferioufly imagined that any merchants, who hav
already acquired a fortune in Europe, will trani
mit it to Ada to purchafe a flock of muilins, in ex
peftation of fhips that, perhaps, may never arriv<
or, if they fhould, may be but few in number, an
may not have a fufficient capital to purchafe with
On the contrary, we fee that every European, wh
has made a fmall fortune in India, is defirous <
returning home ; and, inftead of endeavouring t
increafe it by thofe eafy methods that private trad
and the fervice of the companies offers in th:
country, he is rather anxious to come and
it with tranquillity in his own.
IF other proofs and examples were necel
We need only attend to what paffes in America
we could fuppofe that commerce, and the ho]
the profits arifing from it, were capable of alh
rich Europeans to quit their native counti
would certainly be in order to fettle in that
of the world which is much nearer than Afia, an
where they would find the' fame laws and manne
as in Europe. It might naturally be fuppofed th
i tl
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
the merchants fhould previoufly buy up the fugars
of the planters, and keep them in readinefs to be
delivered to the European fhips as foon as they
arrive, on receiving other commodities in ex-
change, which they would afterwards fell to the
planters when they wanted them. But it is quite
the contrary. The merchants fettled in America
are nothing more than commifiaries or factors,
who tranfact the exchanges between the planters
i and the Europeans; and are fo far from being
able to carry on any confiderable trade on their
own account, that, when a fhip has not met with
:an opportunity of difpofmg of her lading, it is left
<in truft, on the account of the owner, in the hands
of the commiffary to whom it was configned. It
is reafonable, therefore, to conclude, that what is
inot practifed in America would ftill be lefs fo in
Afia, where a larger ftock would be wanted, and
greater difficulties muft be encountered. Add to
this, that the fuppofed eftablifhment of commer-
cial houfes in India would not fupercede the ne-
cefiity of forming companies in Europe j becaufc
it would be equalfy necefTary to difburfe twelve or
fifteen hundred thoufand livres * for the fitting
out of every fhip, which could never return into
the flock till the third year at fooneft.
THIS neceffity being once proved in every
poflible cafe, it is manifeft that the trade of India
is of fuch a nature, that very few merchants, if
any, can undertake it upon their own bottom, or
carry it on by themfelves, and without the help of
a great number of partners. Having demonftrate^
* About 60,000 1. on an average.
the
HISTORY OP SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
the necefiity of thefe focieties, we mull now endea-
vour to prove, that their intereft and the nature of
things would incline them to unite in one and the
fame company*
THIS proportion depends upon two principal
reafons: the danger of competition in the pur-
chafes and fales, and the neceffity of aflbrtments.
THE competition of buyers and fellers reduces
the commodities to their juil value. "When the
competition of fellers is greater than that of buyers,
the goods fell for lefs than they are worth i and,
when there are more buyers than fellers, their
price is raifed beyond their ordinary value. Let
us apply this to the India trade.
WHEN we fuppofe that this trade will extend
in proportion to the number of private ihips fent
there, we are not aware that this multiplicity will
only increafe the competition on the fide of
buyers ; whereas it is not in our power to inert
it on the fide of the fellers. It is juft the fame
if we -were to advife a number of traders to bid
over one another, in order to obtain their goods
at a cheaper rate.
THE Indians fcarce make any confumption of
the produce either of our lands or of manufactures.
They have few wants, little ambition, and no
great fhare of induftry. They would readily dif-
penfe with the gold and filver of America, which
is fo far from procuring them any enjoyments,
that it only ferves to fupport the tyranny under
which they are opprefled. Thus, as all objects of
exchange have no value but in proportion ,to the
wants or the fancy of the exchangers, it is evident
that
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
that in India our commodities are worth very little,
while thofe we buy there are of great value. As
long as no Indian fhips come into our harbours to
carry away our fluffs and our metals, we may ven-
ture to affirm that thofe people are not in want of
us, and win confequently make their own terms in
all their dealings with us. Hence it follows, that
the greater number there are of European mer-
chants who are concerned in this trade, the more
the produce of India will rife, and our own fink,
in value ; and that at laft it will be only by im-
menfe exports that we (hall be able to procure any
India goods at all. But if, in confequence of this
order of things, each particular fociety is obliged
to export more money, without bringing- home
more goods, its trade mufr be very difadvantage-
< ous, and the fame competition that began its ruin
in Afia will complete it in Europe ; becauie the
number of fellers being then greater, while^ that
of buyers ftill continues the fame, the focieties will
be obliged to fell at a lower price, after having
bought at an advanced one.
THE article of affbrtments is not of lefs confe-
quence. By affortments is meant the combination
of all the feveral forts of commodities that the dif-
ferent parts of India produce ; a combination
which is proportioned to the prefent plenty or
fcarcity of each kind of commodity in Europe. On
this chiefly depends the fuccefs and all the profits
of the trade. But nothing would be more difficult
in the practice for private focieties than this afibrt-
ment. How, indeed, (hould thefe final! focieties,
VOL. II. Y
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
unconnected with each other, whofe intereft it is.
to conceal their mutual tranfactions, acquire the
knowledge that is requifite for this important pur-
pole ? How could they direct fuch a multitude of
agents as muft be employed ? It is plain that the
lupercargoes and commirTaries, incapable of gene-
ral views, would be all afking for the fame fort of
goods at the fame time, in hopes of making a
greater profit. This would of courfe enhance the
price of that article in India, and lower it in Eu-
rope, to the great detriment of the owners, and of
the nation in general.
ALL thefe confiderations would certainly be per-
ceived by the captains of fhips and by the men of
property, who would be folicited to enter into thefe
focieties. They would be difcouraged by the fear of
having a competition with other focieties, either in
the purchafe, the fale, or the making up of the af-
fbrtments. The number of thefe focieties would j
foon be reduced j and trade, inftead of extending,
would cenftantly decline, and at laft be entire
loft.
IT would, therefore, be for the intereft oft
private focieties, as we have before obferved,
unite together; becaufethen all their agents,
on the coaft of Coromandel, and on that of
labar and in Bengal, being united and dir
fcy one conliftent fyftem, would jointly labour in
the feveral factories to collect proper aflbrtments
for the cargoes that were to be fent away from
chief factory, fo that the whole fhould mak
complete ailbrtment when brought home, be
4 coll
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 323
collected upon an uniform pi in, and proportioned B v K
according to the orders and inftructions fentfrom ' / **
Europe.
BUT it would be in vain to expect that any
fuch union could take place without the afliflance
of government. In fome cafes, men require to be
encouraged ; and it is chiefly, as in the prefent in*
fiance, when they are afraid of being denied that
protection which they fland in need of, or appre-
henfive that favours may be granted to others,
which may be injurious to them. Government
would find it their intereft to encourage this aflb-
ciation, as it is certainly the fureft, if not the only
way, to procure, at the moil reafonable prices, the
India goods that are wanted for home confump^
tion, and for exportation. This truth will appear
more flriking from a very fimple inilance.
LET us fuppofe a merchant, who freights a fhip
for India with a confiderable flock. Will he com-
minion feveral agents at the fame place to buy the
goods he wants ? This cannot reasonably be fup-
pofed j becaufe he will be fenfible, that, each of
them endeavouring to execute his orders with as
much fecrefy as pofiible^ they would neceflarily in-
jure one another, and mud confequently enhance
the price of the goods j Ib that-he would have a lefs
quantity of the commodity for the fame fum than
if he had employed but one agent. The applica-
tion is eafy ; government is the merchant, and the
company is the agenti
WE have now proved only that in the India
trade the nature of things requires that the fub-
Y a jecli
3*4 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
jcdtsofone country ftiould unite into one com-
pany, both for their own intereft and for that of
the ftatej but nothing has yet appeared, from
whence it can be inferred that this company muft
&e an exclufive one. We imagine, on the contrary,
that the exclufive privilege always granted to thefe
companies depends on particular caufes, which
have no eflential connection with this trade.
WHEN the feveral nations in Europe began to
find that it was their intereft to take a part in the
trade of India, which individuals refufed to do,
though none were excluded from it, they found
themfelves under a necefllty of forming companies
and giving them every encouragement that fo dil
"ficult an undertaking required. Capitals were ac
vanced to them ; they were invefted with all tl
attributes of fovereign power; permitted to fei
ambafladors ; and empowered to make peace ai
war; a privilege which, unfortunately for thei
and for mankind, they have too often exercife
It was found neceflary at the fame time to fecui
to them the means of indemnifying themfelves fo
the expences of fettlements, which muft be ve
considerable. This gave rife to exclufive prii
leges, which at firft were granted for a term
years; and afterwards made perpetual, from ci
cumftances which we Ihall now explain.
THE brilliant prerogatives granted to the coi
panics, were in fa6t fo many impediments t
trade. The right of having fortrefles implied tl
necefllty of building and defending them ; tl
of having troops implied the obligation of payii
9 ai
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 325
and recruiting them. It 'was the fame with regard B V C \ K
to the permifilon offending ambafiadors, and con- c- - v .^
eluding treaties with the Indian princes. All thefe
privileges were attended with expences merely of
parade, fit only to check the progrefs of trade, and
to intoxicate the agents and factors fe"nt by the
companies into India, who on their arrival fancied
themfelves fovereigns, and acled accordingly.
NATIONS, however, found it very convenient to
have fome kind of fettlements in Afia, which ap
parently were attended with no coft ; and as it was
reafonable, while the companies bore all the ex*
pences, that all the profits' fhould be fecured to
them, the -privileges have been continued. But if
the feveral nations, inflead of attending only to
this pretended ceconomy, which could be but tem-
porary, had extended their views to futurity, and
connected all the ^vents which muft naturally be
brought about in the courfe of a number of years 5
they muft have forefeen that the expences of fo-
vereignty, which can never be afcertained, becaufe
they depend upon numberlefs political contingen-
cies, would in time abforb both the profits and
the flock of a trading company; that then the pub-
lic treafury muft be exhaufted, to affift the charter-
ed company; aad^thatthis afliilance, being grant-
ed too late, could only remedy the mifchiefs that
had already happened, without removing the caufc
of them, fo that the companies would never rife
to any degree of importance.
BUT why fhould not ftates at length be unde-
ceived ? Why ihould they not take upon them*
Y 3 felvci
6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
v K felves a charge which probably belongs to them,
v ' and the burden of -which, after having crufiied the
companies, muft finally fall upon them ? There
would be then no further need of an exclufiye prir
yilege. The companies which fubjfiftat prefent, and
are of great importance on account of their old con-
nections and eftablifhed credit, ihouid be fupported
with the greatelt care. The appearance of mo-
nopoly would vanifh for ever; and their freedom,
might enable them to puriue fome new track;,
which they could not think of whilft they were en-
cumbered with the charges annexed to the charter*.
On the other hand, commerce, being open to all
the members of the community, would profper
and flourifh by their induflry, new difcoveries
would be attempted, and new enterprizes formed.
The trade from one part of India to another, having
the certainty of a market in Europe, would become
confiderable and extenfive. The companies, atten-
tive to thefe improvements, would regulate their
dealings by the fuccefs of private trade ; and tl
emulation, which would not be injurious to any ii
dividual, would be beneficial to the feveral flat
WE apprehend this fyflem would tend to rec<
cile all intereils, and is conliftent with all princ
pies. It feems to be liable to no reafonable
je&ion, either on the part of the advocates for
exclufive charter, or of thofe who contend foi
free trade.
IF the former fliould aflert, that the compar
without the exclufive charter would have but
precarious exiftence^ and would foon be ruined
prr
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 327
private traders j I diould anfwer them, that they B v K
were not fmcere, when they affirmed that private * v
trade could never fucceed. For, if it could pofiibly
occafion the ruin of that of the companies, as they
now pretend, it can only effect this by engrafting
every branch of their trade againft their will, by
a fuperiority of powers, and by the afcendent of
liberty. Befides, what is it that really conftitutes
our companies ? It is their flock, their fliips, their
factories, or their exclufivc charter. What is it
that has always ruined them ? Extravagant ex-
pences, abufes of every kind, vifionary undertak-
ings ; in a word, bad adminiftration, far more de-
flructive than competition. But if the distribution
of their powers is made with prudence and cecono-
my, if the fpirit of property directs their opera-
tions, there is no obftacle which they cannot fur-
mount, no fuccefs which they may not expect.
BUT would not this fuccefs give umbrage to the
advocates for freedom ? Would they not in their
turn urge, that thofe rich and powerful companies
would alarm private men, and in fome meafure
deftroy that general and abiblute freedom which
is fo neceffary to trade ?
WE fhouid not be furprifed at this objection
from them ; for men, both in their actions and
opinions, are more commonly guided by fyftem
than by facts. I do not except from this error
the greateft part of our writers upon revenue.
Commercial and civil liberty are the two tutelar
deities of mankind, which we all reverence as well
as they. But, that we may not be influenced by
Y 4 mere
DE
328 . HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B CMD K mere W ords, let us attend to the idea they are
^ v ' meant to convey. Let us afk thofe enthufiafts for
liberty, what they would wifh; whether they would
have the laws entirely abolifh thofe ancient com-
panies, that every citizen might freely partake of
this i;rade, and fhould equally have the fame means
of procuring the enjoyments of life, and the fame
refources to raife a fortune ? But if fiich laws,
with all their appearance of liberty, are in fact to-
tally exclufive, let us not be induced by this falfc
reafoning to adopt them. When the flate allows all
its members to carry on a trade that requires a
large flock, and which confequently very few are
able to undertake ; I would afk, what advantage
arifes to the people in general from this regulation ? '
It feems as if one meant to laugh at their credu-
lity, in permitting them to undertake what they
cannot execute. If the companies are totally fup-
prefled, there will be no India trade, or it will be
only carried on by a few capital merchants.
I WILL go further ftill, and, waving the con-
ftderacion of the exclufive charter, venture to
firm that the India companies, from the natui
of their formation, have given opportunities
feveral people to become ftiarers in their trade
who would otherwife never have been concerne
in it. Let us take a review of the number of pei
fons, in all ftations and of all ages, that are prc
prietors, and partake of the profits of the trade,
and it muft be owned, that it would have been far
more circumfcribed if it had been in private hands j
that the formation of companies has only difFuied
while
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 329
while it Teemed to reftrain it ; and that the mode- B v K
rate price of the lhares muft be a powerful motive < i~j
to the people, to wifh for the prefervation of an
eftablifhment, which opens to them a track from
which they would for ever have been excluded by
a free trade.
WE believe, indeed, that both companies and
private men might equally fucceed without injur-
ing one another, or creating any mutual jealoufies.'
The companies might ftill purfue thofe great ob-
jects, which, by their nature and extent, can only
be managed by a wealthy and powerful aflbciation.
Private men, on the contrary, would confine them-
felves to fuch objects as are fcafcely attended to
I by a great company, but might, by proper ceco-
I nomy, and the combination of many fmall fortunes,
[become a fource of riches to them.
STATESMEN, who by their talents are called to
the direction of public affairs, muft determine this
point, and rectify the ideas of an obfcure citizen,
who may have been mifled by his want of expe-
rience. The fyftem of politics cannot too foon nor
too deeply be applied to regulate a trade which fo
efTentially concerns the fate of nations, and will,
probably, always be an object of the greateft im-
portance*
To put an end to all intercourfe between Europe
and India, that luxury, which has made fuch rapid
progrefs in our part of the world, fhould be ba-
nifhed from every ftate. Our effeminacy fhould not
create a thoufand wants unknown to our fore-
fathers. The rivalfhip of trade fhould no longer
agitate
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS, &c.
agitate the feveral nations who vie with each other
in amafling riches. Such a revolution Ihould take
place in the manners, cuftoms, and opinions of
men, as is never likely to happen. We Ihould
regulate' our actions according to the principles
of nature, which we feem to have abandoned
for ever.
SUCH are the laft reflections fuggefted to us with
refpect to the connections of Europe with Alia ;
let us now turn our thoughts to America.
B
[ 331 ]
BOOK VI.
( Difcovery of America. Conqueft of Mexico ;
and fettkments of the Spaniards in that part
of the new world.
ANCIENT hiftory prefents a magnificent BOOK
fcene to our view. The fuccefli ve repre-
jfentation of great revolutions, heroic manners, and
extraordinary events, will become more and more
. . hiftory.
mtereiting, the more uncommon it is to meet with
[incidents that bear any refemblance to them. The
period of founding and of fu overling empires is
ipaft. The man, before whom the i-orld ivasjilenty
(is no more. The feveral nations of the earth, after
jrepeated ihocks, after all the ftruggles between
ambition and liberty, feem at length totally re-
conciled with the wretched tranquillity of fervi-
(tude. Battles are now fought with cannon for
ahe purpofe of taking a few towns, and of grati-
fying the caprices of a few powerful men : for-
merly they were fought with the fword, in order
to overthrow and to eftablifh kingdoms, or to
avenge the natural rights of mankind. The
hiftory of the world is become infipid and trifling ;
iand yet men are not become more happy. A
regular and conftant fyftem of opprefllon has fuc-
ceeded to the tumults and ftorms of conqueft ;
and we behold with a degree of indifference
We various ranks of (laves, combating each other
with
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
with their chains, for the amufement of theii
m afters.
EUROPE, that part of the globe which has moft
influence over the reft, feems to have fixed itfelf on
a folid and durable foundation. It is compofeci oi
communities that are almoil equally powerful, en-
lightened, extenfive and jealous. They will en-
croach perpetually upon each other , and, in the
midft of this continued fluctuation, fornc will be
extended, others more limited, and the balance will
alternately incline to different fides, without ever '
being entirely deftroyed. The fanaticifm of reli-
gion, and the fpirit of conqueft, thofe two difturb-
ers of the univerfe, operate no longer. That great
machine, whofe extremity was attached to the earth,
and whofe centre of motion was in heaven, is now
broken : and kings begin to difcover (though not
for the happinefs of their people, for whom they
have very little care, but for their own private in- !
tereft) that the great end of government is to obtain
riches and fecurity. Hence large armies are kept
up, frontiers are fortified, and trade is encouraged.
A SPIRIT of barter and exchange hath arifen in
Europe, that feems to open a vaft fcene of fpecu-r
lation to individuals, but is only confiftent with
peace and tranquillity. A war, among commercial
nations, is a conflagration that deftroys them all;
it is a law-fuit which threatens the fortune of a
great merchant, and makes all his creditors trem-
ble. The time is not far off, when the tacit
fanction of government will extend to the private
engagements between fubjects of different nations ;
and when thofe bankruptcies, the effects of whicn'
are
W THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 333
arc felt at immenfediftances, will become concerns B VI K
of government. In thefe mercantile dates, the dif- * - y -^j
covery of an ifland, the importation of a new com-
modity, the invention of ibme ufeful machine, the
:onftruction of a port, the eftablifhment of a fac-
tory) the carrying off a branch of trade from a rival
nation, will all become the mod important tranf-
aclions j and the annals of nations muft hereafter
DC written by commercial philofophers, as they
were formerly by hiftorical orators.
THEdifcovery of a new world was alone fufficient
:o furnifh matter for our curiofity. A vaft continent
lintirely uncultivated, human nature reduced to the
nere animal ftate, fields without harvefts, treafures
ivithout proprietors, focieties without policy, and
men without manners, what an interefting and in-
[truftive fpeclacle would thefe have formed for a
Locke, a BufTon, or a Montefquieu ! What could
liave been ib afloniiliing, fo delightful, fo affecting^
is an account of their voyage ! But the image of
Hide unpolifhed nature is already disfigured. W
jhall endeavour to colled the features of it, though
ew half effaced, as foon as we have made the
eadcr acquainted with thofe rapacious and cruel
:hriftians, whom unfortunately chance conducted
iO this further hemifphere.
SPAIN, which was known in the firft ages under Ancient-
he names of Hefperia and Iberia, was inhabited by
).eople, who, defended on one fide by the fea, and
n the other by the Pyrenees, enjoyed in peace an
.greeable climate and a fruitful country, and who,
joverned themfelves according to their own cuf-
toms.
klSTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
toms. The fouthern part of this nation had in
fome degree emerged from its ftate of barbarifm,
by fome trifling connections it had formed with
foreigners ; but the inhabitants on the coafls of the
ocean refembled all thofe nations which know no
other occupation but that of the chace. They
were fo much attached to this kind of life, that they
left the toils of agriculture to their wives ; the
fatigues of which they had encouraged them to
fupport by eftablifliing general afTemblies an-
nually, in which thofe women, who had moft
diftinguifhed themfelves in the labours of a
culture, received public applaufe.
SUCH was the fituation of Spain, when the
thaginians turned their rapacious views upo
country filled with riches, which were unknow
its inhabitants. Thefe merchants, whofe fhips
vered the Mediterranean, introduced themfelv
friends, who came to barter feveral articles of con-
venience againil metals that were thought to beufe-
lei's. The temptations of a trade fo advantageous in
appearance feduced the Spaniards fo powerfully,
that they permitted the Carthaginians to build
upon their coafls houfes for their occafional refi-
dence, magazines for the fecurity of their mer^
chandife, and temples for the exercife of their
religion. Thefe eflablifhments infenfibly became
fortified places, of which this power, whofe policy
was fuperior to its military (kill, availed itielf to
enflave a credulous people, who were always cfi-
vided among themfelves, and always irreconcile-
able in their enmities. By bribing fome, and
intimk
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 33?,
intimidating oth,ers 5 Carthage fucceeded in iub- B v K
duing Spain, and even effected this with Spanifh ' ^ *
foldiers and Spanifh wealth.
WHEN the Carthaginians were become matters
rf the moft extenfive and moft valuable part of
:his fine country, they feemed either to be ignorant
of the means of eftablifhing their dominion there>
yc to neglect them. Inftead of continuing to ap-
ipropriate to themfelves the gold and filver, with
ivhich the conquered nations were abundantly fup-
>lied from their mines, by exchanging commodi-
:ies of little value for thofe metals, they chofe to
eize them by force. Nor was this fpirit of ty-
'anny confined to the body of the republic : the
'generals, the officers, the private men, and even
he merchants, acted upon the fame principle. The
/iolence of thefe proceedings threw the conquered
provinces into a ftate of defpair, and excited in
Ihofe which were yet free an extreme averfion for
|b intolerable a yoke. In this fituation they all of
them refolved to accept of affiftance, as fatal to
them as their injuries were cruel. Spain became
t theatre of jealoufy, ambition, and hatred, be-
ween Rome and Carthage.
I THE two commonwealths contended with great
djftinacy for the empire of this beautiful part of
iiurope i and, perhaps, it would finally have be- .
longed to neither of them, if the Spaniards had
irontinued quiet fpectators of the conteft, and left
ihe rival nations time to deftroy each other. But
hey chofe to become actors in the bloody fcene>
ad "thus reduced themfelves to be flaves to the
Romans,
33 6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADg
BOOK Romans, in which ftate they remained till the fifth
v* ^ i century.
IN a fhort time the degeneracy of thofe maftefs
of the world inipired the favage nations of the
north with the enterprifmg idea of invading the
provinces that were ill-governed and ill-defended.
The Suevi, the Alani, the Vandals, and the Goths,
patted the Pyrenean mountains. Thefe barbarians,
being robbers by profefllon, were incapable of
becoming citizens, and made war upon each other.
The Goths, fuperior in abilities or good fortune,
fubdued the reft, and reduced all the kingdoms of
Spain into one j which, notwithftanding the d
fects in its conftitution, and the unbounded ex
tions of the Jews, who were the only merchan
fupported itfelf till the commencement of the
eighth century.
AT this period, the Moors, who had fubd
Africa with that impetuofity which was the ch
teriftic of all their enterprizes, crofled the
They found in Spain a king deftitute of virtue and
abilities ; a multitude of courtiers, and no ftatef-
men ; foldiers devoid of courage, and generals
without experience ; an effeminate people, holding
the government in contempt, and difpofed
change their mafter ; and they alfo found rel
who joined them for the fake of plundering, bui
Ing, and mafiacring all that oppofed them,
lefe than three years, the fovereignty of the chi
tians was deftroyed ; and that of the infidels ei
blilhed upon a folid foundation.
SPAIN, was indebted to its conquerors for the
fcrft principles of tafte, humanity, politenefs, and
philofophy i
'4 L11W
Ddued
larac-j
e fea.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
philofophy ; as alfo for introducing among them
feveral arts, and a confiderable trade. Thefe bril-
liant profpects were not of long duration. They
were foon diffipated by the numberlefs fects that
afofe among the conquerors, and the irreparable
faults they committed in eflablifhing diftincl: fove-
; Feigns in all the principal towns of their dominions.
DURING this time, the Goths, who, to fcreen
!' themfelves from the power of the Mohammedans,
had fought an afylum in the extremity of the Aftu-
rias, were labouring under the yoke of anarchy,
plunged in a barbarous ftate of ignorance, opprefTed
by their fantaftical priefts, languilhing under in-
exprefiible poverty, and perpetually harafled by
civil wars. Under the influence of thefe calamities,
;far from thinking to avail themfelves of the divi-
ifions fubfifting among their enemies, they were
ifufficiently happy in being forgotten, or in not
'being known by them. But as foon as the crown,
which was originally elective, became hereditary
in the tenth century ; as foon as the nobility and
bifhops became incapable of diflurbing the ftate ;
and that the people raifed from flavery were ad-
mitted to a fhare of the government ; the national
fpirit began to revive. The Arabians, attacked on
every fide, were fuccefiively ftripped of their con-
quefts ; and at the end of the fifteenth century
they had but one little kingdom remaining.
THEIR fall would have been more rapid, had
ihey engaged with a power that could have united
in one common center the conquefts it gained over
:hem. But the revolution was not effected in this
manner. The Mohammedans were attacked by
VOL. II. Z different
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
different chiefs, each of which was at the head of
a diftinct ftate. Spain was divided into as many
kingdoms as it contained provinces ; and it was
not till after a long time, feveral fuccefiions, wars,
and revolutions, that thefe fmall ftates were at laft
united in the two monarchies of Caftile and Arra-
gon. After this, the marriage of Ifabella with Fer-
dinand having happily joined all the crowns of
Spain into one family, they found themlelves
equal to the enterprife of attacking the kingdom
of Granada.
THIS ftate, which fcarcely occupied one-eighth
part of the peninfula of Spain, had always been j
in a flourifhing condition from the time of the in-
vafion of the Saracens j but its profperity had in-
creafed in proportion as the fuccefles of the chrif-
tians had induced a greater number of infidels to
take refuge there. It confifled of three millions
of inhabitants. Throughout the reft of Europe
there were no lands fo well cultivated ; fo numerous
and improved manufactures ; fo regular and fo ex-
tenfive a navigation. The public revenues amount-
ed to feven millions of livres * ; a prodigious ium
at a time when gold and filver were very fcarce.
THESE feveral advantages, far from deterring
the monarchs of Caftile and Arragon from in-
vading Granada, were the motives that principally
incited them to the enterprife. They were obliged
to carry on a ten years bloody war, in order to fub-
due this flourifhing province. The conqueft of
it was completed by the furrender of the capital
the beginning of January, 1492.
* About 306,000!.
I
*N TJiE EASr AND WEST INDIES.
IT was in thefe glorious circumftances, that fi VI
Chriflopher Columbus, a man of obfcure birth,
whole knowledge of aftronomy and navigation was
far fuperior to that of his contemporaries, propofed
to the Spaniards, who were happy at home, to ag- America
gfandize themfelves abroad. He was led by a fe-
icret impulfe to imagine that another continent cer-
tainly exifled, and that he was the perfon deftined
to difcover it. The idea of Antipodes, which fu-
perftition had condemned as heretical and impious,
and reafon itfelf had treated as chimerical, appeared
fro this penetrating genius to have its foundation in
truth. This idea, perhaps the greateft that ever
entered into the human mind, took flrongpofieflion
pfhis imagination; and, having in vain propofed
the acquifition of a new hemifphere to his native
Country Genoa, to Portugal where he thdn refided,
Pd even to England, which he might have expect:-
would readily have concurred in any maritime
;mterprife, he at lad communicated his views and
lis projects to Ifabella.
I THE minifters of this princefs, who looked upon
che fcheme of difcovering a new world as the off-
pring of a diflempered brain, treated the author
!>f it for fome time with thofe airs of contemptuous
nfolence, which men in office often put on with
hole who have nothing but genius to recommend
hem. But Columbus was not to be difcouraged
>y any difficulties j he poffefled, as all men do who
ngage in extraordinary enterprifes, a degree of
nthufiafm, which renders them fuperior to the
avils of the ignorant, the contempt of the proud,
he mean arts of the covetous^ and the delays of
Z 2 the
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
the indolent. At length, by perfeverance, fpirir,
and courage, joined to the arts of prudence and
management, he furmounted every obftacle. Hav-
ing obtained three fmall veffels, and ninety men,
he fet faiFon the third of Auguft 1492, with the
title of admiral and viceroy of the iflands and ter-
ritories he fhould difcover.
HAVING failed a confiderable length of time,
the (hips crews, terrified with the idea of the im-
menfe tract of ocean which lay between them and
their native country, began to defpair of the fuc-
cefs of their undertaking. The difcontent rofe
to that height, that they more than once formed
the defign of throwing Columbus over-board, and
returning to Spain. The admiral concealed his
chagrin as long as he could : but, when he found
that a mutiny was ready to break out, he allured
his companions, that, if he did not difcover land in
three days, he would fail back to Europe. For
fome time part, on founding, he had found a bot-
tom ; and from other circumftances, which are fel-
dom deceitful, he had reafon to conclude that
was not far from land.
ai of THE New world was difcoverccHn the mon
N!W October. Columbus landed on one of the Luca;
. or Bahama iflands, which he called San-Salvador,
and took poffefiion of it in the name of Ifabe
The Spaniards at that time did not conceive
there could be any injuftice in feizing upo:
country which was not inhabited by chriftians.
THE iflanders on feeing the fhips, and a race
men fo different from their own, were terrified and
ran away. The Spaniards caught fome of them,
treated
efel-
,
ithof
:ayas,
idor,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
treated them with great civility, and difmilTed
them loaded with prefents.
THIS behaviour entirely diffipated the fears of
the whole nation : the inhabitants appeared upon
the fhore without arms. Several of them came on
board. They viewed every thing with admiration.
Their manners were free and open. They brought
fruits. They afiifted the Spaniards in getting on
fhore, by taking them upon their fhoulders. The
inhabitants of the neighbouring iflands Ihewed the
fame obliging difpofition. The failors, fent by Co-
lumbus to make difcoveries, everywhere met with
the kindefl reception. Men, women, and chil-
dren, were employed in procuring provifions for
them. They filled the hammocks where they flept
with the fineft cotton. But it was gold that the
Spaniards wanted, and they foon found it. Seve-
ral of the favages wore ornaments made of this
precious metal, which they prefented to their new
guefts ; who on their part were more difgufled
with the naked appearance and fimplicity of thefe
people, than touched with their kindnefs. They
were incapable of difcerning in them the genuine
characters of nature. Surprifed to find men of a
copper colour without beards or hair on their
bodies, they looked upon them as a race of imper-
fect animals, who were only to be treated with
Jiumanity till the neceflary information was ob-
tained in regard to the neighbouring countries,
and the gold mines.
HAVING taken a view of feveral fmaller iflands,
Columbus landed on the north fide of a large one
called by the natives Hayti ; to which he gave the
Z 3 name
342 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B K name of Hifpaniola, and which is now called San
< - v- ~ ) Domingo i he was conducted thither by fome fa.-
vages of the other iflands, who accompanied him
without the leaft diftruft, and gave hi in to under-
ftand, that it was the great ifland which furnifhed
them with the metal the Spaniards were fo eager
to acquire.
Coftomsof THE ifland of Hayti, which is two hundred
SnSJtil 6 leagues in length, and lixty and in fome places
finceknown e jgjj t y j n breadth, is divided from eaft to weft by
name of a chain of mountains, which occupy the center of
the ifland, and are for the moil part fteep. Jt was
diftributed into five populous kingdoms, the inha-
bitants of which lived in perfect amity. Their
kings, who were called Caciques, were fo much
the more ablblute, as they were much beloved.
The complexion of thefe people was much fairer
than in the other iflands. They painted tl
bodies. The men went quite naked. The m;
ried women wore a kind of cotton petticc
which reached no further than their knees,
girls, as well as the men, were naked. Their fo
was maize, roots, fruit, and fhell-fifh. As they
were temperate, nimble, and active, but not ftrong,
they were averfe from labour. They lived free
from care in a ftate of agreeable indolence. Their
time was fpent in dancing, diverfion, and fleep. By
the accounts the Spaniards give of them,
fhewed little marks of underftanding j and ii
inlanders', who live in a ftate of feparation
the reft of mankind, muft of neceffity have vei
confined ideas. Detached focieties arrive at
provement by flow and difficult advances.
derive;
F- "J
> they
indeed
i from
e very
They
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 343
derive no advantages from thofe difcoveries, which B VI K
time and experience throw in the way of other v v '
people : neither do the chances of acquiring know-
ledge occur fo frequently among them.
THE Spaniards themfelves confefs, that thefc
people were humane, void of malice and revenge,
; and almoft diverted of any paffion whatever. They
were ignorant, but fhewed no defire of being in-
; formed. This indifference, and the confidence they
repofed in flrangers, prove that they were happy.
Their hiftory, and their notions..of morality, were
contained in a collection of fongs, which they
i learned from their infancy -, and they had, in com-
mon with all nations, fome fables concerning the
origin of the human race.
WE know little of their religion, to which they
rwere not much attached ; and it is probable that
in this refpeft, as well as in many others, they have *
been calumniated by the authors of their deftruc-
tion j who pretend that thefe iilanders, whofe man-
ners were fo gentle, paid adoration to a number
: of malevolent beings. The worfhippers of a male-
I volent deity can never be good themfelves.
THEY had no law that limited the number of
their wives. It was common for one of them to
' have fome privileges and diftinctions allotted to
her ; but thefe gave her no authority over the reft.
She was one whom the hufband loved the beft, and
by whom he thought himfelf beft beloved. On the
death of her hufband, lhe fometimes caufed herfelf
to be buried in the fame grave with him. This
was not a cuftom, a duty, or a point of honour,
among thefe people : but the wife found it impof-
Z 4 fibl*
DE
>n
;
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
fible to furvive the object of her tendered affection.
This freedom in love and marriage, which was au-
thorized by their laws and manners, was by the
Spaniards called debauchery, liceritioufnefs, and
vice : and to the pretended exceffive indulgence
of the iflanders in this particular, they attributed
the rife of a diftemper, which, as a philofophical
phyfician has lately demonflrated in a treatife on
the origin of the venereal difeafe, was known
Europe before the difcovery of America.
THESE iflanders had no other weapons than
bow and arrows made of wood, the point of whic
being hardened in the fire was fometimes armed
with fharp Hones, or the bone of a fifh. The
ordinary drefs of the Spaniards was of itfelf an.
impenetrable armour againft arrows of this kind,
ihot with little dexterity. Thefe weapons and
fome fmall clubs, or rather large fiicks, which
could feldom give a mortal blow, were far from
making thefe people formidable.
THEY were diftinguifhed into different claries,
one of which laid claim to a kind of nobility -, but
we are little acquainted either with the preroga-
tives annexed to this distinction, or with the means
of obtaining it. This ignorant and favage people
had alfo forcerers among them, who were always
cither the offspring or parents of fuperilition.
COLUMBUS omitted no attention that might en-
gage the friendfhip of thefe iflanders. But at the
fame time he made them fenfible, that, though he had
no inclination to hurt them, he did not want the
power. The proofs he gave in their prefence of the
furprifmg effects of his artillery, convinced them of
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 345
the truth of what he faid. They looked upon the B VI K
Spaniards as men defcended from heaven -, and the y- '
prefents they received were, in their eftimation,-
not mere cnriofities, but facred things. This error
was productive of great advantages ; nor was it re-
moved by any act of folly or cruelty. They gave
i the favages red caps, glafs beads, pins, knives, and
; bells, and received in return gold and provifions.
COLUMBUS availed himfelf of this harmony to fix
upon a place for a fettlement, which he defigned
fhould be the center of all his future projects. He
erected a fort with the afliftance of the ifianders,
who cheerfully laboured to forge chains for them-
felves. He left thirty-nine Caftilians in the place ;
and, having reconnoitred the greatefl part of the
ifland, failed for Spain.
HE arrived at Palos, a port of Andalufia, from
f whence he had fet fet fail feven months before. He
proceeded by land to Barcelona, where the court
fefided. This journey was a triumph. The nobility
and the people went to meet him, and followed him
i Jn crowds to the prefence of Ferdinand andlfabella.
He prefented to them fome iflanders, who had vo-
luntarily accompanied him. He produced pieces of
gold, birds, cotton, and many curiofities, which
were valuable on account of their novelty. Such a
variety of uncommon objects, expofed to the view
of a people whole vanity inflamed by imagination
magnified ever/ thing, made them fancy that they
faw an inexhauftible fource of riches for ever flow-
ing into their country. The enthufiafm fpread, and
reached even to the throne. At the public audience
the fovereigns gave to Columbus', he was permitted
to
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
to be covered, and to fit as a grandee of Spain.
He related his voyage to them. They loaded him
with carefies, commendations, and honours ; and
ibon after he reimbarked with feventeen fail, to
make new discoveries, and to eflablifh colonies.
-ON his arrival at San Domingo with fifteen hun-
dred foldiers, three hundred artificers, mifiionaries,
corn, fruits, and fuch domeftic animals as were
unknown in the new world j Columbus found his
fortreis demolifhed, and all the Spaniards mafTa-
cred. It appeared on examination clear to Colum-
bus, that they had drawn this misfortune upon
themfelves, by their haughty, licentious, and tyran-
nical behaviour j and he had the addrefs to perfuade
thole who had lefs moderation than himfelf, that it
was good policy topoftpone their revenge to ano-
ther time. They employed themfelves entirely
In fcrutinizing the mines, the working of which
was one day to coft fo much blood, and in build-
ing forts in the neighbourhood with fufficient gar-
rifons to protect their labours.
IN the mean time, the provifions that had been
brought from Europe were fpoilt by the damp
Hit atou neat ^ tne c ^ mate an d the few hands, fent over
for the purpofe of raifmg vegetables in a country
fo favourable to their growth, were either dead, or
difabled by ficknefs. The military men were de~-
fired to fupply their place ; but they difdained anf
employment that v/as to procure them fubfiftence./
Indolence began then to be an honourable diftinc-*
tion in Spain. To do nothing, was efteemed the
characteriftic of a gentleman j and the meaneft
ibldier chofe to live in the high ftile, in a country
where
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. , 347
where he found himlelf independent. Theiflanders B VI K
offered them every thing, but they required more. v '
They were perpetually aikir.g them for provisions
.and gold. In fliort, thefe unfortunate people at
laftgrew tired of gardening, hunting, fifhing, and
working in the mines, to gratify the infatiable
i Spaniards^ and from that moment they were con-
fidered in no other light but that of traitors and
rebellious flaves, whofe lives might be taken away-
sat pleafure.
COLUMBUS, rinding that the Indians wereexaf-
iperated by this barbarous treatment, returned
jfrom purfuing his diicoveries, in hopes of bring-
jing the parties to a reconciliation ; but the muti-
jnous clamours of a fierce and repacious ibldiery
(drove him into hoftilities, which were contrary to
jhis fentiments both as a man and as a politician.
jWith two hundred foot and twenty horfe he ven-
jtured to attack an army, faid to confift of a hun-
dred thoufand men, on the fpot where the city of
>St. Jago was afterwards built.
THE unhappy Indians were conquered before
Ithey engaged. They confidered the Spaniards as
j beings of a fuperior order. Their admiration, re-
fpect, and fear, were increafed by the European
wmour ; and the fight of the cavalry in particular
aftonifhed them beyond meafure. Many of them
swere fimple enough to believe that the man and
I the horfe were the fame animal, or a kind of deity.
Had tlieir courage even been proof againft thele
impreflions of terror, they could have made but a
faint refiftance. The cannonading, the pikes, and
>* difcipline to which ^they were ftrangers, muft
have
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
have eafily difperfed them. They fled on all fides.
They demanded peace ; which was granted them,
on condition that they ihould cultivate the land for
the Spaniards, and furnilli them with a certain
quantity of gold every month.
THESE hard terms, and the cruelties that ag-
gravated them, foon became infupportable. To
fcreen themfelves from them, the inlanders took
refuge in the mountains, where they hoped to pro-
cure the fmall fubfiftence their necefiities required
by hunting and gathering wild fruits, till their
enemies, who each of them required more r.ouriih-
ment than ten Indians, rinding themfeives deprived
of provifions, fhould be obliged to repafs the feas.
But they were difappointed in their expeftations.
The Caililians fupported themfelves by the fup-
plies they received from Europe, and purfued their
horrid plan with more eagernefs than ever. No
place was inacceffible to their rage. They trained
their dogs to hunt and devour the unhappy inha-
bitants ; and fome of them made a vow to mafTacre
twelve Indians every day in honour of the twelve
Apoftles. By thefe means a third part of thefe
nations was deftroyed. On their arrival, the ifland
was fuppofed to contain a million of inhabitants.
All accounts agree that this number is not exag-
gerated j and it is certain that the population was
confiderable.
THOSE who did not fall a prey to mifery, fa-
tigue, apprehenfion, and the fword, were forced
tofubmit to the will of the conqueror, who exer-
cifed his power with more rigour, as it was not
now retrained by the prefence of Columbus. This
great
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. . *,
IP
great man was returned to Spain, to inform the B ^
court of the barbarities which the character of the '
people under his command made it impoffible for
him to prevent, and which the voyages he was per-
petually engaged in did not allow him to controul.
During his abfence, the colony, which he had left
under his brother's command, was torn by diflen-
tions, animofities, and mutinies. No orders were
obeyed, unlefs when fome cacique was to be de-
throned, fome hord pillaged or demolifhed, or foine
nation extirpated. The moment thefe favage troops
had got porTeflion of the treafures of thefe unhappy
people whom they had maflacred, the diflurbances
were renewed. The defire of independence, and
the unequal diftribution of the fpoils, created dif-
fentions among thefe rapacious conquerors. Au-
thority was no longer refpected ; the fubalterns
paid as little regard to their 'commanders, as the
commanders did to the laws ; and open war at laft
broke out among themfelves.
THE Indians, who fometimes bore apart in thefe
bloody and deteftable fcenes, and were always wit-
nefles of them, recovered their courage a little.
Their fimplicity did not prevent them from per-
ceiving that it was by no means impracticable to
rid themfelves of a fmall number of tyrants, who
appeared to have loft fight of their projects, and
attended to nothing but the implacable hatred they
bore to one another. Animated by this hope, they
embarked in a confederacy, which was managed
with more art than could have been fufpected, and
which had acquired confiderable ftrength. The
Spaniards, who perfifted in destroying each other,
not-
350 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B 9^ K notwithftanding they were threatened by fo great
Ci^J" J a danger, would probably have fallen victims to
their own obftinacy, had not Columbus arrived
from Europe at this critical juncture.
THE diftinguifhed reception he had met with
there at firft had made but a tranfitory impreflion
upon the people; time, which brings on reflection
when the firft tranfports of enthufiafm are paffed,
had diffipated that eagernefs which had at firft
been fhewn for expeditions to the new world.
The report of the riches, and even the oftentatious
difplay of the treafures brought from thence, no
longer revived the fpirit of the people : on the con-
trary, the livid complexions of all thofe who re*
turned home; the fevere and difgraceful diftempers
with which moft of them were afflicted ; the ac-
counts of the unwholefomenefs of the climate, of
the numbers who had loft their lives, and the
hardfhips they had undergone from the fcarcity of
provilions j an unwillingnefs to be under the com^
. mand of a foreigner, who was blamed for the fe-
verity of his difcipline ; and, perhaps, thejealoufy
they entertained of his growing reputation ; all
thefe reafons contributed to producean in fupe-
rable prejudice againft San Domingo in the fub-
jects of the province of Caftile, the only Spaniards
who were then allowed to embark for that ifland.
IT was abfolutely necefiary, however, to pro-
cure colonifts ; the admiral therefore propofed to
have recourfe to the prifons, and, by refcuing the
vileft malefactors from death and infamy, to make
them the inftruments of extending the power of
their country, of which they had been the bane
5 and
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 351
and difgrace. This project would have been at- B VI K
tended with fewer inconveniences in Rich colonies ' \ *
as, having gained a more folid eftabliiliment,
might, by the force of their laws and the purity of
their manners, have reftrained or corrected the ex-
cefTes of a few licentious and profligate individuals;
but infant ftates require founders of a different
character from a train of banditti. America will
never get rid of the remains of that alloy which
debafed the firft colonies that were tranfported
thither from Europe. Columbus foon experienced
i the ill effects of the injudicious advice he had
given.
HAD this enterprifing feaman carried out with
i him men of the common ftamp, he might, during
1 the voyage, have infpired them with honefl prin-
jciples at leaft, if not with high notions of honour.
iThefe perfons on their arrival would have confti-
tuted a majority, and the reft would have been
i forced, or perhaps inclined, to adopt the examples
of moderation and obedience they would have.fet
ithem. Such a harmony would have been produc-
Itive of the mod falutary effects, and have efta-
blifhed the colony on the moft folid foundation. ,
The Indians would have been treated in a better
manner, the mines worked to greater advantage,
:and the taxes more eafily levied. The mother
country, animated by this fuccefs to the greateft
attempts, might have formed new fettlements,
which would have augmented the glory, the
wealth, and the power of Spain. Thefe impor-
tant events, which might have been brought for-
ward
352 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
E VI K ward in a few years, were rendered abortive by
* v , this fmgle piece of mifmanagement.
THE malefa&ors who accompanied Columbus,
in conjunction with the plunderers at San Do-
mingo, formed a fociety the moft abandoned ima^
ginable. They were flrangers to fubordination,
decency, and humanity. The admiral in parti-
cular was the object of their refentment, who
perceived too late the falfe ftep he had taken
himfelf ; or into which, perhaps, he had been
betrayed by his enemies. This extraordinary maa
purchafed upon very hard terms the fame which,
his genius and induftry had procured him. His.
life exhibited a perpetual contraft between thofe
incidents which either elate or deprefs the mind-
of a conqueror. He was not only continually exr.
pofed to cabals, calumnies, and the ingratitude
of individuals; but was alfo obliged to fubmit to
the caprices of a haughty and fufpicious court,
which by turns rewarded or punifhed, carefled or
difgraced him.
