VII. got poffeffion of feven of the fourteen provinces CHA P. into which it is divided. They expected foon to conquer the other feven, when Portugal recovered its independency by the elevation of the family of Braganza to the throne. The Dutch then, as enemies to the Spaniards, became friends to the Portugueze, who were likewise the enemies of the Spaniards. They agreed, therefore, to leave that part of Brazil,, which they had not conquered, to the king of Portugal, who agreed to leave that part which they had conquered to them, as a matter not worth dif puting about with fuch good allies. But the Dutch government foon began to opprefs the Portugueze colonists, who, instead of amusing themselves with complaints, took arms against their new masters, and by their own valour and refolution, with the connivance, indeed, but without any avowed affiftance from the mother country, drove them out of Brazil. The Dutch, therefore, finding it impoffible to keep any part of the country to themselves, were contented that it fhould be entirely restored to the crown of Portugal. In this colony there are faid to be more than fix hundred thousand people, either Portugueze or defcended from Portugueze, creoles, mulattoes, and a mixed race between Portugueze and Brazilians. No one colony in America is fuppofed to contain fo great a number of people of European extraction. TOWARDS the end of the fifteenth, and during the greater part of the fixteenth century, Spain and Portugal were the two great naval powers upon BOOK upon the ocean: for though the commerce of IV. Venice extended to every part of Europe, its . fleets had scarce ever failed beyond the Mediterranean. The Spaniards, in virtue of the firft discovery, claimed all America as their own ; and though they could not hinder fo great a naval power as that of Portugal from fettling in Brazil, fuch was, at that time, the terror of their name, that the greater part of the other nations of Europe were afraid to establish themselves in any other part of that great continent. The French, who attempted to settle in Florida, were all murdered by the Spaniards. But the declenfion of the naval power of this latter nation, in confequence of the defeat or miscarriage of, what they called, their Invincible Armada, which happened towards the end of the fixteenth century, put it out of their power to obftruct any longer the fettlements of the other European nations. In the courfe of the feventeenth century, therefore, the English, French, Dutch, Danes, and Swedes, all the great nations who had any ports upon the ocean, attempted to make fome settlements in the new world. THE Swedes established themselves in New Jerfey; and the number of Swedish families still to be found there, fufficiently demonstrates, that this colony was very likely to profper, had it been protected by the mother country. But being neglected by Sweden, it was foon fwallowed up by the Dutch colony of New York, which again, in 1674, fell under the dominion of the English, THE VII. THE fmall islands of St. Thomas and Santa CHA P. Cruz are the only countries in the new world that have ever been poffeffed by the Danes. These little fettlements too were under the government of an exclufive company, which had the fole right, both of purchafing the furplus produce of the colonifts, and of fupplying them with fuch goods of other countries as they wanted, and which, therefore, both in its purchafes and fales, had not only the power of oppreffing them, but the greatest temptation to do fo. 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 progrefs of these colonies, though it rendered it more flow and languid. The late king of Denmark diffolved this company, and fince that time the profperity of these colonies has been very great. THE Dutch fettlements in the Weft, as well as those in the Eaft Indies, were originally put under the government of an exclusive company. The progrefs of fome of them, therefore, though it has been confiderable, in comparison with that of almost any country that has been long peopled and established, has been languid and flow in comparison with that of the greater part of new colonies. The colony of Surinam, though very confiderable, is still inferior to the greater part of the fugar colonies of the other European nations. The colony of Nova Belgia, now divided into the two provinces of New York and New Jersey, BOOK Jersey, would probably have foon become conIV. fiderable too, even though it had remained under the government of the Dutch. The plenty and cheapnefs of good land are fuch powerful causes of profperity, 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 lefs, by fmuggling, the monopoly which the company enjoyed against them. At present the company allows all Dutch fhips to trade to Surinam upon paying two and a half per cent. upon the value of their cargo for a licence; and only referves to itself exclusively the direct trade from Africa to America, which confifts almost entirely in the flave trade. This relaxation in the exclufive privileges of the company, is probably the principal cause of that degree of profperity which that colony at prefent enjoys. Curaçoa and Euftatia, the two principal iflands belonging to the Dutch, are free ports open to the fhips of all nations; and this freedom, in the midft of better colonies whofe ports are open to thofe 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 laft century, and fome part of the prefent, under the government of an exclufive company. Under fo unfavourable an administration its progrefs was neceffarily very flow in comparison with that of other new colonies; but it became much more rapid when this company VII company was diffolved after the fall of what CHA P. is called the Miffiffippi fcheme. When the Englifh got poffeffion of this country, they found in it near double the number of inhabitants which father Charlevoix had affigned to it between twenty and thirty years before. That jefuit had travelled over the whole country, and had no inclination to reprefent it as less considerable than it really was. THE French colony of St. Domingo was eftablished by pirates and free-booters, who, for a long time, neither required the protection, nor acknowledged the authority of France; and when that race of banditti became fo far citizens as to acknowledge this authority, it was for a long time neceffary to exercise it with very great gentleness. During this period the population and improvement of this colony increased very faft. Even the oppreffion of the exclufive company, to which it was for fome time fubjected, with all the other colonies of France, though it no doubt retarded, had not been able to stop its progress altogether. The courfe of its profperity returned as foon as it was relieved from that oppreffion. It is now the most important of the fugar colonies of the Weft Indies, and its produce is faid to be greater than that of all the English fugar colonies put together. The other fugar colonies of France are in general all very thriving. BUT there are no colonies of which the progress has been more rapid than that of the Englifh in North America. VOL. II. B.b PLENTY |