whole Year is like the latter End of a fine May in England; and the Islands are reforted to for Health, as the Montpelier of America; nor are they more remarkable for their Health, than their Plenty. GOVERNMENT.] As to the Government of the English in Virginia, this is formed upon the Virginia. near Resemblance of it. The Colonies of Caro- Carolina, for the Planting of a new Province called Georgia, to be land: But, at the Revolution, the then Lord Maryland. Baltimore was deprived of the Power of appoint ing a Governor, and other Officers; and the Government of that Province fell under the fame Regulations as other Plantations that are immediately fubject to the Crown: The Baltimore Family also were in Danger of lofing their Propriety, on account of their Religion, by the Act which requires all Roman Catholic Heirs to profefs the Proteftant Religion, on pain of being deprived of their Eftates: But that Family thought fit to profefs the Proteftant Religion, rather than lofe their Inheritance; and the prefent Proprietor enjoys one of the noblest Estates belonging to the Subjects of Great Britain. The Government of the Indians in Penfylvania is by Kings, and thofe by Succeffion, but always Pensylvania. on the Mother's Side. King Charles II. in the Dutch War, transferred all thofe Countries, then in Poffeffion of the Dutch, viz. New-York, the Ferfeys, and the Northern Part of Penfylvania, to his Brother James Duke of York, afterwards King James II. And Sir Robert Carr was fent over with a Squadron of Men of War, and a Body of Land Forces, to reduce them; and, on his Appearance be-fore Amfterdam, now New-York, the Dutch Governor thought fit to surrender the Capital, and the reft of the Towns in the Poffeffion of the Hollanders; and the Swedes followed his Example. The Duke of York parcelling out thefe Countries to Under-proprietors, among whom William Penn, Efq; Son of Sir William Penn, Admiral in the Dutch Wars, was one, all all the reft of the Proprietors fome time after surrendered their Charters again to the Crown; whereby New-York and New Jerfey became Royal Governments, while Penn remained Proprietor of that Part of the Country which had been granted to him; King Charles II. making him another Grant in the Year 1680, of that Part of the Country, which now conftitutes the rest of Pensylvania, in Confideration of Money due to his Father, Sir William Penn, from the Government, Mr. Penn, notwithstanding the Grants he had obtained, from the Crown, and the Duke of York, did not look upon himfelf, it seems, to be real Proprietor of the Lands granted him, till he had given the Indians what they efteem'd a valuable Confideration for their Intereft in them. The Colony increafed prodigiously in a very few Years; which Succefs was owing to their humane and friendly Treatment of the Indians, with whom the Penfylvanians fcarce ever had a Quarrel. New-York and New Jersey. New-Eng land. New-York and New-Jersey have ufually the fame Governor appointed by the King, the Colonies immediately depending on the Crown; alfo his Majefty appoints the Council, and other Officers of State; and the People only elect the Reprefentatives, as in England. By the Conftitution of the Massachuset Colony, the most confiderable of the New-England Colonies, the Appointment of the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary, and all the Officers of the Admiralty, is vefted in the Crown; the Power of the Militia is wholly in the Hands of the Governor, as Captain General; all Judges, Juftices, and Sheriffs, to whom the Execution of the Law is entrusted, are nominated by the Governor, with the Advice of the Council; and the Governor has a Negative on the Choice of Counsellors peremptory and unlimited; and he is not obliged to give a Reafon for what he does in this Particular, or reftrained to any Number: All Laws, enacted by the General Affembly, are to be sent to the Court of England for the Royal Approbation. By these Reservations, it is faid, the Prerogative of the Crown, and the Dependency of the Colony, are effectually fecured. Newfound Newfoundland was claimed as Part of the Dominions of land. Great Britain, by virtue of Cabat's Difcovery of it in the Reign of Henry VII. and fome Voyages that were made thither in the fucceeding Reigns by English Adventurers; but they making no Settlements there, the Portuguefe and French used to fish upon the Banks; whereupon the Englifh revived their Claim to the Country again, and actually feized several Portuguese Ships on the Coast of Newfoundland, bringing bringing them to England as lawful Prizes. In the Year. 1610, King James I. made a Grant to the Earl of Northampton, and others, of that Part of the Ifland, which lies be-, tween Cape Bonavista and Cape St. Mary's; and the Grantees, being incorporated, and formed into a Company, fent a Colony thither; but the