THE prejudice, entertained by the Spanifh mi*
niftry againft the author of the greateft difcovery
ever made, operated fo far, that an arbitrator wa$.
fent to the New world, to decide between Colum-
bus and his foldiers. Bovadilla, the moft ambi*
tious, felf-interefted, unjuft, and violent man that
Jiad yet gone over to America, arrived at San Do?-
mingo, put the admiral in irons, and had him
eondu&ed to Spain like the worft of criminals..
The court, afhamed of fo ignominious a treat-
ment, granted him his liberty} but without re-
dreffing
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
dreflmg the injury he had received, or reftoring
him to his employments. Such was the fate of
this uncommon man, who, to the aftonifhment of
Europe, added a fourth part to the earth, or ra-
ther half a world to this globe, which had beenfo
long defolate, and fo little known. It might rea-
fonably have been expected, that public gratitude
would have given the name of this intrepid feaman
to the new hemifphere, the firft difcovery of which
was owing to his enterprifmg genius. This was
the leaft homage of refpect that could be paid to
his memory: but either through envy, inatten-
tion, or the caprice of fortune in the diftribution
of fame, this honour was referved for Americus
Vefpucius, a Florentine, who did nothing more
than follow the footfteps of a man whofe name
ought to ftand foremoft in the lift of great charac-
ters. Thus the very asra, which added America to
the known world, was diftinguilhed by an inftance
of injuftice, that may be confidered as a fatal pre-
lude to thofe fcenes of violence of which this un-
happy country was afterwards to be the theatre.
AFTER the difgrace of Columbus, and the death
of Ifabella, thefe abufes became more frequent.
The iflanders, though condemned to the exceflive
labours of vafialage, which often proved fatal to
them, and to pay the moft exorbitant fines, had
| hitherto continued to live in their hords, after the
| manner of the country, and under the government
I of their caciques. In the year 1506, Ferdinand
was petitioned to make a diftribution of thefe peo-
ple among the conquerors, that they might be
employed in the mines, or in any other kinds of
VOL. II, A a labour
354 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
* VI K labour that tyranny might think proper to im-
v ' pofe. Religion and political views were the two
pretences made ufe of to palliate this inhuman
plan. It was urged, that fo long as thefe favages
were tolerated in their fuperftitkms, they would
never embrace Chriftianityj and would always be
in a difpofition to revolt, unlefs their difperfion
put it out of their power to make any attempt.
The monarch, relying on the opinion of the clergy,
whofe intolerant principles always led them into
violent meafures, complied with the requeft that
was made him. The whole ifland was divided
into a great number of diftri&s. Every Spaniard,
whether a native of Caftile or Arragon, was in-
difcriminately allotted a larger or fmaller part, in
proportion to his rank, intereft, or birth. The
Indians afligned to each diftricl: from this inftant
became flaves, whofe fervices and lives were ait
the difpofal of their mafters. This cruel fyflem
was afterwards adopted in all the fettlements ih
the New world.
THE produce of the mines was now more cer-
tain. At firft one half belonged to the crown.
This claim was afterwards reduced to one third,
and at length limited to a fifth part.
THE treafures brought from San Domingo ex-
cited the avarice even of thofe who would not ven-
ture to crofs the feas. The grandees, and thofe
who had employments in the ftate, obtained granti
of land by which they enriched themfelves without
any trouble. They committed the care of theiti
to agents who Were to make their own fortunes,
while they increafed thofe of their principals. Im-
poffit
.
poflibh
THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
e as it feemed, there-was now an augmenta-
tion of cruelties. In five years after this barba-
' rous fyftem took place, the natives were reduced to
fourteen thoufand ; and the continent and the ad-
jacent iflands were ranfacked for lav ages to fupply
their place.
THEY were indifcriminately chained together
like beafts. Thofe who fank under their burdens
were compelled to rife by fevere blows. No inter-
courfe paHed between the fexes but by Health. The
men perifhed in the mines -, and the women in the
fields, which they cultivated with their weak
hands. Their constitutions, already exhaufted
with excefiive labour, were ilill further impaired
(by an unwholefome and fcanty diet. The mothers
[expired with hunger and fatigue, prefling their
klead or dying infants to their breafts, fhriveled
and contracted for want of a proper fupply of
Imilk. The fathers either poiibned themfelves, or
hanged themfelves on thofe very trees on which
tkey had juft before feen their wives or their chil-
dren expire. The whole race became extinft.
THE Spaniards, before their firft fettlements in
the New world were laid wafte by thefe fcenes of
horror, had formed fome of lefs note at Jamaica,
Porto-Rico, and Cuba. Velafquez* who founded
the laft of thefe, was defirous that his colony fhould
enjoy, together with that of San Domingo, the ad-
vantage of making difcoveries upon the continent,-
and he fixed upon Francis Hernandez of Cordova
Ito conduct this glorious undertaking. Hefurnifhed
ihim with three veflels and a hundred and ten men,-
i with permiffion to erecl forts, to bring ofF-flavcs,
A a a W
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
or to export gold, at his own difcretion. This
voyage, which was made in 1517, was productive
of no event except the difcovery of the Yucatan.
JOHN of Gryalva, who was fent out the follow-
ing year with a view 'of obtaining a more accurate-
knowledge of this country, difcharged his commif-
fion with ability ; but he did not confine himfelf to
this object: he furveyed the coaftof Campeachy,
purfued his voyage dill further North, and landed
wherever he found a convenient fpot. Though he
did not always meet with a favourable reception,
his expedition proved extremely fuccefsful. He
brought home a great quantity of gold, and ac-
quired a fufficient infight into the extent, opu-
lence, and ftrength of Mexico.
out'for t THE conc l ue ft f this vaft empire appeared too
conqueftof great an undertaking for a man of Gryalva's abili-
Mtrico.
what hap- ties. Fernando Cortez, who was more difun-
off guifhed on account of the expectations that were
entertained of his future conduct, than by the
great fervices he had already performed, was una-
nimoufly fixed upon to carry this plan into execu-
tion. According to the reprefentation given of him
by his adherents, it appears, that he had fuch an
uncommon rtrength of conftitution, that he was
able to undergo the greateft fatigues; that he
poffeffed the talent of eloquence in an eminent de-
gree; a fagacity which forefaw every thing; a pre-
fence of mind not to be difturbed by the mod ui>*
exp-zcted events; that he was fruitful in expe-
dients; that he knew how to reduce thofe to fub-
jection who refufed to liften to terms of accommo-
dation; that he purfued with invariable fteadinefs
the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 357
the point he had in viewj and that he was ani- B VI K
i mated with that enthufiaftic love of glory, which u v--~;
j has ever been confidered as the leading qualifica-
tion in a hero. This advantageous idea of Cortez
has long prevailed among the generality of people,
whofe judgments are, and muft ever be, regulated
by the fole flandard of fucceis. But, fince philofo-
phy has thrown a new light upon hiflory, it is be-
come a matter of doubt whether the faults of Cor-
tez did not overbalance his great qualities.
BE this, however, as it may, Cortez, who was
afterwards fo celebrated, was no fooner inverted
by Velafquez with the command of the moft im-
portant expedition that had hitherto been under-
taken to the New world, than all men who felt
a propenfity for acquiring fortune or fame crouded
about him. Having furmounted the obftacles
which jealoufy and enmity threw in his way, he
fet fail on the loth of February 1519. His forces
confifted of five hundred and eight foldiers, a hun-
dred and nine failors with their proper officers,
fome cavalry, and a fmall train of artillery. This
armament, inconfiderable as it was, was not equip-
ped by government, which only lent the fanction
|of its name to the attempts that were made to dif-
cover new countries, and form new fettlements.
Thefe enterprifes were all carried on at the ex-
pence of private perfons, who were ruined if they
(failed in them j while their fuccefs enlarged the
(dominion of the mother country. After the firfl
expeditions, the ftate neither formed any plan,
nor advanced any money, nor raifed any troops.
The thirft of gold, and the Ipirit of chivalry which
A a 3 ftill
S5& HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K ftill prevailed, were the only incitements to induf-
V v-*-; try and activity. The influence of thefe, however,
was fo powerful, that not only the common people,
but great numbers of diftinguiflied rank, fltw with
impatience to mix with favages in the torrid zone,
and frequently in an unwlioiefome climate. There
were, perhaps, at that time, no people upon eardh
beiides the Spaniards fo frugal, fo much inured to
fatigue, or fo accustomed to the intemperature of
a hot climate, as to be able to endure fo many
hardfhips.
CORTEZ, who poflefled thefe qualities in an emi-
nent degree, attacked the Indians at Tabafco as he
marched along, defeated them in feveral engager
ments, granted them peace, entered into an alliance
with them, and brought away feveral of their wo-
men, who were glad to follow him. This readinefs
of theirs may be accounted for very naturally.
IN America the men were in general addicted to
that fhameful kind of debauchery which {hocks njr
ture, and perverts animal in(lin<5b. This depravity
has been attributed by fome to natural weakneft,
which, however, Ihould rather feem to be contrajty
than incentive to it. It may rather be afcribed^
the heat of the climate ; the contempt the mm
have for the fofter fex ; the little pleaiure that can
be experienced in the arms of a woman harafled
with labour; the inconflancy of tafte ; the caprice
which incites us in every particular to enjoymc
that are lead common; and infpires us with cer
inordinate propenfities to voluptuoufnefs, n
.eafy to be conceived than explained with decency.
Befides, thofe hunting parties, in which the men
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 359
are frequently abfent from the women for two B yl K
months, have alfo contributed to familiarize men - y~
more with each other. This vice is therefore in
thefe countries nothing more than the confequence
of an univerfal and violent paflion, which even in
civilized nations tramples upon honour, virtue,
decency, probity, the ties of confanguinity, and
patriotic fentiment : befides that, there are fome
actions to which civilized people have with reafon
attached moral ideas, that never have entered into
the minds of favages.
HOWEVER this may be, the arrival of the Eu-
ropeans raifed new ideas in the American women.
They threw tbemfelves without referve into the
arms of thefe libidinous ftrangers, who had inured
themfelves to cruelty, and whofe avaricious hands
were drenched in blood. While the unfortunate
remains of thefe favage nations were endeavouring
to feparate themfelves from the fword that purfued
them by immenfe tracts of deferts, their women,
who had been hitherto too much neglected, boldly .
trampling on the carcafes of their children and of
their murdered hufbands, went to fcek their de-
ftroyers even in their camp, in order to intice them
to {hare the ardent tranfports with which they were
devoured. This furious attachment of the Ameri-
can women for the Spaniards may be reckoned
among the caufes that contributed to the conquefr.
of the New world. Thefe women uiually ferved
them as guides, frequently procured them firb-
fiftence, and fometimcs betrayed confpiracies to
them.
A a 4 THI
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
THE moft celebrated of thefe women was named
Marina. Though fhe was the daughter of a pretty
powerful cacique, fhe had been reduced, by fome
fmgular events, to a flate of flavery among the
Mexicans from her earlieft infancy. She had been
brought, by frefh incidents, to Tabafco before the
arrival of the Spaniards. Struck with h~r figure
and her charms, they foon diftinguifhed her from
the refc. Their general furrendered his heart to
her, and at the fame time excited a warm pafTion
in her breaft. In the midft of amorous embraces
fhe readily learnt the Spaniih language. Cortez,
on his part, loon difcovered the intelligent mind
and refolute character of his miftrefs-j and not only
made her his interpreter, but alfo his advifer. All
hiftorians agree that fhe acted a confiderable part
in every enterprife againft Mexico.
Correr ar- REPORT fays, that this empire had not then been
M V ico. founded above a century. In order to prove a cir-
Sen'TSiT cumftance of fo little credibility, it is neceffary we
STiSa" ft ou ld have other teftimony than that of the Spa-
niards, who had neither the ability nor the will to
examine any thing; and better authority than that
of their fanatic priefts, who wanted to eftabliih their
own fuperflitions, by abolifhing the worlhip of
thefe people. What fhould we know of China, if
the Portuguefe had been able to fet it on fire,
overthrow, or deftroy it, as they did the Brazils ?
Should we now converfe about the antiquity of its
books, its laws, and its manners ? When fome few
philofophers have been allowed to penetrate into
Mexico, there to find out and clear the ruins of
their hiftory, and that thefe learned men fhall nei-
ther
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 361
ther be monks nor Spaniards, but Englifh or B VI K
Frenchmen, who will be allowed every liberty, and c v ;
have all the means of getting at the truth ; then
perhaps we may learn, whether barbarifm has not
dellroyed the ancient monuments that might have
difcovered the traces of the antiquity of this
country.
OUR lights concerning the founders of the em-
pire are not more certain than thofe we have with
refpect to the sera of its foundation. This is another
of thoie facts the knowledge of which we have been
deprived of by the ignorance of the Spaniards.
Their credulous hiflonans have, indeed, told us, in
an uncertain and vague manner, that fome barba-
rians who formed a national body, iffuing from the
north of this continent, had fucceeded in fubduing
fucceflively fome favages born under a milder fky,
and who either did not live in a focial ftate, or
formed only fmall focieties.
ALL that we can affirm is, that Montezuma was
the fovereign of Mexico when the Spaniards landed
on the coafts of that empire. The monarch was
foon informed of the arrival of thefe flrangers.
Throughout this vaft extent of kingdom, couriers
were placed at different diltances, who fpeedily ac-
quainted the court with every thing that happened
in the moft diftant provinces. Their difpatches
were compofed of pieces of cotton, upon which
were delineated the feveral circumftances of the
affairs that required the attention of government.
The figures were intermixed with hieroglyphic
characters, which fupplied what the art of the
painter had not been able to exprefs,
^ IT
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
IT was to be expelled, that a prince who had been
raifed to the throne by his valour, who had ex-
tended his empire by conqueft, who was in poflef-
fion of numerous and difciplined armies, would
eithf fend to attack, or would have marched him-
felf to difperfe, a handful of adventurers, who
dared to infeft and plunder his dominions. But
this ftep was neglected ; and the Spaniards, who
had always an irrefiftible turn to the marvellous,
endeavoured to explain, by having recourfe to a
miracle, a conduct, fo evidently oppofite to the
character of the monarch, and fo incompatible with
his (ituation. The writers of this iuperftitious
nation have not fcrupled to declare to the whole
univerfe, that, a little before the difcovery of the
New world, it had been foretold to the Mexicans,
that an invincible people from the eaft would foon
come among them, who would in a memorable
and terrible manner avenge the gods irritated by
their 'moft horrid crimes, and particularly by tha$
vice which is moft repugnant to nature. Thi$
fatal prediction alone, they fay, had fafcinated
the underftanding of Montezuma. By this im-
pofture, they have imagined that they Ihould gala
the double advantage of juftifying their ufurpa-
tions, and making heaven anfwerable for a part of
their cruelties. This abfurd fable has for a long
time obtained credit among fome perfons in both
hemifpheres, and the infatuation is not fo furprifing
-as might at firft be imagined. The reafons of it
will be made evident by a few reflections.
THE earth has ever been fubject tp revolutions.
Befides its diurnal and annual motion from welt to
eaft,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 363
eaft, it may have another infenfible as the lapfe of B vi K
time which produces a revolution from north to *-.- v -^*
fonth ; and which tlie moderns have juft begun to
difcover, without pretending, however, either to
calculate the beginning of it, or to trace its con-
tinuation.
THIS inclination of the earth is only a feeming
one, if it be owing to the heavens, which, by a fl6w
motion proportioned to the magnitude of their
orbs, attract and draw after them the fun towards
the pole : but it is a real one*, if our globe, by its
natural conflitution, verges as it were infenfibly to-
wards a point oppofite to this fecret motion of the
fieavens : however this may be, by the natural con-
fequence of this inclination, the earth's axis being
conftantly declining, it may happen, that what we
all the oblique fphere may become a right one;
and what was a right fphere may in its turn be-
come an oblique one that the countries now lying;
under the equator might formerly have been under
the poles, and what is now the frigid zone may
have before been the torrid.
HENCE we may conclude, that this great vari.v-
tion in the pofition of the -whole body of the earth
muft continually produce a number of particular
alterations on its furface. The ocean, which acts
as the inftrument of ail thefe fmalkr changes, by
following this particular inclination of the axis,
retires from one tract of land and occupies another,
and thus occafions thofe inundations or deluge*
"which have fuccefiiveiy overflowed the face of the
globe, which have drowned its inhabitants, and
.pvery where left vifible marks of ruin and devaila-
tion,
3J&4 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK tion, or lafling memorials of their fatal effects in
i__ .- y - the annals or traditions of mankind.
THIS perpetual conteft of one element with ano-
ther ; of the earth ingulphing the waters in her in-
ternal cavities j and of the fea encroaching upon,
and fwallowing up, large tracts of land ; this eter-
nal ftrife fubfifting between two elements appa-
rently incompatible, but in reality infeparable from
each other, expofes the inhabitants of the globe to>
evident dangers, and fills them with apprehenfions
concerning their fate. The lively recollection of
pail naturally begets a dread of future changes.
Hence the univerfal traditions concerning deluges
in the earlier ages, and the expectation of the future
conflagration of the world. The violent agitations
which have been felt in every part of the globe,
earthquakes occafioned by inundations, or vul-
canos produced by thofe convulfions, raife and.
keep up terror in the minds of men. This terror
has been diffufed, and received the fanction of
every fuperftition from whence it firft arofe ; and
it is obferved to operate moil ftrongly in coun-
tries, fuch as America, where the veftiges of thefe
revolutions of the globe are moft remarkable and
moft recent.
MAN, once porTeffed with fear, confiders a fingle
calamity as the parent of a thoufand others. Earth
and heaven feem equally to confpire his ruin : he
imagines that he views death both above and be-
neath him : he looks upon events, which acciden-
tally happen at the fame juncture, as connected in
the nature and the order of things ; and, as every
tranfaction on this globe mufl neceflarily appear
under
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 365
under the afpect of fome conftellation, the ftars are B o y K
laccufed of having a fhare in every calamity whofe ^*
caufe is unknown j and the human mind, which has
i.ever been bewildered in its inquiries concerning
khe origin of evil, has been led to fuppofe, that cer-
jtain fimilar fituations of the planets, however com-
Imon, have an immediate and neceflary influence
pn all revolutions happening at the time, or foon
after fucceeding.
POLITICAL events, in particular, on account of
(their greater importance to mankind, have ever
[been confidered as more immediately depending
Ion the motion of the ftars. Hence have arifen falfe
)redi<ftions, and the terrors they have infpired ;
terrors which have always difturbed the earth, and
f which ignorance is the caufe, and at the fame
ime regulates the degree of them.
THOUGH Montezuma, as well as many other per-
bns, might pofliblyhave been affected with this dif-
:afe of the human mind, there is no circumflance
hat can induce us to impute this prevailing weak-
uefs to him. His political conduct, however, was
lot the wifer on this account. Since this prince
tad been upon the throne, he had no longer dif-
)layed any of thofe talents that had placed him
upon it. Sunk in a ftate of effeminacy and indo-
ence, he defpifed his fubjects, and oppreiTed his
tributaries. His mind was fo debafed and corrupt-
ed, that even the arrival of the Spaniards could
not rouze him into action. He wafted in nego-
tiations the time he fhould have employed in com-
>at, and wiihed to fend away, laden with prefents,
enemies he ought to have deftroyed. Cortez, to
\vhoin
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
whom this fupinenefs was very convenient, omit-
ted nothing- that might contribute to encourage
it, and always 'treated with him in the mcft
friendly terms. He declared, that he was lent
merely with orders to hold a conference with the
powerful emperor of Mexico, on the part of the
greateft monarch of the eaft. Whenever he was
prefTed to reimbark, he always reprefented, that no
ambalTador had ever been difmified without being
admitted to an audience. At length, the deputies,
finding him inflexible, were obliged, according to
their inftructions, to have recourfe to menaces,
and fpoke in high terms of the opulence and
ftrength of their country. Cortez then, turning
to his foldiers, told them : This is exattly what we
wljh to meet with, great dangers and great wealth.
He had then completed all his preparatives, and
gained every information that was necefTary. Re-
folved therefore to conquer or to perifh, he fet
fire to all his Ihips, and directed his march to the
capital of the empire.
. IN his way he met with the republic of Tkfcala,
which had ever been in enmity with the Mexicans,
who wanted to make it iubjecl to their empire.
Cortez, not doubting but that they would favour
his projects, demanded permiffion to pafs through
their country, and propofed an alliance ; both which
were refufed, for reafons that we never have been
acquainted with. The furprifing accounts given of
the Spaniards aftoniihed the inhabitants of Tlaf-
cala, but did not difmay them. They fought four
or five battles j in one of which the Spanifh troops
were broken, and in danger of being defeated,
had
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
had not fome diffentions happened in the enemy's
drmy. Cortez was obliged to intrench himfelf j
and the Tlafcalans, who wanted nothing but arms
to make them victorious, ruihed to death upon his
bread- works.
ANOTHER circumftance, which contributed not
a little to their defeat, was a certain point of honour
ictated by the feelings of common humanity,
idopted by the Greeks at the fiege of Troy, and
jy fome people among the Gauls j and eftablifhed.
imong feveral nations. This was the dread and dif-
jjrace of fuffering the dead or the wounded to be
rarried off by the enemy. An attention to this
point occafioned a continual confufion in their
crmy, and abated the vigour of their attacks.
.THE form of government among thefe people
vas very fingular and in many refpecls at leaft may
)e propofed as an excellent model. The country
vas divided into feveral diitricls, over which
>rinces prefided with the title of Caciques. They
ed their fubjects to war, levied taxes, and admini-
tered juftice : but it was necefiary that their laws
ind edicts Ihould have the fanftion of the fen ate of
flafcala, in which the fupreme authority refided.
|This body was compofed of citizens chofen out of
ach diflrict by an affembly of the people.
THE morals of the Tlafcalans were extremely
evere. Falfehood, filial ingratitude, and fodomy,
vere punifhed with death. Polygamy was tolerat-
td by law. Their climate led to it, and the go-
'ernment encouraged it.
MILITARY merit here, as in all uncivilized ftates,
>r fuch as alpire to conqueft, was in the higheft
elleem.
3 68 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B y K efteem. In their warlike expeditions they carried in
'-. .-y. -^ their quivers two arrows, on which were engraven
the figures of two of their ancient heroes. They be-
gan the engagement by dif charging one of thefe ar-
rows, which it was a point of honour to recover. In
their towns they wore a drefs, which they laid afide
when they went to battle. They were celebrated
for fimplicity and fmcerity in their public treaties,
and the veneration they paid to old men. Theft,
adultery, and drunkennefs, were held in detefta-
tion ; and the perfons guilty of thofe crimes were
doomed to baniihrnent. No ilrong liquors were
allowed to be drunk by any but veterans, exhaufled
by the fatigues of war.
THE Tlafcalans had their pleafure-gardens and
their baths. They were fond of dancing, poetry^
and theatrical amufements. One of their principal
divinities was the goddefs of love, who had a tem-
ple erected to her, where the whole nation relbrted
to the celebration of her feftivals.
THEIR country was not of any great extent, noi
was it the moft fertile fpot in that part of the
world. Though mountainous, it was well culti-
vated, very populous, and very happy.
SUCH were the people whom the Spaniards dif-
dained to acknowledge of the fame fpecies with
themfelves. One of the qualities of the TlafcalanSj
which excited their contempt the moft, was the
love of liberty. They fancied that thefe people
had no government, becaufe it was not veiled ir
a fingle perfon ; no police, becaufe it differed
from that of Madrid j no virtues, becaufe the)
were not of the fame religious perfuafion ; anc
nc
IN THE EAST AND WEST INlflES. 369
no underftanding, becaufe they did not adopt the B VI K
fame opinion. * yr '
PERHAPS, no people have ever been fo firmly
attached to their national prejudice, as the Spa-
niards were at that time, and as they itill continue
to be. By thefe prejudices all their fentiments
were dictated, their judgments influenced, and
their characters formed. The flrong and ardent
genius they derived from nature, ferved only to
, afiift them in inventing fophifms to confirm them
in their errors. Never was the perverfion of human
eafon maintained in a more dogmatical, deter-
nined, obftinate, and artful manner : nor was their
ttachment to their cuftoms lefs ftrong than to
heir prejudices. They thought no people in the
rorld were intelligent, enlightened, and virtuous,
xcept themfelves. This national pride, carried
o an excefs of infatuation beyond example,
would have inclined them to confider Athens in
he fame contemptuous light as they did Tlafcala.
They would have treated the Chinefe as brutes,
nd have every where left marks of outrage, op-
ireflion, and devastation.
THIS haughty and imperious turn of mind did
lot, however, prevent the Spaniards from making
n alliance tvith the Tlalcalans, who furnifned
hem with troops to,conducl their march and fup-
ort them in their enterprife.
WITH this reinforcement, Cortez advanced Corterad-
owards the capital city, through a fertile country ^ai-d* to
atered by fine rivers, and interfperled with towns, Jj" 1 ;^
woods, cultivated fields, and gardens. The foil ! >*>"i
. . govern-
produced a variety of plants unknown in Europe. .:. ,.ma
VOL. II. B b Birds ri """""
370 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
Birds of the brighteft plumage, and animals of a
new fpecies, appeared in great abundance. Nature
only changed her appearance, by aflfuming a more
agreeable and richer drefs. The temperature of
the air, and the continual heats, which were not
infupportable, preferved the earth in conftant ver-
dure and fertility. On the fame fpot were feen
trees covered with blofToms, and others with deli-
cious fruits ; and the corn that was fown in one field
was reaped in another.
THE Spaniards feemed to be infenfible to the
beauties of fo new a fcene. They law" that gold
was the common ornament of the houfes and tem-
ples ; that the arms, furniture, and perfons, of the
Mexicans, were adorned with the fame metal. This
alone attracted their notice, like Mammon, whom
Milton defcribes as forgetting the Divinity in
Heaven itfelf, and having his eyes always fixed
upon its golden porches.
MONTEZUMA'S w?.vering difpofition, and, per-
haps, the fear of flaming his former glory, pre-
vented him from marching againfl the Spaniards at
their arrival, and from joining the Tlafcalans, who
had behaved with greater courage than he had
done ; and, laftly, from attacking conquerors whc
were fatigued with their own victories. He had
contented himfelf with endeavouring to divert
Cortez from his defign of vifiting his capita^ and
refolved at laft to introduce him into it himfelf.
Thirty kings or princes were fubje<5t to his domi-
nion, many of whom were able to bring a nume-
rous army into the field. He poflefTed immenft
riches, and his power was abfoluce. It is faid thai
3
hi:
IX THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 371
;is fubjects were intelligent, enlightened, polite, B VJ K
and induilrious. They, were alfo a warli&e people, * v- '
and had high notions of honour,
i HAD the emperor of Mexico known how to avail
liimfelf of thefe advantages, the fcepter could never
ijiave been wreited out of his hands. But this prince,
ijForgetting what he owed to himfelf and to his
(Illation, did not fliew the leaft inftance of courage,
|)r ability, by the exertion of his whole force when
ie might have crufhed the Spaniards, notwith-
landing their fuperiority in difcipline and arms $
ie rather chofe to have recourfe to perfidy.
WHILE he loaded them with prefents, careiTes,
md every token of refpe<5l at Mexico, he gave or-
lers to attack Vera-Cruz, a colony the Spaniards
ad eftablifhed with a view of fecuring their retreat,
Lnd of being furnifhed with fupplies. Cortez ac-
uainted his companions with the news, and told
hem, " That it was.abfolutely neceflary to furprife
f thefe barbarians with fome extraordinary exploit j
c and that he refolved to feize the emperor, and
r make himfelf matter of his perlbn." This defign
icing approved, he initantly marched with his
fficers to Montezuma's palace, and told him he
null either follow him, or die. The prince, whofe
ufillanimity could only be equalled by the rafh-
efs of his "enemies, rtfigned himfelf into their
ands. He was obliged to confent to the punifh-v
nent of the generals, who had ailed only in obe- .
iience to his orders ; and completed his difgrace,
by fubmitting to do homage to the king of Spain,
i IN the miclft of this fuccefs, Cortez received ad-
Kice that Narvaez was diipatched by the governor
B b 2 of
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
^ Cuba, ^h a f ma ll army, to fuperfede him in
his command. He marched towards his rival, en-
gaged, and took him prifoner. He ordered the
vanquifhed to lay down their arms, but afterwards
reftored them, and propofed that they fliould fol-
low him. He gained their affections by his confi-
dence and magnanimity j and the army of Narvaez
inlifted under his ftandard. -He then returned to
Mexico, where he had left two hundred men to
guard the emperor.
COMMOTIONS were excited among the nobility
of Mexico, whofe indignation was raifed at the cap-
tivity of their prince j. and the indifcreet zeal of
the Spaniards having prompted them to difturb a
public feftival, celebrated in honour of the deities
of the country, by deftroying their altars, and
making a mafiacre of the worlhipers and priefts,
had provoked the people to take up arms.
THE fvperftition of the Mexicans was the only
mark of barbarifm among them ; their priefts, how-
ever, who were a difgrace to humanity, made a
moft fcandalous abufe of that abominable worfhip,
which they had impofed upon the credulity of the
people. This government, like all other civilized
nations, acknowledged a Supreme Being, and a
future ftate of rewards and punifhments : but
thefe ufeful doctrines were difgraced by a mixture
of abfurdities, which destroyed their credibility.
THE religious fyftem of the Mexicans taughl
them to expect the final cataftrophe of the
at the conclufion of every century j and that yea!
was diftinguilhed throughput the whole empiri j
by every mark of grief and confternation. Th<
Mexican :
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 373
Mexicans invoked inferior powers in the fame man- B VI K
ner as other nations have invoked Genii, Camis, ' ^J
|Manitous, Angels, and Fetiches, The lowed of
374 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K time, the priefts took care to have it infmuated
i -v-^ to the emperor, that the gods were perilling with
hunger; and war was commenced with no other
view than to make prifoners. Such a fyftem of
religion was in .every view odious and terrible;
and all its ceremonies were of a difmal and.fangui-
nary caft. It kept mankind perpetually in awe*
was calculated to make a people cruel, and to
give the priefts an unlimited authority. Thefe
barbarous abfurdities, though they might juftly
excite the deteftation of the Spaniards, could
not juftify their attempts to fupprefs them by
I the greateft cruelties. They could not juftify
them in attacking and murdering a people aiTem*
bled in the principal temple of the capital ; of-
in aflaffinating the nobles in order to feize u
their poffeflions.
ON his return to Mexico, Cortez found
Spaniards befieged in the palace, where he ha#
left them to guard the emperor. It was not withX
out difficulty that he opened a paflage to
them i and, when he was at their head, he
obliged to fuftain many powerful attacks.
Mexicans gave proofs of extraordinary courage.
They cheerfully devoted themfelves to certain
death. Naked and ih- armed, they threw them-
felves into the ranks of the Spaniards, with a
view of making their arms ufeltfs, or wrefling
them out of their hands. Several attempted tj>
enter Cortez's palace by the embrafures, where
the cannon were placed ; and there was n
man who would not have courted death to
cure the deliverance of his country from
tyr
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
tyranny of thele foreign ufurpers. Cortcz, having B
taken poffeffion of a temple which was an ad-
vantageous pofl, was viewing from a platform
the engagement in which the Indians fought
defperately for the recovery of their loft liberty,
when two young Mexican noblemen threw away
their arms, and came over to him as deferters.
Placing one knee on the ground in a fuppliant
polture, they feized him, and threw themfelves
from the platform, in hopes of making him perilri
by dragging him along with them. Cortez dif-
engaged himfelf from them, and kept his ftation
by laying hold of the baluftrade; and the two
Mexicans died victims of this noble but fruitlefs
enterprize.
THIS, and fome other exploits which fhewed
equal courage, made the Spaniards defirous of
coming to terms of accommodation. At length
Montezuma confented to become the inftrument
of his people's flavery, and appeared upon the
rampart to perfuade his fubje&s to retire. Their
refentment convinced him that his reign was at an
end, and he was mortally wounded by the fhower
of arrows they difcharged at him.
THE fuccefibr to this mean monarch was of
a haughty and intrepid difpofition. He united
judgment with readinefs of conception. He knew
how to retrieve his affairs, and to defend him-
felf in circumftances of danger. His fagacity
difcovered to him the difficulty of gaining any
advantage over an enemy, fo fuperior in their
weapons, by vigorous attacks ; and he thought
it the beft expedient to reduce them by famine.
B b 4 Cortcz
376 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B vi K Cortez no fooner perceived this change of mea-
<, - v . ^j fures, than he thought of fecuring a retreat into
the country of Tlafcala.
THE execution of this project required great
dlfpatch, impenetrable fecrecy, and well-con-
certed meafures. The march was begun in the
middle of the night : the army was filently
filing off along a bank, when it was found that
its motions had been obferved with a fpirit of dif-
guife, of which the Mexicans were thought inca-
pable. His rear-guard was attacked by a numerous
body, and the flanks by the canoes diftributed on
each fide of the caufeway. If the Mexicans, who
had a greater number of troops than they could
bring into action, had taken the precaution to place
a part of them at the extremity of this caufeway, of
even to break it, all the Spaniards would inevita-;
bly have perifhed in this bloody engagement. For-
tunately for them, the enemy knew not how to
avail himfelf of all his advantages ; and they at'
length reached };he borders of the lake, after hav-
ing undergone a variety of incredible dangers and
fatigues. The confufion they were in-ftill expofed
them to a total defeat, when they were relieve4
from this danger by a frefh error of the enemy.
No fooner had the morning difcovered to the
Mexicans the field of battle, of which they were
matters, than they perceived among the (lain two
of Montezuma's fons, whom the Spaniards were
carrying off with fome other prifoners. This fight
chilled them with horror. The idea of having
maflacred the children, after having facrificed
the father, was too violent for men, enfeebled
and
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 377
and enervated by a habit of blind obedience, to BOOK
be able to bear. They were afraid of adding *_-,'- uj
impiety to regicide ; and employed in idle funeral
; rites the time they owed to the prefervation of
! their country.
DURING this interval, the beaten army, which
had loft two hundred Spaniards, a thoufand Tlaf-
calans, the greater part of their artillery, and which
had fcarce a foldier remaining that was not wound-
i ed, was refuming its march. The enemy foon pur-
ifued, harafTed, and at length furrounded it in the
j valley of Otumba. The cannonade, and the firing
! of the fmall arms, the pikes and fwords, did
not prevent the Indians, all naked as they were,
j from advancing and charging their enemies with
great fury. Courage was juft upon the point of
yielding to numbers, when Cortez himfelf deter-
mined the fortune of the day. He had been in-
1 formed, that in this part of the New world the
j fate of the battle depended upon the royal ftand-
ard. Thefe colours, the form of which was re-
jmarkable, and which were never brought into the
field but on the moft important occafions, were at
no great diftance from him. He immediately rufli-
ed forward, with the braveft of his companions, to
take them from the enemy. One of them feized
and carried them into the Spanifh ranks. The Mex-
icans immediately loft all courage j and, throwing
down their arms, betook themfelves to flight. Cor-
tez purlued his march, and arrived in the country
of Tlafcala without oppofition.
CORTEZ did not relinquifh either the defign or
the hopes of fubduing the empire of Mexico ; but
9 he
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
he adopted a new plan i and propofed to make one
part of the inhabitants aflilr. him in the reductic
of the other. The form of the Mexican govei
ment, the difpofition of the people, and the fiti
tion of the city, favoured his project, and facili-
tated the execution of it.
THE empire was elective, and certain princes
or caciques were the electors. They ufually chofe
one of their own body. He wa's obliged to take
an oath, that, fo long as he filled the throne,
the rains ihould fall in due feafon, the rivers
caufe no inundations, the fields be exempt from
flerility, and that mankind fhould not be de-
ftroyed by the malignant effects of a contagious
air. This cuflom may have had fome reference
to a theocratical government, the traces of which
are flill to be found almoit among all the nations
in the world, It might likewife probably be the
intention of this whimfical oath, to intimate to the
new fovereign, that, as the misfortunes of a ftatt*
almoft always arife from wrong meaiures of ad-
mmiftration, his government ought to be con-
ducted with ruch moderation and wifdom, that
public calamities might never be confidered as the
confequences of his imprudence, or as the juft
punifhment of his licentioufnefs. According tf :
the admirable tenor of their laws, merit was the
only title to the crown : but fuperflition had given
the priefls a confiderable influence in their eleo'
tions. On his acceffion to the throne, the em-
peror was obliged to make war, and to offer the
prifoners to the gods. This prince, though elec-
tive, had an abfolute authority, as there were no
written
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 379
Written laws -, and he was at liberty to make what B v *
alterations he pleafed in the old cuftoms. Almoft -^vs-|
all the forms of jnftice and ceremonies of the
court had the fanclion of religion. The fame
crimes that are punifhed in all other places were
pimiihable by the laws, but the criminals were
[often faved by the interpofition cf the priefts..
There were two laws which had a tendency to
deilroy the innocent, and to make the Mexicans
bend under the double yoke of tyranny and fuper-
ftition. By thefe laws, perfons offending againft
I the fanctity of religion, or the majefty of the
prince, were condemned to death. It is eafy to
difcern how much laws of fo little precifion might
afford opportunities of gratifying private revenge,
or of promoting the interefted views of priefts and
courtiers.
THE fteps by which private men obtained the
rank of nobility, and the nobility rofe to ports of
honour, were bravery, piety, and perfeverance.
In the temples a more painful noviciate was pre-
fcribed than in the army ; and the nobles, who had
undergone fuch hardihips to obtain their diftinc-
tions, fubmitted to the meaneil employments in
the palace of the emperors.
AMONG the great numbers of vaiTals in Mexico,
Cortez concluded there might be fome who would \
be ready to lhake off the yoke, and join the
Spaniards. He had remarked that the Mexi-
cans were held in great deteltation by the petty
ftates that were fubject to the empire, and that
the emperors exercifed their authority with ex-
treme
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
treme feverity. He had likewife obferved, that
the provinces in general difliked the religion of the
metropolis, and that even in Mexico the nobility
and perfons of fortune, whofe intercourfe with
fociety had abated the force of their prejudices,
and foftcned their popular manners, had loft their
attachment to this mode of religion; and that
many of the nobility were difgufted at the low
fervic~s exacted of them by their mailers.
HAVING received fome fmall reinforcements
from the Spaniards, obtained fome troops from
the republic of Tlafcala, and formed fome new
alliances, Cortez bent his courfe once more to-
wards the capital of the empire.
MEXICO was fituated on an ifland in the middle
of a large lake. If the Spaniards may be credited,
this city contained twenty thoufand houfes j the
inhabitants were very numerous, and the buildings
magnificent. Tjie emperor's palace, which was
built with marble and jafper, was of a prodigious
extent. Its fountains, baths, ornaments, and ftatues'
reprefenting different animals, excited admiration.
It was full of pictures, which, though made of fea-
thers, were finely coloured, brilliant, and natural.
Moft of the caciques, as well as the emperor, had.
menageries replenifhed with all the animals of the
new continent, and apartments for the arrangement
of natural curiofities. Their gardens were filled with
plants of every fpecies. The beauties of nature, and
whatever is rare or glittering in her productions,
muft be an object of luxury to an opulent people,
where nature is beautiful, and the arts are not
brought
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 38
brought to perfection. The temples, which were B VI
numerous, were in general magnificent j but pol- *- -v
luted with blood, and hung round with the heads of
the unhappy victims who had been facrificed. One
of the greater! beauties of Mexico was a fquare to
which more than a hundred thouland perfons ufu-
ally reforted : it was covered with tents and fhops,
where the merchants expofed to view all the riches
of the country, and the manufactures of the Mexi-
cans : birds of every colour, brilliant ihells, apro-
fufion of flowers, together with pieces of workman-
fhip in gold ahd enamel, gave thefe markets a more
beautiful and fplendid appearance to the eye, than
is to be met with in the richeft fairs of Europe.
One hundred thoufand canoes were conftantly
paffing and repafling between the city and the bor-
ders of the lake j which were ornamented with
more than fifty cities, and a multitude of towns and
villages. Upon this lake were three caufeways of
considerable length, whjch were matter-pieces of
Mexican indufcry. If we confider that thefe people
were of no very remote antiquity, that they had no
intercourfe with any enlightened nation, that they
knew not the life of iron, were defdtute of the con-
venience of writing, and unacquainted with any
of thofe arts which afllft us in the knowledge and
exercife of others ; and if we add to this, that
they lived in a climate where the invention of man
is not excited by necefllty ; we muft acknowledge
them to have been one of the mofl ingenious peo-
ple in the world.
BUT the falfity of this pompous defcription may
eaiily be made evident co every man's capacity. It
is
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE 5
is not, however, merely by contrafting the prefenf
ftate of Mexico with that in which its conquerors
pretend to have found it, that this point can be
decided. 1 The ravages occafioned by deftruclive
tyranny, and a long continued feries of oppreffions/
are fufikiently known. But, if we compare the
different accounts of the Spaniards, we fliall then
be able to judge of the degree of credit they de-
ferve. When they wifh to imprint a great idea of
their courage and fuccefs, they reprefent the em-
pire they have fubdued as a formidable, rich, and
civilized kingdom. If, on the contrary, they
mean to juftify their cruelties, no people were ever
fo bafe, fo corrupt, fo barbarous, as thefe.
WERE it poflible to form a proper judgment
of a people that exifts no more, it might pofiibly
be faid, that the Mexicans were fubjedl to a def-
potifm as cruel as it was ill concerted ; that they
rather conceived the neceffity of having regular
tribunals of juftice, than they felt the advantages
of them ; that the fmall number of arts they fol-
lowed were as defective in workmanfhip, as they
were rich in materials; that they were further re-
moved from a favage, than they were near to a
civilized people ; and that fear, the chief fp ring of
all arbitrary governments, ferved them inilead of
morality and principles.
CORTEZ began, however, by gaining over to
mtereft the caciques who reigned in the citi
that were fituated on the borders of the la
Some of them joined the Spaniards with th
forces j others were reduced to fubjeclion. Co
took pofTeflion of the three avenues that lead
Mexico,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 383
'Mexico. He alfo endeavoured to make himfelf c v K
mafter of the navigation of the lake. He built *- '
fome brigantines, on board of which he put part
of his artillery : and, in this pofture, he waited till
famine fhould produce a furrender of the empire
of the New world.
GUATIMOZIN exerted hisutmoft efforts to relieve
the capital. His fubjects fought with as much fury
4s ever. The Spaniards, however,' maintained their
pofts, and carried their attacks into the centre of
the city. The'Mexicans, fearing it would be taken,
and perceiving that there muft foon be a total want
of provifions, turned their attention to the preler-
vation of their emperor. He confented to attempt
his efcape, with a view of maintaining the war in
the northern part of his dominions. To facilitate
his retreat, a party of his foldiers generoufly de-
voted themlelves to death, by diverting the atten-
tion of the befiegers : but the canoe, in which this
generous and unfortunate monarch had embarked,
was taken by a brigantine. An officer of the Spp.-
nifli revenue, fufpecling that he had treafures con-
cealed, ordered him to be extended upon red-hot
coals, to extort aconfefiion. His favourite, who
underwent the fame torture, complaining to him
of his fufferings, the emperor faid, Am I upon a bed
of rofes ? an expreflion equal to any of thofe
which hiftory has recorded as worthy the admi-
ration of mankind ! an expreflion which the
Mexicans fliall one day repeat to their children,
when the period Ihall arrive, in which the Spa-
niards fhall expiate the cruelties they have ex-
ercifed, and that race of deftroyers be plunged
into
384 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K i nto tne f ea > or drowned in their own blood.
* v^-J Thefe people may, perhaps, preferve the a&ions
of their martyrs, and the hiftory of their perfecu-
tions. In thefe it will be recorded, that Guati-
mozin was dragged half dead from the flames,
and tha't three years after he was publicly hanged,
under pretence of his having confpired againft his
oppreffprs and executioners.
TheS b P -hT IN arbitrary flates, the fall of the prince, and
matters of the reduction of the capital, ufually bring on the
tend its' conquefl and fubje&ion of the whole realm. The
p eO pi e cannot; preferve their attachment to an op-
preffive government, or to a tyrant who thinks to
make himfelf more refpeftable by never appearing
in public. Accuflomed to acknowledge no right
but that of force, they never fail to fubmit to tli
flrongeft party. Such was the revolution of Mexi-
co. All the provinces fubmitted without refift-
ance to the victor, who gave the name of New
Spain to this empire, the frontiers of which were
Hill extended, though they were already five hun-
dred leagues in length, and two hundred in
breadth.
THE firft ftep the conquerors took, was to add
to their acquifitions the vaft tract which lies to
the fouthward, and extends from Guatimala to
the Gulph of Darien. This acceflion of terrir
tory, though acquired without much lofs of time,,
blood, or treafure, was of little ufe. The prof
vinces of which it confifts are hardly known,
and inhabited only by 'a few Spaniards, who in
general are poor, and have by their tyranny
compelled the Indians to retire into the moun-
tains
IN TrfE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
tains and impenetrable forefts. Among all thefe
favages, the Mofquitos are the only people who
retain the form of a nation. Having for a long
time ftruggled to preferve the fertile plains they
inhabited iri the country of Nicaragua, they took
refuge among the barren rocks at the Cape of
Gracias a Dios. Defended on the inland fide by
impaffable morafTeSj and on that of the fea by
dangerous fhoals, they defy the rage of their ene-
mies. Their intercourfe with the Englifh and
French pirates, whom they have frequently ac-
companied in the moft dangerous enterprizes, has
nflamed their hatred for their perfecutors, in-
creafed their natural audacity, and taught them
the ufe of fire-arms : but their numbers, which
were never confiderable^ have beert continually
on the decline. As they do not at prefent exceed
two thoufand men, their Weaknefs puts it out of
their power to give the leaft alarm*
THE increafed extent of New Spain towards
the North is more confiderable, and may prove
of much more importance. We have hitherto
jeen fpeaking only of New Mexico, which was
difcovered in 1553, and conquered in the begin-
ning of the laft century ; which revolted about
the middle of it, and was foon after reduced to
iiibjeclion. All that we know concerning this
immenfe province is, that the Spaniards have fet-
tled a few wandering favages there, introduced a
ittle agriculture, worked ibme rich mines imper-
fedtly, and eftablilhed a fettlement called Santa
Fe. The conqueil of this inland territory would
have been followed by another of much greater
VOL. II. C c utility
3*6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v f K utility on the fea-coaft, if, during the hundred
* v ' years fmce it was undertaken, it had been profe-
cuted with the attention it deferred.
