Spaniards, became friends to the Portuguese, who were likewise the enemies of the Spaniards. They agreed, therefore, to leave that part of Brazil which they had not conquerell to the King of Portugal, who agreed to leave that part which they had conquerei to them, as a matter not worth disputing about with such a allies. But the Dutch Government soon began to oppress the Portuguese colonists, who, instead of amusing themselves with me plaints, took arms against their new mastera, and hg their own valonr and resolution, with the connivaner, inleril, but without any avowed assistance from the mother country, drse therarst. of Brazil. The Dutch, therefore, finding it imgreibie w kong ay part of the country to themselves, were erntent that it mund be entirely restored to the opnun. Peetrimal. In * 65,114.) there are said to be more than six hindre Irraard pak, Portuigiese op desrentes form Pretgrieze, 75, f. 1*, al a mixed mee bet toon Paper and bang, acs », lak 1,84.8.) in Amerings Firecord to acna1 s , 2 1:04 of Wales extract ra.

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The Swedes established themselves in New Jersey; and the number of Swedish families still to be found there sufficiently demonstrates that this colony was very likely to prosper, had it been protected by the mother country. But being neglected by Sweden, it was soon swallowed up by the Dutch colony of New York, which again, in 1674, fell under the dominion of the English.

The small islands of St. Thomas and Santa Cruz are the only countries in the new world that have ever been possessed by the Danes. These little settlements too were under the government of an exclusive company, which had the sole right, both of purchasing the surplus produce of the colonists, and of supplying them with such goods of other countries as they wanted, and which, therefore, both in its purchases and sales, had not only the power of oppressing them, but the greatest temptation to do so. The government of an exclusive company of merchants is, perhaps, the worst of all governments for any country whatever. It was not, however, able to stop altogether the progress of these colonics, though it rendered it more slow and languid. The lato King of Denmark dissolved this company, and since that time the prosperity of these colonies has been very great.

The Dutch settlements in the West, as well as those in the East Indies, were originally put under the government of an exclusive company.

The progress of some of them, therefore, though it has been considerable, in comparison with that of almost any country that has been long peopled and established, has been languid and slow in comparison with that of the greater part of new colonies. The colony of Surinam, though very considerable, is still inferior to the greater part of the sugar colonies of the other European nations. The colony of Nova Belgia, now divided into the two provinces of New York and New Jersey, would probably have soon become considerable too, even though it had remained under the government of the Dutch. The plenty and cheapness of good land are such powerful causes of prosperity, that the very worst government is scarce capable of checking altogether the efficacy of their operation. The great distance too from the mother country would enable the colonists to evade more or less, by smuggling, the monopoly which the company enjoyed against them. At present, the company allows all Dutch ships to trade to Surinam upon paying two-and-a-half per cent. upon the value of their cargo for a licence; and only reserves to itself exclusively the direct trade from Africa to America, which consists almost entirely in the slave trade. This relaxation in the exclusive privileges of the company is probably the principal cause of that degree of prosperity which that colony at present enjoys. Curaçoa and Eustatia, the two principal islands belonging to the Dutch, are free ports open to the ships of all nations; and this freedom, in the midst of better colonies whose ports are open to those of one nation only, has been the great cause of the prosperity of those two barren islands.

The French colony of Canada was, during the greater part of the last century, and some part of the present, under the government of an exclusive company. Under so unfavourable an administration its progress was necessarily very slow in comparison with that of other new colonies; but it became much more rapid when this company was dissolved after the fall of what is called the Mississippi scheme. When the English got possession of this country, they found in it near double the number of inhabitants .which father Charlevoix? had assigned to it between twenty and thirty years before. That Jesuit had travelled over the whole country, and had no inclination to represent it as less considerable than it really was

The French colony of St. Domingo was established by pirates and freebooters, who, for a long time, neither required the protection nor acknowledged the authority of France; and when that race of banditti became so far citizens as to acknowledge this authority, it was for a long time necessary to exercise it with very great gentleness. During this period the population and improvement of this colony increased very fast. Even the oppression of the exclusive company, to which it was for some time subjected, with all the other colonies of France, though it no doubt retarded, had not been able to stop its progress altogether. The course of its prosperity returned as soon as it was relieved from that oppression. It is now the most important of the sugar colonies of the West Indies, and its produce is said to be greater than that of all the English sugar colonies put together. The other sugar colonies of France are in general all very thriving

"Une Colonie de vint à vint-cinq mille Ames. Charlevoix, ii. 390, l'an 1713.