THE old empire of Mexico extended its boun-
daries almofl to the entrance of Vermilion Bay,
From theie limits, to the place where the con-
tinent is united to California, is a gulph almoft
twenty degrees in length. Its breadth is fome-
times fixty, and fometimes fifty leagues, feldom
lefs than forty. In this extent there are many
fand-banks, and a confiderable number of inlands $
and the coafr is inhabited by feveral favage nations,
which are for the moft part in enmity with each
other. The Spaniards have here formed certain
fcattered colonies, to which, agreeably to their
cuftom, they have given the name of provinces.
Their miffionaries have carried their difcoveries
further, and flattered themfelves that they fhould
procure to their country greater riches than it had
ever acquired from its molt celebrated poffeffions. .
SEVERAL caufes have been for a long time
combined, to render their labours ineffectual. No
fooner had they aflembled together, and civilized
fome of the favages, than thefe were carried off
to be employed in the mines. This cruelty ruined
the rifmg fettlements, and prevented other In-
dians from incorporating with them. The Spa-
niards, too remote from the infpeftion of govern-
ment, gave themfelves up to the moft atrocious
and unheard-of enormities. Quickfilver, fluffs,
and other merchandife, were carried thither from
Vera-Cruz on mules, through a difficult and dan-
gerous way of fix or feven hundred leagues ;
a-cir-
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
a circumftance which, at the end of the journey,
enhanced their price fo confiderably, that moft of
the perfons concerned in the working of the mines'
were obliged to abandon them, from the impof-
(ibility of fupporting them. At laft certain clans
of favages, ftimulated either by ferocity, or the
'Well-grounded apprehenfion of being one day en-
$aved, unexpectedly fell on the workmen, who
[fell obftinately perfifted in ftruggling againft fo
.many difficulties.
IT was hoped that a new arrangement of things
would take place, when in 1746, by order of
government, the Jefuit Ferdinand Confag had
[failed through the whole gulph of California. This
[voyage, executed with the utmoft care, and with
treat judgment, instructed the Spaniards in every
thing that was of importance for them to know.
jJThey became acquainted with the coafts of this
Continent, the harbours which nature has opened
[there, the fandy and dry places which are not fuf-
; :eptible of cultivation, and the rivers, which, by
[the fertility they produce on their banks, point
Dut the proper fpot for the formation of fettle-
ments. Nothing in future could hinder the veflels
r rom Acapulco from entering Vermilion Bay, or
from conveying at a moderate expence, into the
provinces or its borders, miflionaries, foldiers,
niners, provifions, merchandize, and every thing
necefiary for colonies, and returning from thence
laden with metals. The imagination of the Spa-
niards went ftill further. They already forefaw
the whole continent fubdued as far as New Mexico,
*nd a new empire rife as extenfive and as opulent
C c 2 as
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
K. .
VI.
c as the former, and which would be fuperior to it
in the mildnefs and falubrity of its climate.
THESE expectations were not chimerical ; but,
in order to have them realized, it was neceflary
that the natives of the country fhould either be
gained over by humane aflions, or fubdued by
force of arms. It could not poflibly enter into the
minds of the deftroyers of the New world to have
recourfe to the firft of thefe expedients ; and they
were not able to purfue the fecond before the
year 1768.
THEIR endeavours have not been crov/ned with
complete fuccefs. They advanced with confider-
able rapidity in Mexico, and in every region which
was populous, or whofe inhabitants were collected
in a fmall compafs. Countries lefs inhabited were
not fo foon reduced, becaufe there was a neceility
of finding out men to fubdue, and becaufe they
fled into the forefts whenever the Spaniards ap-
peared, and did not appear again till want of fub-
fiftence had obliged them to return. Thus it was
not till after three years puriuit, toil, and cruelty,
that the conqueft of the Seris, Platos, and Sobai-
poris, was completed. Their neighbours, the Pa-
pagos, Nijoras, and Sobas, defpairing of being
able to defend their liberty, fubmitted to the yoke
without refiftance. Troops were ftill employed
in 1771 in purfuing the Apaches, the moil war-
like of thefe nations, and who had the ftrongeft
paffion for independence. It is no longer thought
pofllble to fubdue them , but the Spaniards are
conftantly employed in exterminating their race,
or at lead in keeping them at a diftance from New
Bifcay,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 3*9
Bifcay, which would otherwife be expofed to then
j incnrfions.
THE wealth that has been lately found in the
; provinces of Sonora and Cinaloa, which form what
I is now called the New Andalufia, appears to tran-
fcend every thing that has been feen in any other
| place. There is a gold mine fourteen leagues in
extent, which at the depth of two feet offers im-
menfe treafures. Of the filver mines, one pro-
duces eight merks per quintal of ore, and the
ftones which are drawn out of the other are almoft
entirely compofed of native filver. If the court
of Madrid, which has juft publifhed thefe dif-
coveries, hath not been deceived j if the mines,
which often have a great extent of furface with very
little depth ; do not prefent delufive hopes ; the un-
happy favages, who have very lately been fubdued,
will be all buried alive in the bowels of the earth.
NEW Spain is almofl entirely fituated within the climate,
. . . . n foil. and p"-
torrid zone. The air is excemvely warm, moilt, puUtion of
and unwholefome, on the ccafts of the North Sea.
Thefe defects of the climate are infinitely lefs felt
on the coafls of the South Sea, and hardly at all in
the inland country, which is interfecled by a chain
of mountains, that are fuppofed to be a continua-
tion of the Cordeleras.
THE quality of the foil has the fame variations.
The eaftern part is low, marfriy, overflowed in the
rainy feafons, covered with impenetrable forefts,
and totally uncultivated. It maybe imagined, that,
if the Spaniards fhould leave it in this ftate of defo-
lation, it is becauie they judge, that a defert and de-
flruftive frontier will furnifh a better defence
C c 3 again ft
390 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
againft an enemy's fleet, than they could ever ex]
either from fortifications and troops, the mainte-
nance of which would coft immenfe fums j or from
the natives of the country, who are effeminate,
little attached to the government of their conqu<
ors. The foil on the weftern fide is higher, of a
ter quality, on which there are many fields, and fe-
veral houfes are built upon it. In the low lai
there are diftricts, on which nature has been v
liberal) but, like every country fituated under
tropics, they abound more in fruits than in corn.
THE population of this vail empire is not lefs
various than its foil. Its moft diftinguifhed inhabi-
tants are the Spaniards, fent hither by the court
to fill the pofts of government. They are obligedj
like thofe in the mother-country who afpire to
ecclefiaftical, civil, or military employments,
prove that there have been neither heretics, J(
Mohammedans, nor any perfons in their family,
who have been called before the inquifition,for foi$
generations. Merchants who are defirous of going,
to Mexico, as well as to other parts of America,
without becoming colonifls, are compelled to ob,-
ferve the fame forms. They are alfo obliged to
iwear that they have three hundred palms of j
chandize, their own property, in the fleet in wl
they embark, and that they- will not carry tl
wives with them. On thefe abfurd conditions
they become the principal agents of the European
commerce with the Indies. Though their ch<
is only to continue three years, and a Uttle loi
for countries more remote, it is of great imj
since. To them alone belongs the right of felling,
UDE
expeft
inte-
from
i
id fe-
rn ds
i
n.
o J
) any
s, to
[ews,
ope an
barter
onger
iport-
iling,
,;
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
as commiflioners, the major part of the cargo. If
thefe laws were obferved, the merchants ftationed
in the New world would be confined to difpofe of
what they have received on their own account.
THE predilection, which adminiftration has for
Spaniards born in Europe, has reduced the Spanifh
Creoles to acquiefce in fubordinate ftations. The
dependents of the companions of Cortez, and of
thofe who came after them, being conftantly ex-
cluded from all places of honour or of truft that
were any way confiderable, have feen the gradual
decay of the power that fupported their fathers.
The habit of being Obliged to. bear that unjuft
contempt with which they have been treated has
at laft made them become really contemptible.
iThey have totally loft, in the vices which originate
from indolence, from the heat of the climate, and"
from a fuperPiuous enjoyment of all things, that
firmnefs, and that fort of pride which hath ever
characterised their nation. A barbarous luxury,
lhameful pleasures, and romantic intrigues, have
enervated all the vigour of their minds, and fuper-
ftition hath completed the ruin of their virtues.
Blindly devoted to priefts too ignorant to enlighten
them by their inftructions, too depraved to edify
them by their example, and too mercenary to at-
tend to both thefe duties of their function, they
have no attachment to any part of their religion,
but that which enfeebles the mind, and have ne-
glected what might have -contributed to rectify
their morals.
THE Meftees, who conftitute the thjrd order of
citizens, are held in ftill greater contempt. It is well
C c 4 known
39* HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^ o K known that the court of Madrid/ in order to re-
c,i-y~. ; plenilli a part of that dreadful vacancy which the
avarice and cruelty of the conquerors had occafion-
ed, and to regain the confidence of thofe who hi
escaped their fury, encouraged as much as poffibl
themarriage of Spaniards with India women. Th(
alliances, which became pretty common througl
out all America, were particularly frequent in M(
ico, where the women had more underftandinj
and were more agreeable than in other places. Tl
Creoles transferred to this mixt progeny the cor
temptuous flight they received from theEuropeai
Their conditic-n, equivocal at firft, in procefs of tin
at laft was fixed between the whites and the blacl
THESE blacks are not very numerous in Ne
Spain. As the natives are more intelligent, mor
robuft, and more induftrious, than thofe of the otru
colonies, they have hardjy introduced any Africai
except fuch as were required either to indulge
caprice, or perform the domeftic fervice, of ri<
people. Thefe flaves, who are much beloved
their matters, on whom they abfolutely depen(
who purchafed them at an extravagant price,
who make them the minifters of their pleafui
take advantage of the high favour they enjoy,
opprefs the Mexicans. They afTume over th<
men, who are called free, an afcendant which keej
up an implacable hatred between the two natioi
The law has ftudied to encourage this averfion,
taking effectual meafures to prevent all connection
between them, Negroes are prohibited from hav-
ing any amorous correfpondence with the Indi<
the men, on pain of being mutilated, the worn
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES,
of being feverely punifhed. On all thefe ac-
counts, the Africans, who in other fettlements
are enemies to Europeans, are in the Spanifh Jn-
, dies their warm friends.
AUTHORITY has no need of this fupport, at leaft
in Mexico, where population is no longer what it
was formerly. The firft hiftorians, and thofe who
! copied them, have recorded, that the Spaniards
i found there ten millions of fouls. This was the ex-
. aggerated account of conquerors, to exalt the mag-
jnificence of their triumph : and it was adopted,
without examination, with fo much the more readi-
.nefs, as it rendered them the more odious. We
; need only trace with attention the progrefs of thofe
I ruffians who at firft defolated thefe fine countries,
iin order to be convinced that they had not fuc-
i.ceeded in multiplying men at Mexico and the ad-
jacent parts, but by depopulating the centre of
i the empire; and that the provinces, which are re-
j mote from the capital, differed in nothing from the
i other deferts of South and North America. It is
i making a great concefiion, to allow that the popu-
lation of Mexico has only been exaggerated one
half; for it does not now exceed one million.
IT is generally believed, that the firft conquerors
mailacred the Indians out of wantqnnefs, and that
i even the priefts incited them to thefe acts of fero-
; city. Undoubtedly thefe inhuman foldiers fre-
i quently fhed blood without even an apparent mo-
i tive; and certainly their fanatic miffionaries did not
oppofe thefe barbarities as they ought to have
done. This was not, however, the real caufe, the
principal fource of the depopulation of Mexico;
it
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
it was the work of a flow tyranny, and of thai
avarice which exacted from its wretched inhabi-
tants more rigorous toil than was compatible witt
their eonflitution and the climate.
THIS oppreffion was coeval with the conqueft
of the country. All che lands were divided berv/een
the crown, the companions of Cortez, and the gran-
dees or minifters who were mofl in favour at the
court of Spain. The Mexicans, appointed to the
royal domains, were deilined to public labours,
which originally were considerable. The lot of
thofe who were employed on the eftates of indivi-
duals was ftill more wretched. All groaned under
a dreadful yoke; they were ill-fed; they had no
wages given them ; and fervices were required of
them, under which the moft robuft men would
have funk. Their misfortunes excited the com-
panion of Bartholomew de las Cafas.
THIS man, fo famous in the annals of the New
world, had accompanied his father in thefirft voyage
made by Columbus. Themildnefsandfimplicityof
the Indians affected him fo ftrongly, that he made
himfelf an ecclefiaflic, in order to devote his la-
bours to their converfion. But this foon became
the leafl of his attentions. As he was more a man
than zprieft, he felt more for the cruelties exercifed
againft them, than for their fuperftitions. He was
continually hurrying from one hemifphere to the
other, in order to comfort the people for whom
had conceived an attachment, or to foften their i
rants. This conduct which made him be idoli;
by the one, and dreaded by the other, had not the
fuccefs he expected. The hope of ftriking awe,
by
' Li&V
nhe
ized
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 395
jby a character revered among the Spaniards, de- B VI K
itermined him to accept the bilhopric of Chiapa in * -v- *
Mexico. When he was convinced that this dignity-
was an infufficient barrier againft that avarice and
cruelty which he endeavoured to check, he abdi-
cated it. It was then that this courageous, firm, dif-
mtereiled man accufed his country before the tri-
bunal of the whole univerfe. In his account of the
[tyranny of the Spaniards in America, he accufefc
them of having deftroyed fifteen millions of In-
Idians. They ventured to find fault with the acri-
jmony of his ftyle, but no one convicted him of
[exaggeration. His writings, which indicate the
kmiable turn of his difpofition, and the fublimity
lof his fentiments, have ftamped a difgrace upon
mis barbarous countrymen, which time hath not
land never will efface.
THE court of Madrid, awakened by the repre-
Hentations of the virtuous Las Cafas, and by the
imdignation of the whole world, became fenfible
Bat laft, that the tyranny it permitted was repug-
Inant to religion, to humanity, and to policy, and
fccfolved to break the chains of the Mexicans.
Their liberty was now only conitrained by the fole
Icondition, that they fhould not quit the territory
where they were fettled. This precaution owed its
.origin to the fear that was entertained of their
going to join the wandering favages to the north
and fouth of the empire.
WITH their liberty their lands ought alfo to have
been reftored to them ; but this was not done.
This injuftice compelled them to work folely for
their oppreffors. It was only decreed, that the Spa-
niards,
i LU
=
396 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B VI K niards, in whofe fervice they laboured, fho
VP v ' flipulate to keep them well, and pay them to
amount of 1 20 livres * a year.
FROM thefe profits the tribute impofed by
vernment was fubtracted, together with an hu
dred fousf for an inftitution which it is aftonifhing
the conquerors fhould have thought of eftablifh-
ing. This was a fund fet apart in each community,
and appropriated to the relief of fuch Indians aft
were decayed or indifpoiecl, and to their fupport
under private or public calamities.
THE diflribntion of this fund was committed to
their caciques. Thefe were not the dependents
thofe whom they found in the country at the ti
of the conqueft. The Spaniards chofe them fro
among thole Indians who appeared the mod at-
tached to their interefts ; and were under no ap-
prehenfions at making thefe dignities hereditary.
Their authority was limited to the fupporting thf
police in their diftrict, which in general extender
eight or ten leagues j to the collecting the tribu
of thofe Indians who laboured on their own
count, that of the others being flopt by the maft
whom they ferved ; and to the preventing their
flight by keeping them always under their infpec-
tion, and the not luffering them to contract any en-j
gagement without their confent. As a reward of
their fervices, thefe magiftrates obtained from go*
vernment a property. They were permitted to take
out of the common Hock five fous J annually for
every Indian under their jurifdiction. At laft they
were empowered to get their fields cultivated by
* About 5 1. 5 s. f 43. 4d. !. I Two-pence half-penny,
fuch
;
:ers.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 397
(fuch young men as were not yet fubjeft to the B VJ **
poll-tax ; and to employ girls till the time of their ' u^ '
marriage in fuch occupations as were adapted to
ttheir lex, without allowing them any falary except
itheir maintenance.
THESE initiations, which totally changed the
condition of the Indians of Mexico, irritated the
Spaniards to a degree not to be conceived. Their
pride would not fuffer them to confider the Ameri-
cans as free men j nor would their avarice permit
:hem to pay for labour, which hitherto had coft
phem nothing. They employed themfelves fuc-
Ipefiively, or in combination, craft, remonftrances,
md violence, to effect the fubverfion of an ar-
rangement which fo ftrongly contradicted their
Ivarmeft paflions ; but their efforts were ineffec-
tual. Las Cafas had raifed up for his beloved
Indians protectors who feconded his deiign with
iteal and warmth. The Mexicans themfelves,
finding a fupport, impeached their oppreilbrs be-
fore the tribunals, and even the tribunals that
were either weak or in the intereft of the court.
[(They carried their refolution fo far, as even unani-
noufly to refnfe to work for thofe who had treated
Any of their countrymen with injuitice. This mu-
tual agreement, more than any other circumftance,
*ave folidity to the regulations which had been
iecreed. The other, prefcribed by the laws, was
gradually eftablilhed. There was no longer any
egular lyftem of oppreflion > but merely feveral
)f thofe particular vexations which a vanquifhed ,
people, who have loft their government, can hardly
ivoid from thofe. who have fubdued it.
THESE.
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
THESE clandeftine acts of injuflice did not pr
vent the Mexicans from recovering, from time
time, certain detached portions ofthatimmenfe
ritory of which their fathers had been defpoile
They purchafed them of the royal domain, or
the great proprietors. It was not their laboi
which enabled them to make thefe acquifitions:
this they were indebted to the happinefs of havi]
difcovered, fome of them mines, others treafures
which had been concealed at the time of the con-
queft. The greateft number derived their refources
from the prieits and monks, to whom they owed
their exiftence.
EVEN thofe who experienced a fortune lefs
propitious, procured for themfelves by the folc
profits of their pay more conveniences than they
had enjoyed before they underwent a foreign yoke.
We fhould be very much deceived if we fhould
judge of the ancient profperity of the inhabitants
of Mexico by what has been faid of its emperor,
its court, its capital, and the governors of its pro-
vinces. Defpotifm had there produced thofe fatal
effects which it produces every where. The whole
ftate was facrificed to the caprices, pleafures, and
magnificence, of a fmall number of perfons
THE government drew confiderable advantaj
from the mines which it caufed to be worked,
ftill greater from thofe which were in the hands i
individuals. The falt-works greatly added to its
venue. Thofe who followed agriculture, at the tii
of harveft paid in a kind of a third of all the pi
duce of the lands, whether they belonged to them
as their own property, or whether they were or
4
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 3
;he farmers of them. Men who lived by the chace, B O VI
ifhermen,- potters, and all mechanics, paid the ' *
ame proportion of their induflry every month,
iven the poor were taxed at certain fixed contri-
mtions, which their labour or their alms might
)iit them in a condition to pay.
THE generality of the Mexicans went naked.
The emperor himfelf and the nobles were only
:overed with a kind of mantle, compofed of a
>iece of fquare cotton tied on the right fhoulder.
They wore iandals on their feet. The women of
i he lower fort for their whole apparel had only a
f ;ind of fhift with half-fleeves, which fell on their
|Jnees, and was open at the bofom. Common
teople were prohibited from raifing their houfes
hove the ground floor, and from having either
oors or windows. Moil of thefe houfes were
juilt of earth, and covered with boards, and had
jo greater fhare of conveniency than of elegance.
The infide was covered with mats, and lighted with
)rches of ftr-\vood, though they had wax and oil
i abundance. Their beds were made of plain ilraw
nd coverlets of cotton. For their feats, they had
nly little facks of palm-leaves ; but it was their
uftom to fit on the ground, and even to eat in that
ofture. Their nourifhment, which confifted rarely
f animal food, had little diverfity and little deli-
icy. Their moil ordinary aliment was maize
lade into a paile, or prepared with various feafon-
igs. With thefe they joined the common herbs
nmd in the field, which were not too hard, or
ad not a bad fmell. Cocoa diluted in warm water,
r feafoned with honey or pimento, was their beft.
liquor.
iDE
rs, but
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
liquor. They had, befides thefe, other liquors
not of an intoxicating quality ; for all ftrong
drinks were fo rigidly prohibited, that no one could
life them without a particular permiffion from go-
vernment, which was granted only to the fick and
aged. It was on certain folemnities alone, and in
public labours, that each perfon had a quantity
allowed in proportion to his age. Drunkennefs
confidered as the moft fcandalous of vices. Perfo
who were found in this fituation were fhaved
public, and their houfes were pulled down. If tl
exerciied any public office, they were deprii
of it, and declared incapable of ever holding
again.
IT is a matter of aftonilhrnent, that men
had fo few wants fliould ever fubmit to the yc
of flavery . That the citizen, accuftomed to the ii
dulgences and conveniences of life, fliould pui
chafe them every day with the facrifice of his li-
berty, is not the lead furprifing ; but that people
to whom nature offers more felicity than the focial
chain that unites them, fhould calmly fubmit to
flavery, and never think that there is frequently
but a river to crois in order to be free ; this would
be for ever inconceivable, if we did not know how
much habit and fuperftition render men infenfit
to the feelings of nature.
THE Mexicans are now lefs unhappy. Our fr
our corn, and our cattle, have rendered their fc
more wholefome, agreeable, and abundant. Tl
houfes are better built, better difpofed, and
furnifhecl. Shoes, drawers, fliirts, a garment
wool or cotton, a ruff, and a- hat, conilitute tl
dr
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 40*
drefs. The dignity which it has been agreed to B VI K
annex to thefe enjoyments, has made them better ' w '
oeconomifts, and more laborious. This eafe, how-
ever, is far from being univerfal j it is even very
uncommon in the vicinity of the mines, towns, and
great roads, where tyranny feldom deeps : but we
often find it with fatisfaction in remote parts, where
the Spaniards are not numerous, and where they
have in fome meafure become Mexicans.
THE inhabitants of the province of Chiapa are *
diftinguifhed above all others. They owe theiu
fuperiority to the advantage of having had Las
Caias for their teacher, who originally prevented
them from being opprefted. They furpafs their
countrymen in fize, genius, and ftrength. Their
language has a peculiar foftnefs and elegance.
Their territory, without being a better foil than
the reft, is infinitely richer in all forts of produc-
tions. They are painters, muficians, and dextrous
in all arts. They particularly excel in fabricating
thofe works, pictures, and fluffs of feathers, which
have never been imitated elfewhere. Their prin-
cipal town is called Chiapa dos Indos. It is only
inhabited by the natives of the country, who form
a community confiding of about four thoufand
families, amongft which are found many of the
Indian nobility. The great river, on which this
town is fituated, is the fpot on which the inhabi-
tants continually difplay their dexterity and their
courage. They form naval armies with their boats.
They engage, attack, and defend themfelves, with
furprifing agility. They excel no lefs in the chace
of bulls, cudgeling, dancing, and all bodily exer-
VOL. II. D d cifes.
402 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K C if es< They build towns and caftles of wood, which
* v they cover with oil-cloth, and which they befiege
in form. In a word, theatrical reprefentations are
their ordinary amufements, From thefe particulars
we fee what the Mexicans were capable of, if they
had been fortunate enough to have pafled tinder the
dominion of a conqueror, who had poiTeiTed mo-
deration and good fenfe enough to relax the cha
of their fervitude, inftead of riveting them.
THE employments of this people are very i
rious. The moft intelligent, and thofe who are
eafy circumftances, devote themfelves to the m
foeceflary and moft ufeful manufactures, which
difperfed through thfc whole empire. The m
beautiful manufactures are eftablifhed among
people of Tiafcala. Their old capital, and
new one, which is called Angelos, are die cen
of this induftry. Here they manufacture cloth t
is pretty fine, callicoes that have an agreeable
pearance, certain flight filks, good hats,, gold la
embroidery, lace, glafies, and a great deal of ha
ware. The arts muft neceflarily have mad<
greater progrefs in a province which hath b<
able to preferve its independence- a long time, wh
the Spaniards thought it prudent to treat
fome management after the conqueft> and wh
had always manifefted fuperior penetration, w
xher owing to its climate or its government.
thefe advantages is joined that of its fituation.
the inhabitants of Mexico, who muft neceffai
pals over its territory when they go to purch
the European merchandife that is landed at V
Cruz,, have found it convenient to take up on
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
)ad what the fleet did not fupply them with, or B
-hat was fold too dear.
THE care of flocks affords a maintenance tofome
lexicans, whom fortune or nature hath not called
) more diftinguifhed employments. America, at
le time it was difcovered, had neither hogs, flieep,
xen, horfes, nor even any domeftic animal. Co-
jmbus carried fome of thefe ufeful animals to San
Jomingo, from whence they were generally dif-
erfcd, and at Mexico more than in any other
laces. Thefe have multiplied prodigioufly. They
ount their horned cattle by thoufands, whofe
dns are become an object of confiderable ex-
ortation. The horfes are degenerated, but the
Xiality is compenfatpd by the number. Hog's-lard
1 1 here fubftituted for butter. Sheeps wool is dry,
^parfe, and bad, as it is every where between the
fopics.
THE vine and olive-tree have experienced the
ime degeneracy. The cultivation of them was
t firil prohibited, with a view of leaving a free
market for the commodities of the mother coun-
ry. In 1706, permiflion was given to the Jefuits,
nd a little afterwards to the Marquis Del Valle, a
iefcendent from Cortez, to cultivate them. The
.ttempts have not proved fuccefsful. The trials,
ndeed, that have been made, have not been aban-
loned j but no perfon has folicited the liberty
>f following an example, which did not promife
tny great emoluments. Other cultures have been
nore fuccefsful. Cotton, fugar, filk, cocoa, to-
Jacco, and European corn, have all thriven in
brnc degree. The Spaniards are encouraged to
D d a> profecute
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
prolecute the labours which thefe cultures require,
from the happy circumftance of their having dif-
covered iron mines which were entirely unknown
to the Mexicans, as well as fome mines of a kind
of copper that is hard enough to ferve for imple-
ments of hufbandry. All thefe articles, however,
for want of men and induftry, are merely confumec
within the country^ There is only the vanilla,
indigo, and cochineal, which make part of the
trade of Mexico with other nations.
THE vanilla is a plant which, like ivy, grows
to the trees it meets with, embraces them clofely.
and raifes itfelf by their aid. Its Item is buij
very fmall in diameter, and not quite round.
Though it is very pliable, it is yet pretty hard. Its
bark is thin, very clofe, and of a green colour. Ii
is interfered like the vine, with knots which are at
the diftance of fix or feven inches from each other,
From thefe knots iffue leaves refembling thofe 01
the laurel, but longer, larger, thicker, and more
folid. They are of a bright green colour, theii
upper furface gloflfy, their under a little pale.
The flowers are blackifh.
A SMALL pod about fix inches long, and foui
lines broad, wrinkled, flabby, oily, thick though
brittle, may be confidered as the fruit of this plant.
The inner part of this pod is lined with a pulp that
is brownifh, aromatic, fomewhat acrid, and full
black, oily, and balfamic liquor, in which an
nite number of black, fiiining, and almoft imj
ceptible feeds float.
THE feafon for gathering the pods begins about
the latter end of September, and lafts till the end ol
December,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 405
December. They are dried in the fhade; and, when B VJ K
liy and fit for keeping, they are rubbed externally -. -l-j
vith a little oil of cocoa or of calba, to render them
upple, to preferve them the better, and to prevent
hem from becoming too dry and brittle.
THIS is nearly all that is known of the vanilla,
yhich is particularly appropriated to perfume cho-
nolate ; a practice which has paflfed from the Mexi-
cans to the Spaniards, and from them to other
ktions. That alone is efteemed which grows
[p the inaccefllble mountains of New Spain. We
^ire equally ignorant how- many different fpecies
(here are of it; which are the mofl valuable - t
.mat is the foil which fuits them beft j how they
Bre cultivated j and in what manner they are pro-
Bagated. All thefe circumftances are known only
jb the natives of the country. It is pretended
hat they have kept this fource of wealth to them-
'blves, by taking an oath., that they would never
[eveal to their tyrants any thing refpecting the
Cultivation of the vanilla, and would fuffer the
:|noft cruel tortures rather than be perjured. It
S more probable that they owe this advantage
:|o the character of their conquerors, who, content
j^ith the riches they have acquired, and habi-
uated to lead an indolent life, and to indulge
hemfelves in ignorance, equally contemn both
he curiofities of naitural hiftory, and the re-
earches of thofe who apply to it. But they are
)etter acquainted with indigo.
INDIGO is a kind of plant, whofe root is three
>r four lines thick, and more than a. foot long,
)f a faint fmell fomething like parfley. From
D d 3 this
4o6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K this root iffues a fmgle llem nearly of the fame
c -Y -" thicknefs, about two feet high, flraight, hard,
almofl woody, covered with a bark (lightly fpli
of a grey afh colour towards th.i bottom, gr
in the middle, reddifh at the extremity ;
'without appearance of pith in the infide. The;
leaves, ranged in pairs around the ftalk, are oW
an oval form, fmooth, foft to the touch, ftnv
rowed above, of a deep green on the under fide^l
and connected by a very fhort peduncle. From)
about one third of the flem to the extremity
there are ears that are loaded with very final!
flowers from a dozen to fifteen, but deflitute ol
fmell. The piflil, which is in the midfl of eadn
fiower, changes into a pod, in which the feedd
are inclofed.
THIS plant requires a fmooth rich foil, well
tilled, and not too dry. The feed of it, whidkl
as to figure and colour refembles gunpowdc^j
is fowed in little furrows that are about the
breadth of the hough, two or three inches deej|
at a foot's diflance from each other, and in as
ftraight a line as poflible. Continual attention is
required to pluck up the weeds, which wouJJ
foon choak the plant. Though it may be fown
in all feafons, the fpring is commonly preferred.
Moiflure caufes this plant to fhoot above the
furface in three or four days. It is ripe at tjf
end of two months. When it begins to flower,
it is cut with pruning-knives ; and cut again at
(he end of every fix weeks, if the weather is a
little rainy. It lafts about two years, after which
term it degenerates 5 it is then plucked up, and
planted afrefh.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
As this plant foon exhaufls the foil, becaufe
it does not abibrb a fufficient quantity of air and
dew to moiften the earth, it is of advantage
to the planter to have a vail fpace which may
remain covered with trees, till it becomes ne-
ceffary to fell them, in order to make room for
the indigo; for trees are to be confidered as
yphons, by means of which the earth and air
reciprocally communicate to each other their fluid
and vegetating fubftance; fyphons, into which
the vapours and the juices being alternately drawn
up, are kept in equilibrium. Thus while the fap
afcends by the roots to the branches, the leaves
draw in the air and vapours, which circulating
through the fibres of the tree defcend again into
the earth, and reftore to it in dew what it lofes in
ap. It is in order to maintain this reciprocal in-
fluence, that, when there are no trees to preferve
the fields in a proper flate for the fowing of in-
digo, it is cuftomary to cover thofe which are
exhaufted by this plant with potatoes or lianes,
whofe creeping branches preferve the frefhnefs of
the earth, and whole leaves when burnt renew its
fertility.
INDIGO is diftinguifhed into two kinds, the true
and the baftard. Though the firfb is fold at a
higher price on account of its fuperiority, it is
ufually advantageous to cultivate the other, be-
caufe it is heavier. The firft will grow in many
different foils j the fecond fucceeds beft in thole
which are mod expofed to the rain. Both are
liable to s reat accidents, Sometimes the plant
becomes dry, and is deftroyed by an infeft fre-
D d 4 quently
4 o8 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K quently found on it ; at other times, the leaves^
c v*-; which are the valuable part of the plant, are de-
voured in the fpace of twenty-four hours by
caterpillars. This laft misfortune, which is but
too common, has given occafion to the faying,
that the planters of indigo go to bed rich, and
rife in the morning totally ruined.
THIS production ought to be gathered-in with
great precaution, for fear of making the farina
that lies on the leaves, and which is very valuable,
fall off by fhaking it. When gathered, it is
thrown into the fteeping-vat, which is a large tub
filled with water. Here it undergoes a fermenta-
tion, which in twenty-four hours at fartheft is com-
pleted. A cock is then turned, to let the water run
into the fecond tub, called the mortar or pound-
ing-tub. The fteeping-vat is then cleaned out,
that frefh plants may be thrown in - 3 and thus the
work is continued without interruption.
THE water which has run into the pounding-
tub, is found impregnated with a very fubtile earth,
which alone conftitutes the dregs or blue fub-
ftance that is the object of this procefs, and which
muft be feparated from the ufelefs fait of the plant,
becaufe this makes the dregs iwim on the furface.
To effecl: this, the water is forcibly agitated with
wooden buckets that are full of holes, and fixed
to a long handle. This part of the procefs re-*
quires the greateft precautions. If the agitation.'
be difcontinued too foon, the part that is uied in--
dying, not being fufficiently feparated from the
fait, would be loft. If, on the other 'land, the
dye were to be agitated too long after the com-
plete
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
plete reparation, the parts would be brought to-
gether again, and form a new combination ; and
the 1'alt reading on the dregs would excite a fecond
fermentation, that would alter the dye, fpoil its
jcolour, and make what is called burnt indigo.
IThefe accidents are prevented by a clofe attention
to the leaft alterations that the dye undergoes,
land by the precaution which the workmen take to
draw out a little of it from time to time in a clean
veffel. When they perceive that the coloured
particles collect by feparating from the reft of the
(liquor, they leave off fhaking the buckets, in order
to allow time to the blue dregs to precipitate to
the bottom of the tub, where they are left to
fettle till the water is quite clear. Holes made in
the tub at different heights are then opened one
after another, and this ufelefs water is let out.
THE blue dregs remaining at the bottom having
| acquired the confiftence of a thick muddy liquid,
cocks are then opened, which draw it off into the
fettler. After it is ftill more cleared of much fuper-
fluous water in this third and laft tub, it is drained
into facks ; from whence, when water no longer
filters through the cloth, this matter, now become
of a thicker confiftence, is put into chefts, where
it entirely lofes its moifture. At the end of three
months the indigo is fit for fale.
IT is ufed in wafhing to give a blueifh colour
to linen : painters alfo employ it in their water
colours ; and dyers cannot make fine blue with-
out indigo. The ancients procured it from the
Eaft Indies ; in modern times it has been tranf-
planted into America. The cultivation of it, fuc-
ceflively
4 io HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K ceflively attempted at different places, appears
<_~-v i be fixed at Carolina, San Domingo, and Mexi
That which is known under the name of G
timala indigo, from whence it comes, is the m
perfect of all. New Spain derives very confidera
advantage from this plant ; but it gains ftill m
from the trade of cochineal.
THE nature of the cochineal, without which
ther purple nor fcarlet could be made, and whic
found only in Mexico, hath been long unknovi
even to nations who made the moil ufe of it. The
Spaniards, who are naturally referved, and who be3
come particularly myflerious in any circumftance;
concerning their colonies, kept a fecret, whichs
everything induced them to believe was of import*
ance to them. At laft it became known, th
was an infect, of the fize and form of a bug.
THIS infect, like all animals, has two fex
The female is ill-fhaped, tardy, and ftupid \
eyes, mouth,' antennae, are fixed fo deep, and are fd
concealed in the folds of the fkin, that it is iiih|
poflible to diftinguifn them without a microfcope*
On which account, this animal was for a long
time fuppofed to be the feed of a plant.
THE male is very fcarce, and is furficient for
three hundred females or more j it is active, fmall,
and (lender in coinparifon with the female ; its
neck is narrower than the head, and flill nar-
rower than the reft of the body. Its thqrax is
of an elliptic form, a little longer than the neck
and head together, and flattened below ; its an-
tenna are jointed, and out of each joint ifluc
four {lender' hairs that are clifpofed in pairs on
eacfy
>ort>
rl
-IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
each fide. It has fix feet, each formed of diftin&
parts. From the pofterior extremity of its body,
two large hairs or briftles are extended, that are
four or five times the length of the infedt. It
bears two wings that are fixed to the upper part
of the thorax, which fall, like the*wings of com-
mon flies, when it walks or refts. Thefe wings,
which are of an oblong form, are fuddenly di-
minifhed in breadth at the point where they are
connected to the body. They are flrengthened
by two long mufcles, one of which extends itfelf
on the outfide all around the wing ; and the other,
which is internal and parallel to the former, feema
interrupted towards the fummit of the wings.
The male is of a bright red; the female of a
deeper colour.
THE fhrub on which both live, called the Nopal
or Indian fig, h armed with prickles, and is about
five feet high. Irs leaves are thick and oval ; its
flowers large, and its fruit is of the fhape of a fig.
It is filled with a red juice, to which the cochineal
probably owes its colour.
THE Indian fig is commonly propagated from
one or two of its leaves put in a hole, and covered
with earth. The cultivation of it confifts only in
extirpating the weeds that furround it. It muft
often be renewed, becanfe, the younger it is, the
better and more confiderable is its produce. It
is found in various countries of Mexico, at Tlaf-
cala, Chalula, Chiapa, and New Galicia ; but it
is not common. Thefe people never plant itj
and the cochineal, which is fuch as rude nature of
itfelf produces, is called wild, and is of little or
9 no
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
no va ^ ue - The Indians alone of Guaxaca devote
themfelves wholly to this fpecies of induflry. They
are never difcouraged, either by the continual
attention it requires, or by the too common mif-
fortunes to which it expofes them. Their intelli-
gence, activity, and eafy circumflances, enable
them to fupport a bad harveft, and wait for a
good one. In general, thefe crops are more re-
gular in a dry foil, in which the nopal flourifhes,
and under a temperate fky, where the cochineal
is expofed to fewer accidents, than in thofe parts
of the province where the cold and heat are more
fenfibly felt.
As foon as the favourable feafon arrives, the
Mexicans, if I may ufe the expreffion, fow the
cochineals on the plant that is proper for them by
fattening to it little nefls of mofs, that contain
each twelve or fifteen infects. Three or four days
after, they lay their little ones, which fpread them-
felves with aftonifhing celerity over all the
branches. They foon lofe this activity, and are
feen to faften themfelves to the mod nutritive and
befl expofed part of the leaf, from whence they
do not ftir till they are grown to their full fize.
They do not gnaw the leaf -, they only puncture
it, and extract the juice with a fmall trunk, with
which nature has provided them for this purpofe.
THREE crops of cochineal are made every year,
which are fo many new generations of this infect.
The laft produces only an indifferent cochines
becaufe it is mixed with detached parcels of th<
leaves, which have been fcraped in order to take
away the new-born infects, which otherwife it
wouk
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 413
would be hardly pofiible to gather ; and becaufe B VJ K
the young cochineals are then mixed with the old ; >. v - -t
a circumftance which confiderably diminilhes their
value. Before the rainy feafon comes on, the
branches of the nopal are cut, in order to fave the
little infefts which are on them. Thefe are laid
up in the houfes, where the leaves maintain their
frefhnefs, as the leaves of all mucilaginous plants.
Here the cochineals thrive during the bad feafon.
As foon as that is patted, they are placed on the
trees, where the vivifying frelhnefs of the air foon
makes them propagate.
As foon as the cochineals are gathered, they are
plunged in hot water to kill them. There are
different ways of drying them. The beft is, to
expofe them to the fun for feveral days, by which
means they acquire a red brown colour, which
the Spaniards call remgrida. The fecond method
is to put them in an oven, where they affume a
greyiih colour ftreaked with veins of purple, which
has given them the name of jafpeada. But the
moft imperfect, which is what the Indians moft
generally pradife, confifts in putting them on
plates along with their cakes of maize j in which
procefs they are frequently burnt, and are there-
fore called negra.
THOUGH the cochineal is clafTed in the animal
kingdom, the fpecies of all others the moft likely
to corrupt, yet it never fpoils. Without any other
care than merely that of keeping it in a box, it
has been prefcrved in all its virtue for ages. The
high price it always bears fhould have excited the
emulation of thofe nations which cultivate the
American
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
American iflands, and of other people who inhabit
regions whofe temperature would be propitious
to this infect, and to the plant on which it feeds.
New Spain, however, has the fole poiTefllon of
this rich production. Independent of what it fur-
' nifhes Afia with, it fends every year to Europe
about two thoufand five hundred bags or facks,
which are fold at Cadiz, one with another, for
3300 livres *. This is a very confiderable produce,
which hardly cofts the Spaniards any trouble. It
fhould feem as if nature had freely beftowed upon
them what they fell at a high price to other nations.
She has been peculiarly bountiful to them, by
granting them at the fame time the productions
which yield the moil riches, and gold and lilver,
by which all productions are purchafed.
Th mines SUCH is the dominion which thefe fhining and
fatal metals have over us, that they have coun-
terbalanced the infamy and execration which
the plunderers of America juftly deferved. The
.names of Mexico, Peru, and Potofi, no longer
make us fhudder ; and yet we are men ! Even at
this day, when the fpirit of juftice and the fenti-
ments of humanity are inculcated in all our writ-
ings, and are become the invariable rule of our
judgments ; a navigator, who fhould come into
our ports with a veflel laden with riches avowedly
obtained by methods equally barbarous, would
land amidft the general acclamations of the multi-
tude. Where is then that wifdom, which is fo
much the boaft of the prefent age ? What is then
that gold, which removes from us the idea of vice,
* About 144!.
and
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 4,5
and prevents us from feeling that fenfe of horror B o yi -
which the ihedding of blood naturally impreffes < v*- '
113 with ? There are undoubtedly fome advantages
annexed to a medium of exchange between na-
tions, to an external reprefentation of all fort*
; pf value, to a common eftimate of all labours,
iJBut would not greater advantages have arifen, if
ijnations had continued in a ftate of tranquillity,
detached from each other, ignorant, and hofpi-
Itable, than thus to have become corrupted with
the molt ferocious of all paffions ?
The origin of metals has not always been well
Hunderftood. It was long thought that they were
Us old as the creation. It is now believed, with
tgreuter reafon, that they are formed fucceffively.
In fa<5t, it is impoflible to doubt, that nature is
continually in action, and that fhe exerts herfelf
sjurith as much power in the bowels of the earth,
as in the regions of the (ky.
EVERY metal, according to the chemifts, has
for its principle an earth which conftitutes and is
'(peculiar to it. It prcfents itfelf to us, fometimcs
in the form that characterizes it, and fometimes
under various appearances, when it requires a de-
gree of habit and {kill to recognize it. In the
firft cafe it is called native, in the fecond minera-
lized ore.
METALS, whether native or mineralized, ar
fometimes fcattered by fragments in beds of earth
that are horizontal or inclined. But this is not
the place of their origin. They have been con-
veyed thither by great vulcanos, floods, and earth-
quakes, which are continually fubverting our
miferable
416 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B VI K miferable planet. They are commonly found,;
c. -,- -/ fometimes in regular veins, and fometimes in de-
tached mafies, within the rocks and mountains
where they were formed.
ACCORDING to the conjectures of naturalifts, ;
from thefe large caverns which are perpetually!
heated, there arife continual exhalations. Thefe
fulphureous and faline liquors aft on the metallic
particles, attenuate, and divide them; and put"
them in motion within the cavities of the earth|
They unite again ; and then, becoming too heavy,
to fupport themfelves in the air, they fall, and are
heaped up one upon another. If, in their feverai
motions, they have not met with other bodies^
they form pure metals ; which they do not if they,
happen to be combined with foreign fubflances.
NATURE, which feems to have intended to con|>
ceal thefe metals, has not been able to fecretfe
them from the avidity of man. From repeated
obfervations, we are led to difcover the places
where there are mines. They are ufually found
in mountains, where plants grow with difficulty,
and foon fade ; where trees are fmall and crooked j
where the moifture of dews, rains, and even fnows,
is foon dried up j where fulphureous and mineral
exhalations arife ; where the waters are impreg'"
nated with vitriolic faltsj and where the lands j
contain metallic particles. Though each of thefe
marks, feparately confidered, be ambiguous,
feldom happens, when all of them are united, but
that the earth contains fome mine.
BUT what are the terms on which we extradl
this > treailire or this poifon from thofe caverns
where
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
where nature had concealed it ? We muft pierce
rocks to an immenfe depth j we muft digfubter-
raneous channels, to carry off the waters which
flow in and menace us on every fide j we mud
convey into immenfe galleries the wood of whole
forefts cut into props; we muft fupport the vaults
of thefe galleries againft the enormous weight of
the earth which perpetually tends to fill them up,
and to bury in their ruins thofe avaricious and
prefumptuous men who conftructed them; we
muft dig canals and aqueducts ; we muft invent
hydraulic machines of aftonifhing and various
powers, and all the feveral kinds of furnaces ; we
muft hazard being fuffocated or confumed by a
vapour which takes fire from the glimmering flame
of the lamps, without which the work could not
be carried on ; and we muft at laft perifh by a con-
fumption, which reduces human life to one half
of its duration. If we confider how many obfer-
vations, experiments, and trials, all thefe works
imply, we (hall carry the origin of the world far
beyond its known antiquity. To fhew us the gold,
iron, copper, tin, and filver, ufed in the earlieft
ages, is to amufe us with an idle ftory which can
only impofe upon children.
WHEN the labour of mineralogy is finiilied, that
of metallurgy begins. Its object is to feparate
metals from each other, and to detach them from
the extraneous bodies which invelope them.
IN order to feparate the gold from the ftones
which contain it, it is fufficient to break them in
pieces and reduce them to powder. The matter
thus pulverized is afterwards triturated with
VOL. II. Ee quick-
itive
fub-
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
quickfilver, which combines itfelf to this precious
metal, but without forming any union, either with
the rock, or fand, or even the earth, which were
mixed with it. By means of fire, the mercury is
afterwards diftilled, which, on feparating, leaves
the gold at the bottom of the vefTel in the ftate oi
a powder which is purified in the coppel. Nat
filver requires no other preparations.
BUT when filver is combined with other ful
fiances, or with metals of a different nature, great
knowledge and confummate experience are requi-
fite to purify it. Every circumitance authoriles m
to think that this art is unknown in the New w r orld.
It is alfo generally acknowledged, that the miners
of Germany and Sweden would find, in a mine that
has already been worked, more wealth than the
Spaniard had already extracted out of it. They
would enrich themfelves by mines, which, through
want of (kill, have been rejected as inefficient tc
defray the e'xpences of working them.
THE art of the Mexicans, fuch as it was, was
yet infinitely inferior to that of their oppreffors.
They had confequently lefs filver than gold. Thefe
metals were not employed by them as a mediurr
of exchange: they were only objects of orname
or mere curiofity.
FOR fome time after their conqueft, the S]
niards fpared themfelves the trouble, toil, and ex-
pences, that are infeparable from the working oi
mines. They wrefted from the Mexicans all the
metals which they had amarTed from the founda-
tion of their empire. The temples, the palaces oi
the nobility, the houfes of private perfons, the
3 meanefi
ient ;
Spa-
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
meaneft hovels, were all fearched and pillaged.
(Though the abhorrence the Indians had for their
tyrants made them bury again in the ground great
jpart of their treafure, or throw ftill more into the
igreat lake and the rivers, yet avarice found
tnough to fatisfy itfelf. This fource being ex-
laufted, it became neceffary to attend to the mines.
THESE were at firft fearched for in all parts,
t efpecially on the fea coafts. Experience having
hewn that the mines neareft the ocean afforded
eaft treafure, they were quitted with difguft. At
^refent no mine is worked that is not at a very
*reat diftance from the northern fea, where it
vould be expofed to the incurfions, and, perhaps,
o the invafions of the Europeans. The mines
hat are found on the gulph of California appear
o remain in perfect fecurity, till thefe latitudes
>ecame better known and more frequented. The
hief of- them are in the provinces of Zacatecas,
Sl"ew Bifcay, and Mexico, fituated in the inland
>arts of the empire, where there are no navigable
ivers, and where it is impoflible for an enemy to
>enetrate by land. Thefe mines may employ for-
y thoufand Indians, under the direction of four
koufand Spaniards.
THE mines belong to the perfon who difcovers
them. The only regulation he is fubject to is to
have famples approved by the government. As
much of the ground is granted to him as he
ichoofes ; but he is obliged to give to the owner
i of the land a piaftre, or rive livres five fous*p*r
The third of what he purchafes belongs to
* About 45. ;d.
E c 2 govern-
foot.
420 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B vi ^ government j which, after having abfurdly at-
<-. .--. < tempted to get it worked on its own account, at
length 'difpofes of it to any one who will purchafe
it, giving the miner the preference. All the
mines that are abandoned become alfo the pro-
perty of the crown.
THE government receives 420 livres j- for every
quintal of mercury that is ufed. In vain have in-
telligent people reprefented that this exceflive tax
necefiarily difcouraged induflry; no attention has
been paid to their remonftrances. All the effedt
they have had is the obtaining of two years credit,
for which, however, intereft is required. It is
feldom that thofe who undertake to work mine$
are able to proceed without thefe indulgences.
Thefe uncertain and hazardous enterprizes are
fcarcely ever attempted, unlefs by men whofe af-
fairs are embarraiTed, or who are totally ruined.
THE point which difcourages men of prudence
and good circumftances is the obligation of pay*
ing to government a fifth of the filver, and a tenth?
of the gold, they have extracted from the earth*
The ftate had a long time objected to this
ference of taxation j but has been obliged to
fentto it, becaufe the gold mines, being more pi
carious than thofe of filver, were totally aban-
doned. Both will foon be unable to pay the tri-
bute impofed on them. As gold and filver become
more common in trade, their value is diminifhed,
and they reprefent a fmaller proportion of mer-
chandife. This decreafing value of metals would
have been attended with ftill greater confequences,
t i8L 73. 6d.
if
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 421
if the expences of working the mines had not been B 7I K
! gradually leflfened. This ceconomy is carried very t >r-~ /
near as far as it can go ; and whenever that hap-
pens, the court of Madrid will be under a ne-
cefiity of lowering the duties, unlefs it fubmits
J to have the beft mines neglected, as the indif-
ferent ones have been. Perhaps the government
j will foon be obliged to content itfclf with two
| reals of twenty-fix fous * per merk, which it re-
ceives for the duties of ftamping and coining.
THE mint of Mexico annually coins about
65,000,000 livres f; the fixth part nearly in gold ;
jj the reft in filver. About the half of this pafTes
jj into Europe, a fixth part into the Eaft Indies,
{ a twelfth into the Spanilh iflands. The remainder
i is infenfibly conveyed into foreign colonies, or
I circulates through the Spanifh. dominions -, where
j it ferves the purpole of the inland trade, and
the payment of the taxes, which are confi-
derable.
EVERY male Indian, from eighteen to fifty, Taxes efta-
pays a poll-tax of n livres 16 fous J, of which Mexico,
eight-ninths pafs into the coffers of government,
and the reft is deflined to various ufes. The
Meftees, who are deemed Indians for the two firft
generations, and the free Mulattoes, are fubjccT:
to the fame taxation. Negroe (laves are exempted
from this, as the government receives 280 livres
for each on their entrance into the colony.
THE Spaniards, who are not yet fo far de-
graded as to have a perfonal tribute impofed upon
them, are fubjeft to all the other taxes. The
* i s. id. |. 12,843,750!. J About IDS. 12!. 55.
E e 3 moil
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
moft confiderable of thefe is that of thirty-three
per cent, on the value of all the merchandife that
is fent from Europe, which retains twenty-five
of this under divers denominations, and eight of
it is paid upon the landing of the goods in Ame-
rica. Notwithflanding this ruinous tax, they are
flill fubjeft to the alcavala.
THE alcavala is a duty on every thing that is
fold or exchanged, and is paid as often as the
fale or exchange takes place. It was eftablifhed
in the mother country in 1341, and it hath gra-
dually advanced to ten per cent, on the value of
merchandife fold in wholefale, and even to fourteen
on all that is difpofed of in retail. Philip II. after
the deftruction of his fleet, fo well known under
the pompous title of the Invincible, was deter-
mined by his neceflities to introduce this taxation
into Mexico, as well as the other colonies. Though
it ought to have been only a temporary tax, yet
it has continued ever fmce. It is true, that it ha?!
net been augmented, and that it remains at t\
and a half per cent, as it was firft fettled.
cruciade has not had the fame ftability.
THE cruciade is a bull which allows great
dulgences, permits the ufe of eggs, butter,
cheefe, during lent. The government, to wh<
the court of Rome gave up the benefits arifing
from it, had divided the perfons who were
ing to avail themfelves of it into four cla(
This indulgence was paid, by thofe who Ir
by their induftry, at the rate of two livres
fous *. Thofe, whofe capital amounted to io,5<
* About 2 s.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 423
iivres *, paid five livres five fousf; thofe, who B VI K
were worth more that 58,600 livres J, paid ten - y
livres ten fous ; the viceroy, and peribns in the high
i affices of ftate, paid fifty-two livres ten fous ||..
| It was left to every man's confcience, who was
apprifed that nothing would be gained by not
i proportioning his contribution to his fortune.
Mexico alone then paid about 2,600,000 livres **. '
jit is probable that this fuperftition has fmce de~
Idined, as the bull was fixed in 1556 by the mi-
iniftry at forty fous ft f r perfons of every rank,
i Government obliges no one to apply for the in-
idulgence; but the priefts would refufe the com-
forts of religion to thofe who fhould not have
Upurchafed it; and perhaps there is not in all Spa-
Inifh America a man fufficiently enlightened, or
bold enough, to oppofe this tyranny.
ONE fpecies of oppreffion, not fo patiently fub-
: |mitted to, is the duty lately impofed on fait and
(tobacco. The people, who fufFered their former
(injuries without murmuring, have been highly
lincenfed at thefe innovations. One of them ap-
;peared fo repugnant to their natural rights, and
ithe other was fo contrary to one of their mofl
i favourite inclinations, that, though long trained
ito fubmifiion, they at length revolted. The atro-
cious conduct of the farmers of the revenues
greatly added to the difcontent. It has fhewn
itfelf from one end of the empire to the other,
and has at laft even reached Europe. Some
* Near 460!. f About 45. J About 2560!.
About 95. zd. || About 2!. 45. ** Near 1 14,000!.
ft is. 9 d.
E e A means
I
424 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K means have been ufed to palliate this evil ; but
c. .y-^> the minds of the people are flill in a degree of
ferment that the mother-country will not eafily
appeale without fome facrifice. One of the moft
agreeable to its colonies would be that of ftamped
paper.
INDEPENDENT of the regular tributes which
Spain exacts of her colonies, Ihe raifes in times
ofdiftrefs, under the denomination of loan, con-
fiderable fums, of which ftie hath never paid
either the intereft or the capital. This oppref-
fion, which began in the reign of Philip II. hath
been continued to our time. It was more fre-
quently repeated under Philip V. than in the
courfe of the other reigns, which contributed not
a little to render the French name odious in
thefe countries. The tax, which was levied on
all who pofieiTed any fortune, was more fevere at
Mexico than any where elfe; becaufe the Eu-
ropeans, Creoles, Meftees, Mulattoes, and efpe-
cially the Indians, were there in more affluent
circumftances. The public profperity has been
greatly diminifhed in this country by thefe reve-
nue laws, and is every day flill more impaired by
the rapacioufnefs of the clergy.
THE clergy rigoroufly collect the tenth of every
produce. The functions of their profeifion are
paid them at an extravagant price. Their lands
are immenfe, and every day they acquire a greater
extent of territory. They are thought to be in
pofleffion of the fourth of the revenues of the
empire. The bilhop of Angelos alone has an in-
, t come of 1 3 260^000 livres *. By this wealth the
* About 55,100!.
number
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
number of ecclefiaflics has increafed to fuch a de- B
gree, that they now conftitute the fifth part of the
<frhite people. Some of them were born in the
colony ; but the greateft part are adventurers-
come from Europe, in order to withdraw them-
felves from the authority of their fuperiors, or to
make their fortune expediticrufly.
THE revenue of the crown is not what it ought
to be. The duties fixed on importations from
Cadiz and on the ores, the quickfilver, the poll-
tax, the impofts, the royal domain, are fuch great
objects, that we cannot avoid being greatly fur-
prifed, when we fee that the fovereign annually
draws from Mexico, though the beft conducted
of his pofleflions, no more than about 6,300,000
livres *. The reft, that is to fay, almoft the
whole, is abforbed by the civil and military go-
vernment of the country, which are both in the
utmoft diforder.
THE finances are a prey to the vaft number of
agents that are ftationed every where j to corre-
gidores who have the adminiftration of provinces ;
to the commandants of towns j to three fuperior
councils of juftice, known by the name of Au-
diences; to men invefted with full power, or to
inferiors, who gain the confidence of perfons in
office. A part of thefe plunders comes to Eu-
rope j the remainder ferves to maintain the pride,
luxury, indolence, and profligacy, of a few Mexi-
can towns, but chiefly of the capital.
THE Mexicans, who for a time might have been
at a lofs to determine whether the Spaniards were
* 276,000!.
a band
426 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
o
VI.
B o o K a band of plunderers or a conquering people, faw
11 to
rt r
their capital almoft totally deftroyed by thofe
cruel wars in which it was engaged. Cortez foon
rebuilt it; and it has fmce been extended and
embellilhed.
ITS ftreets are broad, ftraight, and interfecl: each
other at right angles. The houfes are roomy
enough, but have neither convenience nor orna-
ment. None of the public edifices, that are fbewn
with the greater! oflentation to travellers, recall
the remembrance the finer days of architecture,]
even the better remains of the Gothic times. Tl
principal fquares have a fountain in the centre,
and are pretty regular : but this is all their merit.
There is a walk with a jet d'eau, where eight
avenues meet, where the trees have a form and
foliage not very agreeable to the eye. Superftition.
has amafled treafures from all the quarters of the
globe in numberlefs churches, though there is not
one that raifes the foul to any fublime ideas, or
that can fill the heart with pleafing fentiments.
THE air of this city is very temperate; woollen
clothing is worn there all the year. The leaft
precautions are fufficient to prevent any incon-
veniences from the heat. Charles V. afked a
Spaniard, on his arrival from Mexico, how long
the interval was there between fummer and win-
ter : Juft as long, replied he, with great truth and
wit, as it takes to pafs out of funjhine into the
THE city is built in the centre of a great lake ;
a very narrow flip of land divides it into two parts.
That part of the lake whofe water is foft, calm,
and
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
427
and full of fifh, falls into the other which is fait, B v K
I generally agitated, and without fifh. The circum- v -^
(ference of this whole lake, which is unequal in its
extent, is about thirty leagues.
THERE is no generally received opinion with
i regard to the origin of thefe waters. According
i to the moft common and probable one, they iffue
[from a large and lofty mountain fituated to the
fouth-weft of Mexico, and the fait water runs
through a tract impregnated with minerals, which
communicate to it that quality.
BEFORE the conqueft, Mexico, and many other
towns fituated on the border of the lake, were
expofed to inundations, which rendered them
dangerous to live in. Dikes, conftructed with in-
credible expence and labour, were not always fuf-
ficient to divert the torrents which poured down
from the mountains. The Spaniards have been
fubjecl: to the fame calamities. Moft of their
buildings, though conflriicled with care, and fup-
ported on piles, after a few years, fink four, five,
or fix feet in a foil that is not firm enough to iup-
port them.
THESE inconveniences fuggefted the idea of a
contrivance for draining off the waters. Accounts,
that were prodigioufly exaggerated, afliire us that
in 1 604 four hundred feventy-one thoufand one
hundred and fifty-four Indians were employed in
digging a canal for this purpofe. In order to
raife a fund fufficient to anlwer the expences, one
hundredth part of the value of houfes, lands, and
merchandife, was exacted j a tax hitherto unknown
in America. Ignorance, difcouragements, and par-
ticular
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
ticular interefts, made this noble and wife under-
taking mifcarry.
THE viceroy Ladeyrera, in 1635, thought that
it would be of advantage, and even abfolutely
neceflary, to build Mexico on another fpot. Ava-
rice, incapable of making anyfacrificej pleafure,
ever afraid of interrupting its enjoyments -, idle-
nefs, which dreads trouble j all the paffions united
themfelves to thwart an idea, which in itfelf was
liable to fome objections.
THE new efforts that have fmce been made,
to render living in this country as fafe as it is
agreeable, have not proved altogether fuccelsful :
whether this may be owing to their not having
been properly exerted, or that nature has thrown
infurmountable obftacles in the way, Mexico re-
mains flill expofed to the fury of the waters j,
and the dread of inundations has greatly dimi-
nifhed its population. Mofl hiftorians affure us,
that it formerly contained more than two hun-
dred thoufand fouls ; at prefent it has not above
fifty thoufand. This number is compofed of Spa-
niards, Meltees, Indians, Negroes, Mulattoes,
fuch a diverfity of heterogeneous races from
white to the black, that among an hundred fac
one lhall hardly find two of the fame colour.
BEFORE this emigration, riches had increafed
in Mexico to an incredible degree. Every thing
which in other countries is made of iron and
copper, was here made of iilver or gold. Thefe
brilliant metals, as well as pearls and precious
flones, were employed to adorn their horfes and
fervants, were ufed for the rnoft common utenfils,
and
!pa-
., of
the
,ce S
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 429
"find for the meaneft purpofes. The manners of B v K
the country, which are always conformable to the v -v -*
luxury that prevails, ' correfponded with this flile
of romantic magnificence. The women, in their
palaces, were waited upon by thoufands of flaves,
and never appeared in public without a retinue
which amongft us is referred for the majefty of a
throne. To thefe extravagances the men added
profufions ilill greater for negro women whom
they publickly raifed to the rank of their mif-
trefles. This luxury, which was fo enormous in
the ordinary courfe of life, exceeded all bounds
upon occafion of the flighted feflival. General
pride then exerted itfelf, and each man lavifhed
millions as an excufe for his own. The crimes,
neceffary to fupport this extravagance, were pre-
vioufly atoned for ; as fuperftition had pronounced
every man holy and juft who Ihould contribute
liberally to the churches.
THE riches, and the pomp naturally attendant
upon them, mufl neceflarily have diminilhed at
Mexico, in proportion as thofe who poflefled
them removed to Angelos and other towns. The
'advantages, however, which this capital enjoys of
being the center of the empire, the feat of govern-
ment, the place where the coin is ftruck, the re-
fidence of the greateft proprietors of land and of
the moft opulent merchants, have always occafion-
ed the principal affairs of the kingdom to be
tranfafted here.
THE trade which Mexico carries on with the Conneo
other parts of America is much confined. By the Mio>
north lea it receives from Maracaybo and Caracos jSto?*
a cocoa Amcrica >
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
cocoa greatly fuperior to its own, and negroes by
the way of the Havannah and Carthagena ; it gives
in exchange meal and filver.
ITS connections with the South Sea are of greater
utility to it, without being much more confider*
able. Originally Peru was allowed to fend an-
nually to New Spain two veffels, whofe united car-
goes were notxto exceed one million ten thoufand
livres*. This trade was ibme time afterwards
reduced to half. It was totally fuppreffed in 1636,
on pretence that it prejudiced the trade of the-
mother-country by the quantity of Eaft India
goods it imported. The merchants of Lima com-
plained a long time, but ineffectually, of a bar-
barous law, that deprived them of the double ad-
vantage of felling the fuperfluities of their com-
modities, and of receiving thofe they wanted.
The communication between the two colonies
was at length reftored, but with reftrictions which
prove that the government had not been actuated
by wife and political motives, but had only
yielded to importunity. Since this period, Ibme
veflels, difpatched from Callao and Guayaquil,
carry cocoa, wines, and brandies, to Acapulco and
Sonfonnate on the coaft of Guatimala, and bring
back pitch, tar, arnotto, indigo, cochineal, iron,
the haberdalhery wares of Angelos, and as many
contraband goods as poflible from the Philippine
iflands, fo celebrated in Europe on account of the
connections which they have with Mexico. The
importance of this communication feems to
quire that we fhould trace its origin.
* Above 44,000 1.
WH]
The
to re-
WHEK
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 43 1
WHEN the court of Madrid, whofe ambition BOOK
increafed with their profperity, had formed the v_ -v >
plan of a great eftablifhment in Afia, their atten-
tion was ferioufly engaged in confidering of expe-
dients to infure its fuccefles. This project was
necefTarily attended with great difficulties. The
riches of America fo powerfully attracted the Spa-
niards, who confented to a voluntary exile, that it
did not appear pofiible to engage them to fettle at
the Philippines, unlefs it was agreed to give them
a fhare in the treafures of thofe iflands. This
facrifice was refolved upon. The rifmg colony
was authoriied to fend every year into America
India goods, in exchange for metals.
THIS unreftrained freedom was attended with
fuch important confequences, that the jealoufy of
the mother-country was excited. Tranquillity
was in fome meafure reftored, by reftraining to
3,150,000 livres* the trade allowed to be carried
on in future. This fum was divided into twelve
thoufand equal fhares. Every head of a family
was to have one, and perfons in office a number
proportioned to their rank. Religious communi-
ties were included in this arrangement, according
to the extent of their credit, and the opinion that
was entertained of their utility. Five hundred of
thefe fhares were allowed to the Jefuits, whofe
employments and enterprizes feemed to require
greater encouragement.
THE veflels which departed at firft from the
ifland of Cebu, and afterwards from the ifland
of Luconia, originally took the route of Peru.
* Near 138,000!.
The
432 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^p K The length of this voyage was prodigious. Trade-
* v ' winds were difcovered, which opened a much
-ihorter paffage to Mexico; and this branch of
commerce was tranfacted on its coaft, where it
was fettled.
EVERY year, in the middle of July, a galleon
is fent out from the port of Manilla, which is
.commonly from eighteen hundred to two thou-
fand tons burden. After getting clear of a mul-
titude of ifiands and rocks which delay its courfe,
it fleers eafl-north-eail in order to meet with
-the weft winds in thirty degrees latitude, which
carry it on in a ftraight courfe to the place of
its deftination. This vefTel, which is very heavy
laden, is fix months on her paffage, becaufe the
failors who are on board, from their extreme timi-
dity, never carry the main-fail in the night-time,
and often lower all their fails without the leaft
occafion. At laft the fhip arrives at Mexico.
THE coafts of this great empire are not like
-thofe of Peru, where the vicinity and heights of
the Gordeleras afford a perpetual fpring, and caufc :
regular and mild winds to blow. As foon as the
Ihip has paffed the latitude of Panama, the free
communication of the atmofphere, from earl tc
iweil, not being any longer interrupted by this
prodigious chain of mountains, the climate be-
comes different. In fact, navigation in thefe lati- j
tudes is fafe and eafy from the middle of Ofto- :
her -to the beginning of May j but, during th<
reft of the year, the violent fqualls of the wefterl)
wind, the dreadful ftorms, the excefiive rains, th< j
fuffbcating heatSj the total calms 3 all thefe ob- 1
ftacles
' IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. -433
ftacles, which are either combined, or fucceed each B K
other, render the fea troublefome, and even dan- . ^J
gerous. Throughout this whole extent of coaft,
which comprehends more than fix hundred
leagues, there is not a Tingle bark to be feen, nor x
even the lead canoe, either for trade or fifhing*
Even the ports, which are fcattered up and down
here, are open, ckfencelefs, and expofed to the
infults of any pirate who may be inclined to attack
them. The port of Acapulco, where the galleons
arrive, is the only one that has attracted the atten-
tion of government.
SHIPS arrive there by two inlets, feparated from
eacli other by a fmall ifland : the entrance into
them in the day is by means of a fea-breeze, and
the failing out in the night-time is effected by a
land-breeze. It is defended only by a bad fort,
forty-two pieces of cannon, and a garrifoh of fixty
men. It is equally extenfive, fafe, and commo-
dious. The bafon which forms this harbour is
furrounded by lofty mountains, which are fo dry
that they are even deflitute of water. The air
here is burning, heavy, and unwholefome, to
which no perfons can habituate themfelves, ex-
cept certain negroes that are born under a fimilar
climate, or fome mulattoes. The number of in-
habitants in this feeble and miierable colony is
confiderably increafed upon the arrival of the gal-
leons ; traders reforting here from all the provinces
of Mexico, who come to exchange European toys,
their own cochineal, and about ten millions* of
filver, for fpices, muflins, printed linens, filks,
* 437>5 1 -
VOL. II. Ff perfumes,
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
perfumes, and the gold works of Afia. After
flaying here about three months, the vefTel re-
fumes its courfe to the Philippine iflands before
the firfl of April, with one or two companies of
in^ntry, that are appointed to recruit the garrifon
of Manilla. Part of the riches with which it is
laden remains in the colony ; the reft is diflributed
among the nations which had contributed to form
its cargo.
THE long pafiage, which the galleons have to
make, has occaiioned the necefiity of looking out
for places where they might take in refreshments.
The firfl that has been met with of this kind is
on the route from Acapulco to the Philippines, in
thofe iilands known at firfl by the name of the
Ladrones, and fince by that of Marianne iflands.
They were difcovered by Magellan in 1 5 2 1 . They
were at firfl neglected; the galleons afterwards
tifed to put in there for refrefhment; but there
was no regular fettlement made in them till the
year 1678.
THESE iflands are fituated at the extremity of
the South Sea, near four hundred leagues to the
eafl of the Philippines. Notwithflanding their
pofition in the torrid zone, the climate is mode-
rately temperate.. The air is pure, the (ky ferene,
and the foil fruitful. Before their intercourfe
.with the Europeans, the inhabitants, who were
always naked, lived only on fruits, roots, and
.fifh. As fifhing was their ufual and fole occupa-
tion, they had conflrucled canoes, more perfe
than any that have ever been found in the rei
the world.
THE
. 1.1 L/r
:rfed
**
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
THE people, who are very numerous, and are
diffuied in twelve illands, that are the only in-
habited ones in this archipelago, have gradually
diminished fince the invafion of the Spaniards,
cither by contagious diforders, or by the bad uiage
which they have experienced. The remainder, to
the number of two thoufand feven hundred per-
fons, have collected themfelves in the center of the
ifland of Guam, which may have from twenty-five
to thirty leagues of circumference. It is garrifoned
by a hundred men, who are appointed to defend
two fmall forts that are fituated on two harbours,
one of which receives a fmall verTel, which every
two years arrives here from the Philippine iflands,
and the other is deflined to furnifli refreiliments to
the galleon. This lall fort is fo bad a one, that
the veflel never flays here more than two days,
and in that fhort time it is often expoied to very
great dangers. It is very extraordinary, that Spain
has not endeavoured to difcover a better harbour;
or very fmgular, that no one has been found in
fuch a multitude of iflands. California prefents
an.afylum more fecure to the galleons that fail
from the Philippine iflands to Acapulco.
CALIFORNIA is properly a long neck of land,
which proceeds from the northern coafls of Ame-
merica, and runs along between eafl and fouth as
far as the torrid zone: it is waihed on each fide
by the Pacific ocean. The part that is known of
this peninfula is three hundred leagues long, and
ten, twenty, thirty, or forty broad.
IT is impoffible that, throughout fuch an extent
fcf country, the nature of the foil and the tem-
F f 2 perature
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
perature of the air fhould be every where the
fame. It may be faid, h6wever> that, in general,
the climate here is dry and excefiively hot -, the
ground bare, ftony, mountainous, fandy, and con-
fequently barren, and unfit for agriculture and
breeding cattle. Amidft the fmall number of
trees that are found here, the more ufeful is the
pitahaya, the produce of which conftitutes the
principal food of the Californians. Its branches,
which are fluted and perpendicular, have no leaves>
and it is from the Hems that the fruit grows. It
is prickly like the Indian chefnut ; but its pulp re-
fembles that of the fig, with this advantage, thati
it is much fweeter and more delicate.
THE lea, which is richer than the land, fwarms
with mod, excellent fifh of every kind. But the
circumitance which renders the gulph of California
of more importance is the pearls, which, in the
fifning-feafon, attract the inhabitants of ail the
provinces of New Spain.
THE Californians are well-made, and very ftrong.
> They are extremely pufillanimous, inconftant, in-
dolent, ftupid, and even infenfible. They are
more fwarthy than the Mexicans. This difference
of colour proves that the civilized life of fociety
fubverts or totally changes the order and laws of
nature, fince we find under the temperate zone a
favage people that are blacker than the civili:
nations of the torrid zone.
BEFORE the Europeans had penetrated into
lifornia, the natives had no form of religion ;
that of their government was iuch as might be
pe<5ted from their ignorance. Each nation was an
afiemblage
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 437
-aflemblage of feveral cottages., more or lefs nu-
merous, that were all mutually confederated by
alliances, but without any chief. They were
ftrangers even to filial obedience. No kind of
drefs was in ufe among the men ; but the women
covered thofe parts which nature intended fhould
be concealed with extreme care.
WHETHER thefe particulars were known or not,
certain it is that Mexico was no fooner reduced,
j and tranquillity eftablifhed, than the plan was
laid for the conqueft of California. Cortez landed
there in 1526. He had not even time to take a
furvey of it, becaufe he was obliged to return to
Jhis government, where the report of his death
had difpofed the people to a general infurrection.
The feveral attempts that have fmce been made,
to form an eftablifhment there, have all been un-
fuccefsful. The endeavours of the court were
not more fortunate than thofe of individuals. If
we pay the leaft attention to the fpirit that di-
rected thefe enterprifes, we fhall find that want of
humanity, courage, and perfeverance, was the
xaule of thefe misfortunes. There was not a
fmgle expedition that was not ill-concerted or im-
prudently conducted.
SPAIN, difpirited with her lofles and expences,
had entirely given np the conqueft of California,
when the Jefuits in 1697 folicited permiflion to
undertake it. As foon as they had obtained the
confent of government, they began to execute a
plan of legiflation, which they had formed from
accurate ideas of the nature of the foil, the cha-
racter of the inhabitants, and the influence of the
F f 3 climate.
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K climate. Their proceedings were not directed by
u v > fanaticifm. They arrived among the favages whom
they intended to civilize with curiofities that might
amufe them } corn for their food, and apparel
which could not but pleafe them. The hatred
thefe people bore to the Spanifh name could not
fupport itfelf againft thefe demonflrations of be-
nevolence. They teftified their acknowledgments
as much as their want of fenfibility and their
inconftancy would permit them. Thefe faults
were partly overcome by the religious inftitu-
tors, who purfued their project with a degree of
warmth and refolution peculiar to their fociety.
They made themfelves carpenters, mafons, weavers,
and hufbahdmen j and by thefe means fucceeded
in imparting knowledge, and in fome meafure a
taile for the molt ufeful arts, to this favage people,
who have been all fuccefiively formed into one
body. In 1745, they compofed forty-three vil-.
lages, that were feparated from each other by the
barrennefs of the foil and the want of water. This
republic will augment, in proportion as the fuc-
ceifors of thofe who formed it fhall profecute the
labours towards the north, where, according
plan that was judicioufly concerted, a commui
cation was to be eftablifhed between the millic
aries of the peninfula, and thofe of the contin<
They are only divided by the river Colorado.
THE inhabitants of thefe (mail villages fubfifl
principally on corn and pulfe, which they cultivate,
and on the fruits and domefiic animals of Europe,
the breeding "of which is an object of continual
attention. The Indians have each their field, and
the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. - 439
the property of what they reap j but fuch is their B
[want of forcfight, that they would fquander in a
ay what they had gathered, if the miflionary did
t take upon himfelf to difiribute it to them as
hey ftand in need of it. They already manufac-
ure fome coarfe ftuffs. The necefiaries they are in
ant of are purchafed with pearls, which they fifh
n the gulph, and with wine nearly refembllng that
Mideira, which they fell to New Spain and to the
lleons j and the ufe of which, experience hath
ewn, it is neceffary to prohibit among them.
A FEW laws, that are very^fimple, are fufficient
regulate this riling (late. In order to enforce
e oofcrvance of them, the miflionary chufes the
it intelligent perfon of the village ; who is im-
wered to whip and imprifon, the only punilh-
ents of which they have any knowledge.
IN all California there are only two garrifons,
h confuting of thirty men, and a foldier with
irery miflionary. Thefe troops were chofen by the
giilators, and are under their orders, though they
e paid by the government. The court of Madrid
faw no inconvenience in leaving thefe trifling forces
in the hands of thofe who had acquired their con-
.cnce j and it has been demonftrated to them,
that nothing but this expedient could have pre-
vented the oppreflion of their new fubjefts.
THEY will continue happy as long as no mines
are difcovered in their territory. If there are any
mines, as there is great reafon to prefume from the
number there are on the other fide of the gulph,
whenever they are found out, the edifice, that has
been reared with fuch labour and underftanding,
F f 4 will
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
will be at once fubverted. Thefe people, like
many others, will difappear from the face of the
earth. The gold, which the Spaniih government
would draw from California, would deprive it of
the advantages which its policy may now find in
the labours of its miffionaries -, who fliould rather
be encouraged to purfue their ufeful undertakings.
They might, perhaps, enable the court of Madrid
to build forts, which would allow them to behold
with tranquillity the difcovery of that paflage by
the north well to the Pacific ocean, which the
Englifh have fo long been in fearch of. It has allb
been imagined, that thefe ramparts might prove
a barrier againft the Ruffians, who, in 1741, ad-
vanced within twelve degrees of Cape Mendocino,
the moil northern part that has hitherto been
known of California. But if it had been remarked
that this voyage could not be undertaken but from
the feas of Kamtfchatka, it would have been evi-
dent that none but weak armaments could be fitted^
out there, which could only ferve to gratify cu-
riofity, and confequently could not occafion the
leaft difquietude.
AN advantage more certain, and lei's remote, is
the facility which California gives of reducing the
provinces that extend from the other fide of the
gulph to the river Colorado. Thefe rich countries';
are at fuch a diflance from Mexico, and fo difficult
of accefs, that it appeared as dangerous to attempt
the conquefl of them, as ufelefs to execute it. The;
liberty, the fafety of the fea of California, ought
to encourage the undertaking, will furnifh the
means of fucceeding in it, and fee we the advantages
accruing.
I
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 44^
teeming from it. Philolbphers themfelves will in- B VI K
vite the court of Madrid to undertake thefe expe- v '
thtions,as foon as they fhall have feen them folemn-
Jy abjure thofe fanatical and dellructive principles
upon which their policy has hitherto been founded.
- BUT till Spain fhall adopt thefe important views,
California ferves for a port of refrefhment for fhips
that fail from the Philippine iflands to Mexico.
Cape St. Lucas, fituated at the fouthern extremity
of the peninfula, is the place where they touch.
There they find a good harbour, refrefhments,
and fignals which give them information of the
appearance of any enemy in thefe latitudes, which
are very dangerous, and where they have been the
moft frequently attacked. It was in 1734 that the
galleon arrived there for the firft time j where it
has ever fince been ordered, or compelled by ne-
cefllty to ilop.
THE fyftem, adopted by all the ftates of Europe,
of holding colonies in the moft abfolute depend-
ence on the mother-country, has always made the
connexions of Mexico with Afia fufpicious to
feveral of the Spanifh politicians. The opinion
which has prevailed, and is ftill maintained, that
it is not poffible to preferve the Philippine iflands
without this communication, has alone prevented
its being broken. Nothing more has been done
than to limit it, by hindering Peru from having
#ny fhare in it. This vaft empire has by fevere
and repeated laws been deprived of the advantage
of drawing direftly from the eaft the merchan-
dife it wanted, and even of the liberty of deriving
it indirectly from New Spain.
THESE
4 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
OOK THESE reftraints were difapproved by the bold
y * .' and fertile genius of Alberoni. Full of the mofl
extenfive views for the profperity and glory of
that monarchy which he attempted to reftore,
he purpofed to retain in it the treafures of the
New world, to which it had hitherto ferved only
as a mart. According to his plan, the eaft was
to furnifh all the articles of drefs to the Spanifh
colonies and to the mother-country itfelf, which
would have received them through the channel
of its colonies. He expected with reafon that
thofe powers, whofe- interefts this arrangement
would prejudice, and whofe trade it would ruin,
would endeavour to obflruct it; but he made
preparations for oppofing their attacks in the
European feas, and he had already given orders
for putting the coafts and harbours of the South-
Sea in a condition not to fear the efforts of any
feeble fquadrons that might come upon tjjem.
T-HESE views were defective in point of judg-
ment. Alberoni, hurried away by the enthufiafm
of his opinions, and by his hatred^againft thofe
nations which were defirous of oppofing his po-'
litical defigns, did not perceive, that the filks-
and linens, that would be imported into Spain bye
the way he propofed, would bear fuch an ex-'
ceffive price \s would necefiarily put a flop to,
the consumption of them. With regard to thfl
project of clothing the people of North and South
America from Alia, it appears to be a very r -
fible one.
Tna colonifts would then be. clothed
agreeably, at a cheaper rac^, and in. a mam
" - bet
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 44 3
better adapted to the" climate ; the wars of En- B 'o o K
|rope would not expofe them to the rifque of 1 - y --_i
being in want of the moft common and necef-
Ifary articles of life; they would become more '
wealthy, be better affected to their mother coun-
try, and better enabled to defend themfelves
againft any enemies that might attack them.
Thefe enemies themfelves would prove lefs for-
midable ; becaufe they would gradually lofe the
ftrength which the furnilhingof Peru and Mexico
with proviffons procures them. In a word, Spain,
by receiving on India gooes the fame duties as
it receives von thofe with which it is furniflied
by its rivals, would lofe no part of its reve-
nues. It might even, upon emergencies, 'obtain
from its colonies fuccours, which at prefent they
have neither the difpofmon nor the power of grant-
ing. W G fl 1 ^ infift no longer on the commerce
of Mexico with the Eaft Indies ; let us now fpeak
of ks connections with Europe by the North Sea,
and begin with that which the productions of
Guatimala form.
THE province of Guatimala, which is one of
the largeft of New Spain, was conquered in 1524
and 1525 by Pedro de Alvarado, one of Cor-
tcz's lieutenants. He built in it feveral towns,
and in particular the capital, which bears the
name of the province. It is iituated in a valley
(about three miles broad, and bjunded by two
[mountains that are pretty lofty. From the moun-
itain towards the South run feveral rivulets ancl
[fountains, which delightfully refrelh the villages
that
444 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B v K that are fituated on the declivity, and keep upi
\. -,-..' a perpetual fuccefiion of flowers and fruits. The
afpeft of the mountain that is to the North, is
terrible. There is no verdure ever feen upon
it; nothing but afhes, and calcined ftones. A
kind of rumbling noife, which the inhabitants
afcribe to the boiling of metals that are in a ftate
of fufion within the caverns of the earth, is con-
tinually heard. From thefe internal furnaces iffue
flames and torrents of fulphur, which fill the air
with an horrible infection. Guatimala, accord-
ing to the expreflion of the country, is fituated
between paradife and hell.
. ITS pofition, and its diftance from Mexico
and Guadalajara, have occafioned it to be fixed
upon for the feat of an audience, which extends
its jurisdiction over three hundred leagues to the
South, an hundred to the North, fixty to the Eaft,.
and twelve to the Weft, towards the South Sea.:
The advantages it derived from this diftinction
foon formed it into a confiderable colony, which
took care to improve thofe gifts that nature
had beftowed upon it. There is no country in
this part of the New world where Ihe hath la- 8
yifhed her blefiings with greater profufion. The
air here is very wholefome, and the climate very
temperate. Poultry and game are in the greateft
plenty, and of an excellent flavour. No fpot
on the earth produces better corn. The rivers,
lakes, and lea, every where abound with excellent
fiih. The oxen are here multiplied to fuch a
gree, that it is become necefiary to kill all
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 445
'are grown wild on the mountain^, left they B VI K
fliould prejudice agriculture by their excefiive ^ v *
numbers.
THIS fertility, however, is not the circum-
ftance that renders Guatimala fo valuable to the
mother-country. Spain has properly no connec- ,
tion with this colony but by means of the in-
digo fhe acquires from it ; which is far iuperior
to any that the reft of America produces. In
the cultivation of it fome negroes are employed,
and a part of thofe Indians who have furvived
the tyranny of their conquerors. The labours
of thefe flaves annually fupply Europe alone with
two thoufand five hundred furrons of indigo,
which fell one with another at Cadiz for 1680
livtes *. This rich produce is conveyed upon
mules, with fome other articles of lefs confe-
qnence, to the town of St. Thomas, fituated fixty
leagues from Guatimala, at the extremity of a
very deep lake which lofes itfelf in the gulph of
Honduras. Here thefe commodities always re-
main till they are exchanged for others that are
brought from Europe in veffels of a moderate fize,
which commonly arrive in the months of July and
Auguft. On their return their cargo is increaf-
cd by fome (kins, fome cafiia, and fome farfapa-
rilla, which are the only articles the province
of Honduras furnilhes, though it be an hun-
dred and fifty leagues long, and fixty or four-
tfcore broad. The reputation it had firft acquir-
ed, from its golden mines, was but tranfitory:
fank into total oblivion, after having proved
! vUj i
they
ios.
the
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
the grave of nearly a million of Indians. The
territory thefe Indians inhabited remains uncul-
tivated and wafte ; it is now the pooreft part of
all America. Both the people and the lands were
facrificed to the fearch after gold -, and the gold
itfelf by no means anfwered the expectations that
were formed of it.
GUATIMALA nearly furnifhes the whole of thofc
6,000,000 livres *, which is the amount of its pro-
ductions joined to thofe of Honduras. The lake
on which thefe riches are all accumulated is en-
tirely open, though it would have been very eafy
to have fecured it from every attack ; more efpe-
cially as its entrance is rendered narrow by two
high rocks, which project on each fide within
cannon-fliot of each other^ It is probable that
Spain will not alter her conduct till fhe has fuf-
fered for her negligence j which Ihe might eafily
be made to do.
'I'HE vefiels that fhould undertake this expe-
dition might anchor in perfect fafety in the road.
A thoufand or twelve hundred men,- landing at
St. Thomas, might pafs over the mountains for
the fpace of fifteen leagues, where they would
find commodious roads and fubfiftence. The reft
of their way would be acrofs plains that are well
peopled and plentiful. They would then arrive
at Guatimala, in which there is not a fmgle fol-r
dier, nor the lead fortification. Its forty thoufand
fouls, Indians, Negroes, Meftees, and Spaniards,
who have never feen an enemy, would be in-
capable of making the kaft refiilance. In ore
* 262,500!.
order
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 447
[to fave their lives, they would deliver up the B VI , K
i immcnfe riches that they have been accumulating -_ , _i
pfor more than two centuries,^ which would amount
t lead to thirty millions *. The troops would
:imbark with this booty, v and, if they chofe it,
ith hoftages that would fecure their retreat,
"he trade of Campeachy would be expofed to the
ime invafion, if it were of fufficient importance
o juftify the undertaking.
BETWEEN the gulphs of Campeachy and Hon-
uras, we find a large peninfula, called Jutacan.
Though this peninfula has neither river nor brook,
ic water is every where fo near to the land*
nd the fhells are in fuch great abundance, that
; is manifeft this immenfe fpace was formerly
art of the lea. When the Spaniards difcovered
:, they found new inhabitants there, little agri-
ulture, and no metals; in confequence of which
t was defpifed. They afterwards found that the
rees which grew there were fit for dying j and
[ley therefore built the town of Campeachy
ipon it, which became the mart of the valuable
reduction that gave it its name.
IF this tree were not fo thick, it would not be
inlike the white thorn. Its leaves are fmall, and
>f a pale green colour. The inner part of the
ree, which is at firft red, becomes black after
t has been felled fome time. It is only this
nner part that gives the black and the violet
:olour.
CAMPEACHY has been , indebted to the fingle
;raffic of this article for the advantage of being
a very
44 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o o K a vei y conflderable market. It received ever}'
,- v -.> year feveral vefiels, whofe cargoes were diftri -
buted in the inland countries, and which took
in return wood and, metals which this exchange
drew thither. This profperity was continually
increafing till the time that the Englifh fettled at
Jamaica.
AMIDST the vaft number of pirates which were
continually coming from this famous ifland, feveral
went to -cruife in the Bay of Campeachy, to in-
tercept the vefiels which failed there. Thefe
plunderers were fo little acquainted with the value:
of the wood, which was the only production of'
the country, that, when they found barks laden
with it, they took away nothing but the iroir
utenfils. One of them having carried off a larger
veffel, which had nothing elfe but the logwood
on board, brought it into the Thames, defigning
only to equip it as a privateer ; when, contrary^
to his expectation, he fold at a very high price
the wood which he had thought to be of fo little:
value, that he had always burnt it during his
voyage. After this difcovery, the pirates, who
were not fuccefsful at fea, never failed to repair
to the river of Champeton, where they took on
board the piles of wood which were always found
'ranged on the fhore.
THE peace of the Englifh with Spain having
put a flop to the depredations of thefe pirates, fe~
veral of 'them employed themfelves in cutting In-
dian wood. Cape Catoche furnifhed them at firft
with abundance. As ibon as they perceived it di-
minilh, they went to fettle between Tabafco and
4 the
tN TrfE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 44?
:he river of Champeton, about Lake Trifle, and in B VI *
Beef Ifland, which is very near it. In 1675
lumbers amounted to two hundred and fixty.
Their ardour, which at firft was extreme, foon
*ave way ; and the habit of idlenefs prevailed.
\s the greateft part of them were excellent
Tiarkfmen, the chace became their predominant
Daflionj and their former inclination to plunder
was rekindled in them by this exercife. They foon
Degan to make inroads into the Indian towns, the
nhabitants of which they carried off. The women
:hey appointed to wait on them; and the men they
. old at Jamaica, or other iflands. The Spaniards,
1 roufed from their lethargy by thefe enormities,
i:\irprifed them in the midft of their debaucheries,
Jimd carried them off. Moft of them were even
fcaken in their cottages: they were led prifoners
|:o Mexico, where they ended their days in the
i;nines.
THOSE who efcaped took refuge in the Gulph
rf Honduras, where they were joined by fomc
pandering freebooters of North America. In pro-
cefs of time they increafed to fifteen hundred men.
The flate of independence and plenty in which
they lived, rendered the marfhy country they in-
habited agreeable to them. Strong intrenchments
fecured them and their provifions j and they con-
fined themfelves to thofe employments, whic'i
their unhappy companions lamented that they had
ever neglected. They only took care not to pene-
trate into the interior part of the country, to cue
wood, without being well armed.
VOL. II. G g THEIR
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
THEIR induftry was crowned with the greateft
fuccefs. In reality, the tun of woodj which had
been fold as high as nine hundred livres *, was
gradually fallen to a very low price j but this dif-
ad vantage in the price was compenfated by the
quantity that was fold. The cutters delivered up
the produce of their labours, either to the people
of Jamaica, who brought them Madeira wine,
flfrong liquors, linens, and cloaths; or to the En-
glifh colonies of North America, which fupplied
them with provifions. This commerce, which
was always carried on by fmugglers, and which
occafioned much clamour, became lawful in 1763.
The liberty of cutting logwood was fecured to
Great Britain; but Ihe was not permitted to raife
forts, and was even obliged to deliroy thofe which,
had been built. The court of Madrid feldom hath
made any concefilons with greater regret than
this of eftablifhing in the centre of its pofTeflions
an active, powerful, and ambitious nation. But
there is an expedient to render even this concef*
fioh almoft ufelefs.
THE province of Jucatan is divided from nor
eaft to fouth-weft, that is, throughout almol
whole extent, by a chain of mountains. To
North of theie mountains is the Bay of Cam]
chy, whofe dry and thirfly foil produces logwc
of a fuperior quality, which is fold at all marl
at near double the price of that which the Engl
cut at the fouthern bay of Honduras, where
rich and almoil marfhy foil produces only a bi
kind, and which yields much lefs dye. If, as
* 39!. 75. 6d.
exi
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
expreffions of the treaty, which admit of fome la-
titude, lead us to apprehend, Great Britain hath
acquired only the right of fettling in thofe places
which its fubjects had ufurped, Spain may put an
end to her anxiety on this point, by encouraging
the cutting of its own wood, which is more valu-
able, in fuch a manner as to furnifh all Europe with
.afufficient quantity for their confumption. By
this judicious policy, fhe will ruin the Englifh co-
llony, and without force get rid of a neighbour
much more dangerous than fhe imagines j fhe will
then regain an important branch of trade, which
for a long time hath been fo confiderably reduced,
that Campeachy receives from the mother-coun-
try no more than a fmgle veflel every three or four
years. The wood, which cannot be brought away
by this fhip, is carried off by fmall veflels to Vera-
Cruz, which is the true point of union between
Mexico and Spain.
OLD Vera-Cruz ferved at firft for a mart. This
town, founded by Cortez on the very fpot where
he firft landed, is fituated on a river, which is dry
>one part of the year, but which in the rainy fea-
fon is capable of receiving the largeft vefTels.
The danger to which the feamen were expofed,
in a fituation where nothing defended them againft
the violence of the winds fo common in thefe la-
titudes, induced them to feek for more fecure
flicker ; which they found eighteen mjles lower
down on the lame coafl. There they built New
Vera-Cruz, at feventy-two leagues diftance from
the capital of Mexico.
G g 2 NEW
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
NEW Vera-Cruz is fituated in a climate rendered
difagreeable by a burning fun, and by exceffive
heats, and unwholefome by continual rains. It is
bounded on the North by dry lands, and on the
Weft by infectious morafies. Its ftreets are ftraight,
but the houfes are built of wood. No nobility
are to be met with here, and the merchants al-
ways prefer living at Angelos. The fmall num-
ber of Spaniards, who are fixed either by avarice
or by indigence in fo wretched and dangerous a
place, live in a ftate of privacy, and with a de-
gree of parfimony that are unknown in all other
commercial places.