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But there are no colonies of which the progress has been more rapid than that of the English in North America.

Plenty of good land, and liberty to manage their own affairs their own way, seem to be the two great causes of the prosperity of all new colonies. Con quelle Anwü

In the plenty of good land the English colonies of North America, though, no doubt, very abundantly provided, are, however, inferior to those of the Spaniards and Portuguese, and not superior to some of those possessed by the French before the late war. But the political institutions of the English colonies have been more favourable to the improvement and cultivation of this land than those of any of the other three nations.

First, the engrossing of uncultivated land, though it has by no means been prevented altogether, has been more restrained in the English colonies than in any other. The colony law, which imposes upon every proprietor the obligation of improving and cultivating, within a limited time, a certain proportion of his lands, and which, in case of failure, declares those neglected lands grantable to any other person ; though it has not, perhaps, been very strictly executed, has, however, had some effect.

Secondly, in Pennsylvania there is no right of primogeniture, and lands, like moveables, are divided equally among all the children of the family. In three of the provinces of New England the oldest has only a double sbare, as in the Mosaical law. Though in those provinces, therefore, too great a quantity of land should sometimes be engrossed by a particular individual, it is likely, in the course of a generation or two, to be sufficiently divided again. In the other English colonies, indeed, the right of primogeniture takes place, as in the law of England. But in all the English colonies the tenure of their lands, which are all held by free socage, facilitates alienation, and the grantee of any extensive tract of land generally finds it for his interest to alienate, as fast as he can, the greater part of it, reserving only a small quit rent. In the Spanish and Portuguese colonies, what is called the right of Majorazzo * takes place in the succession of all those great estates to which any title of honour is annexed. Such estates go all to one person, and are in effect entailed and unalienable. The French colonies, indeed, are subject to the custom of Paris, which,

in the inheritance of land, is much more favourable to the younger children than the law of England. But, in the French colonies, if any part of an estate, held by the noble tenure of chivalry and homage, is alienated, it is for a limited time, subject to the right of redemption, either by the heir of the superior or by the heir of the family; and all the largest estates of the country are held by such noble tenures, which necessarily embarrass alienation. But, in a new colony, a great uncultivated estate is likely to be much more speedily divided by alienation than by succession. The plenty and cheapness of good land, it has alrcanly been observell, are the principal causes of the rapid prosperity of new colonies. The engrossing of land, in effect, destroys this plenty and cheapnese, The engrossing of uncultivated land, besielea, is the greatest obstruction to its improvement. But the labone that is employed in the improvement and enltivation of land affords the greatest, and most valual,le penelner to the sciety. The prorluca of labont, in this case, pays not only its own wages, and the profits of the stock rhich emplry it, but the rent of the land tronpon which it is empinger. The labour of the English colonieta, therefore, heing more employed in the improvement and cultivation of land, is lizely to afford a greater and more valuable produca than that of any of the other three nations, which, hy the engrossing of land, is more or less diverter towards other smploy nents.

T'irily, the labour of the English colonists is not only likely to affort a greater and more valuable produce, hut, in moneeruence of the mooiemtion of their taxes, a greater proportion of this produce belongs to themselves, which they mar atore un and smulor in putting into motion a still greater quantity of shoor. The English enlonists 'lave never ret contrented inrthing towards the detenes of the mother country or towarris she support of its oil arrom ment. T'er themselves, on the montrarsavo luthern heon defended almost entirely at the agence of the other mantra But the expense of treets and armies is mt of all gendertion greater than the neensart sense of civil entertiment. The repence of their own civil envernment has always been more moneterate. It 1989 generally been anfinert in what 738 versseart for paring netopt salaries on the govornor, 'n hed gps, and on me they wors of police, and for maintaining a few of the most, gefil bile poroke. The expense of he will stablishment of Massachusetts Bay,