THE fortifications of the town confift of a wall,
eight towers erected at different diflances, and two
bullions which command the fhore. Thefe works,
weak in themfelves and ill conftructed, are in an
extremely ruinous ftate ; fo that for the defence of
the place they depend only on the fortrefs of St.
Juan de Ulloa, that is built on a rock fronting
the town, and at the diftance of a mile from it.
THIS harbour has the difadvantage of not being
able to hold more than thirty or thirty-five vefTels,
which are not always flickered from the northern
winds. The entrance into it is by two channels
only, which are fo narrow as to admit but one
fhip. The fea in the neighbourhood is likewife
extremely dangerous on account of feveral fmall
iflands, which the Spaniards called Cayos, and a
great number of rocks almoft even with the fur-
face of the water, and fcarcely to be perceived. It
was imagined that nothing but a complete know-
ledge of the fituation, acquired by many years ex-
perience,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 453
j perience, could have furmounted thefe obftacles ; B VI K
but, notwithilanding this, they were overcome by * v -/
certain defperate pirates, who furprifed the place
an 1712; towers were then conftructed on the
jfliore, where vigilant centinels are continually on
| guard for the common fafety.
IT is into this harbour, which is properly the
jonly one there is in the Gulph, that the fleet ar-
jrives, whofe deflination is to furnifh Mexico with
(European merchandife. It is fitted out at Cadiz
jevery two, three, or four years, as occafions and
icircumftances require. It ordinarily confifts of
(fifteen or twenty merchant fhips j and is efcorted
jby two men of war, or a greater number, if
jrequifite.
WINES, brandies, and oils, conftitute the moft
jbulky part of the cargo. Gold and filver fluffs,
told and filver lace, cloths, linen, filks, laces,
mats, jewels, diamonds, and fpices, compofe the
icheft part.
THE fleet fets out from Europe in the month of
uly, but at the lateft in the beginning of Augufl,
i order to avoid the dangers to wnich it would be
xpofed from the violence of the North wind in the
pen fea, efpecially at the landing places, if it
lould fet fail in any other feafon. In its pafTage it
akes in refreshments at Porto Rico, and repairs
o Vera-Cruz, from whence its cargo is conveyed
o Xalapa. In this town, which is fituated twelve
leagues from the harbour on the back of a moun-
tain, and well built, is held a fair, which is li-
nked by the laws to fix weeks, but which fome-
G g 3 times
454 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
o o
VJ.
BOOK t ; m es i s prolonged at the felicitation of the mer-
chants of the country or thofe of Spain. The pro-
portion whjch the value of gold and filver bears
to that of the merchandize is the circumftance
that determines the gain or lofs of exchanges. If
one of thefe articles is in greater plenty than the
other, great prejudice refults to the feller or buyer.
Formerly the royal treafure was fent from the
capital to Vera-Cruz, to wait the arrival of the
fleet there j but, fmce this key of the New world
v/as pillaged by pirates in 1683, it waits the arri-
val of the ihips, and flops at Angelos^ which is
only thirty-five leagues diftant.
WHEN the tranfactions are finilhed, the gold,
fuver, cochineal, leather, vanilla, logwood, and
fome goods of inconfiderable value which Mexico
furnifhes, are put on board. The fleet then di-
rects its courfe for the Havanna, where, afterl;
"being joined by fome regifter-fliips difpatched tql\
different ports, it arrives at Cadiz by the channel;!
of Bahama.
IN the interval between the failing of one fleet
and the other, the court of Spain fends out two
men of war, which they call Azogues, to carry to
Vera-Cruz the cjuickfilver that is neceflary fqr
working the mines of Mexico, The quickfilvqr
was originally drawn from Peru j but the corn/f
millions were fo uncertain, fo flow, and fo froi
quently fraudulent, that in 1734 it was judged tQt
be more convenient to fend it from Europe; The
mines of Guadalcanal at firfl fiirniflied the means..
'Jfhefe were afterwards fprfaken for the richer
mines
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
mines of Almeda in Eftramadura. The Azogues,
to which two or three merchant-fhips are ibme-
times joined that can only carry fome fruits of
Spain, are laden in return with the produce of
thofe goods that have been fold fince the departure
of the fleet, or of thofe which had been delivered
on credit.
IF any thing fhould be left behind, it is com-
monly brought by the fhips of war which Spain
builds at the'Havanna, and which always pafs to
Vera-Cruz before they fet fail for Europe. Af-
fairs are conducted in a different manner at Peru,
js will be fhewn in the fubfe^uent book.
BOOK
BOOK VII.
Cmquejl of Teru by the Spaniards.
that have happened in this Empire fines
that revolution.
BOOK /COLUMBUS had no fooner gained a firm
VJ eftabliihment on the ifland of San Domingo
than he profecuted his refearches. In one of his
voyages he difcovered the Oronooko, and in the
other the bay of Honduras. He clearly faw that
what he had found was a continent j and his ge-
nius led him further than merely to fufpeft that
beyond this continent was another ocean, which
muft terminate at the Eaft Indies. It was poffible
that thefe two feas might have a mutual commu-
nication, and he diligently employed himfelf itt'
finding it out. In order to make this difcovery,
he failed as clofe along the coaft as poffible. He
touched at all places that were acceflible \ and,
contrary to the cuftom of the navigators of his
time, who behaved in the countries where they
arrived in fuch a manner as if they were never to
return to them, he treated the inhabitants with
equity, attention, and humanity, and by this me-
thod fucceeded in gaining their affection. The
iflhmus of Darien particularly engaged his ob-
fervation, He thought that the rivers, which
poured into it, were an arm of the great ocean,
which uniting by a narrow ftrait, the feas of
South and North America feemed to open to his
wifhes
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS, &c. 457
wifries the paffage and communication he was in BOOK.
Fearch of. After he had explored thefe rivers with < -v '
extreme attention, and found himfelf difappointed
in his expectations, he contented himfelf with
founding a fettlement. The pride, mercenary dif-
pofition, and imprudence of his companions, ex-
cited the indignation of the natives of the country,
who at firil appeared tolerably well difpofed to
permit this eftablifhment. The Spaniards were
obliged to reimbark and fail away in veiTels which
were not in a condition to keep the fea any
longer.
THE intelligence, however, which was obtained,
was not entirely loft. Vefpucius, Ojeda, Lacofa,
Pinfon, Roldan, Nino, Lopez, Baftidos, Solis,
and NicuefTa, followed the path which Columbus
had traced out for them. Thefe adventurers, who
had only received from their government a per-
miflion to make difcoveries, in order to fatisfy the
vain glory of the nation, rather than to extend its
dominions, thought neither of forming fettlements
which might be cultivated, nor of eftablifhing
commercial connections with the fmall nations
which they difcovered. The profpeft of fortunes,
which might have been made in future by thefe
prudent meafures, was an idea tco much above
the prejudices of thefe barbarous times. Even
the reasoning, which might have led them to the
knowledge of thefe advantages, would not have
imparted a fufficient impulfe to animate them. No-
thing but the allurement of immediate gain could
excite men to enterprifos fo hazardous as were
thofe for which this age was diftinguifhed. Gold
alooe attracted them to the continent of America,
and
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
and made them brave dangers, difeafes, and death,
which they were expofed to in the courfe of their
voyage, at their arrival, or on their return j and,
by a terrible but juft vengeance, the cruelty of
the Europeans and their luft of gold exhaufted at
once the two hemifpheres of their inhabitants,
and deftruction raged equally among thofe who
were the plunderers and arTafiins, as among the
plundered people.
AMONG the number of villains who ravaged,
depopulated, and deflroyed, thefe unhappy coafls
of a world which was no fooner difcovered than it
was exterminated, there was one man who had
naturally an agreeable afpecl:, a robufl conftitution,
an intrepid courage, and a popular eloquence,
and who had imbibed fome principles from a li-
beral education. His name was Vafco Nugnes dc
Balboa. Finding at Darien, where there was a
greater abundance of rights than in any other
places, a fmall number of Spaniards whom this
circumftance alone had attracted there, he put
himfelf at their head, with the defign of forming
a permanent fettlement. He found at firft in the
country fome of that fame fpecies of little wl
pnen, as are to be met with in Africa and in
tain of the Afiatic iflands. They are covered wi
a dpwrj of a gliftening white colour. They ha
no hair, their eyes are red, and they only fee
in the night-time. They are feeble, and t
faculties appear to be more circumfcribed
thofe of other men. The favages were few
number; but others of a different fpecies
found on the coaft. Thefe were brave and h.a
enough to defend their liberty. They had a v
ex
I WUV
'Kite
with
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
extraordinary cuftom among them, which was, that
the hufbands on the death of their wives, and the
wives on the death of their hufbands, ufed to cut
off the end of a finger ; fo that by looking on their
hands one might fee whether they were widowers
or widows, and how often they had been fo.
NOTHING has ever been or will probably ever
be faid, that can fatisfaftorily explain the various
perverfions of human reafon. If the women alone
had been obliged to cut off a finger at the deceafe
of their hufbands, it would be natural to fufpect
that this had been intended to prevent a widow
from impofmg upon afecond hufband, who might
imagine her to be a virgin, from having no know-
ledge of her former connection ; a thing very
likely to happen among wandering nations. But
this conjecture would lofe its force, when applied
to the hufbands, whofe condition could never be
a matter of fuch confequence, as that it fhould be
carefully indicated by indelible figns. This cuftom
hath obtained in other countries ; but the follow-
ing is peculiar to Darien.
WHEN a widow died, fuch of her children,
whofe tender age rendered it impoffible for them
to provide for their own fubfiftence, were buried
in the fame grave with her. AS no one would
take the charge of thefe orphans, they were mafia -
cred, to prevent their being ftarved to death. The
charity of thefe barbarians extended no further.
This is the molt atrocious act to which the de-
plorable ftate o.f favagje Jife was ever able to impel
mankind.
NOTWITH*
ADE
460 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK NOTWITHSTANDING the ferocity of thefe bar-
*~^. ' barians, Balboa fucceeded in difperfing the inha-
bitants of Darien, in fubjecting them or gaining
their confidence ; and he fettled his countrymen
on their territory.
ONE day, as he was dividing fome gold with
of his companions, a contefc arofe between th<
A favage, incenfed at a rapacioufnefs fo repugn;
to his manners, Ihook the fcales fo violently, tl
he overfet all the ^old that was in them. Since;
quarrel for fucb a trifle, faid he to the two Spa-
niards, and it is this metal which has made you quit
your country, and dijlurb fo many nations, I will lead
you to a place, ivbere you Jhatt be fatisfad. He ful-
filled his engagement, and conducted Balboa, with
one hundred and fifty Spaniards, acrofs a neck
of land, fixteen or feventeen leagues long, to the
co'aft of the South Sea.
PANAMA, which was built there in 1518, opened
a new and extenfive career to the reftleflheis and
avarice of the Caftilians. The ocean, which wafhed
its walls, conveyed them to Peru, whofe riches
were boafled of in this part of the New world,
though but in a vague manner. The reports that
prevailed concerning the ftrength of this im-
menfe empire, did not caft a damp upon that
ardour which its treafures excited ; and the world
faw, without aftonifhment, three men, born in
obfcurity, undertake at their own expence to fub-
vert a throne that had fubfifted with glory for
feveral centuries.
FRANCIS PIZARRO, who is the moft known
among them., was the natural fon of a gentleman
of
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 461
of Eftramadura. His education had been fo neg- B K
I lected, that he could not read. Tending of flocks, i_ T - _r
i which was his firft employment, not fui ting his
character, he embarked for the New world. His
I avarice and ambition infpired him with inconceiv-
| able activity. He joined in every expedition, and
fignalized himfelf in moft of them ; and he ac-
quired, in the feveral fituations in which he was
employed, that knowledge of men and things,
which is indifpenfably necefiary to advancement,
but in particular to thofe who by their birth have
every difficulty to contend with. The ufe he had
hitherto made of his natural and acquired abili-
ties, perfuaded him that nothing was above his
talents ; and he formed the plan of exerting them
againft Peru.
Tothefe defigns he aflbciated Diego de Almagro,
whofe birth was equivocal, but whofe courage
was proved. He had ever been found temperate,
patient, and indefatigable, in thofe camps in which
he had grown old. In this fchool he had acquired
a franknefs which is more frequently learnt here
than in other fituations j as well as that obduracy
and cruelty which are but too common.
THE fortune of two foldiers, though confider-
able, being found infufficient for the conqueft they
meditated, they joined themfelves to Fernando de
Luques. He was a mercenary prieft, who had
amaffed prodigious wealth by all the methods
which fuperftition renders eafy to his profelTion,
and by fome means peculiar to the manners of the
age he lived in.
As the bafis of their afibciation the confederates
mutually agreed, that each Ihould engage the
whole
46* HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK whole of his property in this enterprife ; that the
t_-g'-J wealth accruing from it fhould be equally fhared,
and that they ihould reciprocally obferve an in-
violable fidelity. The parts that each of them
were to take in this great fcene were diftributed
as the good of the common caufe required. Pizarro
was to command the troops, Almagro conduct the
fuccours, and Luques prepare the means. This
plan of ambition, avarice, and ferocioufnefs, was
completed by fanaticifm. Luques publicly confe-
crated a hoft ; part of which he ate, and divided
the reft between his two arTociates} all three
fwearing, by the blood of their God, that, to enrich
themfelves, they would not fpare the blood of man.
THE expedition, commenced under thefe hor-
rible aufpices, was not fortunate ; the meafures
being continually interrupted by famine, ficknefs,
and mifunderitanding, by a profound ignorance of
the theory of the winds and currents, and by the
arms of the Indians ; the adventurers found them-
felves reduced to the neceffity of returning with-
out having effected any eftablifhment, or done
any thing worthy of being tranfmitted to pofterity.
At the end of 1526, Panama received the wrecks
of an armament, which two years before had ex-
cited its jealoufy.
FAR from being clifcouraged by thefe misfor-
tunes, the three affociates were inflamed wkh a
more ardent paflion for treafures which were now
better known to them. They imagined that they
Ihould not fail of acquiring them, if they could
difengage themfelves from a dependence on the
governor of Panama, who had oppofed them,
fometimes openly, at other times clandeftinel
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 463
The court of Spain granted them what they fo- B y *
licited, and their courage was now animated to ^ '
greater exploits. In 1530 they fitted out three
vefifels, on board of which they embarked one
hundred fouricore and five ibldiers, thirty-ieven
horfes, arms, and provifions. Thefe forces, which
were fucceilively augmented by fome inconfider-
able reinforcements, were commanded by Pizarro;
who, after a feries of extreme difficulties which his
intrepid avarice furmounted, at laft arrived at
Tumbez, on the frontiers of Peru.
IF the Spaniards may be credited, Peru had suteof
been an extenfive and civilized empire for four * w Ji?
centuries. It had been founded by Manco-Capac, CCVCTC<i *
and by his wife Mama-Ocello-Huaco. It has been
conjectured, that thefe two perfons might be the
dependents of certain navigators of Europe or the
Canaries, who had been fhipwrecked on the coaib
of Brafil.
To fupport this conjecture, it has been faid,
that the Peruvians divided the year, as we do, into
three hundred and fixty-five days ; and that they
had fome notion of aftronomy ; that they were ac-
quainted with the points of the horizon where the
fun fets in the dimmer and winter folftice, and in
the equinoxes; marks which the Spaniards de-
ftroyed, as being monuments of Indian fuperftidon.
It has been afierted, that the race of the Incas was
whiter than that of the natives of the country, and
that feveral of the royal family had beards j and
it is a known fact, that there are certain features,
whether ill-formed or regular, that are preierved
in fome families, though they do not conftantly
pals
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
pafs from generation to generation. And, laftly,
it has been faid, that it was a tradition generally
diffufed throughout Peru, and handed down from
age to age, that there would one day arrive by
fea men with beards, and of fuch fuperiority in
arms, that nothing could refift them.
IF there fhould be any of our readers difpofed
to adopt this opinion, they muft necefiarily allow
that there muft have elapfed a confiderable fpace
of time between the Ihipwreck and the founda-
tion of the Peruvian empire. If this is not ad-
mitted, we cannot explain why the legiflator fhould
not have given the favages, whom he collected to-
gether, fome notion of writing, though he fhould
not himfelf have been able to read j or why he
fhould not have taught them feveral of our arts
and methods of doing things, and inftructed them
in certain tenets of his religion. Either it was not
an European who founded the throne of the Incas,
or we muft neceflarily believe that the veflel of
his anceftors was wrecked on the coafts of Ame-
rica at an sera fo remote, that the fucceeding ge-
nerations muft have forgotten all the cuftoms
the place from whence they fprang.
IT was on an hilly country that Manco at fi
eftablifhed his empire. Perhaps, he found there
people lefs barbarous, better difpofed to receive
inftruction, and who had already begun to be civi-
lized. It is far from being improbable that fociety
is formed much more flowly in countries that are
fruitful, and abounding in vegetables, than in thofe
to which nature has been lefs bountiful. It is the
want men have of afiiftance from each other, that
2 more
5 C -
:
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
more ftrongly induces them to unite in fociety;
land this reciprocal dependence is more fenfibly
felt on barren mountains than in fruitful plains.
THE two Legiflators declared themfelves the
children of the fun. Undoubtedly they thought
jthat this prejudice would animate the Peruvians,
roufe their courage, infpire them with a greater at-
tachment to their country, and make them more
iobedient to the laws. Was this fiction more abfurd
than thofe which have been fo warmly embraced
iby fome celebrated nations, which (till are our
(guides and our models ?
BY the help of this illufion the empire of the
ijlncas had flourifhed under eleven fovereigns, who
(were all prudent, humane, and juft, when the em-
Iperor Huana Capac feized upon Quito. In order
[to fecure the pofleiTion of it, he married the only
Iheirefs of the dethroned king, from whom he had
la fon named Atabalipa. This young prince, after
the death of his father, demanded the inheritance
i|of his mother. His elder brother Huafcar refufing
Ito give it up to him, immediate recourfe was had
Sto arms. The moft ambitious of the two brothers
(was beaten, taken prilbner, and (hut up in Cufco,
jrwhere he was afterwards ftrangled. His fortunate
rival, now elevated above his warmeft expectations,
iifound himfelf matter of all the provinces.
THESE troubles, which for the firft time had
i agitated Peru, were not entirely appeafcd when
Uhe Spaniards landed in the empire. The inhabi-
[itants who were defirous of appearing the fun, which
; they believed was incenfed againft them, loaded
thcfe ftrangers with prefents, fhewed them the
kindefl offices, and manifefted a refpedl for them
VOL. II. Hh which
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRAHE
which bordered on adoration. In the confufion irt
which the whole kingdom was ftill involved, no
one thought of oppofing Pizarro's march, who
reached without the lead obflrudion to the palace
of Caxamalea. He was but juft arrived, when he
received from Atabalipa, who was not far diftant,
a prefent of fruits, corn, emeralds, and feveral vafes
of gold and filver. The reception, which the court
gave to his brother Fernando, correfponded with
thefe advan-ces. Civilities, treafures, and marks
of diftinftion, were beftowed upon him with the
greateft profufion. The emperor did not difTem--.
ble his delire that the Spaniards would quit his
provinces ; and he publicly declared that he would
go the next morning to concert with their chief
proper meafures for this retreat.
To put himfelf in readinefs for an engagement,
without fuffering the leaft preparation of war to
be perceived, was the only diipolition that Pizarro
made for the reception of the prince. He planted
his cavalry in the gardens of the palace, where
they could not be feen : the infantry was in the
court ; and his artillery was pointed towards the
gate where the emperor was to enter.
ATABALIPA came without fufpicion to the place
appointed. He was attended by about fifteen
thoufand men. He was carried on a throne of gold ?
and gold glittered in the arms of his troops. He
turned to the principal officers, and faid to them :
Tbefe ftr angers are" the meffengers of the Gods j fo
careful of offending them.
THE proceflion was now pretty near the palace,
which was occupied by Pizarro, when a domini-
can, named Vincent de Valverdo, with a crucifix.
in
IN THE EAST ANt> WEST INDIES.
in one hand, and his breviary in the other, came
tip to the emperor. He flopped him in his march,
and, by his interpreter, made him a long fpeech,
in which he expounded to him the chriflian reli-
gion, prefTed him to embrace that form of wor-
fliip, and propofed to him to fubmit to the king of
Spain, to whom the pope had given Peru.
THE emperor, who heard him with a great deal
of patience, replied, / am very willing to be the
friend of the king of Spain, but not his vaffal;
the pope mujl furely be a 'very extraordinary man,
to give fo liberally what does not belong to him**
I Jhall not change my religion for another ; and if
the chrijlians adore a God who died upon a crofs,
I worfljip the fun, who never dies. He then alked
Vincent where he had learned all that he had faid
of God and the creation. In this Book, replied
the monk, prefenting at the fame time his breviary
to the emperor* Atabalipa took the book, exa-
mined it on all fides, fell a laughing, and, throwing
away the breviary, added, Ibis book tells me no-
thing of all this. Vincent then .turned towards the
Spaniards, crying out with all his might, Vengeance^
iny friends, vengeance. Chrijlians, do you not fee
bow he defpifes the go/pel? Kill thefe dogs, who
trample under foot the law of Gvd.
THE Spaniards, who probably had with difficulty
reftrained that fury, and that thirft of blood, which
the fight of the gold and of the infidels had in-
fpired them with, inftantly obeyed the dominican.
Let the reader judge of the impreflion that muft
have been made on the Peruvians by the fight of
the horfes who trampled upon them, and by the
H h 2 noife
468
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
o |> K noife and effect of the cannon and mufketry whi
v i beat them down. They fled with fuch precipi
tion, that they fell one upon another. A dread
maffacre was made of them. Pizarro himfelf
variced towards the emperor, made his infant!
put to the fword all that furrounded his throi
took the monarch prifoner, and pnrfued all
reft of the day thofe who had efcaped the fword
his foldiers. A multitude of princes of the race
the Incas, the minifters, the flower of the nobilit
all that compofed the court of Atabalipa, wt
maflacred. Even the crowd of women, old m(
and. children, who were come from all parts
fee their emperor and the Spaniards, were
fpared.. Whiift this carnage continued, Vinc<
ceafed not to animate the afTafTins who were tin
with {laughter, exhorting them to ufe not the edj
but the point of their fwords, to inflidt deej
wounds. When the Spaniards returned from this ii
famous maflacre, they paffed the night in drunkei
nefs, dancing, and all the excefles of debauchei
IN the mean time Pizarro's thoughts were ei
gaged in contriving how he fhould get rid of
prifoner. Vincent faid that he was a harder
prince, who ought to be treated like Phara<
There was jn the train of the Spanifh general
Indian, who had embraced the chriftian faith,
name was Philipillo, and he was employed as intei
preter. He was fixed upon to frame an accufatic
againft the emperor, for having defigned to excit
his fubjeth to rebel againft the tyrants. On tl
fole depofition, Atabalipa was condemned to deat
The Spaniards had the effrontery to bring him
6 a foi
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 4 6 9
a formal trial j and this atrocious farce was fol- BOOK
lowed with thofe horrid confequences that muft L v/
necefiarily be expected from it.
AFTER this judiciary affaflination, Pizarro pene-
trated into the inland parts of the empire. Cufco
opened to him its gates, and offered him more
treafures than there were perhaps in all Europe
before the difcovery of the New world. Thefe
treafures became the fpoil of two hundred Spa-
niards, who, though in poiTefllon of fuch immenfe
riches, flill defired more j impelled by that third
of gold which increafes in proportion as it is grati-
fied. Temples and private houles were ftripped
from one end of the kingdom to the other. The Pe-
ruvians were opprefled in all parts, and rapes com-
mitted every where on their wives and daughters.
THE people driven to defperation took up arms,
and laid fiege at once to Cufco and Lima : but
thefe unfortunate men in feveral engagements were
not able to deflroy more than fix hundred of their
enemies; who^ continually receiving frefli fupplies,
were at laft univerfally victorious. In a little time
the Spaniards in Peru amounted to the number
of three thoufand mufketeers, without reckoning
pikemen, archers, and cavalry. The Peruvians
were under a neceflity of fubmitting to the yoke,
fuch as the tyrants chofe to impolc on them.
A REVOLUTION fo remarkable hath been a fub-
jecl of aftonifhment to all nations. Peru is a coun-
try very difficult of accefs, where one muft conti-
nually climb mountains, and perpetually march in
narrow paries and defiles. Troops are there obliged
to be mccffantly palling and repairing torrents and
H h 3 rivers,
470 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
E o^o K rivers, the banks of which are always fleep. Four
-v-- ' or five thoufand men with a moderate fhare of
courage and (kill, might deftroy the moft nume-
rous and beft difciplined armies. . How then could
it pofiibly happen, that a whole nation did not
even attempt to difpute a territory, the nature of
which was ib well known to them, againit a few
plunderers who had not the leaft idea of it ?
THIS extraordinary event cannot be otherwife
accounted for, than by confidering that the Pe^-
ruvians were feized with fudden fear, which was
the effeft of their ignorance and aflonifhment j
that their diforderly multitude could not ftand,
againft a fmall number of difciplined forces, and,
that courage unarmed could not refifl cannon-fhot.
Thus, without having recourfe to that vain pro-
phecy which proclaimed the Spaniards as the
avengers of the Gods, Peru muft neceffarily have
been fubdued, even though the domeftic diflen-
tions with which it was then agitated had not fa-
cilitated its fubjeftion.
THE empire which now received the Spanii
yoke had been governed for four centuries, or
haps more, by a race of conquerors, who appean
to have extended their conquefls with no ot
view than to promote the happinels of the hum;
fpecies. They defcended from a legiilator, wl
could not, perhaps, have been paralleled in hiftor
if Confucius had not had one advantage over hii
that of not having introduced fuperftition, to i]
fure allegiance and obedience to his laws.
MAN co Capac, who collected together tl
iayages of Peru that were fcattered among tl
forefti
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 471
fbrefts, ftiled himfelf the offspring of the fun, who
was fent by his father to teach men to be good
and happy. He perfuaded a great number of
favages to follow him ; and he founded the city of
Cufco.
HE taught his new fubje&s to cultivate the
gnimd, to low corn and pulfe, to wear cloaths,
and to build houfes. His wife taught the Indian
women to fpin, to fmooth cotton and wool; and in-
ftructed them in all the occupations fuitableto their
fex, and in all the arts of domeflic ceconomy.
HE told them they muft adore the fun j he
built temples to this luminary, and abolilhed hu-
man facrifices, and even thofe of animals. His
iefcendents were the only priefts of his nation.
To a religion replete with fentiments of huma-
rity were joined parental laws. A moft wife infti-
ntion enjoined that a young man, who fhould com-
mit a fault, Ihould be flightly punifhed ; but that
Us father Ihould be refponfible for him. Thus it
vas that found morals were always inculcated by
a good education,
POLYGAMY was prohibited; and adultery in
both fexes punifhed. No one was allowed to have
ccncubines except the emperor, and that becaufe
the race of the fun could not be too much multi-
plied. Thefe concubines were felefted from among
the -argins confecrated to the temple.
IDLENESS was punifhed as the fource of wicked-
nefs, and therefore as the greateft of crimes.
Thofe, who from age and infirmities were rendered
unfit hr labour, were maintained at the public
cliajge; but on condition that they fhould pre-
H h 4 ferve
4/2 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
K ferve the cultivated lands from the birds. Evei
one was obliged to make his own {hoes, manaj
his own houfe, and conftruct his plough. Women
made the apparel ; and every leparate family knt
how to fupply its own wants.
THE Peruvians were enjoined to love one anc
ther, and every circumftance induced them to
Thofe common labours, which were always enli-
vened by agreeable fongs ; the object itfelf
thefe labours, which was to aflifl every one who hz
occafion for fuccour; that apparel that was made
by young women devoted to the worfhip of the
fun, and diftributed by the emperor's officers to the |
poor, to the aged, and to orphans; that unionj
which muft neceffarily reign in the decuries, where
every one was mutually infpired with refpect foj
the laws, and with the love of virtue, becaufe tht
punifhments, that were inflicted for the faults
one individual fell on the whole body ; that cuftoi
of regarding each other as members of one finglc
family, v/hich was the empire ; all thefe circumi
fiances united, maintained among the Peruvis
concord, benevolence, patriotifm, and a certai 1
public fpirit ; and contributed as much as po "-
fible to fubftitute the moil fublime and amial
virtues, in lieu of perfonal intereft, of the fprit
of property, and of the ufual incentives emploj
by other iegiflators.
THESE virtues were rewarded with marks of
diftindtion, as much as if they had been fervices
rendered to the country. Thofe who had figna-'
lized themfelves by an exemplary conduct, or by.
any diflinjguifhed actions of advantage to the pub-
" Ik
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 473
lie good, wore, as a mark of ornament, cloaths B v K
wrought by the family of the Incas. It is very v
probable that thofe ftatues, which the Spaniards
pretended that they found in the temples of the
fun, and which they took for idols, were the fcatues
of men, who, by the greatnefs of their talents,
or by a life replete with ilhiftrious actions, had
merited the homage or love of dieir fellow-citizens,
THESE great men were nlfo tifually the fubiects
of poems compofed by t'.e family of the Incas for
the inflruction of the people.
THERE was another fpecies of poetry conducive
to morality. At Cufco, and in all the other towns
of Peru, tragedies and comedies were performed.
The firft were leffons of duty to the priefts, war-
riors, judges, and perfons of diftinction, and re-
prefentcd to them models of public virtue. Co-
medies ferved for inftruction to perfons of inferior
rank, and taught them the exercife of private
virtues, and even of domeilic ceconomy.
THE whole (late was diftributed into decurics,
with an officer that was appointed tofuperintend ten
families that were intrufted to him. A fuperior officer
iad the fame infpection over fifty families ; others
over a hundred, five hundred, and a thoufand.
THE decurians, and the other fuperintending
officers up to the fuperintendant of a thoufand,
were obliged to give an account to the latter of ail
aclions whether good or bad, to folicit punifh-
ments and rewards for each, and to give infor-
mation if there was any want of provifions, cloaths,
or corn, for the year. The fuperintendant of a
thoufand made his report to theminiflerof thclnca.
THE
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
THE laws were fevere, but this feverity was at^*
tended only with good .effecls. The Peruvians
were ftrangers to crimes. All their laws were re-
puted to come to them from the fun, which threw
light upon their actions. Thus the violation of a
law became a facnlege. They even went of their
own accord to reveal their mod fecret faults, and
to folicit permiffion to expiate them. They told 7
the Spaniards, that there never had been one man
of the family of the Incas who had deferved-
punifhment.
THE lands of the kingdom, that were fuf-
ceptible of cultivation, were divided into three-
parts, one appropriated to the fun, another to the
Iiica, and the third to the people. The firft were
cultivated in common, as were likewife the lands
of orphans, of widows, of old men, of the in-
rirm, and of the foldiers who were with the army.
Theie were cultivated immediately after the lands
appropriated to the fun, and before thofe of the -
emperor. The feafon of this labour was announced
by feftivals : it was begun and continued with the
found of mufical inftruments, and the chanting of.
hymns-
The emperor levied no tribute; and exacted
nothing from his fubjecls, but that they fhould
cultivate his lands ; the whole produce of which,
being depofited in public magazines, was fufficient
to defray all the expcnces of the empire.
THE lands dedicated to the fun provided fo
the maintenance of the priefts, and for the expen<
of confederating thofe magnificent temples that 1
covered with gold, and whole roofs ^*ere of fil
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 475
WITH regard to the lands that were in the pof- B
feflion of individuals, they were neither hereditary,
rior even eftates for life : the divifion of them was
continually varying, and was regulated with ftrict
equity according to the number of perfons which
compofed every family. There was no other
wealth, but what arofe from the produce of the
fields, the temporary enjoyment of which was all
that was granted by the ftate.
THIS cuftom of moveable poflefTions has been
univerfally cenfured by men of underftanding. It
has been their general opinion, that a nation would
never rife to any degree of power or greatnefs,
but by fixed, and even hereditary property. If
it were not for the firft of thefe, we Ihouhl fee on
the globe only wandering and naked favages, mi-
ferably fubfifting on fuch fruits and vegetables-
as are the fole and fcanty production of rude na-
ture. If it were not for the fecond, every indi-
vidual would live only for himfelf j mankind
would be deprived of every permanent advantage,
and paternal affection, the love of a family name,
and the inexprefiible delight we feel in acting for
the good of poderity, urge us to purfue. The
fyftem of fome bold {peculators, who have regarded
property, and particularly that fpecies of it which
is hereditary, as an ufurpation of fome members
of fociety over others, is refuted by the fate of all
thofe inititutions in which their principles have
been reduced to practice. Thefe ftates have all
fallen to ruin, after having languifhed for fome
time in a ftate of depopulation and anarchy. Peru
alone hath profpered on fo uncertain a bafis.
THE
476 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B ^1 K / ^ HE rea -fo n ,P ro ' oa bly is, that the Incas, not
^J knowing the ufe of impofts, and having only com-
modities in kind to fupply the neceflities of gc
vernment, muft have been obliged to ftudy
to multiply them. They were afilfted in the exe-
cution of this project by their rninifters, by infe
rior officers, and by the foldiers themlelves, wh<
received nothing but the fruits of the earth fc
their fubfiftence and -the fupport of their rani
Hence arofe a continual folicitude to increafe the!
productions. This attention might have for it
principal object the introduction of plenty int<
the lands of the fovereign ; but his patrimony was
fo mixed and confounded with that of his fubjects,
that it was not pofTible to fertilize the one with-
out fertilizing the other. The people, encouraged
by thefe advantages, which left little fcope to
their induftry, applied themfelves to labours,
which the nature of their foil, of their climate,
and of their confumptions, rendered very cafy.
But notwithftanding all thefe advantages; n<
withflanding the ever active vigilance of the m:
giftrate; notwithftanding the certainty that theii
harveils- would never be ravaged by a refllel
neighbour; the Peruvians never enjoyed any thim
more than the mere necefiTaries of life. We ma^
venture to afiert, that they would have aoquin
the means of diverfifying and extending their en-
joyments, if their talents had been excited by tl
introduction of rented, transferable, and heredi-
tary property.
THE Peruvians, though at the very fource
gold and filver, knew not the ufe of coin. The]
had
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 477
had neither commerce nor luxury ; and the more BOOK
minute arts, which owe their exigence to the im- ' /^ '
mediate wants of ibcial life, were in a very im-
perfect fcate among them. They had not even
hieroglyphics, which among all nations were the
firft effays towards writing j and their quippos,
which fupplied the place of writing among them,
were not fo ufeful as the hieroglyphics of the
Mexicans, nor even as thofe of the Iroquois.
BUT the Peruvians having neither property,
nor trade, nor fcarcely any connection of mutual
intereft ; moreover, being governed by mailers,
whole will framed all thole tranfitory laws which
regulated their manners, had very little occafion
for writing. All their fciences confuted in memory,
and all their arts in example. They learned their
religion and their hiftory by hymns, and their,
duties and profeflions by labour and imitation.
THEIR legiflation was undoubtedly very im-
perfect and limited, fmce it fuppofed the prince
always juft and infallible, and the magiftrates pof-
fefled of as much integrity as the prince. Among
a civilized people who had not the art of writing,
the laws mull have been fatal, when their cufloms
did not determine the application and ufe of them;
when not only the monarch, but his deputies, a
fuperintendant of ten, of a hundred, or of a thou-
fand, might change at pleafure the deflination of
punifhments and rewards. Among fuch a people,
the wifeft laws, being deflitute of all precifion and
liability, muft infenfibly be corrupted ; nor would
there be a pofllbility of reiloring them to their
primitive character.
THE
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
counter P^ e f tne ** e dangers was found lit
their abfolute ignorance of gold and filver coin 3
an ignorance, which in a Peruvian defpot rendered
the fatal pafiion of amaffing riches impofllble. It
was found in the conftitution of the empire,
which had fixed the amount of the fovereign's re-
venue, by fettling the portion of lands that be-
longed to him. It was found in the extremely
fmall number and moderate nature of the wants
of the people, which, being eafily gratified, ren-
dered them happy and attached to the government*
It was found in the influence of their religious
opinions, which made the obfervation of the laws
a matter of confcience. Thus was the defpotifm
of the Incas founded on a mutual confidence be-
tween the fovereign and the people; a confidence,
which refulted from the beneficence of the prince,
from the conftant protection he granted to all his
fubjects, and from the evident intereft they had
to continue in obedience to him*
A SPIRIT of pyrrhonifm, which hath fucceeded
to a blind credulity, and hath been fometimes car-.
ried to unjuftifiable lengths, hath for fome time
endeavoured to raife objections to what has been
juft related of the laws, manners, and happinefs*
of ancient Peru. This account hath appeared to
fome philofophers as chimerical, and formed only
by the naturally romantic imagination of a fe
Spaniards. But among the deftroyers of this
Itinguifhed part of the New world, was thei
fmgle ruffian fufficiently enlightened to invent
fable fo confiftent in all its parts? Was there any
one among them humane enough to wifh to do it,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
if he had even been equal to the tafk ? Would he B
not rather have been reftrained by the fear of in-
creafmg that hatred, which fo many cruelties had
brought on his country throughout the whole
world? Would not the fable have been contra-
dicted by a multitude of witnefTes, who would
have feen the contrary of what was publifhed
with fo much pomp ? The unanimous teflimony
of contemporary writers, and of their immediate
fucceflbrs, ought to be regarded as the ftrongeit
hiftorical demonftration that can pofTibly be
defired.
IT is not the fame with regard to thofe exag-
gerated relations, which the conquerors of Peru
publifhed concerning the grandeur and magnifi-
cence of the monuments of all kinds that they had
found there. The defire of adding great luftre to
the glory of their triumphs might poflibly mif-
lead them. Perhaps, without being convinced
themfelves, they ftudied to impofe on their own
country and on foreign nations. The firft tefti-
monies, and thofe even were contradictory, have
been invalidated by fucceeding accounts, and at
| laft totally deftroyed, when men of enlightened
underilandings had vifited this celebrated part of
the new hemifphere.
WE muft^ therefore, conficler as fabulous the re-
port of that prodigious multitude of towns built
with fo much labour and expence. If there were
fo many fuperb cities in Peru, why do none exifl,
except Cufco and Quito, befides thofe the con-
queror built ? Whence comes it that we do not
find
4*0 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK ft n! i even the ruins of any of thofe of which fu(
VII.
! y -_t pompous defcriptions have been publilhed ?
WE 'muft confider as fabulous the account
thofe ma; eftic palaces, deftined for the accomm
dation of the Incas, in the place of their refiden
and in their travels. The royal manfions fo mil
boafted of were nothing but flints placed one u
on another, and covered with a reddifn clay.
WE muft confider as fabulous che relation
thofe fortified places, which defended the fro
tiers of the empire. Would it have been co
quered in fo fhort a time, if it had been furnifhe
with fuch confiderable means of defence? M.
la Condamine, who vifited, with that fcrupul
attention that diftinguifnes him, the fort of Cann
which is the beft preferred, and the moft co
Jiclerable after that of Cufco, found it to be o:
very finall extent, and only ten feet high. A,
people, who knew not the ufe of pullies, couldj
hardly raife their buildings higher. The fize ofj
the flones, that were employed in building thefe
fortreflfes, has not been lefs exaggerated. After
the moft careful examination, there was not found
any one of a remarkable fize. When thefe ftones
were to be tranfported, cords were faftened to.
them, and a number of men puttied, drew, and
rolled the weight along. A nation, which had
made no greater progreis in mechanics, could n
execute any great defigns.
WE muft confider as fabulous tiie hiitory
thofe refervoirs and aqueducts, that are faid to
have been worthy of the ancient Romans. Nei-
ad
:
IK THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 481
ther of them were ever to be found in Peru, un- fi ^j *
lefs we choofe to honour with thefe magnificent ' * - '
names certain trenches that were made, wherever
there was an opportunity, on rhe declivity of hills,
to collec"l rain or fpring-water, and conduct it into
the fields andvallies.
WE mull alfo confider as fabulous the difplay
of thofe fuperb roads which rendered communi-
cation fo eafy. The great roads of Peru were no-
thing more than two rows of (lakes difpofed in a
line, and intended for no other purpofe but to
point out the way to travellers. There was no
road of any confequence, except that which bore
the name of the Incas, and which traverfed the
whole empire. This, which was the moft beau-
tiful monument of Peru, was entirely deftroyed
during the civil wars of the conquerors.
WE muft alfo confider as fabulous what has been
faid of thofe bridges which are fo much boafted
of. How could the Peruvians, who were ignorant
of the method of constructing arches, raife ftone
bridges ? But, had they even been acquainted with
this art, would not their want of lime have ren-
dered it alrnoft impracticable? It is certain, how-
ever, that the traveller was every momejit flopped
in his pafiage by a great number of torrents he
met with among the mountains. To enable him
to pafs thefe, a long cord of ofier, on which fiid
a bafket that held at moft four men, was extend-
ed from one bank to the other. The number of
cords was afterwards multiplied, and hurdles
were fixed upon them, by which a greater number
of people crofted at the fame time. The Spa-
VOL. II. I i niards*
BOOK
VII.
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
niards, who feem born to.deftroy, and not
build, have not failed to adopt io marvellous
invention.
WE muft alfo confider as fabulous what hat
been written on the lignification ot'quippos. The!
were, fay the Spaniards, regiilers made of c
in which, by means of different knots anddiffe
enE colours, the Peruvians exprefied every thii
they wiflied. The remembrance of any e(Tenti
points of hiflory, manners, and ceremonies, w:
perpetuated by knots j and fmall firings, tied
the principal cords, recalled to their minds ciFCui
ftances of lefs importance. Thefe memoirs wei
depolited in the cuftody of ofiicers appointed
public authority, and an entire confidence w;
placed in their integrity. In reality, thefe fn
gular annals exhibited no regular narrative, ar
could oaly ferve for certain calculations, or fa
preferving the memory ot fome particular event.
THE Spaniards do not deferve more credit
v/hen- they tell us of thofe baths that were mi
of filver and gold, as well as the pipes that fu
plied them ; of thofe gardens full of trees, whc
flowers were of filver, and the fruit gold, and whei
the eye, being deceived, miftook art for nature;
thofe fields of maize, the fterns of which were
filver, and the ears of gold; of thofe balTo-relievc
in v/hich the herbs and plants were fo admfrabl
exhibited, that whoever iiiw was tempted to gath
them ; of thc>fe ckelTes covered over with grains
gold more delicate than the feed of pearl, and
workmanlhip of which tiie ableil artiils of Euro}
could not have equalled. We fnull not fay, d
the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
thefe works were not worthy to be preferred, be- D
caufe they never have been. If the Greek flatua-
ries in their compofitions had only employed pre-
cious metals, it is probable that few of the capital
productions of Greece would have reached us.
But, if we may judge of what hath periftied by
what ftill remains, we may be certain that the Peru-
vians had made no progrefs in the art of ddigning.
The vafes, which have efcaped the ravages of time,
will ferve as a fignal proof of the induftry of the
Indians to fupply their want of iron tools 3 but they
will never be confidered as monuments of their ge-
nius. Several figures of animals, and of infects,
in mailive gold, which were long preferved in the
treafury of Quito, were not more perfect. We
cannot any longer judge of them ; for they were
melted down in 1740, in order to furnifh fuccours
r or Carthagena, that was then befieged by the
Englifh j and there was not found in all Peru a
Spaniard curious enough to purchase a lingle piece
at the bare weight.
FROM what has been faid, it appears clearly,
that the Peruvians had made fcarce any advances
in the abftract fciences; they even wanted words
to exprefs moral or metaphyfical ideas. Moft of
the fciences depend on theprogrefs of the arts, and
thefe on accidents which do not occur naturally,
but in a courfe of feveral centuries, and of which
the greateft part never happen among people who
have no intercourfe with enlightened nations.
IF we reduce all thefe accounts to the fimple
truth, we fhall find that the Peruvians had arrived
at the art of fufmg gold and filver ; that they even
I i 2, poflciTcd
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
pofieffed the fecret, which is loft in Europe, of
giving copper a temper like to that we give to
fteel j but that, though they were acquainted
with iron, they had never arrived at the know-
ledge of forging that metal, which is the very
foundation of all arts. They never conceived the
idea of baking bricks or tiles, the materials of
which they had always at hand. They executed
however things lefs commodious and more diffi-
cult. The view of torrents, which they faw hol-
lowing out beds for themfelves in rocks, probably
gave them the idea of cutting ftones. With
hatchets of flint, and inceffant friction, they con-
trived to fquare them, to make them anfwer to
each other, to give them the fame height, and to
join them without cement. Unfortunately thefe
mftruments had not the fame effect on wood, as
they had upon ftone. Thus it happened that the
fame man who fhaped the granite, and who drilled
the emerald, never knew how to join timber by
mortifes, tenons, and pins; it was faftened to the
walls only by rufhes. The moft remarkable build-
ings had only a covering of ftraw, fupported by
poles, like the tents of our armies. They had I
only one floor, had no light but by the entrance, |
and it confifted only of detached apartments, that
had no communication with each other.
BUT whatever were the arts which the S
niards found in the country of the Incas, t
could not prevent the empire from fubmitting
its conquerors. A moment of refiitance Ion
and perhaps the Peruvians had been free,
conquerors had differences to fettle among th
fel
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
felves, which did not admit of a divifion of their
forces.
THE firfl intelligence of Pizarro's fuccefs had
D t oftheSps
no fooner been carried to Panama, but Almagro, niardsai-
his principal afibciate, fet out with the utmoft ex- C on '
pedition with new adventurers, to lhare the trea- p
fures, lands, and government of Peru. There
was in this claim an appearance of equity, which
the author of the difcovery was not difpofed to
admit. From that time jealoufy and hatred pre-
vailed among them. There were two chiefs, two
parties, and two armies ; and foon after, by
means of a forced accommodation, two govern-
ments.
FROM the collifion of thefe factions neceflarily
refulted difturbances of a new kind. Civil wars
commonly originate from tyranny and anarchy.
A power without limits, and a liberty without
reftraint, muft produce the fame confequences.
The magiftrate looks upon the people only as fo
many rebels to his authority j and the people in
their turn only regard him as an ufurper. Reafon
is not fufficiently powerful to regulate claims fo
repugnant to each other. The decifion of rights
is referred to the fword; and he who is victorious
is found to have the beft caufe.
THOUGH the interefts which divided the Spa-
niards in Peru were not of fuch importance, yet
they were attended with the fame if not greater
excefles. Almagro and his adherents had paded
the fea for no other purpofe than to enrich them-
felves with the gold of the country. They had ac-
quired leis than their opponents, and therefore
I i 3 wanted
486 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
"
B ^j K wanted to wreft it from them by the fword. Whe-
. ^ i ther Pizarro thought his prefence neceffary elfe-
where, or whether, as he himfelf laid, he felt a
reluctance to fight againft his old friend, he com-
mitted to his brother Fernando the charge of
conquering him -, and his hopes were not difap-
pointed. Almagro was beaten, and made prifo-
ner, on the banks of the Apurimac, on the 6th of]
April 1538. The conqueror, who had private
revenge to gratify, judged that the author of thefe
airlurbances ought not to live. This great facri-t
lice he offered up, for the fake, as he faid, of the
public tranquillity.
THE pardfans of Almagro, being difperfed by
the death of their chief, conclu&ed thernfelves,
with great prudence and circumfpeclion. The
abfence cf Fernando, who was gone to Europe,
either to fqlicit a reward, or to juilify his feverity,
according . to the ciifpofitions he fhould find pre-
dominant at the court .of Madrid, appeared to
have extinguished 1 in their bofom all refentment
They feemed to fludy nothing but how to obtain
the good-rVvdll of the perfon who had it in his
power to difpenfe favours to all. By means ol
the confidence which they had the happinefs tc
infpire, they lived without moleflation, infenfibly
drew nearer to each other, and found a chief tc
head their united forces in. the fon of a man whofe
lofs they had never ceafed to deplore. The deatj-
of Francis Pizarro was foiemnly and unanimoiiflj
decreed among them.
ON the day fixed, which was in the month q]
June 1541, the coni])irators at mid-day croflec
IN THE EAST AND WY.o T INDIES,
the ftreets of Lima. They had preferred the light
of day to the obfcurity of the night, in order
by that means to prepoflefs the multitude in fa-
vour of the juilice of their projects, or the juft-
nefs of their meafures, and' to prevent even an
idea of an attempt to frustrate them. Their ftra-
tagem fucceeded : no one gave the alarm ; and
the conqueror of fo many vaft kingdoms was
quietly maffacred in the center of a town that he
had founded, and whofe inhabitants were com-
pofed of his creatures, his fervants, his relations,
his friends, or his foldiers. Thofe whom they
judged mod likely to reveoge his death, were
murdered after him : their fury fpread itfelf, and
every one who dared to fhcw himfelf in the ftreets
and in the fquares was regarded as an enemy,
and put to the fword. Inftantly the houfes and
temples were filled with flaughter, and prefent-
ed nothing but mangled carcafes. "Thefpiritof
avarice, which induced them to confider .the rich
merely as partifans of the old government, .was
ftill more furious than that of hatred, and be-
came more active, more fufpicious, and more
implacable. The representation of a place carried
by aflault by a barbarous nation would commu-
nicate but an imperfect idea of that fpechicle of
horror which thefe ruffians now exhibited, who
wreftedfrom their accomplices the booty of which
they had difappointed them.
THIS cruel malfocrewas followed by enormities
of another kind. The foul of young Almagro
fcerns to have been formed for tyranny. Every
pnc who had been in employment under the ad-r
I i 4 verfary
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
Ver ^ ar 7 f hi s ^mily was inhumanly profcril
The ancient rnagiftrates were depofed. The troops
were put under the command of new officers.
The royal treafury, and the wealth of thofe wl
perifhed or were abfent, were feized upon by th<
ufurper. His accomplices, attached to his fortune
by being partakers of his crimes, were forced t(
give their fupport to undertakings which fill<
them with horror. Thofe among them who fui
fered their uneafmefs at thele proceedings
tranfpire, were either put to death in private
or perifhed on a fcaffold. During the confuiion,
in which a revolution fo unexpected had plunge
Peru, feveral provinces fubmitted to this mon-
fter, who caufed himielf to be proclaimed gover-
nor in the capital : and he marched into the heai
of the empire, to complete the reduction of ever
place that oppofed, or hefitated to acknowledge
him.
A MULTITUDE of ruffians joined him on
march. His army breathed nothing but vengeanc
and plunder : every thing gave way before it.
the military talents of the general had equalle
the ardour of his troops, the war had ended hei
Unhappily for Almagro, he had loft his condue
tor, John de Herrada. His inexperience mi
him fall into the fnares that were laid for him
Pedro Alvares, who had put himfelf at the ha
of the oppofite party, fie loft, in attempting
unravel his plots, that time that he ought to ha
employed in fighting. In thefe circumftances,
event, which no one could have forefeen, happei
ed to change the face of affairs.
TH]
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
THE licentiate Vaca di Caftro, who had been
fent from Europe to try tl>e murderers of old Al-
magro, arrived at Peru. As he was appointed to
aflume the government in cafe Pizarro was no
more, all who had not fold themfelves to the ty-
rant haftened to acknowledge him. Uncertainty
and jealoufy, which had for too long a time kept
them difperfed, were no longer an obflacle to
their re-union. Caftro, who was as refolute as if
he had grown old in the fervice, did not fuffer
their impatience to languilh, but inftantly led
them againft the enemy. The two armies en-
gaged at Chapas on the i6th of September 1542,
and fought with inexpreflible obflinacy. Victory,
after having wavered a long time, at the clofe of
the day decided in favour of that party whofe
caufe was the moft juft. Thofe among the rebels
who were moft guilty, dreading to languilh under
difgraceful tortures, provoked the conquerors to
murder them, crying out, like men in defpair, If
was I who killed Pizarro. Their chief was taken
prifoner, and died on the fcaffold.
WHILE thefe fcenes of horror were tranfacting in
America, the Spaniards in Europe were employed
in finding out expedients to terminate them;
though no meafures had been taken to prevent
them. Peru had only been made fubjecr. to the au~
dience of Panama, which was too remote tofuper-
intend the maintenance of good order, and had too
little influence .to make its decrees refpected. A
fupreme tribunal was then eftablifhed at Lima for
the difpenfation of juftice, which was to be invefted
with authority fufficient to enforce and to reward
a due
49 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o o K a due obedience to the laws. Blafco Nunez Veh
'.. who prefided in it as viceroy, arrived in
attended by his fubordinates in office, and fouj
every thing in the moft dreadful diforder.
WE muft judge of thofe revolutions which ai
produced by civil wars by the caufes from whicl
they fpring. When an abhorrence of tyranny
and the natural love of liberty ftimukte a brave
people to take up arms, if the goodnefs of then
caufe is crowned with fuccefs, the tranquillity the
follows this tranfitory calamity is an rera of tl
greateft happinefs. The vigour, which hath bt
excited in the foul of every individual, rnanifel
itfelf in his manners. The frnall number of citi-
zens who have been witnefTes and instruments
fuch troubles, pofTefs more moral Strength than tl
moit populous nations. Juflice and power
united : and every man is aftonifhed to find th;
he occupies that very place which nature h;
marked out for him. But when civil wars procec
from a corrupt fou-rce ; when flaves fight aboi
the choice of a tyrant ; when the ambitious contej
in order to oppreis, and robbers quarrel for th<
fake of fpoil ; the p-.ra.ce wliich terminates thei
horrors is Scarcely preferable to the war whicl
gave them birth. Criminals alfume the place
thofe judges who difgraced theirs, and become tl
oracles of thofe laws which they have infultc
Men ruined by their extravagancies and debai
cheries infulr, with an overbearing pomp, thoi
virtuous citizens whole patrimony thcv have ii
ed . In this (late of uttsr confufion, the paiTior
to. Avarice fcfks to grow ricf
without
IN THE EAST AND VvEST INDIES. 491
without any trouble, vengeance to gratify its re- B ^ K
fcntments without fear, licentioufnefs to thrcrvv off ' ~v -J
every reftraint, and difcontent to occafion a total
"ubverfion of affairs. The phrenzy of carnage is
r ucceeded by that of debauchery. The facred
3cd of innocence or of marriage is polluted with
:>lood, adultery, and brutal violence. The fury
of the multitude rejoices in deftroying every thing
t cannot enjoy; and thus in a few hours perifh
the monuments of many centuries.
IF fatigue, an entire lafiitude, or fome lucky
accidents, fufpend thefe calamities, the habit of
wickednefs, murder, and contempt of laws, which
ncccflarily fubfifts after fo much confufion, is a
leaven ever ready to ferment. Generals who no
longer have any command, licentious foldiers
without pay, and the people fond of novelty in
hopes of changing their ftate for a better ; this
fituation of things, and thefe means of confufion,
are always in readinefs for the firft factions perfon
who. knows how to avail himfelf of them.
SUCH was the difpofition of the Spaniards in.
Peru, when Nunez appeared among them. It
was neceffary that a change fhould take place, that
their ferocity fhould be foftenecl, that the men who
had always lived in independence fhould be curb-
ed, that infatiable avarice fhould be checked, that
injuitice itjelf Iliould be brought back to principles
of equity, that thofe who had attended to nothing
but their own private interests fhould be brought
to concur to the public good, that adventurers
who had even forgotten the name of their country
fhculd be converted into citizens, that property
fl;ould
LI A
:
nt
49 z HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B vn K fo uld be eftablifhed where before the law offeree
\-~t-~i had only been obeyed, that order fhould arife
from the midfl of confufion, in a word, that
monfters fliould be transformed into men.
So great a work would have required a pro-
found genius, a conciliatory temper, an inflexible
patience, extenfive views, a pliant character, and
many other qualities which are feldom united.
Nunez had none of thefe advantages. Nature had
only given him probity, firmnef s, and ardour , and
he had taken no pains to improve thefe gifts. With
thefe virtues, which were almoft defe6bs in his fitu
ation, he began to fulfil his commiiTion, witho
regard to places, perfons, or circumftances.
CONTRARY to the opinion of all intelligen
perfons, who wifhed that he fhould wait for frefh
inftructions from Europe, he publifhed ordinances,
which declared that the lands the conquerors had
feized fhould not pafs to their defcendants, and
which difpoffeiTed thofe who had taken part in
the civil commotions. All the Peruvians who had
been enflaved by monks, bifhops, and perfons
belonging to the government, were declared free.
Thofe who belonged to other mafters were to
be freed from their fhackles at the death of their
oppreflbrs. They could no longer be compelled
to bury themfelves in the mines, nor could any
kind of labour be exacted from them withou
payment. Their tribute was fixed. The Spa
niards who travelled on foot were deprived o
the right of taking three Indians to carry thei
baggage j and thofe who travelled on horfeback
of the right of taking five. The caciques wer<
difchargec
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES,
difcharged from the obligation of furnifhing the B
traveller and his retinue with provifions gratis.
Other tyrannical eftablifliments alfo would foon
have been profcribed ; and the conquered people
were on the eve of being flickered under the pro-
tection of laws, which would at leaft have tem-
pered the rigours of the right of conqueft, if even
they had not entirely repaired the injuftice of
them i but it fliould feem that the Spanifh go-
vernment was only to be unfortunate in the good
it attempted to effect.
A CHANGE fo unexpected filled thofe with con-
fternation who faw their fortunes wrefted from
them, or who loft the flattering hope of tranfmit-
ting theirs to their pofterity. .Even thofe who
were not affected by thefe interefted views, being
accuftomed to look upon the Indians as the inftru-
ments and victims of their avarice, had no concep-
tion that any other ideas could prevail concerning
them. From aftonifhment they proceeded to in-
dignation, murmuring, andfedition. The viceroy
was degraded, put in irons, and banifhed to a
defert ifland, till he could be conveyed to Spain.
GONZALES PIZARRO was then returned from a
hazardous expedition, which had carried him as
far as the river of the Amazons, and had em-
ployed him long enough to prevent him from
taking a part in thofe revolutions which had fo
rapidly fucceeded each other. The anarchy he
found prevailing at his return, infpired him with
the idea of feizing the fupreme authority. His
fame and his forces made it impoflible that this
Ihould be refufed him; but his ufurpation was
marked
494
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
Q. K marked with fo many enormities, that Nunez wi
-'.> regretted. He was recalled from exile, and fo
collected a fuficient number of forces to enat
him to take the field. Civil commotions wei
then renewed with extreme fury by both parti<
No quarter was afked or given on either fie
The Indians took part in this, as they had doi
in the preceding wars , forne ranged themfeh
under the Itandard of the viceroy, others undc
the banners of Gonzales. From fifteen to twent
thoufand of thefe unhappy wretches, who wei
fcattered about in each army, dragged up tl
artillery, levelled the roads, carried the bagga<
and deftroyed one /.nether. Their conquerors hi
taught them to be fanguinary. After a variety
. advantages for a long time alternately obtainec
fortune at length favoured the rebellion under th<
walls of Quito in the month of January, in the
year 1545. Nunez and the greateft part of hi;
men were maffacred on this dreadful day.
PiZARRO.took the road of Lima, where th
were deliberating on the ceremonies with whic
they fliould receive him. Some officers wifh<
that a canopy fhould be carried for him to marc
under, after the manner of kings. Others, wil
adulation flill more extravagant, pretended tl
part of the walls of the towj), and even fc
houfes, muft be pulled down ; as was the cuft(
at Rome, when a general obtained the hor.oi
of a triumph. Gonzales contented himfelf wi
making his entrance on horfeback, preceded bj
his lieutenant, who marched on foot. Four bi-
ihops accompanied him, and lie was followed by
the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 495
the magiftrates. The ftreets were ftrewn with BOOK
flowers, and the air relbunded with the noife of ' ^ '
bells and various mufical inftruments. This ho-
mage totally turned the head of a man naturally
haughty, and of confined ideas. He fpoke and
acted in the moil defpotic manner.
HAD Gonzales pofTefled judgment and the ap-
pearance of moderation, it would have been pof-
fible for him to render himfelf independent. The
principal perfons of his party wiflied it. The ma-
jority would have beheld this event with indiffe-
rence, and the reft would have been obliged to
confent to it. Blind cruelties, infatiable avarice,
and unbounded pride, altered thefe difpofitions.
Even thofe, whole interefts were more connected
with thofe of the tyrant, wiflied for a deliverer.
SUCH a deliverer arrived from Europe in the
perfon of the licentiate Pedro de la Gafca. The
fquadron and the provinces of the mountains im-
mediately declared for a perfon who was inverted
with a lawful authority to govern them. Thofe
who lived concealed in deferts, caverns, and forefts,
quitted their retreats to join him. Gonzales, who
faw no refource left to iupport him but in fome
great atchievement, took the road of Cufco, with
a refolution to give battle. At fome leagues dif-
tance from this place he met the royal army, and
attacked it on the 9th of June, 1548. One of
his lieutenants, feeing him abandoned at the firit
.charge by his beft foldiers, advifed him to throw
himfelf into the enemy's battalions, and perifh
like a Roman : but this weak man chofe rather
tg lurrender, and end his life on a fcaffold. Car-
vajal,
t
-uel
496 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK vajal, a more able warrior, and more ferocious
s y than himfelf, was quartered. This madman, when
he was expiring, boafted that he had mafiacred
with his own hand fourteen hundred Spaniards,
and twenty thoufand Indians.
SUCH was the laft fcene of a tragedy, of which
every act has been marked with blood. The go-
vernment was moderate enough not to continue
the profcriptions ; and the remembrance of the
horrid calamities they had fuffered kept the Spa-
niards in the bounds of fubjecliion. What ftill re-
mained of that commotion that had been raifed in
their minds infenfibly fank into a calm, like the agi
tation of waves after a long and furious tempe
WITH regard to the Peruvians, the moft crue
meafures were taken to render it impoffible for
them to rebel. Tupac Amaru, the heir of their
laft king, had taken refuge in fome remote moun-
tains, where he lived in peace. There he was fo
clofely furrounded by the troops which had been
fent out againft him, that he was forced to fur-
render. The viceroy Francis de Toledo caufed
him to be accufed of feveral crimes that he had
not committed, and for which he was beheaded
in 1571. All the other defcendants of the Incas
fhared the fame fate, under pretence that they had
confpired againft their conquerors. The horror of
thefe enormities excited fo univerfal an indignation
both in the Old and New world, that Philip II.
thought himfelf obliged to difavow them ; but
the infamous policy of this prince was fo noto-
rious, that no credit was given to this appearance
of his juftice and humanity.
2 FROM
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
FROM this execrable period, there hath only B
been one trifling infurrection in Peru. An Indian,
of the province of Xauxa, who declared himfelf
of the blood of the Incas, was proclaimed king
in 1742. His countrymen, who flattered them-
felves that they ihould loon recover their religion,
their laws, their lands, and their glory, flacked
in crowds to his ftandard : but they were beaten
and difperfed, after having made a confiderable
progrefs. The prifoners declared that this con-
fpiracy had been brooding for thirty years. A fm-
gular example in hiftory, and which may be re-
garded as the mod authentic proof of the hatred
of the Peruvians againft the Spaniards.
THE empire of Peru, at the time it was fub-
dued, extended along the South Sea, from the
river of Emeralds 'to Chili, and on the land fide
to Popayan, according to fome geographers. It
contained within its extent that famous chain
of mountains which rifes in the Terra Magel-
lanica, and is gradually loft in Mexico, in order
to unite, as it fhould feem, the fouthern parts of
America with the northern. Its territory, which is
very irregular, may be divided into three clafTes.
THE principal Cordeleras form the firft : the
fummits of thefe, fays M. de la Condamine, are
loft in the clouds, and almoft all of them are
covered with enormous mafles of fnow as old as
the world. From feveral of thefe fummits, which
have in part tumbled down, and from thefe im-
menfe heaps of fnow, torrents of fmoke and flame
iffue. Such are the fummits of Colopaxi, Ton-
gourargua, and Sangai. The greateft part of the
VOL. II. Kk reft
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
reft have formerly been volcanos, or will proba-
bly one day become fuch. Hiftory has only pre-
ferved to us the nsra of their eruptions fmce the
difcovery of America; but the pumice-ftones,
the calcined earths with which they are ftrewn,
and' the evident veftiges that the flame hath left,
are authentic teftimonies of the reality of former
eruptions : their height is prodigious.
CAYAMBOUR, which is fituated direftly under
the equator, and Antifona, which is only five
leagues diflant from it to the fouth, are more
than three thoufand toifes high, reckoning from
the level of the fea ; and Chimboraco, which is
near 3220 toifes high, furpafies by one third the
altitude of the Peak of Teneriffe, the higheft
mountain of the old hemifphere. Pitchincha and
Caracon, where the French Academicians made
mofl of their obfervations with regard to the
figure of the earth, have only 2430 and 2470
toifes of abfolute height ; and this is the higheft
mountain that was ever afcended. Eternal fnows
have hitherto rendered fummits of greater altitude
inaccefiible.
FROM this boundary, which is where the fnow
never melts, not even in the torrid zone, one
hardly fees, in defcending an hundred or an hun-
dred and fifty toifes down, any thing except naked
rocks or dry fands : a little lower, one may per-
ceive fomemafs that covers the rocks, various kinds
of heath, which, though green and damp, make
a clear fire ; round hillocks of fpungy earth, on
which grow fmall radiated and (tarry plants, whofe
petals are like the leaves of yew. Throughout
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
ithe whole of this fpace, the fnow is only tempo- B
jrary ; but it continues fometimes whole weeks and
i months. Lower ftill, the ground is commonly
I covered with a fort of loofe grafs, which rifes
a foot and a half high, or two feet. This fpe-
cies of hay is the proper characleriftic that dif-
tinguifh.es the mountains which the Spaniards call
Paramos. They only give this name to heath,
or fuch uncultivated ground that is too high for
wood to grow on it, or where the rain feldom
falls otherwife than in the form of fnow, though
it immediately melts. And, laftly, in defcending
ftill lower, to the height of about two thoufand
toifes above the level of the fea, one fees it fome-
times fnow and fometimes rain.
WHEN we come down from thefe mountains,
we find others that are lefs considerable, which
occupy the middle of Peru. The fummit of thefe
is commonly cold, barren, and full of mines.
The vallies between them are covered with nu-
merous flocks, and feem to offer to agriculture
the mod copious harvefts. There are feldom
above two months of winter here ; and in the
greateft heat we need only pafs out of the fun
into the (hade, to enjoy the temperate zone. This
rapid alternative of fenfation is not, however,
invariable in a climate, which, by the difpofition
alone of the ground, often changes in the courfe
of a league. But let it be as it will, it is always
found healthy. There is no malady peculiar to
thefe countries, and thofe of our climate feldom
prevail there. An European veflel, however, in
1719, brought thither an epidemic diforder, which
K k 2 carried
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
carried off a great number of Spaniards and
Mcftees, and above two hundred thoufand Indians.
A more fatal prefent ftill, which thefe people have
received in exchange for their gold, is the fmz
pox. It fhewed itfelf here for the firft time
1588, and has not failed fmce to make at int(
vals inexpreffible ravages.
THE people are not lefs expofed to this fat
diilemper .on the coafts known by the name
valleys. Their temperature is not the fame
is cliewhere found in the fame latitude. ' It is
very agreeable ; and, though the four feafons of
the year are fenfibly felt here, there is none that
can with propriety be deemed inconvenient. The
winter is the moft ftrongly marked. This has
been accounted for by the winds of the fouth
pole, which bring along with them the impreffion
of thofe fnows and that ice from which they-
firft came : but this they preferve only in part,
becaufe they blow while a thick fog lies upon the
earth. In reality, thefe grofs vapours never re-
gularly rife but towards noon -, but it is feldom
that they difperfe. The fky commonly continues
ib much covered with them, that the rays of
the fun, which fometimes appear, cannot but in
a very flight manner mitigate the cold.
WHATEVER may be the caufe of fo regular a
winter under the torrid zone, it is certain that
thefe valleys, which are covered with heaps of fand,
are abfolutely barren for a fpace of more than an
hundred leagues, from Truxillo to Lima. The
reft of the coaft is lefs Tandy, but it is ftill too
much ib to be fruitful. No fields are there found
thai
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 501
that can be ftyled fertile, except in fuch lands as, B 9^ F
are watered by the ftreams which defcend from the v. .~^>
mountains.
RAIN might contribute to impart to the foil
the fertility of which it is deftitute ; but it is never
known to rain in lower Peru. Natural philofophy
has exerted .its efforts to difcover the caufe of
a phenomenon fo extraordinary. May it not be
attributed to the fouth-weft wind, which prevails
there the greateft part of the year j and to the pro-
digious height of the mountains, whofe f LI mm it is
covered with eternal ice ? The country fituated
between both, being continually cooled on one
iide, and continually heated on the other, main-
tains fb equal' a temperature, that the clouds which
rife can never be condenied fo far as to be re-
folved into water. To this it is owing that the
houfes, though only built of crude brick or of earth
mixed with a little grafs, are of eternal duration.
Their covering is only a fimple matting, placed
horizontally, with a layer of allies an inch deep
above, to abforb the moifture of the fog.
THE fame reafons that prevent its raining in
the valleys, undoubtedly alfo hinder florms. Thofe
of their inhabitants who never travelled in the
mountains, are perfect ftrangers to thunder and
lightning,. Their terror is equal to their aflonilh-
ment, when, out of their country, they nrfr. behold
fo uncommon a fpectacle.
BUT they have a phenomenon much more
dangerous and dreadful, and which, in its confe-
quences, leaves much deeper imprefllons in the
human imagination than thunder and the ravages
K k 3 that
.ADE
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
K t ^ iat accom P a ny it. Earthquakes, which in other
countries are fo rare that whole generations pafs
without beholding one, are fo common in the
valleys of Peru, that they have there contracted
an habit of reckoning them as a ieries of dates ;
and they are fo much the more memorable, as their
frequent return does not diminifh their violence.
There are few places on this extenfive coaft whi<
prefent not mofl dreadful monuments of tl
horrible convulfions of the earth.
THIS phenomenon, which is ever irregular
its fudden returns, is however announced by very
perceptible omens. When the Ihock is con-
fiderable, it is preceded by a murmur in the air,
the noife of which is like that of heavy rain falling
from a cloud that fuddenly burfts and difcharges
its waters. This noife feems to be the effect of a
vibration of the air, which is agitated in different
directions. The birds are then obferved to dart
in their flight. Neither their tails nor their wings
ferve them any longer as oars and helm to fwim
in the fluid of the fkies. They dafh themfelves in
pieces againft the walls, the trees, and the rocks,
whether it be that this -vertigo of nature dazzles
and confufes them, or that the vapours of the
earth take away their ftrength and power to com'
mand their movements.
To this tumult in the air is added the rumblii
of the earth, whofe cavities and deep receffes
echo each other's noifes. The dogs anfwer th
previous tokens of a general diforder of nature
howling in an extraordinary manner. The anii
{top, and by a natural inftinct fpread out their le<
that
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
that they may not fall. Upon thefe indications,
the inhabitants inftantly run out of their houfes,
with terror imprefled on their countenances, and
fly to fearch in the enclofures of public places, or
in the fields, an afylum from the fall of their roofs.
The cries of children, the lamentations of women,
the fudden darknefs of an unexpected night; every
thing combines to aggravate the too real evils of
a dire calamity, which fubverts every thing, by the
excruciating tortures of the imagination, which is
diftrefTed and confounded, and lofes in the con-
templation of this diforder the thought and cou-
rage to remedy it.
A LAND, however, fo unfteady on its bafis, was
inhabited. Amidft thefe horrors of nature, which
might feem calculated to make tyrants and flaves
equally ferocious and brutal, was formed a flourifh-
ing empire. Its population cannot reafonably be
called in queftion, when we behold felf-evident
proofs that this happy people had covered with
their colonies all the provinces that they had con-
quered ; when we attend to the aftonifhing num-
ber of men engaged in the fervice of government,
and deriving their fubfiftence from the ftate. Such
a number of perfons employed necefTarily imply
an immenfe population, in order to maintain with
the productions of the earth a very numerous clafs
of inhabitants, who are not themfelves concerned
in cultivation.
BY what fatality, then, hath it happened that
Peru is now fuch a defert ? By tracing things to
their origin, we find that thofe who conquered the
coaft of the South Sea, being ruffians, without
K k 4 birth,
504 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B ^i? K birth, education, and principle, originally com-
^ ^ ' minted greater enormities than the conquerors of
New Spain. The mother-country was a longer
time before fhe checked tlieir ferocity, which was
continually fomented by thofe long and cruel civil
wars that fucceeded the conqueft. A fyflem of
opprefllon was afterwards eftablifhed, the progrefs
of which it is proper to examine, with whatever
horror it may infpire us.
TO what THE Peruvians were at nrft deprived of their
the d spa- n poffeffions, as the Mexicans had been. Only a
"e'uc'ed the P art ^ tno ^ e l anc ^ s > which, in the times of the
Peruvians. Incas, had been confecrated to public occafions,
were left to them in common. This portion hath
been gradually diminifhed by the ufurpations of
powerful people, and efpecially by the monks.
The produce of the lands that remain for the
maintenance of the infirm, the aged, the widows,
and orphans, is not more refpected ; the greater!:
part of it is collected in the granaries of their
oppreflbrs.
THE liberty of the Indians underwent the fame
fate as their property. Thofe who were the flaves
of government, and were employed in the labours
indirpenfably necefTaryfor new eflablifhments, were
ill-fed and ill-clothed. When there was no longer
any occupation for them, they were transferred to
private perfons, whofe fiefs ftood in need of hands
to cultivate them. In truth, thefe new mailers
were obliged to retain them in their fervice only
fix months, after which they might return to their
cottages ; but avarice foon found means to render
a tranfient fervitude perpetual. The wages regu-
lated
I
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 505
lated for thefe unhappy wretches were infufficient. B v K
They were tempted by advance money, which their v -V J
necefiity led them to accept. From that time the
greateft part of them found themfelves engaged
for life ; becaufe they had no right of going away
till they had paid the debts which they contracted,
which their poverty rendered it impofiible for them
ever to do. Tyranny was carried to great lengths
againft this fpecies of infolvent debtors, who had
a family; for they put them in prifon. In order
to obtain their enlargement, their wives and their
children were fecurity for them, and thefe became
as many new (laves. Thus it was that the yoke
of flavery was perpetuated. The fole confidera-
tion that could have ferved as a check to this
barbarity was, that, while the Spaniards had thefe
Indians, they could not have other (laves; but it
was always of fingular utility, to keep men whom
they had formed for every purpofe they wanted
them; efpecially manufacturers, whom it would
always be difficult, often impoffible, to replace.
WHILE molt of the Peruvians belonging to the
crown fell in this manner into a ftate of fervitude,
thofe who had been reduced into fubjection at the
time of the conqueft were ftill more wretched.
Though the mafter of the diftrict where they dwelt
had no right to exact of them any thing except a
tribute, which he fhared with the treafury, he ap-
propriated to himfelf all their labour. Opprefiion
was carried to fuch lengths, that it roufed the at-
tention of the government. It hath gradually
fuppreffed all this defpotifm of individuls, and
there was nothing of it remaining in 1750. The
Indians,
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
Indians, however, who feemed to be reftored to
liberty by this new arrangement, have only chang-
ed the yoke. They have been deftined to fill up
the vacancy of the Mitayos, or royal Indians, who
perilhed in the fervice of thofe to whom they were
configned ; and their condition is as wretched as
it was before.
INDEPENDENT of this methodical and legal op-
preffion, which is exercifed upon the whole nation,
there are a number of particular cruelties, at which
humanity no lefs recoils. It is exprefsly prohibited
by law, that the Peruvians fhould be obliged to
work in the fubterraneous mines ; and yet there is
no miner, who by his influence or by his profufion
cannot compel them to it. Thefe unhappy beings
are condemned to pay 26 livres 5 fous * of a poll
tax, from eighteen years of age to fifty, throughout
the greateft part of Peru : the farmers exact this
enormous tribute beyond the term fettled, and
even exadl it twice a year, when the acquittances
have been miflayed. Every proprietor of land,
who hath killed an Indian by overworking him,
or letting him want neceffaries, is obliged to lofe
another (lave out of the number he is allowed to
keepj and there are not, perhaps, two inilances
even of this flight punifhment for a crime which
is repeated every day. The law obliges all the
inhabitants of a village to be enrolled, in order to
fulfil in their turn the obligation impofed on the
community; this deftination is never fulfilled, un-
lefs by thofe who are incapable of redeeming them-
felves from the oppreflion. When a Spaniard hath
* About 1 1. 35,
ceded
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 507
ceded a portion of land to a Peruvian, in order to. B 9^ K
fix him on his eftate, he has no right to deprive * w '
him of it till the claufes of the contract have been
declared by law to be violated : the perfons in
power defpife thefe forms, and refume their pofief-
fions whenever thir interefts or caprices prompt
them to it. Travellers, who are obliged to take
nothing but by mutual confent, boldly feize every
thing that they find in the huts. This continual
pillage prevents the Indians from having any thing,
even common necefTaries. They fow no maize,
but what is abfolutely necelTary for them, and
they conceal it in fecret caverns. The heads of a
family pofiefs alone the fecret of this depofit, and
go every eight days there to fetch provifions for
the week. In fine, the corregidors have for the
moil part appropriated to themfelves the exclufive
right of felling to the Indians of their diftrict the
merchandife of Europe j and they either make
them pay an exorbitant price for it, or oblige
them to purchafe what they do not want.
IF the court of Madrid pretends that it has pre-
vented thefe flagrant enormities, by. giving the
Peruvians a Spanifh protector, who is obliged to
defend them, and a cacique of the country, who
is charged with the management of their affairs,
it is deceived. The protector annually receives
from each of them 13 fous*, and the cacique fix
fous and a half f, in his particular jurifdiction :
and this is the only reformation that has been
made. The protector fells the Indians to any that
* About 7 pence. f About 3 pence halfpenny.
will
5 o HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B vi? K w *^ P urc ^ a ^ e t ^ 1em > anc ' t ' ie cacique is too much
c.. . v ..,,,j debafed to be able to oppofe this oppreflion.
1 * RELIGION has not more power than the laws;
it has ftill lefs. The clergy are the greateft ene-
mies the Peruvians have. They make them work
without paying them; and beat them unmercifully
for the moft trifling caufes. When any of thefe
unhappy wretches hath not obferved his inftruc-
tions, he is directly punifhed ; and blov/s are the
paternal correction which thefe paftors inflict.
No one prefumes to approach them without fome
prefent. They have permitted their parifhioners
to continue fuch of their ancient fuperftitipns as are
tifeful to the church ; as for inftance, the cuflom
of carrying a great deal of provifions to the tombs
of the dead. The clergy fix an arbitrary price
upon their functions, and they have always fome
pious inventions which give them occafion to exact
new duties. The collections of the monks are real
military executions. They are a ipecies of plunder
committed by authority, and almoft always ac-
companied with violence/ This conduct could not
fail to render chriftianity odious to the Indians.
Thefe people go to church as they do to the labours
impofed upon them, execrating thofe foreign bar-
. barians who overwhelm both their bodies and their
fouls with intolerable yokes and burdens.
THEY have in general preferved the religion of
their anceftors ; and even in the great towns, where
they are under the eyes of their tyrants, they
have folemn days on whicn they aflume their an~
cient drefs, and carry along the ftreets the images
of
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 509
of the fun and moon. Some among them repre- BOOK.
fent a tragedy, the fubject of which is the death ^l^j
of Atabalipa. The audience, who begin with
fhedcling tears, are afterwards tranfported into a
kind of madnefs. It feldom happens in thefe fefli-
vals, but that fome Spaniard is flain. One day,
perhaps, this tragedy will end in the maflacre of
the whole race of the murderers of Atabalipa;
and the priefts who facrificed him will, in their
turn, become victims for all the blood which they
caufed to be Ihed on the altar of a God of peace.
THE Peruvians are moreover an inftance of that
profound flupidity, into which it is in the power
of tyranny to plunge men. They are fallen into a
liftlefs anduniverfal indifference. Can it be pof-
fible that thefe people fhould have any kind of at-
tachment, whole religion once elevated the foul,
and from whom the moft abject flavery has taken
away every fentiment of greatnefs and glory ? The
riches, which their country hath offered them, do
not tempt them ; luxury, to which nature invites
them, has no attraction for them. They are even
infenfible to honours. They are whatever one
pleafes, without any ill humour, or choice, caciques
or mitayos, the objects of diftinction or of public
derifion. They have loft all their paffions. That
of fear itfelf has often no effect on them, through
the little attachment they have to life. They in-
toxicate themfelves, and dance j thefe are all the
pleafures they have, when they are able to forget
their mifery. Indolence is their predominant habit.
/ am not hungry , they fay to the perfon who would
pay them for their labour.
SUCH
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
SUCH is the condition of almoft all nations that
have no property. In hot countries, where one
may live at a fmall expence, where the earth gives
much, and requires little, every man, who can
but fubfift without ever being in poffefiion of any
property, pafles his life in eafe and beggary ; and
neither labours for the morrow, nor for poflerity.
The univerfal fault of bad governments, and they
are almoft all fo, is in the legiflative code with re-
gard to the article of property. It fhould either be
faid that none ought to be admitted, or the moft
exact equilibrium that is pofiible ought to be
maintained in this focial balance. But of all legi-
flations, the moft deftructive, and the leaft perma-
nent, is that of a nation compoled of rich and in-
dolent proprietors, and (laves that are poor and
overburdened. It foon becomes only one general
fyftem of,idlenefs, cruelties, gibbets, and tor-
tures, on one fide; hatred, poifon, and inftir-
reftion on the other ; the ruin and deftrucliion of
both ; the perdition and diflblution of fociety.
THE empire of Peru was reduced to fuch a ftate
of depopulation as rendered it neceffary that it
fhould be fupplied by the purchafe of a foreign
race ; but this mode of raifmg fupplies, which
was dictated by the refinement of European bar-
barity, was more prejudicial to Africa than ufeful
to the country of the Incas. The Spaniards do
not derive from it all the advantages with which
they had flattered themfelves. The government
hath thought proper to throw obftacles in its way,
by monopolies and taxes, which it ever impofes on
vices as well as on virtues, on induftry and idle-
3 nefs,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 511
nefs, on good and bad projects, on the right of B VJ K
exercifing oppreflions, and the permifiion of being <_ v~ '
exempted from themj on the power of putting the
laws in execution, and the privilege of infringing
or eluding them. Independent of thefe excefiive
duties laid on the introduction of negroes into
Peru, it was necefiary to receive them from an
exclufive charter, and from foreign hands to im-
port them acrofs immenfe feas and unwholefome
climates, and to undergo the expence of feveral
embarkations. Neceflity, ftronger than thefe ob-
ftacles, has however multiplied this fpecies of men
more at Peru than at Mexico. There is alfo a
much greater number of Spaniards there, for the
following reafons.
AT the time when the firft conquefts were made, To what
when emigrations were moft frequent, the country sJSriJd?
of the Incas had a much greater reputation for J;J*f e J l jJ"
riches than New Spain; and, in reality, for a long ^; e afl(J
time much more confiderable trealures were how, they
brought away from it. The defire of partaking their fet-
of them muft neceflarily draw thither, as was
really the cafe, a greater number of Caflilians.
Thoueh they all almoft went over there with the
5 - J . , . . induftrjr,
hope of returning to their country to enjoy the they have
r 1*1 f introduced
fortune they might acquire, yet the majority of into the
them fettled in the colony. They were induced empirc *
to this by the ibftnefs of the climate, the falubrity
of the air, and the goodnefs of the provifions.
Mexico prefented not the fame advantages, and
did not give them reafon to expect fo much inde-
pendence as a land infinitely more remote from
the mother-country.
Cusco
5 i2 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK Cusco attracted the conquerors in multitudes.
c -, _< They found this capital built on a ground that was
very irregular, and divided into as many quarters
as there were provinces in the empire. Each of
the inhabitants might follow the ufages of his na-
tive country; but every body was obliged to con-
form to the worlhip eftablifhed by the founder of
the monarchy. There was no edifice that had
any grandeur, elegance, or convenience j be-
caufe the people were ignorant of the firft ele-
ments of architecture. The magnificence of what
they called the palace of the fovereign, of
the princes of the blood, and of the great
men of his empire, confuted in the profufion
of the metals that were lavifhed in decorating
them. The Temple of the Sun was difnnguifhed
above all other edifices ; its walls were incruiled
or fheathed with gold and filver, ornamented with
divers figures, and loaded with the idols of all
the nations whom the Incas had enlightened
and fubdued.
PROFLIGATE and idle monks have proftituted
thefe rich metals to other fuperftitions; fubflituted
to the ufeful prejudices of the climate others of a
more deftrudive kind; and expelled the natural
errors fuited to the turn of the inhabitants by'
foreign tenets, highly abfurd in themfelves, as
well as repugnant to the human mind and to
every focial tie. The fame fatality which fub-
verts the univerfe, the ocean, the land, empires
and nations j which alternately diffufes on the globe
the enlightening fpirit of the arts, and the dark-
nefs of ignorance -, which tranfplants men and
2 opinions,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 513
Opinions, as the winds and currents drive fiih B K
and lea- weeds on the Ihore : this fame deftiny u. .--nJ
has decreed that a fet of proud monks, enervated
at once by indolence and voluptuoufnefs, fliould
infolently indulge themfelves in eafe upon the
afties of the virtuous Incas, in the center of an
empire formerly fo blefTed under thefe legislators.
This deplorable revolution does not hinder the
Peruvians, who, in general, have the greateft aver-
fion for living in cities, becaufe inhabited by Spa-
niards, from voluntarily chufing to refide at Cufco.
They dill love to behold that venerable place,
from which thofe holy laws originated that ren-
dered their anceftors fo happy. The remembrance
of this infpires them with an elevation of foul -, and
they are found to be lefs ftupid on this celebrated
fpot, than in other parts of their empire*
ON a hill north of the capital was a citadel,
which the Incas had built with much care, time,
labour, and expence. The Spaniards long fpokc
of this monument of Peruvian induflry with a
fpirit of admiration that impofed upon all Eu-
rope. We have feen the ruins of this fortrefs,
and the marvellous has difappeared : nothing has
remained but the aftonifhment, which muft ne-
cefTarily be occafioned by the fight of the enor-
mous maiTes of (tone, which have been brought
from a confiderable diflance, without the afliflance
of levers and other machines that are known to
more enlightened nations.
FOUR leagues from this fortrefs we meet with a
delicious valley, where the Incas and the great
men of the empire had their country-houfes.
VOL. II. L 1 This
5H HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B O C
VII
' K This enchanting retreat fo well preferves its re-
putation, that the richeft inhabitants of Cufco
believe there is fomething deficient in their fyf-
tem of happinefs .when they cannot purchafe a
piece of ground there. The fick ordinarily repair
thither in fearch of health, and it rarely happens
but they find it.
As it was not a folicitude for their own pre-
fervation which occupied the Spaniards at rirft,
they had no fooner pillaged the immenfe riches
which had been amafied at Cufco for four cen-
turies, than they went in great numbers in 1534,
under the order of Sebaftian de Benalcazar, to
undertake the deftruction of Quito. The other
towns and boroughs of the empire were over-
run with the fame fpirit of rapine j and the
citizens and the temples were plundered in all
parts.
THOSE of the conquerors, who did not take
up their refidence in the fettlements which they
found already formed, built towns on the fea-
eoafts, where before there were none; for the
fterility of the foil had not permitted the Peru-
vians to multiply much there j and they had not
been induced to remove thither from the extre-
mity of their country, becaufe they failed very
little. Paita, Truxillo, Callao, Pifca, and Arica,
were the roads which the Spaniards deemed moft
convenient for the communication they intended
to eftablifli among themfelves and with the
mother-country. The different pofitions of thefe
new cities determined the degree of their pro-*
fperity.
* THOSE
IN THfc EAST AND WEST INDIES*
THOSE which were afterwards built in the in-
land parts of the country were not erected in
regions Which prefented a fertile foil, copious har-
vefts, excellent paftures> a mild and falubrious
climate, and all the conveniences of life. Thefe
places, which had hitherto been fo well cultivated
by a numerous and flourifliing peopkj were now
totally disregarded. Very foon they exhibited only
a deplorable picture of a horrid defertj and this
wiklnefs muft have been more melancholy and
hideous than the dreary afpectof the earth before
the origin of focieties. The traveller, who was
led by accident or curidfity into thefe defolate
plains, could not forbear abhorring the barba-
rous and bloody authors of thefe devaftations,
v/hile he reflected that it was not owing even
to the cruel illufions of glory and to the fana-
ticifm of conqueft, but to the ftupid and ab-
ject defire qf gold* that they had facrificed io
much more real treafure, and fo numerous a
population.
THIS infatiable thirft of gold, which neither at-
tended to fubfiftence, fafety, nor policy, was the
only motive for eftablifhing new fettlements, fome
6f which have been kept up, while feveral have
decayed, and others have been formed in their
ftead. The fate of them all has correfponded
with the difcovery, progrefs, or declenfion of the
mines to which they were fubordinate.
FEWER errors have been committed in the
means of procuring provifions. The natives had
hitherto lived hardly on any thing elfe but maize,
fruits, and pulfe, for which they had ufed no
L 1 a other
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
other feafbning except fait and pimento. Their
liquors, which were made from different roots,
were more diverfified ; of thefe the cbica was the
moft ufual j which is made from maize foaked
in water, and taken out of the vefTel when it *
begins to fprout. It is dried in the fun, then
parched a little, and at laft ground. The flour,
after it has been well kneaded, is put with water
into large pitchers. The fermentation may be ex-
pected in two or three days, and mufl not con-
tinue longer. The great inconvenience of this
drink, which, when ufed immoderately, infallibly
intoxicates, is, that it will not keep more than
eight days without turning four. Its tafte is nearly
that of the mofl indifferent kind of cyder. It is a
refreiliing, nourifhing, and aperitive liquor. The?
Indians, who are never troubled with fuppreffions
of urine, are faid to owe that advantage to the
ufe of this drink.
THE conquerors were not fatisfied either with
the liquors or with the food of the people they
had fubdued. They imported vines from the old
world, which foon multiplied fufficiently in the
fands of the coafts at lea, Pifca, Nafca, Moque-
qua, and Truxillo, to furnifh the colony with the.
v/ine and brandy it wanted. Olives fucceeded Hill
better, and yielded a great abundance of oil >
which was much fuperior to that of the mother-
country. Other fruits were tranfplanted with the
fame fuccefs. Sugar fucceeds fo well that none of
any other growth can be compared to that whi<
is cultivated in thefe parts where it never n
In the inland country wheat and barley were fo^
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
and at length all the European quadrupeds were B
foon found grazing at the foot of the mountains.
THIS was a confiderable ftep j but there ftill
remained much more to be done. After they had
provided for a better and a greater choice of fub-
fiftence, the next care of the Spaniards was to
have a drefs more commodious and more agreeable
than that of the Peruvians. Thefe were, however,
better clothed than any other American nation.
They owed this fuperiority to the advantage
which they alone poflefied, of having the lama
and the paces, domeftic animals which ferved
them for this ufe.
THE lama is an animal four feet high, and five
or fix in length; of which its neck alone takes up
one half. Its head is well made, v/ith large eyes,
a long fnout, and thick lips. Its mouth has no
incilbrs in the upper jaw. Its feet are cloven like
thofe of the ox, but furnifned with a fpur behind,
which enables it to fatten itfelf on the fides of fleep
places, where it delights to climb. Its wool, which
is fhort on its back, but grows long on its fides
and under the belly, conftitutes part of its uleful-
nefs. Though very falacious, theie animals co-
pulate with great difficulty. In vain the female
proftrates herfelf to receive the male, and invites
him by her fighs; they are fometimes a whole day
groaning, grumbling, and ineffectually attempting
enjoyment, if men do not help them to fulfil the
defire of nature. Thus feveral of our domeitic
animals, that are chained, broken, forced, and
restrained in all their freed motions and fenfations,
Ipfe, through ineffectual efforts, the principles of
L 1 3 generation.
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
generation while they are confined in ftables, if
care and attention does not fupply the place of
that liberty of which they have been deprived.
The females of the lama have only two dugs,
never more than two young, commonly but one,
which follows the dam immediately after its birth;
it is of a very quick growth, and its life of a fhort
duration. At three years old it propagates its
fpecies, preferves its vigour till twelve., then de-
cays till it reaches fifteen, being worn out by
labour.
THE lamas are employed as mules, in carrying
on their backs loads of about an hundred weight.
They move with a flow but firm pace at the rate of
four or five leagues a day, in countries that are
imprafticable to other animals , defcending through
guiiics, and climbing up rocks, where men cannot
follow them. After four or five days journey,
they reft of their own accord for twenty-four
hours.
NATURE has formed them for the people of
that climate where they are produced, mild and
phlegmatic, moderate and prudent, like the Ame-
ricans. When they flop, they bend their knees
and ftoop their body in fuch a manner as not to
4ilco.i:pofe their burden. As foon as they hear
their driver whittle, they rife with the fame care a
and proceed on their journey. They browfe on
the graft they find in their way, and chew the
cud rt ri^'it, evefc v/.vn afleep, reclining on their
breaft, with their feet doubled under their belly.
They re neither difpirited by f ailing nor drudgery^
whjle they have any ftrength remaining} but, when
they
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
they are totally exhaufted or fall under their bur- B
den, it is to no purpoie to harafs and beat them :
they will continue obftinately ftriking their heads
againfl the ground, firft on one fide, then on the
other, till they kill themfelves. They never de-
fend themf elves either with their feet or teeth -,
and in the height of their indignation content
themfelves with only fpitting in the face of thofe
who infult them.
THE pacos is to the lama what the afs is to the
horfe, a fubordinate fpecies, fmaller in fize, with
fhorter legs, and a fiat fnout ; but of the fame
difpofition, the fame manners, and the fame con-
ftitution, as the lama j made, like the lama, to
carry burdens, but more obftinate in its caprices,
perhaps, becaufe it is weaker.
THESE animals are fo much the more ufcful to
man, as their fervice coils him nothing. Their
thick fur fupplies the place of a pack-faddle.
The little grafs, which they find along the road,
fuffices for their food, and furnifhes them with a
plentiful and frefh faliva, which exempts them
from the neceftity of drinking.
AMONG the lamas, there are fome of a wild
fpecies called guanacos, which are flronger, more
fprightly, and more nimble, than the domcflic
lamas ; running like the flag, and climbing like
the wild goat, covered with fhort wool, and of a
fawn colour. Though free, they like to collect
in herds to the number fometimes of two or three
hundred. If they fee a man, they furvey him at
firft with an air of greater aftonifhment than cu-
riofityj then fnulfing up the air and neighing,
L 1 4 they
o HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
OOK tne y run all -together to the fummit of the moun-
V^ ' tains. Thefe animals feek the North, travel on
the ice, and fqjourn within the regions of fnow,
dreading the heat of the low lands ; they are vi-
gorous, and appear in vaft numbers on the Sierras,
which are of the fame height as the Cordeleras;
fmall in fize, and difficult to be found in the
heaths, which are at the bottom of the mountains,
When they are hunted for their fleece, if they
gain the rocks, neither hunters nor dogs can ever
catch them.
THE vicunas, a fpecies of wild pacos, are frill
fonder of the fummits of mountains, the fnowj,
and the ice. Their wool is longer, thicker fet,
and much finer, than that of the guanacos. Its
colour refembles that of dried rofes, and fo fixed
by nature, that it cannot be altered in the hands
of thofe who are employed in working it. The
vicunas are fo timid, that their fear itfelf makes
them an eafy prey to the hunter. Men furround
them and drive them into narrow defiles, at the
end of which they have fufpended pieces of cloth
or linen on cords, that are raifed three or four
feet from the ground. Thefe rags, being agitated
by the wind, llrike fuch terror into them, that
they Hand crouded and fqueezed one againft ano-
ther, fuffering themfelves to be killed rather than
fly. But if there happens to be, among the vicu-
nas, a guanaco, which, being more adventurousj, -.
leaps over the cords, they follow it and efcape.
ALL thefe animals belong fo peculiarly to South
America, and efpecially to the higheil Cordeleras,
that they are never feen on the fide of Mexico, .
where
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
where the height of thefe mountains is confiderably
diminilhed. Attempts have been made to propa-
gate the breed in Europe, but they have all died.
The Spaniards, without reflecting that thefe ani-
mals even in Peru itfelf fought the coldefl parts,
tranfported them to the burning plains of Anda-
lufia. They might, pofiibly, have fucceeded at
the foot of the Alps or the Pyrenees. This con-
jedlure of M. de BufFon, to whom we are indebted
for fo many ufeful and profound obfervations on
animals, is worthy the attention of flatefmen,
whofe fteps ought always to be guided by the
lights of philofophy.
THE flelh of the lamas, when they are young, is
good eating, The fkin of the old ones ferves the
Indians for fhoes, and the Spaniards for harnefs.
The guanacos may alfo be eaten. But the vicunas
are only fought after for their fleece, and for the
bezoar that they produce,
IN general, the wool of the lamas, pacos, gua-
nacos, and vicunas, was ufefully employed by the
Peruvians before the conqueft. The inhabitants
of Cufco made tapeftry of it for the ufe of the
court, in which flowers, birds, and trees, were pretty
well imitated. It ferved alfo to make mantles,
which were worn over a fhirt of cotton. It is
cuftomary to tuck them up, in order to have the
arms free. The principal people fattened them
with gold and filver clafps ; their wives with pins
made of thefe metals, ornamented with emeralds ;
and the common people with thorns. In hot
countries, the mantles of perfons of diflinction
were made of fine cotton,, and dyed with various
colours.
52 e HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK colours. The common people in the fame clime
^ v * > had no clothing at all, except a girdle that
compofed of the filaments of the bark of a tr<
and ferved to cover thofe parts nature intenc
fhould be concealed.
AFTER the conquefl, all the Indians wei
obliged to wear cloaths. As the opprefTion, urn
which they groaned, did not allow them to exercif
their former induftry, they contented thernfelves
with the coarfer cloths of Europe, for which they
were made to pay an exorbitant price. When the
gold and filver which had efcaped the rapacity of
the conquerors, were exhaufted, they thought of
re-eftablifhing their national manufactures. Thefe
were fome time after prohibited, on account of
the deficiency which they occafioned in the ex-
ports of the mother-country. The impofTibility,
which the Peruvians found of purchafmg foreign
{luffs and paying their taxes, occafioned permifilon
to be given at the end of ten years for their re-
eftablifhment, They have not been difcontinued
fince that time, and have been brought to as great
a degree of perfection as it was polfible they could
be under a continual tyranny.
WITH the wool of the vicuna they make, at
Cufco and in its territory, (lockings, handker-
chiefs, and fcarfs. Thefe manufactures would have
been multiplied, if the fpirit of deflructlon ha4
not fallen on animals as well as on men. The
fame wool, mixed with that of the fheep imported
thither from Europe, which hath exceedingly de-*
generated, ferves for carpets, and makes alfo
^olerably fine cloth. Fleeces of inferior quality
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 5*3
#re employed in ferges, druggets, and in all kinds B v K
of coarfe fluffs. * v ^
THE manufactures fubfervient to luxury are
eftabliilied at Areqnipa, Culco, and Lima. In
thefe three towns is made a prodigious number of
gold toys and plate, for the ule of private perfons,
and alfo for the churches. AH thefe manufactures
are but coarfely wrought, and mixed with a great
deal of copper. We fcldom difcover more tafle
in their gold and filver laces and embroideries
which their manufactures alfo produce. This is
not altogether the cafe in regard to their lace,
which, when mixed with that of Europe, looks
very beautiful. This laft manufacture is com- .
monly in the hands of the nuns, who employ in
it the Peruvian girls, and the young Meftees of
the towns, who for the moft part before marriage
pafs fome years in the convent.
OTHER hands are employed in painting and
gilding leather for rooms, in making with wood
and ivory pieces of inlaid work and fculpture,
and in drawing figures on the marble that is found
at Cucuca, or on linen imported from Europe,
Thefe different works, which are almoft all manu-
factured at Cufco, ferve for ornaments for houfes,
palaces, and temples : the drawing of them is not
bad, but the colours are neither exact nor perma-
nent. If the Indians, who invent nothing, but
are excellent imitators, had able matters, and ex-
cellent models, they would at leaft make good
copyifts. At the clofe of the laft century, fome
works of a Peruvian painter, named Michael
de St. Jaques, were brought to Rome j and
3 the
524 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
the connoifleurs difcovered marks of genius in
them.
THESE particulars will intereft fuch of our
readers, whom we fhall have infpired with af-
fection for one of the heft nations that ever ex-
ifted, and with efteem for one of the moft excel-
lent inftitutions that ever did honour to mankind.
Thole, who are ftrangers to that univerfal benevo-
lence which extends to all nations and all ages,
will have experienced other fentiments. Accuf-
tomed to behold nothing in Peru but the produce
of its mines, they muft confequently regard with
contempt every thing that has not a direct relation
with their avarice. This would diminifh, per-
haps be totally corrected, if they were but dif-
pofed frequently to revolve by what barbarity and
enormities it has been gratified.
Of the THOUGH the Peruvians were unacquainted with
pilj", coin, they knew the ufe of gold and filverj for
they employed them in different kinds of orna-
ments. Independent of what the torrents and ac-
cident procured them of thefe metals, fome mines
had been opened of little depth. The Spaniards
have not tranfmitted to us the manner in which
thefe rich productions were drawn from the bofom
of the earth. Their pride, which has deprived us
of fo much ufe ful knowledge undoubtedly made
them think, that, in the inventions of a people
v/hom they called barbarous, there was, nothing
that was worthy to be recorded.
THE deference as to the manner in which the
Peruvians worked their mines did not extend to
the mines themfelves. The conquerors opened
them/
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 525
them on all fides. At firft the gold mines tempted B v <* K
the avarice of the greater number. Fatal expe- v -v-**J
rience difcouraged thofe whom pafllon had not
blinded. They clearly faw, that, for fome enor-
mous fortunes raifed in this manner, great num-
bers, who had only moderate fortunes, were to-
tally ruined. Thefe mines fank into fuch dif-
credit, that, in order to prevent them from being
abandoned, the government was obliged to take
the twentieth part of their produce, inftead of the
fifth which it at firft received.
THE mines of filver were more common, more
equal, and richer. They even produced filver of
a fingular fpecies, rarely found elfewhere. To-
wards the fea-coaft, great lumps of this metal are
found in the fands. Subterraneous fires, volcanos,
and the revolutions which America hath expe-
rienced and ftill continues to fuffer, feem to in-
dicate, the caufes of the tranfpofition of thofe me-
tallic mafTes that are met with in feveral parts of
this continent.
THERE are a great number of other mines,
which are infinitely more important, and are found
in the rocks and on the mountains. Several of
them gave falfe hopes. Such in particular was
that of Ucuntaya, difcovered 1713. This was
only an incruftation of almoft maflive filver, which
at firft yielded feveral millions, but was foon ex-
haufted.
OTHERS, which were deeper, have been alike
deferted. Their produce, though equal to what
it was originally, was not fufficient to fupport the
expence of working them, which augmented every
day.
$*6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK day. The mines of Quito, Cufco, and Arequipa,
*- ^ i have experienced that revolution which awaits
many of the relt.
THERE are great numbers of very rich mines
which the waters have invaded. The .declivity of
the foilj which from the fummit of the Cordeleras
funs continually (helving to the South Sea, muft
necefTarily render thefe events more common at
Peru than in other places. This inconvenience^
which with greater care and fkill might often have
been prevented or diminifhed, has been in fome
inftances remedied. A fmgle inftance will be fuf-
ficient to fhcw that the avarice of mankind can
ftruggle againll that of nature., when fhe conceals
or withdraws from us her treafures.
JOSEPH SALCEDO, about the year 1660, had
difcovered, not far from the town of Puna, the
mine of Laycacota. It was'fo rich, that the filv.er
was often cut with a chiflel. Profperity, which de-
bafed little minds, had fo elevated that of the pro-
prietor of fo much opulence 3 that he permitted all
the Spaniards, who came to feek their fortune .in
this part of the New world, to work fome days on
their own account, without weighing or taking
any account of the prefents he made them* This
generofity attracted an infinite number of people
about him, whofe avidity made them quarrel with
each other -, the love of money made them take
up arms* and fall upon one another ; and their
benefactor, who had neglected no expedient to
prevent and extinguifh their fanguinary conten-
tions, was hanged as being the author of them.
While he was in prifon, the water got pofTeflion of
his
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 527
his mine. Superftition foon made it imagined that B v K
this was a punifhment for the infamous manner in *
which they had acted towards him. This idea of
divine vengeance was revered for a long time j
but at laft, in 1740, Diego de Bacna aflbciated
with other opulent people, to avert the fprings
which had deluged fo much treafure. The la-
bours, which this difficult undertaking required,
were not finifhed till 1754. The mine yields as
much now as it did at firft. But mines ftill richer
than this have been difcovered, which have ex-
perienced no revolution. Such, for example, is
that of Potofi, which was found in the lame coun-
try where the Incas worked that of Porco.
AN Indian, named Hualpa, in 1545, purfuing
fome deer, in order to climb certain fteep rocks,
laid hold of a bufh, 'the roots of which loofened
from the earth, and brought to view an ingot of
filver. The Indian had recourfe to it for his own
life, and never failed to return to his treafure every
time that his wants or his defires folicited him to
it. The change that had happened in his fortune
was remarked by his countryman Guanca, to
whom he avowed the fecret. The two friends
could not keep their counfel and enjoy their good
fortune. They quarrelled ; on which the indif-
creet confident difcovered the whole to his matter
Villaroell, a Spaniard that was fettled in the neigh-
bourhood. Upon this the mine became known
and was worked ; and a great number of mines
were found in its vicinity; the principal of which
are in the northern part of the mountain, and
their direction is from north to fouth. The moft
intelligent
5*9 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE"
B ^o K intelligent people of Peru have obferved, that this
w,- > is in general the direction of the richeft mines.
THE fame of what was patting at Potofi foon
fpread abroad, and there was foon built at the foot
of the mountain a town, confiding of fixty thou-
fand Indians, and ten thoufand Spaniards. The
fterility of the foil did not prevent its being im-
mediately peopled. Corn, fruits, flocks, American
fluffs, European luxuries, arrived there from every
quarter. Induftry, which every where follows
the current of money, could not fearch for it
with fo much fuccefs as at its fource. It evidently
appeared that in 1738 thefe mines produced an-
nually 22,338,975 livres*, without reckoning the
filver which was not regiftered, and what had been
carried off by fmuggling. From that time the
produce has been fo much diminifhed, that no
more than one eighth part of the coin which was
formerly ftruck is now made.
THE mine of Potofi, and all the mines of South
America, in purifying their gold and filver, ufe
mercury, with which they are fupplied from
Guanca Velica. Mercury, fays an able naturalift,
is found in two different ftates in the bofom of the
earth j it is either altogether pure, and in the fluid
form which is proper to it, and then it is denomi-
nated virgin mercury, becaufe it has not expe-
rienced die action of fire, in order to be extracted
from the mine; or it is found combined with
fulphur, and then it forms a fubftance of a red co-
lour, which is more or leis vivid, called cinnabar.
* Near 978,000!.
8 TILL
JN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 5*9
TILL the mine of virgin mercury, which was B ^ K
lately difcovered at Montpellier under the build- ^ - v *
ings of the tov/n itfelf, and for that reafon will
probably never be worked, there had been no
others known in Europe, except thole of Udria in
Carniola. Thefe are in a valley, at the foot of
high mountains, which were called by the Romans
Alpes Juli*. They were difcovered by chance in
1497. They are about nine hundred feet deep.
The defcent into them is by pits, as into all other
mines. There are under ground an infinite num-
ber of galleries, of which fome are fo low, that it
is neceliary to ftoop in order to pals along ; there
are places where it is fo.hot, that, if one flops ever
fo fhort a time, one is in a profufe fweat : it is
from thefe fubterraneous caverns that mercury is
drawn. Some flones are replete with it to that
degree, that, when they are bruifed, thisfubftance
ilTues out in the form of globules or drops. It is
found alfo in a fpecies of clay : fometimes even this
mercury is feen running down like rain, and oozes
fo copioufly among the rocks which form the vaults
of thefe fubterraneous caverns, that a man has
often gathered thirty-fix pounds of it in a day.
THERE are fome people fo fond of the marvel-
lous, that they prefer this mercury to the other j
which is mere prejudice. Experience fhews that
the befl mercury that can be ufed, either in medi-
cine or in metallurgy, is that which hath been
extracted from cinnabar. In order to feparate the
natural combination of thefe two volatile fubftan-
ces, fulphur and mercury, recourfe mud neceflarily
be had to the action of fire, to which fome inter-
VOL. II. M m mediate
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
mediate fubftance muft be joined. This is either
the filings of fteel or copper, or the regulus of
antimony, or lime, or fome fixed alkaline fait.
This laft fpecies of mercury is drawn from Hun-
gary, Sclavonia, Bohemia, Carinthia, Friuli, and
Normandy; efpecially from Almaden in Spain,
which was a famous mine even in the time of the
Romans, and which with that of Guanca Velica
has for fome fhcrt time contributed to ferve the
Spanifh colonies.
THE common opinion is., that this laft mine was
difcovered in 1564. The trade of mercury was
then ftill free : it became an exclufive trade in
1571. At this period all the mines of mercury
were fhut ; and that of Guanca Velica alone was
worked, the property of which the king referred
to himfelf. It is not found to diminifh. This
mine is dug in a prodigioufly large mountain,
fixty leagues from Lima. In its profound abyfs
are feen itreets, fquares, and a chapel, where the
mvfteries of religion on all feftivals are celebrated.
Millions of flambeaux are continually kept to en-
lighten it.
THE earth, which contains the quickfilver of
this mine, is, according ^to the opinion of a cele-
brated traveller, of a whitifh red, like ill-burnt
brick. It is pounded, and put into an earthen
kiln, the upper part of which is a vault like an
oven, ibmewhat of a fpherical form. This is ex-
tended on an iron grate covered with earth, under
which a gentle fire is kept up with the herb icho,
which is fitter for this procefs than any other com-
buflibie matter, and the cutting of which on this
account
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 531
account is prohibited twenty leagues round. The B v ^ K
heat which penetrates this earth makes the pounded tf '
mineral ib hot, that the quickfilver iffues out of it
volatilifed in fmoke. But, as the upper part of the
kiln is clofely flopped, the fmoke finds no iflue
but by a fmall hole, which has a communication
with a feries of earthen retorts that are round, and
the necks of which are inferted into each other.
There this fmoke circulates and condenfes, by
means of a little water which is at the bottom of
each retort. The quickfilver then falls in a well-
formed liquid. Lefs of it is collected in the firft
than in the lafl retorts. They would all grow fo
hot as to break in pieces, if care were not taken
to fprinkle them on the outfide with water.
PRIVATE people at their own expence work
the mine of Guanca Velica. They are obliged to
deliver to government, at a ftipulated price, all the
mercury they extract from it. As foon as they
have procured the quantity which the demands of
one year require, the work is fufpended. Part of
the mercury is fold on the fpot, and the reft is
lent to the royal magazines throughout all Peru ;
from whence it is delivered out at the fame price
as it is fold for in Mexico. This arrangement,
which has occafioned many of the mines to drop,
and prevented others from being opened, is in-
excufable in the Spanifh fyflem. The court of
Madrid, in this refpect, merits the fame reproaches
as a miniftry in other countries would incur, that
would be blind enough to lay a duty on the imple-
ments of agriculture.
M m 2 THE
532 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
*' V u !1 THE mine of Guan^a Velica generally affefts
- v t-iofe who work in it, with convulfions : this and
the other mines, which are not lefs unhealthy, are
all v/orked by the Peruvians. Thefe unfortunate
viftims of an infatiable avarice are crowded all
together, and plunged naked into thefe abyiTes, the
greateft part of which are deep, and all excemvely
cold. Tyranny has invented this refinement in
cruelty, to render it impofilble for any thing to
efcape its reftlefs vigilance. If there are any
wretches who long furvive fuch barbarity, it is the
ufe of cocoa that preferves them.
' THE cocoa is a fhrub, which hardly ever rifes
higher than from three to four feet ; its fruit is
, . difpofed-in bunches. Ir is red when it begins to
ripen, and black wheo.it hath attained its maturity.
Its leaf, which is foft, of a pale green, and refem-
biing that of the myrtle, is the delight of the Peru-
vians. They chew it, after having mixed it with a
white earth which they call mambis ; it is uled by
them for food : it itrengthens their rtomachs, and
fupports their courage. If thofe who are buried
in the mines are in want of it, they ceafe working,
and no means whatever can compel them to re-
fume their labour. Their oppreflbrs, therefore,
furnish, them with as much as they require, fub~
trailing the price of it from their daily wages.
The environs of .Cufco furntfh the belt cocoa.
Mntrai THIS plant, the other productions of the coun-
ca'ToTbe 1 - tr 7> an d the produce of all the manufactures, are
diffident 6 difperfed throughout the empire in three different
provinces ways. The towns fituated on the coaft are fur-
nifhed with provifions by vefTels that are adapted
to
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 5*3
to thofe feas, which are always calm. An innu- B <^
merable multitude of mules, which are brought ' -v -
from Tucuman, are ufcd in the intercourfe which
feveral provinces have with each other. The
greateft circulation is effected by means of the
Guayaquil.
ON the banks of this river,' the origin of which ' *
is in the Cordeleras, the Spaniards at the time of
the conquefl built a pretty corifiderable town, at
fix leagues diftance from the fea. This is defended
by three forts lately erected, and only garrifoned
with burgefles. Thefe forts are built with large
pieces of wood, difpofed inpallifades. The nature
of this wood, which is proof againft water, (bits
the moifture of the foil.
IT is mentioned, in the accounts of a Spanifli
philolbpher, that on this coaft, as well as that of
Guatimala, is found the murex, which yields that-
purple fo celebrated by the ancients, and which
the moderns have imagined was loft. The fhcll
which contains it adheres to the rocks that are
wafhed by the fea. It is of the fize of a large
walnut. The liquor of this animal may be ex-
trafted two ways ; fome kill it, after they have .
drawn it out of the (hell ; then prefs it with a knife
from head to tail ; feparate from the body the part
where the liquor is collected, and throw away the
reft. When this operation, after being rvpoiited
on feveral fnails, has afforded a certain q'xip.ticy of
fluid, the thread intended to be dyed is dipped in
it, and the procefs is finifhed. The colour, which.
is at firft of the whitenefs of milk, becomes af te --
wards green, and is not purple till the thro d is
M in 3
534 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B j O K dry. Thofe who difapprove this method draw
v the fiih partly out of the ihell, and, fqueezing it,
make it yield a fluid which ferves for dying : they
repeat this operation four times at different inter-
vals, but always with lefs fuccefs. If they continue
it, the fifn dies, by their defcroying that which
conftitutes the firfl principle of its life, and which
it is no longer able to renew. No colour at pre-
fent known can be compared to this of which we
are fpeaking, either as to luilre, liveiinefs, or
duration j it fucceeds better with cotton than with
wool, linen, or filk.
BESIDES this object of curiofity, Guayaquil fur-
niilies the inland country of the empire with oxen,
mules, fait, and falt-fifh j it fupplies Europe and
Mexico with a great quantity of cocoa, but Peru
with only a imall quantity, as there the herb of
Paraguay is generally preferred. It is the univerfal
dock-yard of the South Sea, and might, partly,
become that of the mother-country. We know
no country on the globe that equally abounds in
wood for fhip-building and mads, either as to
quality or quantity. Hemp and pitch, of which
it is deftitute, might eafily be furniihed by Chili
and Guatimala.
BUT what renders Guayaquil of flill greater im-
portance, is the advantage it poffefies of being the
neceffary mart and bond of communication of the
mountains of Peru with its valleys, with Panama,
and with Mexico. All the merchandife which thefe
countries exchange, pafTes through the hands of its
merchants. The largeft veffels Hop at the harbour
of the ifland -of Puna, which is fituated at the
entrance
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 535
entrance of the gulph ; and others go up the river D y, K
about forty leagues. *- -v J
NOTWITHSTANDING fo many fources of pro-
fperity, the people of Guayaquil, whofe numbers
amount to twenty thoufand fouls, are far. from
being wealthy. The fortunes of its inhabitants
have been fucceffivelydeftroyed nint times by fires,
which have been afcribed to the difcontenrcdnefs
of the negroes ; and by pirates, who have twice
facked the town. Thofe fortunes, which have
been acquired fmce thefe fatal periods, have not
continued in the country. A climate, where the
heat is intolerable the whole year, and the rains
incefiant for fix months; where dangerous and
noifome infects do not allow any tranquillity ,
where diftempers of the mod oppofite degrees of
temperature appear to be united ; where one lives
in the perpetual dread of lofing one's fight ; fuch a
climate is by no means proper to fix the reudcncc
of its inhabitants. Such perfons are only feen here,
as have not acquired eftate furlicient to enable
them to remove eifcwhere, and fpend their days in
indolence and pleafure. A tafce, which predo-
minates in the empire, induces the moft opulent
to refide at Lima.
TFJIS capital of Peru, fb celebrated in all parts
of the world, is fituated at two leagues from the
fea, in a delicious plain, at about an equal dif-
tance from the equator and the fouthern tropic,
to unite as it were all the riches and delights of
South America. The profpect from it on one
fide extends over a tranquil ocean, on the other it
commands a diltance of thirty leagues as far as the
M m 4 Ccrdcleras.
536 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND -TRADE
BC VK. Cordeleras. The foil of its territory is nothing but
* ^ i a heap of flints, which the fea has undoubtedly in
a feries of ages piled together, -but they are covered
with earth a foot below the furface, which the
fpring waters, that arc every where found on
digging, have brought from the mountains. It is
in vain that, the Spaniards would attribute the origin
of thefe waters to their being filtrated from the fea ;
the theory of the globe and its natural conftruc-
tion teilify againii the validity of this opinion,
which all experiments befides confirm to be falfe.
SuGAR-canes, incredible multitudes of olives,
fome vines, artificial meads, paftures full of fait,
which give mutton an exquifite tafce, fmall grain
appropriated to the feeding of fowls, fruit-trees of
every kind, 'and certain other plantations, cover the
furface of thefe fortunate plains. A fea replete
with fifti contributes its ftores to render provifions
plentiful at a moderate price. Crops of wheat and
barley added to this refource ; but an earthquake,
happening about a century ago, caufed fuch a re-
volution, that the feeds rotted without fprouting.
After forty years of fterility, the hufbandman, feeing
the foil improved, was difpofed to refume his for-
mer occupations. Chili, which had an exclufive
privilege of furnifliing Lima with provifions, op-
pofed the cultivation of its territory ; and the capi-
tal of Spain did not allow that of Peru to fupport
itfelf again by its own productions till 1750.
LIMA, founded more than two centuries ago,
and built by the deftroyers of Peru, has been de-
ilroyed at different times by eleven earthquakes.
The twelfth, which happened on the 28th of
October
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 537
Oclober 1746, in three minutes time ingulphed B ^^ K
the town, its harbour of Callao, all the veflels be- ' w '
longingtothe coaft,with fifteen hundred millions*,
as it is reported, of fiiver, either coined, worked,
or in ingots. Thofe who had for a long time been
funk as it were into a ftate of lethargy, have been
awakened by this violent concuflion. A new fpirit
of activity and emulation has been productive of
labour and induftry. Lima, though lefs wealthy,
is at prefent more agreeable than in 1682, when
its gates preferred to the view of the duke of
Palata, on his entering, ftreets paved with fiiver.
THESE ftreets now are only regular, with neat
houfes and public buildings which difplay ikill and
tafte. The water of the river, which wafhes its
walls, has been confined in proper channels, and
diftributed for the convenience of the citizens,
the ornament of gardens, and the fertility of the
fields.
BUT the walls of the city are defective from the
very folidity of their foundations. At the diitance
of a few leagues from Lima we fee fome houfes, for-
merly built, that were but juft placed as it were
on the furfacc of the earth, without any cement ;
which, however, have refuted thofe afoults and
convulfions that have overturned the deep-laid
edifices of the Spaniards. The n:i::vcs of the
country, when they faw the foundations dug, and
built with mortar, laid that their tyrants were
digging graves for themfelves. Perhaps it was
fome confolation to the wretchednefs of the con-
quered, to forefee that the earth itfcif would take
* 65,525,000!.
its
53* HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK its revenge of its depopulators -, but in this re-
i fpect two centuries of chailifement have not re-
formed them. The pleafure of having commo-
dious houfes, or the vanity of raifmg fpacious
ones, frill triumphs over the danger of their being
crufhed to pieces.
THE fcourges of nature, which gave occafion
to the introduction of the arts into Lima, have
produced no happy revolution in the manners of
its inhabitants. Superftition, which reigns through-
out the whole extent of die Spanifh dominions, at
Peru has two fcepters at its command; one of
gold, for the ufurping and triumphant nation;
the other of iron, for the enilaved and pillaged in-
habitants. The fcapulary and the rofary are all
the tokens of religion which the monks require
of the Spaniards. It is on the form and colour
of thefe kinds of talifrnans that the populace
and the grandees found the profperlty of their
undertakings, the fuccefs of their amorous in-
trigues, and the hopes of their falvation. The
religious habit aflumed in the lad moments, con-
ftitutes the fecurity of opulent people who have
lived ill ; they are convinced, that when wrapped
in this clothing, which is fo formidable to the
devil, he will not dare to defcend into their graves,
and feize upon their fouls. If their afiies repofe
near the altar, they hope to partake of the facri-
fices and prayers of the priefts, much more than
the poor and the flaves. Influenced by fuch fatal
prejudices, what enormities will they not commit
to acquire riches, which fecure their happinefs in
this world, and in the next ? The vanity of im-
mortalizing
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 53*
mortalizing their name, and the promife of eternal B v K
life, fecure to the monks a fortune, which they can c vv
no longer enjoy , and families are difappointed of
an inheritance, whether acquired by honefty or
fraud, by legacies which ferve to enrich men who
have difcovered the iecret of efcaping poverty by
devoting themfelves to it. Thus it is that the
order of fentiments, ideas, and things, is fub-
vertcd ; and the children of opulent parents are
condemned to mifery by the. pious rapacioufnels of
a number of voluntary mendicants. The French,
Dutch, and Englifh, lofe their national prejudices
by travelling -, the Spaniard carries his along with
him throughout the whole univerfe ; and fuch is
the madnefs of bequeathing legacies to the church,
that the ground of all the houfes of Peru belongs
to the priefthood, or depends on them with regard
to rent. The institution of Monkifh orders has
done at Peru what the law of the Vacuf^\\\ do,
fooner or later, at Constantinople. Here the people
bequeath their fortunes to a minaret, in order to
fecure it to their heirs j there they deprive an heir
of it, by leaving it to a monaftery from the dread
of being damned. The means are a little different,
but in the end the effect is the fame. In. both
countries the church is the gulph, in which all the
riches are abforbed ; and thefe Caftilians, who were
heretofore fo formidable, fhrink before fuperftition,
as Afiatic flaves do in the prefence of their delpot.
IF we were to judge of the Creoles from thefe
extravagancies, we fliould be tempted to believe
them to be totally ftupid ; but we Ihould be mil-
taken. The inhabitants of the valleys have fome
degree
540 KISTCHY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK, degree of penetration, and thofe of the mountains
v-~v~- ' are not deftitute of it. Both deem themfelves very
much fuperior to the Spanifh Europeans, whom
they* confider as cavallos^ .that is to fay, brutes.
THEY po fiefs more underftanding than courage.
All thefe people, though difTatisfied with govern-
ment, are alike fubmiffive to it. Men ever / where
forget their numbers and their ftrength. There,
even the very name of royal ofircers is formidable ;
and four foldiers, difpatched by the viceroy, make
whole towns tremble at the diftance of four hun-
dred leagues from the capital.
THIS timidity in a Peruvian is the caufe or the
effecT: of his effeminacy. He lives among courte-
zans, or amufes himielf at home in drinking the
herb of Paraguay. He is afraid to diminish, the
joys of love by confining it within legitimate bonds.
The majority of the inhabitants marry behind the
church, that is their exprefnon, which fignifies
living in a ftate of concubinage. If the children
who iffue from this commerce are acknowledged
by their parents, they inherit, and their birth in-
curs no ftain. The bifhops anathematize every
year, at Eafter, thofe perfons who are united in
thefe illicit bonds. But what power have thefe vain
terrors againft the impulfe of amorous defires,
which are fanftified by cuftom, againft the tolera-
tion or example of ecclefiaftics of the fecond order,
and againft the climate, which is continually con-
tending, and at laft proves victorious over all the
civil and religious laws that oppofe its infiuerice ?
THE charms of the Peruvian women are fuperior
to the terror which the fpiritual arms of Rome in-
i fpire.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 541
fpire. The majority of them, efpecially the wo- BOOK
men of Lima, have eyes fparkling with vivacity, ^-1
a fair fkin, a complexion that is delicate, animated,
full of i'prightlinefs and life, and a (lender and
well-formed lhape, which is extremely alluring.
But that which has a greater effect on the men, is
the fmallnefs of a pretty foot, which in their in-
fancy is fafhioned to this diminutivenefs by ftrait
fhoes. They turn away from the large feet of the
Spaniili women, to admire thofe of a Peruvian,
who, to the artifice of generally concealing them,
adds the happy addrefs of fometimes letting them
be feen.
To thefe very fmall feet we may add long trefles,
which might ferve as a veil to modefty, on ac-
count of their thicknefs and colour, and their na-
tural clifpofition to grow long. The women of
Lima drefs fome of their hair very high on their
heads, and the reft they furTer to fall on their fhoul-
ders in the form of ringlets, without buckling or
curling it. They are fo jealous of preferving it in
its own natural beauty, that they do not put the
leaft additional ornament to it. Pearls and dia-
monds are referved for ear-rings, for large neck-
laces, for bracelets, for rings, and for a plate of
gold fufpended on the center of the bofom by a
ribband which goes round the body. A woman
even who has no titles, and is not ennobled, ieldom
goes out full drefled, but fhe difplays in jewels
from the value of an hundred to an hundred and
fifty thoufand livres * , yet it is the fafhion to af-
fect an indifference for thefe trifles. It-is neceffary
* On an average about 5,500!.
that
542 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK, that a woman fhould lofe, or let fall fome of them
c. .,', j without taking notice of it, that fhe fhould always
have fome jewel to replace or to add.
BUT what feduces the eyes, and raifes the greateft
emotion, is a drefs which leaves the bofom and
the fhoulders bare, and only defcends to half-way
the leg. From thence to the ancle falls a lace,
through which are feen the ends of garters em-
broidered with gold or filver, and ornamented with
pearls. The linen, the petticoat, the habit, all
is loaded with the fineft lace. A woman feldorn
appears in public without being attended by three
or four flaves, moft of them mulatto women, in
liveries as the men are, and adorned with lace as
their miftreffes.
THESE ladies are fond of perfumes. They are
never without amber ; they fcent their linen and
their cloaths with it, and even their nofegays, as
if there were ibmething wanting to the natural
perfume of flowers. The amber is undoubtedly an
additional allurement to the men, and the flowers
impart a new attraction to the women. With
thefe they adorn their fleeves, and fometimes their
hair, like fhepherdeffcs. In the great fquare of
Lima, where there are every day fold flowers to
the amount of lixteen or twenty thoufand livres *,
ladies are feen in gilt calafhes, purchafing what is
moft rare without regard to the price ; and men in
crowds, adoring and contemplating what nature has
formed moft charming to embellifh and enchant
the dream of life.
* Near 800 1. on an aveaage,
WHERE
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 5
WHERE can thefe delights be enjoyed more than B **,
at Peru ? It is the proper province of the women v v
to feel and communicate them. Among other
pleafures the women of Lima love mufic, of which
they are extravagantly fond. Nothing is heard
on every fide but fmging, and concerts of vocal
and inftrumental mufic. They have frequent balls.
They dance here with furprifing lightnefs; but
they neglect the graces of the arms, to attend to
the agility of the feet, and efpecially to the in-
flections of the body j which are images of the
true emotions of voluptuoulhefs, as the expreffion
of the countenance is the true accompaniment of
dancing. As the arms confpire to give grace to
the attitude, fo the ideas of pleafure are flHl more
ftrongly exprefied by the body. In countries
where thefe fenfations are moft lively, dancing
will agitate the feet and the body more than the
arms.
SUCH are the pleafures which the women t?^le
and diffufe at Lima. Among many expedients to
heighten and preferve their .charms, they have a
cuftom which it were to be wifried that they would
confent to abandon, which is the ufe of limpion.
This name is given to final 1 rolls of tobacco, four
inches long and nine lines in diameter, wrapped
in the whiteft thread, from which the tobacco is
drawn out as it is ufed. The ladies only put the
end of the limpion to their mouth, and chew it
for a moment.
THIS maftication is particularly ufed in public
afiemblies, where women receive 'company. Here
is a drawing-room, along one fide of which runs
2 an
544 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK an alcove half a foot high, and five or fix feet
v ^ broad ; it is here that, careleisly feated, and with
crofled.legs on carpets and fuperb cufhions, they
pafs whole days without changing their pofture
even to eat; they ufe little tables, placed before
them, for any work with which they choofe to
amufe themfelves. The men whom they admit
to their converfation fit in elbow chairs, unlefs
their adorers, from greater intimacy, are permitted
to defcend in the alcove, which is, as it were, the
fanctuary of worfhip and of the idol. Yet thefe
goddefles love rather to be affable than haughty ;
and, banilhing ceremony, they play on the harp
and guitar, and fing and dance when they are
defired.
THEIR hufbands are not the perfons who are the
chief objects of their complaifance. As the greateft
part of the moft confiderable citizens of Lima are
devoted to their courtezans, the great heirefles are
referved for Europeans, who come over into
America. The advantage which thefe have of
making the fortunes of their hufbands, naturally
prompts them to exert an authority over them :
but let them only have the fway of which they are
fo jealous, and they will prove conftantly faithful.
So clofely is virtue connected with a certain de-
gree of pride !
THE manners of the Meflees, and of the free
Mulattoes, who compofe the greateft part of the
inhabitants of Lima, and who are employed in
the arts, hardly differ from the manners of the
Spaniards. The habit they have contracted of
Sleeping after dinner, and repofmg one part of the
day,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 545
day, makes them fet a greater price upon their B Vl ^ K
labour than they ought. The time they devote to v--v ^
labour mufl procure them the conveniences as well
as the luxuries of life, which in general they carry
to great excefs. Their wives, in particular, value
themfelves on the magnificence of their furniture
and drefs. They never go out but in carriages!
and imitate the ladies of the firft rank, even with
regard to their fhoes. They habituate themfelves
to prefs their feet very tight, in order to hide their
natural fize, which is feldoin corrected by this
management. But though they carry their imi-
tation fo far as to form companies and aflemblies
as they do, yet they never attain a perfect refem-
blance to them. Their huibands are flill further
removed from the polite manners of the European
Spaniard or the Creole, though there is but little
real merit or genius required to copy them. They
are rude, haughty, and troublefome ; but thefe
faults, which are irkfome in fociety, are fcarce
ever carried to iuch excefies or violences as to di-
fturb the public order.
THE whole commerce of Lima is in the hands
of the Spaniards, the number of whom is from
fifteen to fixteen thoufand. The capitals they em-
ploy in trade are immenfe. There are not, in reali-
ty, more than ten or twelve houfes whofe capitals
exceed two millions* j but thofe of one million f
are very common, and of five hundred thoufand
livres J (till more fo. The defire of enjoying their
riches, the vanity of making an appearance,- the
paftlon of ornamenting churches, prevent the for-
*8;, 5 ool. f 43,750 1. J 21,875 1.
VOL. II, N n
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
tunes of the Creoles from advancing to fuch a de-
gree as the nature of things would admit. The
European Spaniards, who are folely occupied in
purfuing the plan of returning to their country,
fnew that with induftry and ceconomy people
may very focn enrich themfelves. Merchants,
who are in want of afliftance, are lure to find it in
the posterity of the conquerors of Peru. If Ibme
o;' theie diftinguifhed families have perpetuated
their fplendour by entailing their eflates upon
their eldeft fons, and by the revenues alone of
their eftates, the greateil part have only fupported
it by taking part in commercial tran factions. A
fpecies of induftry which is ib honourable to hu-
man nature, whole -underftanding, power, and
activity it enlarges, has never been deemed to
derogate from their nobilty; and, in this point
alone, they have abandoned the falle and roman-
tic ideas of their anceitors. Thefe means, joined
to the immenie depofits which come from the in-
land countries, have rendered Lima the center of
all the tranfactions which the provinces of Peru
are continually carrying on, either among them-
felves, or with Mexico and Chili, or with the
mother-country,
THE ftraits of Magellan appeared the only open
way to form this laft connection. The length of
the paiTage, the terror infpired by ftormy and al-
moft unknown feas, the fear of exciting the am-
bition of other nations, the impoffibility of find-
ing an afylum in cafe of unfortunate accidents,
and other confiderations, perhaps, turned the ge-
neral views towards Panama.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 547
THIS town, which had been the gate through B
which an entrance had been gained into Peru> had
rifen to great profperity, when in 1670 it was
pillaged and burnt by pirates. It was rebuilt on
a more advantageous fpot, at the diftance of four
or five miles from the firft. Its harbour, called
Perico, is very fecure. It is formed by an archi-
pelago confifting of forty-eight fmall iflands, and
is capable of containing the largeft fleets.
THIS place, a little while after it was founded,
became the capital of the kingdom of Terra Firma.
Some hopes were at firfl entertained from the three
provinces of Panama, Darien, and Veragua, which
.compofed it; but this profperity vaniflied inftan-
taneoufly. The favages of Darien recovered their
independence -, and the mines of the two other
provinces were found to be neither fufficiently
abundant, nor of an alloy good enough, to make
it worth while to work them. Five or fix fmall
boroughs, in which are feen fome Europeans
quite naked, and a very fmall number of In-
dians, who have come to refide there, form the
whole of this ftate, which the Spaniards are not
afhamed of honouring with the great name of
kingdom. It is in general barren and un-
wholefome, and contributes nothing to trade but
pearls.
THE pearl fifhery i's carried on in the iflands of
the gulph. The greateft part of the inhabitants
employ fuch of their negroes in it as are good
fwimmers. Thefe flaves plunge and replunge in
the fea in fearch of pearls, till this exercife has
exhaufted their itrength or their fpirits,
Nn 2 EVERY
548 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
o o
VII.
EVERY negro is obliged to deliver a certain
.number of oyfters. Thofe in which there are no
pearls, or in which the pearl is not entirely formed,
are not reckoned. What he is able to find be-
yond the ftipulated obligation is confidered as his
indifputable property : he may fell it to whom he
pleafes ; but commonly he cedes it to his matter
at a moderate price.
SEA monilers, which abound more about the
iflands where pearls are found than on the neigh-
bouring coafts, render this fifliing dangerous.
Some of thefe devour the divers in an inftant.
The manta fifh, which derives its name from its
figure, furrounds them, rolls them under its body,
and fuffocates them. In order to defend themfelves
againft fuch enemies, every diver is armed with a
poinard : the moment he perceives any of thefe
voracious filh, he attacks them with precaution,
wounds them, and drives them away. Notwith-
ftanding this, there are always fome fiiliermen
deftroyed, and a great number crippled.
THE pearls of Panama are commonly of a very
fine water. Some of them are even remarkable
for their fize and figure : thefe were formerly fold
in Europe. Since art has imitated them, and the
pafllon for diamonds has entirely fuperfeded or
prodigioufly diminifhed the ufe of them, they have
found a new mart, more advantageous than the
firft. They are carried to Peru, where they are
in great eftimation.
THIS branch of trade has, however, infinitely
lefs contributed to give reputation to Panama, than
the advantage which it hath long enjoyed of being
i the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
the mart of all the productions of the country of
the Incas, that are deftined for the Old world.
Thefe riches, which are brought hither by a fmall
fleet, were carried, fome on mules, others by the
river Chagre, to Porto Bello, that is fituated on
the northern coaft of the ifthmus which feparates
the two leas.
THOUGH the fituation of this town was furveyed
and approved by Columbus in 1502, it was not
built till 1584, from the ruins of Nombre de Dios.
It is difpofed in the form of a crefcent, on the de-
clivity of a mountain which furrounds the har-
bour. This celebrated harbour, which was for-
merly very well defended by forts which Admiral
Vernon deftroyed in 1740, feems to afford an en-
trance fix hundred toiies broad ; but it is fo ftrait-
ened by rocks that are near the furface of the wa-
ter, that it is reduced to a very narrow canal. Vef-
fels can only be towed into it, becaufe they always
experience either contrary winds or a great calm.
Here they enjoy perfect fecurity.
THE intemperature of the climate of Porto
Bello is fo notorious, that it has been named the
grave of the Spaniards. More than once the gal-
leons have been left here, becaufe they had loft
in this place the greateft part of their crew. The
Englifh, who blockaded it in 1726, would not
have been able to have returned to Jamaica, if
they had waited fome days longer. The inhabi-
tants themielves do not live long, and have all a
weak conftitution. It is rather a difgrace to be
obliged to refide here. Some negroes and mulat-
toes only are to be met with, with a fmall num-
N n 3 ber
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
Der f wn i te people, fixed by the pods that the
government intrufts them with. The garri-
fbn itfelf, though only confiding of an hundred
and fifty men, does not continue here more than
three months at one time. Till the beginning of
the prefent century no woman duril lie in here :
fhe would have deemed it devoting both her chil-
dren and herfelf to certain death. It is an efta-
blifhed opinion, that the domeftic animals of Eu-
rope, which have prodigioufly multiplied in all the
parts of the New world, lofe their fruitfulnefs on
coming to Porto Bello ; and if we may judge by
the few that now are there, notwithftanding the
abundance of paftures, we might be induced to
believe that this opinion is not ill founded. The
plants that are tranfplanted into this fatal region,
where the heat, moifturcj and the vapours, are
exceffive and continual, have never profpered. It
would take up too much time to recount all the
evils experienced here j it would be difficult to
afiign the caufes of them, and, perhaps, impoflible
to point out the remedy.
THESE inconveniencies prevented not Porto
Bello from becoming at firft the center of thericheft
commerce that ever exifted. While the riches of
the New world arrived there, to be exchanged for
the productions of the Old, the veflels that failed
from Spain, known by the name of galleons, came
hither, laden with all the articles of necefilty,
convenience, and luxury, which could tempt the
proprietors of the mines.
THE deputies for tranfa&ing this commerce
froth fides regulated on board the admiral's
,,
WP
,,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
the price of goods, under the infpeftion of the
commander of the fquadron and the prefident of
Panama. The eftimate \vas not adjufted by the
intrinfic value of each article, but by its i'carcity
or plenty. The ability of the agents conlifted in-
forming their combinations fo judicioufly, that
the cargo imported from Europe ihould abforb
all the treafures that were come from Peru. It
was regarded as a bad market, when there were
found goods neglected for want of money, or
money not laid out for want of goods. In this
cafe only, the Spanifh merchants were allowed to
go and traffic in the South Seas, and the Peru-
vian merchants were permitted to make remit-
tances to the mother-country for their purchafes.
As loon as the prices were fettled, the traffic
commenced. This was neither tedious nor dif-
ficult j it was carried on with the utmoft frnnk-
nefs. -Exchanges were made with fo much ho-
nefty, that they never opened their chefts of pia-
ftres, nor proved the contents of their bales.
This reciprocal confidence was never deceived.
There were found more than once lacks of gold
mixed among facks of filver, and articles which
were not entered on the invoice. Ail was exactly
reftored before the departure of the galleons, or
on their return. There only happened in 1654
an event which might have interrupted this confi-
dence. It was found in Europe, that all the
piafires, that were received at the laft fair, had a
fifth of alloy. The lofs was borne by the Spanifh
merchants; but, as the treafurer of the mint at
Lima was known to be the author of this fraud,
N n 4 the
55 * HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B \-n K t ^ ie re P lltat i n f tne P cruv ^ an merchants incurred
v -v-*-' no difgrace.
THE fair, the duration of which, on account of
the noxious qualities of the air, was limited to
forty days, was regularly held. It is clear from
the acts of 1595, that the galleons muft have been
difpatched for Europe every year, or at the lateft
every eighteen months; and the twelve fleets that
failed from the fourth of Auguft 1628, to the third
of June 1645, prove that this rule was ftrictlyob-
ierved. They returned at the end of eleven, ten,
and fometimes even eight months, with an hundred
millions * and more, in gold, filver, and goods.
THIS profperity continued without interruption
to the middle of the feventeenth century. After
the lofs of Jamaica, a confiderable contraband trade
took place, which till that time had been trifling.
The lacking of Panama in 1670, by John Morgan
the Englifh pirate, was attended with ftill more
fatal confequences. Peru, which fent thither its
ftock before-hand, now no longer tranfmitted it
till after the arrival of the galleons at Carthagena.
Delays, uncertainty, diftruft, were the confe-
quences of this change. The fairs were not much
frequented, and fmuggling increafed.
SPAIN was threatened with a much greater evil.
The Scots in 1690 landed twelve hundred men in
the gulph of Darien. Their defign was, to gain
the confidence of the favages, whom the Caftilians
had not been able to fubdue, to arm them againft
a nation which they detefted, to form a fettlement
on their territory, to break off the communication
of
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
6f Carthagena with Porto-Bello, to intercept the B
galleons, and to unite their forces with thofe of
Jamaica, in order to acquire a decifive fuperiority
in this part of the New world.
THIS plan, which had nothing chimerical in it,
difpleafed Louis XIV., who offered to the court of
Madrid a fleet to fruftrate the defign : it difpleafed
the Dutch, who had reafon to be afraid that this
new company would one day divide with them the
fmuggling trade, which they monopolized in thefe
latitudes : it was allb difagreeable to Spain, which
threatened to confifcate the effects of the fubjefts
of Great Britain, who traded in her dominions.
It was more particularly alarming to the Englifh,
who forefaw, that their colonifts would abandon
their old plantations, to go and refide on a territory
teeming with gold ; and that Scotland, growingrich,
would emerge from that kind of dependence to
which its poverty had hitherto reduced it. This
violent and univerfal oppofition determined King
William to revoke apermifllon which his favourites
had extorted from him. He moreover prohibited
all his colonies in the New world from furnifhing
either arms, provifions, or ammunition, to a rifmg
fettlement, whofe ruin would infure the public
tranquillity. Thus was ftifled in its infancy a
colony, the greatnefs of which did not appear to
be remote, and muft have been very confiderable.
THE Spaniards had fcarce time to rejoice at this
happy event. The elevation of a prince of France
to the throne of Charles V. kindled a general
war j and, at the commencement of the firft hoftili-
ties, the galleons were burnt in the port of Vigo,
where
554 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
BOOK where the impossibility of gaining Cadiz had forced
< -v--- < them to take flicker. The communication of
Spain with Porto-Bello was then totally interrupt-
ed j and the South Sea had more than ever direct
and regular connections with foreign powers.
THE peace of Utrecht, which feemed to pro-
mife a termination of thele troubles, only ferved
to increafe them. Philip V., who was forced to
fubmit, was compelled to withdraw the treaty of
Affiento from the French ; who being unfuccefsful
in the whole courle of the war, and at that time
little acquainted with maritime commerce, had
enjoyed this privilege froin 1702, without deriving
any confiderable benefit from it. The French
were fucceeded by the Englifh.
THE South Sea company, which enjoyed an
exclufive privilege, was to furnilh four thoufand
eight hundred Africans, and to pay the king of
Spain 1 60 livres * a head for every negro. It was
obliged to give only half for thofe it fhould import
above this number during the twenty-five firft
years of the ftipulation. In the five laft it was
prohibited to import beyond what was fpe cified in
the contrail:.
IT was permitted to fhip from Europe, on
board vefiHs of an hundred and fifty tons burden,
in the north fea, cloaths, medicines, provifions, and
equipment for its flaves, factors, and ihips. It
could fell ail thcfe goods to Spanifh verTels, who
might have occafion for them to return.
ON account of the diftance, the company was
authorized to build houfes on the river of Plata,
to
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
to form lands in the neighbourhood ofits factories,
and get them cultivated by negroes or natives ; that
is to fay, by means of this mart to engrofs the
whole commerce of Chili and Paraguay.
THE company had not lefs freedom with regard
to the South Sea. It was permitted to freight at
Panama, and in all the other ports on this coaft,
vefTels of four hundred tons burden, in order to
convey its negroes to all the coafts of Peru, to
equip them as it pleafed, to nominate the com-
manders of them, to bring back the produce of
its fales in provifions, in gold, or in filver, without
being fubject to any duty of import or export.
It might fend to Porto Bello, and convey from
thence to Panama, every thing that was neceflary
for the fitting out of the fhips it fhould difpatch.
THOUGH thefe concefiions muft have been very
difagreeable to Spain, the Englifh knew how to
avail themfelves of their fuperiority, and com-
pelled her to a ftill more painful fubmiffion. They
obtained the permifiion of fending every year a
veffel laden with merchandife to the fair of Porto
Bello. It always arrived with a thoufand tons bur-
den, inftead of five hundred which it was allowed
to carry. It was neither furnifhed with water,
nor provifions. Four or five veflels, which follow-
ed it, fupplied its wants 3 and frequently fub-
flituted goods in the place of fuch as had been
fold. The galleons, ruined by this competition,
were alfo greatly detrimented by every article
that the Englifh poured into their ports where they
carried negroes. At laft, after the expedition
of 1737, it Was impoflible to fupport this com-
merce
556 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B 'vi? K merce an y lon g er > and a flop was put to thofe
i, , / famous fairs envied by all nations, though they
might be regarded as the common treafure of all
people. From this period Panama and Porto
Bello have aftonifhingly declined. Thefe two
towns now only ferve as a pafTage to the negroes
that are carried into the South Sea, and for fome
other inconfiderable branches of a decaying traffic.
Affairs of greater importance have been turned
into another channel.
IT is well known, that Magellan in 1520 difco-
vered the famous ftrait that bears his name, and
which feparates the extremity of South America
from Terra del Fuego. This ftrait is computed
to be near an hundred and ten leagues long, and
in fome places lefs than a league broad. Though
it was for a long time the only paffage known into
the South Sea, the dangers incurred there cauled
it almoft to be forgotten. The boldnefs of Drake,
the celebrated navigator, who failed by this track
to ravage the coafts of Peru, determined the Spa-
niards in 1582 to form at the ftraits of Magellan
a fettlement, deflined to become the key of this
part of the New world. This new colony perifhed
almoft entirely for want of provifions. Three
years after, Fernando Gomez only was left there,
who was brought back into Europe by the Eng-
lilh pirate Thomas Cavendiih.
THE lofs of this colony was not fo great an
evil as it .was apprehended to be. The ftraits of
Magellan foonceafed to be the road of thofe pirates,
who were urged by their mercenary views to vifit
thefe remote regions. Some bold navigators hav-
ing
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 557
ing doubled Cape Horn, this became afterwards B ^ j* K
the road which the enemies of Spain followed, - - y - *
who defigned to pals into the South Sea. It was
dill more frequented by French veflels, during
the war which caufed fuch confufion in Europe at
the beginning of the prefent century. The im-
pofiibility which Philip V. experienced to furnifli
his colonies himfelf with provifions, emboldened
the fubjects of his grandfather to go to Peru. The
want of every thing, which the inhabitants then ex-
perienced, made the French to be received with
joy j and at firft they got a profit of eight hun-
dred per cent. Thefe enormous advantages were
not continued. The competition at laft was fo
confiderable, the goods fell into fuch difrepute, that
it was impoflible to fell them j and feveral privateers
burnt them, that they might not be obliged to
carry them back into their country. The equi-
librium was not long in re-eftablifhing itfelf ; and
thefe foreign traders made advantages that were
confiderable, when the court of Madrid in 1718
took effectual meafures to remove them from thefe
latitudes, which they had but too long frequented.
AT this time the expeditions to the South Sea
by Cape Horn were difcontinued. The Spaniards
themfelves relumed them in 1740 with tolerable
advantage. They flattered themfelves, that, at the
expiration of the treaty of AfTiento, that of Peru
would refume its former activity. They mull
have been undeceived fmce that time. The colony
has not furnifhed a greater quantity of bark, of
the wool of the vicuna, and cocoa, than before ;
and the mines proved to be fo confiderably di-
minifhed,
55 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B o^o K minilhed, that the annual returns in gold and
i__ w .' _r filver did not exceed feventeen millions *. There
was no part even of this fum for government ; be-
caufe, though the fame duties are eftablifhed at
Peru as in Mexico and all the other fettlements,
the expences of adminiftration have fwallowed up
the whole.
General re- AFFAIRS were not conducted with more know-
new^e" kdge, probity, and ceconomy, in the vice-royalty
wM^euch* ^ New Grenada, which was feparated from that
edfrom of Peru. This new dominion, which was formed
in 1718, extends along the South Sea from Panama
to the gulph of Guayaquil j along the north fea
from Mexico to the river Oroonoko ; and runs fo
far back into land, that it comprehends an im-
menfe territory.
THE numerous provinces, that compofe this
great government, are covered with immenfe fo-
refts, feparated by high mountains, and abound-
ing with uncultivated lands. Thele vaft regions
have not been entirely fubdued. Here favages
are to be met with in all parts, who have no other
paflion but that of furprifihg and mafiacring the
Spaniards. Such even of the Indians, who have
been forced to fubmit to the yoke, have vowed an-
implacable hatred againft their tyrants. Their
firft concern is, to perpetuate this animofity in their
family. They inceffantly call to their children's
remembrance the calamities which marked the firf
arrival of the deftroyers of the New world, and
that fanguinary fpirit which hath never cealed to
animate their fucceffors.
* Near 744,000!,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 559
AT the time of the conqueft, this country was B v K -
inhabited by an infinite number of nations that w V -J
were not populous, the greateft part of whom led
a wandering life, and were moft of them ferocious
and indolent. The men here were more active,
the women more beautiful and fair, than in the
neighbouring climates. The country being at a
confiderable diftance from any of the great rivers,
twenty, thirty, and forty leagues may fometimes
be crofted without meeting with a hut. Since the
time of the invafion, this fcanty population hath
fcarce fuffered any diminution j becaufe there has
been no deftructive labour carried on there, and
that the fubjected people have not been condemned
to work in the mines. It is feldom that any thing
is exacted from them befides the tribute impofed.
Some pay this with provifions ; others with gold,
which they find in the torrents or rivers. There
are others who fulfil this kind of obligation from
the profits they make on certain European goods,
which they fell to the Indians who have not yet
been fubdued.
THE country of Quito, which hath been incor- Remark*
porated with what is called the new kingdom, is country of
the beft known and the moft agreeable part of it. ^ ito *
Nothing, for inftance, can be compared to the
valley formed between the double chain of the
Cordeleras mountains.
IN the center of the torrid zone, and even
immediately under the equator, all the beauties
of fpring are here inceflantly enjoyed. The mild-
nefs of the air, the equality of day and night,
yield a thoufand delights in a country which the
3 fun
560 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B oo K f un furrounds with a girdle of fire. It is preferred
v -^ i to the climate of the temperate zones, where the
change of the feafons occafions fenfations too much
oppofite not to be inconvenient from that very in-
equality. Nature appears to have combined, under
the line that covers fo many leas and fo little land,
a multitude of circumftances which confpire to
moderate the ardent heat of the fun : thefe are the
elevation of the globe in this fummit of its i'phere 3
the vicinity of mountains of immenfe height and
extent, and always covered with fnows -, and con-
tinual winds which refrefh the country the whole
year, by interrupting the force of the perpendicu-
lar rays of heat. The whole univerfe would not
afford a more agreeable retreat than the territory
of Quito, if fo many advantages were not counter-
balanced by fome inconveniences.
AT one or two o'clock after noon, the time
when the morning, which is almoft always very
fine, ends, the vapours begin to rife, and the fky
is covered with gloomy clouds, which are changed
into dorms. Then the whole atmofphere is illu-
minated, and appears to be fet on fire by light-
ning ; and the thunder makes the mountains re-
found with a terrible noife. To thefe may be
added dreadful earthquakes, which fometimes hap-
pen ; at other times rain or funihine prevails with-
out intermiflion for fifteen days together ; and then
there is an univerfal condensation. The excefs
of moifture fpoils what is fown, and drought pro-
duces dangerous difeafes.
BUT, excepting when thefe unhappy accidents,
\vhich are very rare, take place, the climate of
Quito
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 561
Quito is one of the moft wholefome. The air is B v K
generally fo pure, that thofe naufeous infects are r *
there unknown which diftrefs the greateft part of
the provinces of America. Though licentioufnefs
and neglect render venereal complaints here al-
moH general, the people fuffer very little from
them. Thofe who have inherited this conta-
gious diftemper, or who have acquired it, grow
old equally without danger and without incon-
venience.
THE fertility of the foil anfwers to the mildnefs
of the climate. The moifture and the action of
the fun being continual, and always fuiHcient to
unfold and ftrengthen the fhoots, the agreeable
picture of the three moft beautiful feafons of the
year is continually prefented to the eye. In pro-
portion as the grafs withers, frefh grafs fprings
up; and the enamel of the meadows is hardly
pafl, but it appears afrefh. The trees are incef-
fantly covered with green leaves, adorned with
odoriferous flowers, and always laden with fruit ;
the colour, form, and beauty of which are at once
exhibited in all their feveral progreflive ftates from
their firlt appearance to their maturity. The corn
advances in the fame progreffion of fertility that is
always renewing. At one view one may behold
the new-fown feed fpringing up, fome that is grown
larger and fpiked with ears, fome turning yellow,
and fome under the reaper's fickle. The whole
year is patted in fowing and reaping, within the
compafs of the fame field, or the fame horizon.
This conftant variety depends on the lituation of
the mountains, hillocks, plains, and valleys.
VOL, II. O o THIS
562 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B vu K ^ HIS Pl ent 7 f corn > ma i ze > fagar, flocks, and
-v 1 all provifions, and the low price at which the im-
pofiibility of exporting them necefiarily keeps
them, has funk the whole province, efpecially the
capital, in the greateft idlenefs and diforder.
QUITO, which was conquered by the Spaniards
in 1534, and is built on the declivity of the famous
mountain of Pitchincha in the Cordeleras, may
have fifty thoufand inhabitants, the greateft part
of whom are abandoned to fliameful and habitual
debauchery. Though fuch manners are common
in all the Spanilh colonies, they have not been car-
ried in any other fpot to the fame excefs of cor-
ruption. Among the various paflions which have
there been indulged with the moft licentious free-
dom, that of gaining has always been moft de-
ftruftive in its confequences.
THOUGH it is prohibited by law to carry a
poniard, yet the meftees, free negroes, or flaves,
are feldom without one. Thus it is that every
week, and almoft every day, is marked by aflafii-
nation. The abufe of thofe afylums, which fe-
cure impunity to fuch horrid acts, is the princi-
pal caufe of thefe disturbances. It is to be hoped
that the excefs of the evil will point out the ne-
ceffity of a remedy.
THE mother-country continually imputes to this
depravity of manners the ruin of thofe gold and
filver mines that were opened at the time of the
conqueft, and the neglect of thofe that have been
fmce gradually difcovered. The province, it is
aflerted, might apply to this kind of induftry
with fo much the more fuccefs, as it is better
x peopled
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
peopled with Indians and Spaniards than any other B
country of the New world, and derives from it- *
felf prodigious plenty of excellent provifions,
which in other parts muft be brought from a great
diftance, and at a veryconfiderable expence. Then
this country, formerly fo opulent, might again
rife to its former ftate, and refume a liiftre which
prejudice and the turn of the place will always
prevent its deriving from its own agriculture and
manufactures.
THE Spaniards born at Quito^ and thofe that
are fent from Europe to take upon themfelves the
government of it, find thefe reproaches ill-found-
ed. Their general opinion is> that the mines of
this province are not fuirkiently rich to defray the
charge of working them* We cannot pretend to
decide this point. Yet; if we only reflect on the
ardour that thefe conquerors have always mani-
fefted for this fpecies of riches^ which, without
any labour on their part, coft them nothing but
the blood of thofe who were in poMefiion of it,
we may venture to conclude, that nothing but nn
entire impofilbility, founded on experience, could
determine this nation to deny itfelf the purfuit of
its natural inclinations, and refift the urgent foli*
citations of the mother-country.
THE province of Quito has endeavoured to
make up the deficiency of its mines by the pro-
duce of its manufactures. A prodigious quantity
of hats, common cloth, light (luffs, and baize, is
made here. Exclufive of its home confumption,
it exported annually for a long time to the amount:
of five or fix millions of livres*. With this affifl-
* On an average about 240,000 1.
O o a ftnct
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
ance ' ll ^ as Deen enabled to pay for the wines,
brandies, and oils, that it was never allowed to
draw from its own territory ; for the dried and
faked fiili which was brought from the coafts j for
the foap which is made at Truxillo from the
fat of goats, which have exceedingly multiplied
there ; for the iron ufed in all its works of agri-
culture j and for all thofe articles of luxury it was
fupplied with from the Old world. This traffic has
dimimfhed more than one half. At all times the
inhabitants of the province kept up the pride of
drefiing in European cloth, known throughout all
America by the name of the cloth of Caftille.
This tafte is become general fmce the regifter
fhips have been fubftituted to the galleons. The
facility of being continually fupplied with thefe
fluffs, and of getting them at a lower price, hag
ruined the manufactures of Quito, which has been
reduced to extreme wretchednefs.
THE country will never emerge from this
ftate of poverty by its connections with Spain, to
which it furniiries nothing but bark. The tree
which yields this famous remedy is feldom more
than two toifes and a half high ; its trunk and
branches are of a proportional thicknefs : it grows
in forefts promifcuoufly amongft many other
plants, and is propagated by feeds which fall
to the ground of themfelves. The only valu-
able part of it is its bark, which is no other-
wife prepared than by drying it. The thickeft
was always preferred, till fome accurate expe-
riments made in England, and frequently repeat-
ed, have fhewn that the thinnelt bark was the
mod efficacious.
2 IT
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
P/a \VC5C B
VII.
IT was long believed that the bark tree was B
only found on the territory of Loxa, a town *
that was founded in 1546 by captain Alonfo de
Mercadillo. That which was in the higheft efti-
mation grew two leagues to the South of this
place on the mountain of Cajanumaj and it is
not more than fifty years ago that fome mer-
chants endeavoured to prove by certificates, that
the bark which they fold came from this famous
place. This medicine has lately been diicovered
in the neighbourhood of Riobamba, Cuenca, and
fome other countries, all in the province of Quito.
THE bark was known at Rome in 1639. The
Jefuits, who had brought it thither, diftributed
it gratis to the poor, and fold it at an exorbitant
price to the rich. The year following, John de
Vega, phyfician to a vice-queen of Peru, who had
experienced the falutary effects of it, eftablifhed it
in Spain -at an hundred crowns a pound *. This
remedy foon acquired great reputation, which it
maintained till the inhabitants of Loxa, not being
able to fupply the demands that were made on
them, thought of mixing other barks with that
which there was fo much demand for. This fraud
diminiihed the confidence that had been placed in
the bark, and confequently its price. The mea-
fures, which the court of Madrid employed to
remedy fo dangerous an impofidon, were not en-
tirely fuccefsful. The late difcoveries muft have
rendered this production fo common, that it does
not appear probable that it will be adulterated
any more.
* About 13!.
003 IT
6 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
f K IT is a generally received opinion, that the na-
-W-W tives of the country very anciently knew the ufe of
the bark. It is faid, that they infufed it a whole
day in water, and gave the liquor to a fick man to
drink without the grounds. The fear of revealing
fo falutary a remedy to the Spaniards, their tyrants,
made them renounce it themfelves. They hadfo
thoroughly loft the remembrance of it, that they
imagined it was ufcd in Europe only for dying.
Juftieu, a French botanift, informed them of the
contrary about thirty years ago. He taught them
to diftinguifh the indifferent fort of bark from the
good, and from the mod excellent of its kind ;
and accuftomed them to have recourfe, as we have,
to its fpecific virtue in intermitting fevers>.
THESE people have not paid the fame attention
to the advice of intelligent perfons who were de-
firous of perfuading them to cultivate cochineal.
This is found, in certain countries of the province,
fimilar in every refpect to the cochineal of New
Spain. It is employed in the manufactures of
Loxa and Cuenca ; to which circumftance may be
afcribed the fuperiority of their (tuffs and carpets
to thofe of Qujto, where it is not ufed. If the
Spaniards can ever be rouzed from their inactivity
to purfue this fpecies of induflry, they .will open
to themfelves a new branch of commerce with
Europe, which they may enlarge, if they pleafe,
by the produce of cinnamon.
TOWARDS the eaftern fide of the Cordeleras are
Situated the countries of Quixos and Macas, which
were fubdued in 1 559, and annexed to the province
of Quito. There are only Ibme fcattered and
miferable.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 567
miferable villages there. The firit of thefe coun- B v K
tries was never of any ufe to the mother-country; '- - y -~>
and the fecond hath ceafed to be fo } fmce the in-
furrection of the Indians hath occafioned the rich
mines, which had been opened there, to be aban-
doned. Both produce cinnamon, which is in
common ufe in Peru, and which might be much
further extended, if proper attention were beftow-
ed upon the cultivation of it.
TILL the province of Quito lhall avail itfelf of f^
its own natural advantages, the riches of New chaco -
Grenada are limited to the metals of Popayan and
Chaco, two provinces that were conquered in 1 536.
The barrennefs of thefe countries at firft induced
the Spaniards to form no very favourable opinion
of their acquifition j but fome important difcove-
ries foon flamped a value on them. Gold mines
were found, which are fo much the more advan-
tageous, as the working of them is neither ex-
penfive, difficult, nor hazardous.
THE- ore is fcattered and mixed with the earth
and gravel : this mixture is conveyed into a large
refervoir, where it is pounded till the lighteit parts
eicape from the refervoir by a pipe which ferves to
carry off the water. Then the workmen take thte
heavy matter, that is to fay the fand and ore
which remain at the bottom, and put it into wooden
buckets, which they turn circularly with a quick
and uniform motion. They change the water,
and continue to leparate the light matter from the
heavy. At laft there remains at the bottom of
thefe tubs nothing but gold cleared of all the ex-
traneous bodies with which it had been combined.
004 It
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
K It is generally found in dufl, fometimes in grains
of different fizes. The fame operation is repeated
in the fecond and third refervoirs, that are placed
under the firft to receive the light parts of the gold
that may have been carried away from the firft
bafon by the running of the water. Some of the
workmen are employed in wailiing it, while others
dig up the ore and carry it away. The labour is
never interrupted.
THESE works are carried on by about eight
thoufand blacks. Thefe flaves, who are never
employed in mines of any depth, becaufe the cold
there kills them, are referved for thofe which are
near the furface of the earth. They may every
where be employed without endangering their life :
they are preferred to the Indians, who have lefs ca-
pacity and ftrength than they have, and efpecially
lefs of that good-will which gives ilrength and
capacity. It is umverfally the cuftom in Popayan
and Chaco, that they deliver every day to their
mafter a certain portion of gold j what they can
collect above this quantity belongs to themfelves,
as well as what they find on thofe days that are
confecrated to religion and reft, on which they are
the mafters of their leifure time, on condition that
during the feftival they maintain themfelves. This
agreement puts the mofl laborious, the moft fru-
gal, and the moft happy among them in a condi-
tion of purchafmg fooner or later their liberty.
Then they intermix in marriage with the Spani-
ards; and the two nations now form only one and
the fame people.
THE
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
THE produce of their induftry is carried to
Santa Fe of Bogota, which was built in 1536 by
Gonfalvo Ximenes de Quefeda in a place where *
he arrived from the North Sea by the river of Mag-
dalena, precifely at the fame time as Sebaftian de
Benalcazar came there from Popayan. Some vio-
lent contefts immediately arofe concerning the
boundaries between thefe two conquerors, which
. terminated in favour of Quefeda. The city which
he had built became the capital .of the new king-
dom of Grenada, where in procefs of time were
formed the towns of Marequitta^ Pampeluna, To-
cayma, and fome others lefs confiderable.
THIS colony was indebted for its firftprofperity
to the emerald, a precious (lone, which is tranf-
parent, and of a green colour, and which has no
greater degree of hardnefs than the rock cryftal.
SOME countries of Europe furnifh emeralds, but
they are of a very imperfect kind, and in little
eftimation.
IT was for a long time believed that emeralds of
a bright green came from the Eaft Indies, and it
is on this account that they have been called ori-
ental. This opinion has been rejected, fmce it
has been found impoflible to tell the places where
they were found. It is now certain that Afia has
never fold us any of thefe jewels, except what (he
herfelf had received from the New world.
THESE beautiful emeralds belong certainly to
America alone. The firft conquerors of Peru
. found a great quantity of them, which they broke
on anvils, from a perfuafion they had that they
would not break if they were fine. This lofs be-
came
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
came the more fenfibly felt through the impof-
fibility of difcovering the mine from whence the
Incas had drawn fb much treafure. The moun-
tains of New Grenada at laft fupplied this defi-
ciency ; theyfurniihed a great quantity of emeralds,
which were carried to Europe, from whence they
were diffufed throughout the whole world.
THE Spanifh hiftorians fpeak with enthufiafm
of the emeralds and metals which this colony ori-
ginally furnifhed. Some make the produce amount
to fums which would even aftonifh perfons who
have the greateft propenfity to the marvellous.
Exaggeration, perhaps, has never been carried fo
far. If the fabulous reports that were raifed had
only been approaching to the truth, the colonifts
would have multiplied in proportion to their riches,
as it hath happened in all the fettlements the opu-
lence of which has never been doubtful. This
populoufnefs does not exift, and no sera can be
alleged in which there were any remarkable
emigrations.
LET this be as it may, thefe countries, which are
fuppofed formerly to have been fo renowned, are
fallen into the greateft obfcurity: if Santa Fe has
in fome degree been refcued from oblivion, it docs
not derive this advantage from its productions,
which are reduced to a fmall quantity of tobacco,
of an indifferent quality, that is difpofed of in the
inland country; to a little corn, which ferves to
fupplyCarthagena with provifion of this kind; and
to a fmall number of emeralds, and a little quan-
tity of gold, furnifhed by the valley of Neyva.
The attention ftill bellowed upon it is in confe-
quence
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES.
quence of the happinefs it has of being the feat of
government, the center of all bufmefs, and the
mart of the riches of Popayan and Chaco.
THESE riches are carried on mules for five
hundred leagues, and embarked at Honde on the
river of Magdalena, upon fin all veflels. After a
few days failing, they enter into a channel formed
by nature, and enlarged about the middle of the
laft century, which brings them to Carthagena. In
the feafons when this channel is without water,
and through the negligence of government it will
foon be without it in all feafons, the voyage is car-
ried on upon the river, till they arrive at three
days journey from this celebrated town, which
they afterwards travel to by land.
THE place where Carthagena is at prefent
fituated, was difcovered in 1502 by Baftidas, who
would have fettled there, if he had not been re-
pulfed by the favages. Several adventurers, who
followed his footfteps, experienced the fame refift-
ance. At laft Heredia appeared in 1527, with a
force fufficient to reduce them. He built and
peopled the town.
THE profperity of this fettlement drew thither
in I544fome French pirates, who pillaged it. In
1585 it was burnt by the celebrated Drake. Poin-
tis took it and ranfomed it in 1697. Admiral
Vernon was obliged in 1741 to raife the fiege of it,
though he had undertaken it with twenty-five
fliips of the line, fix fire-fhips, two bomb-ketches,
and as many land-forces as were fulfrcient to con-
quer all America*
AFTER
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
AFTER fo many revolutions, Carthagena now
fubfifts in fplendour in a peninfula of fand, which
is joined to the continent only by two narrow necks
of land, the broaden: of which is not thirty-five
toifes. Its fortifications are regular. Nature has
placed at a little diftance a hill of a tolerable
height, on which the citadel of St. Lazarus has been
built. In time of peace thefe works are defended
by a garrifon of between fix and feven hundred
men. The town is one of the beft built, the moft
regular and beft difpofed, of any in the New world.
It may contain twenty-five thoufand ibuls. Of
this number the Spaniards form the fixth parti the
negroes, Indians, and feveral races compofed of
mixtures of an infinite variety, make up the re-
mainder.
THIS mixture is more common at Carthagena
than in the other Spanifh colonies. A multitude
of adventurers without employment, without for-
tune, and without recommendations, are continu-
ally reforting to this place. In a country where
they are totally unknown, no citizen can venture
to repofe any confidence in their fervices; they are
deftined to fubfift wretchedly on the alms of the
convents, and to lie in the corner of a fquare, or
at the gate of a church. If the afflictions they ex-
perience in this miferable Hate bring fome violent
difeafe upon them, they are commonly afiifted by
the free negro women, whofe care and kindnefs
they requite by marrying them. Such who have
not the happinefs of being in a fituation dreadful
enough to excite the companion of the women,
are
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 573
are obliged to retire to fome village, to live there BOOK
by cultivating the ground, and reaping the fruit - , ' _r
of their labours j which the haughty lazinefs of the
inhabitant confiders as the utmoft ignominy. In
reality, indolence is carried fo far, that men and
women who are wealthy feldom quit their ham-
mocks, and that but for a little time.
Two celebrated Spaniards have judged the cli-
mate to be one of the principal caufes of this in-
activity. The heat is excefiive and continual at
Carthagena. The torrents of water, which are
inceflantly pouring down from the month of May
to November, have this peculiarity, that they never
cool the air, which is fometimes a little moderated
in the dry feafon by the north-eaft winds. The
night is as- hot as the day. An habitual perfpira-
tion gives the inhabitants the pale and livid colour
of fickly perfons. yen when they are in perfect
health their motions partake of the foftnefs of
the climate, which evidently relaxes their fibres.
This indolence manifefts itfelf even in their words,
which are always uttered (lowly, and with a low
voice. Thofe who come hither from Europe pre-
ferve their frefli complexions and plumpnefs three
or four months. They afterwards lofe both, by
falling into inceffant fweats.
THIS ftate is the forerunner of an evil (till more
dreadful, but the nature of which is little known.
It is conjectured that fome perfons are affected
with It from catching cold, others from indigeftion.
It manifefts itfelf by vomiting, accompanied with
fo violent a delirium, that the patient muft be
confined, to prevent him from tearing himfelf to
pieces.
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
pieces. He often expires in the midft of thefc
agitations, which feldom lafl above three or foul-
days. Thofe who have efcaped this danger at
firit, run no rifque for the future. We are affured
from the teftimony of men of underftanding, that
even upon their return to Carthagena, after a long
abfence, they have nothing to fear.
THIS town and its territory exhibit the fpectacle
of a hideous leprofy, which indifcriminately at-
tacks both natives and ftra.ngers. The philofo-
phers, who have attempted to afcribe this cala-
mity to the eating of pork, have not confidered
that this diftemper is unknown in the other coun-
tries of America, where this kind of food is not
lefs common. To prevent the progrefs of this
diftemper, an hofpital has been founded in the
country. All perfons who are fuppofed to be at-
tacked with it are fhut up here, without diftinction
of lex, rank, or age. The benefit of fo wife an
eftabliftiment is loft through the avarice of the
governors, who, without being deterred by the
danger of fpreading the difeafe, fufFer the poor to
go in and out to beg. Thus it is that the number
of the fick is fo great, that the inclofure of the
dwelling is of an immenfe extent. Every one
there enjoys a little fpot of ground that is marked
out for him on his admiflion. There he builds an
abode fuitable to his fortune, where he lives in
tranquillity to the end of his days, which are often
long, though unhappy. This diforder fo power-
fully excites that paflion which is the ftrongeft of
all others, that it has been judged neceflary to
permit marriage to fuch as are afflicted with it.
This
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 575
This is, perhaps, increafing the pafTion by in- B v . K
crcafing the means offatisfying it. Thefe defires ' v^ '
appear to be irritated by the very gratification of
them, they increafe by their very remedies, and
are reproduced by each other. The wretchednefs
qf beholding this ardent difeafe, which infects the
blood, perpetuated in the children, hath given
way to the dread of other diforders that are, per-
haps, chimerical.
IF we were lefs acquainted with the negligent
difpofition of the Spaniards, we might perfuade
them to make an experiment, which, probably,
would be attended with fuccefs. There are fome
people in Africa that are fituated nearly under the
fame latitude, who have a cuftom of rubbing the
body with an oil that is expreffed from the fruit
of a tree that is like the palm. This oil is of a
difagreeable fmell, but has the fahitary property
of flopping the pores of the fkin, and checking
the fweats which the heat of the climate would
render exceflive, efpecially during three months of
the year, in which a dreadful calm afflicts thefe
countries. If a fimilar method were tried at Car-
thagena, perhaps the leprofy might be retrained,
or even totally abolifhed. We know that thofe
who are attacked with this difeafe perfpire no
longer, and that their fkin is hard and fcaly.
Would it be repugnant to the principles of found
philofophy, to attribute it to too copious a per-
fpiration, which impoverifhes the fibres of the
fkin, and renders them incapable of performing
their function^ ? The ufe of an oil or greafe fit to
diminifh this extreme degree of perforation, and
at
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
at c ^ e f ame ^ me prevent its total fupprefiion,
feems to 'be the method indicated by nature to
guard againft the calamity we are now fpeak-
ing of.
NOTWITHSTANDING this diftemper, the badnefs
of the climate, and many other inconveniences,
Spain hath always fhewed a great predilection for
Carthagena, on account of its harbour, one of the
bed that is known. It is two leagues in extent,
and has a deep and excellent bottom. There is
lefs agitation there, than on the moil calm river.
The paffage to it formerly was folely by the canal
of Bocca Chica. This was fo narrow, that only
one veffel could pafs, without being expofed to
the crofs batteries of forts erected on both fides.
The Englifli in 1741 having deftroyed the fortifi-
cations that defended this paffage, it was fhut up
by the Spaniards. An ancient canal was opened,
which was difpofed in fuch a manner, that it will
not be eafy for an enemy's fquadron to force it.
This is the way .by which all veffels now enter into
the harbour.
AT the time that the trade of Peru was carried
on by the galleons, thefe veffels failed to Cartha-
gena before they went to Porto Bello, and vifited
it again on their return. In the firft voyage,
they depofited the merchandife that was neceffary
for the interior provinces, and received the price
of it in the fecond. This arrangement difpleafed
the merchants of Lima, who pretended that, when
they came back from the fair, they found all their
country provided with the fame things which
they had been to fetch at a great diflance. They
petitioned,
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 577
petitioned, and they obtained that Carthagena B
fhould not be flocked till after Porto Bello.
BY this reftriction the provinces of Santa Fe,
Popayan, and Quito, were reduced, either to
draw at a great expence and with great hazard
what they wanted from the fair itielf, or to con-
tent themfelves with the refufe of it. This ar-
rangement, which continued feyeral yearSj, was
extremely difpleafing to them. In 1730 afcheme
was devifed, which feemed proper to reconcile the
differences. It was agreed, that things fhould be
re-eftablifhed on the old footing; but that at the
arrival of the galleons the traffic of European
goods Ihould ceafe between the two viceroyalties.
Spain had not yet made fufficient progrefs in the
knowledge of political ceconomy, to be fenfible
how far fuch a regulation was contrary to reafon
and to her intereft.
THE fuppreflion of the galleons made no change
in this matter. The veiTels which fuccefilvely
come to Carthagena, to fupply New Grenada with
provifionsj do not annually carry away above five
millions*. Thofe who know that there is more
than double this fum coined in the mint of Santa
Fe, the only money that exifts in the country
fince that of Popayan was fuppreffed, and who
cannot alfo be ignorant that all the gold which the
mines produce cannot poflibly be coined there,
will be amazed at the fmallnefs of thefe returns.
But their aftonifhment will ceafe, if they confider
the quantity of gold that is fraudulently exported.
Smuggling is carried on in feveral places, op the
* Not quite 219,000).
VOL. II, P p CoafU
7 8 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
OOK coaft. The riches of Chaco are chiefly conveyed
... - M - > away by the river of Atrato, which falls into the
gnlph of Parien ; and thofe of Popayan by the
different mouths of the Magdalena, which it is
impoffible to guard. Spain will never fucceed in
breaking thefe fmuggling connections, unlefs fhe
abandons her former prejudices. A more rational
fyftem would not only fqcure to her the treasures
fhe is likely to lofe, but v/ould alfo give a new
value to the only lands of the viceroyalty that are
cultivated with emolument to the mother-country.
fnTi" 1 " BETWEEN the rivers of Magdalena and Oroono-
countries ko is a long fucceffion of coafts which occupy an
.fuuatedbe- . - f & , f . f i '
tween the ntittienK ipacc. 1 ntfe were dilcovered m 1499 "J
u^& Qjeda, John de la Cafas, and Americus Vefpucius,
Orouueko. w ho landed with four fliips at a place which they
called Venezuela, from the refemblance it ap-
peared to them to have with Venice. The fettle-
mcnts which thefe adventurers and their followers
attempted on the continent, were not formed with
the fame eafe as thofe in the iflands. The fa-
vages, who were accuftomed to make war upon
one another, refilled them with a, degree of oppo-
fition that was fometimes obftinate. At laft thefe
fmall detached nations, which by their natural dif-
pcfition, or the flate of war they lived in, had
rarely any fixed abode, took the refolution either
of removing themfelves far back into the inland
countries, or of fubmitting.
A CONSIDERABLE number of fmall towns were
then built, the moft famous of which were Cu-
mana, Caraccas, Verina, Coro, Maracaybo, and
Saint Martha. In the territory of fome of thefe
were
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES'. 579
were found mines of gold, which at firfl were B o K
worked. Their produce in the beginning was <- .-/.' J>
pretty confiderable; but this fuccefs was only tran-
fitory. Whether this arofe from there being little
gold in them, or, as is inoft probable, that moft of
them were only the branches of mines, it foon be-
came necefTary to abandon them. In the fettle-
ments that were deflitute of mines, the Spaniards;
thirfting after gold and blood, went into the in-
ternal parts of the country to maffacre the Indians;
<5r wreft from them what they had collected of that
valuable land irt their rivers, in order to compofe
various ornaments of it. The lafl refource of thefe
defperate men was to make flaves, in order to ex-
port tSem into the ifiands that their barbarity had
depopulated.
LA CASAS was incenfed at this horrible con-
duct. In 1519, he propofed to form a colony on
this coaft, in which no one Ihould be able to fettle
but with his confent. His colonifts were to be
clothed in fuch a manner, as to make it believed
that they did not belong to the nation which had
rendered itfelf fo odious. Their apparel was to
be white, with a crofs of the fame colour, and
nearly the figure of that of Calatrava. He affirm-
ed, that with thefe kind of knights, and with
miffionaries inftructed by himfelf, he fhould be
able, without war, violence, or flavery, to form
connections with the favages, to civilize therrij
to eftablifh agriculture, and even to work the
mines that might be difcovered. His ambition
was confined to obtaining for his expence the
twelfth of what the government fhould draw from
Pjp 2 th?
580 HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
B Vi? K ^ le countr ^ es vfrhofe felicity he thus anxiouflj
i t-j ftudied.
THIS plan was too favourable to mankind not
to be rejected. The ambitious, who govern flates
and nations, confider them as mere objects of
trade, and treat as chimerical every thing that
tends to the improvement and happinefs of the
human fpecies. Charles V. mortgaged the pro-
vince of Venezuela, fituated in the midft of the
coafl we are now Ipeaking of, to the family of the
Welfers. Thefe rich merchants of Aufburg, in
1528, fent thither four hundred and fourfcore
Germans; who in avarice and ferocity furpafied all
perfons that had before appeared in the New World.
Hiftory accufes them of having maffacred or
caufed to bedeftroyed a million of Indians. Their
tyranny ended by a horrible cataftrophe, and they
were never replaced. It was confidered as a hap-
pinefs, that the country which they had laid wafte
fliould return under the Spanifh dominion.
UNFORTUNATELY the fcenes of horror, which
the Germans had exhibited, were renewed by
Carjaval, who was appointed to the government
of this unhappy country. This monfter, it is
true, loft his- head on a fcafTold -, but the punifh-
ment did not recal from the grave the victims
he had facrificed. The depopulation was fo com-
plete, that in 1550 a great number of negroes
were imported from Africa, on whom the hopes
of an unbounded profperity were founded. The
habit of tyranny made the Spaniards treat thefe
fiaves with fuch feveri'ty, that they revolted. Their
rebellions furnifhed a pretext for maiTacring all
the
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 581
the males j and this colony once more became a B ^ o K
defert, in which the afties of negroes, Spaniards, < v -*
Indians, and Germans, were intermixed. Vene-
zuela fell again into that total oblivion which alfo
involved the provinces that are in the vicinity of
the Oroonoko and the Magdalena, though the ex-
tent, excellence, and variety of their foil, might
have invited the mother-country to derive feveral
productions from them, and for the moft part very
rich ones. The center of this extenfive coaft is
employed in cultivating cocoa.
THE cocoa-tree is of a middling fize, and is
propagated from feeds, which are fown at certain
diftanees. When it begins to fhoot, it divides
into three, four, five, or fix trunks, according
to the vigour of the root. In proportion as it
grows, its branches, which are always very far
from one another, bend towards the earth. Its
leaves, which are long and fmooth, have an agree-
able fmell, terminate in a pointy and refemble,
if they were glofly, thofe of the orange tree.
From the ftem, as well as from the branches, rifes
a jonquil flower, the piftil of which contains the
hufk that inclofes the fruit. This hufk, which is
of the figure of a melon, and is pointed, and di-
vided into portions that are flrongly marked,
grows to the length of about fix or feven inches,
and the breadth of four or five, and inciofcs be-
tween twenty and thirty fmall almonds. It is
green during its growth ; then it turns yellow ;
which is a proof that its fruit begins to have fome
degree of firmnefs. As foon as it acquires the
colour of deep mufk, it muft be gathered, and
4 dried
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
dried immediately. Every feed of the cocoa is
found inclofed in the divifions of the membranes
of the hulk. Two crops are made annually;
which are equal in quality and quantity.
THE cocoa tree, which begins to reward the
labour of the cultivator at the end of two or three
years, requires a moift ground. If it wants water,
it produces no fruit, withers, and dies. A fliade^
to ihelter it continually from the heat of the fun,
is not lefs neceffary to it. It ought to be furround-
ed with ftrong trees, that under the fhelter of them
it may flourifh. The culture it further requires is
neither laborious nor expenfive. It is fufficient to
extirpate the grafs around it, which would de-
prive it of its nourifhment.
THOUGH the cocoa tree is fuccefsfully culti-
vated in feveral countries of America, and even
grows naturally in others, it fucceeds in no parr
of it fo well as on the coaft we are deicribing.
All the parts of America gather a little, but it
only becomes an important objec~b on the territory
of Caraccas. It is reckoned that the crop of this
valuable fruit produces more than a hundred
thoufand fanegas of one hundred and ten pounds
each. The country of Santa Fe confumes twenty
thoufand 5 Mexico a little more j the Canaries a
fmall cargo; and Europe from between fifty to
fixty thoufand. The cultivation of this plant em-
ploys ten or twelve thoufand negroes. Such of
them, who in procefs of time have obtained their
liberty, have built the little town of Nirva, where
they will not admit any white people.
IN THE EAST AND WEST INDIES. 583
THE commerce of Caraccas, to which the bay BOOK
vn.
of Guaira at two leagues from it ferves for a har- i ^ >
hour, was a long time open to all the fubjeds of
the Spanifh monarchy, and is fo ftill to the Ame-
ricans. The Europeans are not fo well treated.
In 1728, a company was formed at Saint Seba-
ftian, which obtained an exclufive right of main-
taining connections with this part of the New
World. Four or five (hips, which they difpatch
every year, fail from thence, but they return to
Cadiz. The fanega of cocoa, which feldom in
the colony cofts more than thirty-five livres*, that
are paid in merchandife, is delivered in Spain at
the fixed price of one hundred and ninety-nine
livres f. There is no price fettled for the little
cotton, indigo, and leather, which come from this
part of the New World.
WHEN we confider that this is all the produce
of a coaft which is nine hundred leagues long, and
twenty, thirty, and forty* deep, in a foil very often
highly fufceptibie of cultivation j it is impoffible
not to be feized with aftoniihment and indignation.
If Spain would take effectual meafures to beftow
marks of diftinction on all perfons who are em-
ployed in ufeful labours, the plunderers who now
acquire at Saint Martha a mifcrable fubfiftence by
fmuggling on the river de la Hacha, and in other
places, would then apply themfelves to agricul-
ture. To that fpirit of deftruction, which has
hitherto been the bafis of her policy, if fhe would
fubftitute the principles of moderation and huma-
nity, we fliould then behold the Motilones, the
* il. ios. jd. . fAboutSl. 145.
Guajaros,
HISTORY OF SETTLEMENTS, &c.
Guajaros, and all the favages that furround her
back fettlements, or who intercept their commu-
nication, haften to form connections, which will
become necefTarily and reciprocally ufeful. Then
the provinces, that are fituated between Magda-
lena and Oroonoko, will rife to that degree of
fplendor for which they are deftined by nature.
They will excel in rich and various productions a
great number of colonies, whofe fertility has been
celebrated for fo long a time. Thefe important
objects are fo evident, that it would be ufelels to,
enlarge upon them any farther. We fhall there-
fore proceed to fpeak of Chili.
END OF THE SECOND VOLUME.
SOUTHERN BftANC!
UNIVERSITY OF I,
LIBRARY,
1.OS ANGELES, C/sL..f.
from which It wa borrow^
ftjffilJi