Severity of the Weather, Sickness, and Scarcity of Provifions, obliged the Planters to return to England. But the English ftill infifted on the fole Right of fifhing on the Coaft; and, having a Squadron of Men of War fent thither for their Protection in the Reign of King James I. drove all others from thence: But in the Reign of King Charles II. the French were fuffered to fettle in Placentia, and afterwards poffeffed themselves of great Part of the Island. Jamaica was difcovered by Columbus in his fecond Voyage to America, and planted by the Spaniards fome few Years afterwards; and remained in the Poffeffion of the Crown of Spain till 1656, when Admiral Penn, and General Venables, being fent by the Ufurper Cromwell to reduce Hifpaniola, and being disappointed in that Attempt, to fave their Credit, invaded Jamaica, and made a complete Conqueft of it; and the Spaniards have yielded and confirmed it to Great Britian by a fubfequent Treaty of Peace. The Government of Barbadoes refembles that of Jamaica, Jamaica, and the rest of our American Islands, Barbadoes. which we fhall have occafion to mention under the Head of Trade. TRADE.] I fhall here inquire into the Trade and Importance of the British Dominions in America. The chief Exports of South Carolina are Rice, Carolina. Beef, Pork, tanned Leather, Cedar Wood, Deal Boards, Pipe Staves, Timber of all Sorts, Mafts, Yards, &c. They produce and fhip off yearly about 60,000 Barrels of Rice, each containing about four Hundred Weight neat; they have fhipped off alfo about 70,000 Deer-fkins at a Medium for many Years paft. They have very little Shipping of their own in Carolina; however, they load about 200 Sail of Ships yearly at Charles-town, and at fome other Towns, they trade with the Indians for Deer-fkins, and Bear and Buffaloe-fkins, for which they give them Guns, Powder, Knives, Sciffars, Looking-glaffes, Beads, and many other Trifles; and fome coarse Cloths, Strouds, Duffields, and coarfe Calicoes, &c. for their Women; and they carry them on Pack-horfes for 5 or 600 Miles to the Weftward of Charles-town: Tho' they go fo far ('tis but feldom) the most of their Trade being confined within the Limits of the Creek and Charokee Nations, which is not above 300 Miles. It feems, that North Carolina produces a good Quantity of Tobacco, and but little Rice; and South Carolina, on the contrary, produces vaft Quantities of Rice, and little Tobacco; but as to the reft of the Produce, they are pretty much the fame. Carolina produces alfo moft Sorts of Fruits, and Variety of English Grain, in Virginia, great Abundance. Virginia produces moft Sorts of Roots, and defirable Fruits, with phyfical Plants and Herbs, in great Plenty; but, above all, great Quantity of Tobacco, fo much used all the World over. Their only foreign Trade worth mentioning, is that to England; and that indeed is very great, and very profitable to England. They have also a Trade to the Leeward Ifles, whither they fend Lumber, Corn, and Flesh; for which they take Rum, Sugar, and Melaffes, in Return. England takes from them, not only what Tobacco we ufe at Home, but very great Quantities for Re-exportation, which may properly be faid to be the fureft Way of enriching this Kingdom. They take from England their Clothing, Houfhold Goods, Iron Manufactures of all Sorts, Saddles, Bridles, Brafs and Copper Wares, and also Turners Wares; fo that it is a very great Number of People in England, that are employed to provide a fufficient Supply of Goods for the Tobacco Plantations. Besides Tobacco, we take from the Virginians Pitch and Tar, Deerfkins, and Furs of feveral Sorts, Snake-weed, Walnut-tree Maryland. Plank, Pipe, Hogfhead, and Barrel Staves, and fome Iron in Piggs. As the Province of Maryland seems not to be behind, or inferior to Virginio, and as little can be faid of one Province, which the other doth not deserve, or is not capable of, I will fay fomething of them together; for though they do not both belong to the Crown immediately, yet they seem to be of equal Value to this Kingdom. Let us fuppofe, what is within Bounds, that from these two Colonies we receive 60,000 Hogfheads of Tobacco yearly, then the Shipping employed to bring Home this Tobacco will be at least 24,000 Tons: The neat Produce of the Tobacco will be 225,000 Pounds, which we will fuppofe ordered to be returned in Goods; yet out of that there will remain at least Five per Cent. Commiffion and petty Charges, which is 11,250 Pounds. The Value of Lumber annually imported from thofe two Provinces is not lefs, it feems, than 15,000 Pounds; and the Skins and Furs from thence we cannot eftimate eftimate at less than 6000 Pounds per Annum. The Produce of the delightful Country of Penfylvania is chiefly Wheat, Flour, Bread, Barrel-Beef, Pork, Hams, Pensylvania. Bacon, Cheese, Butter, Soap, Myrtle-Wax, Can dles, Starch, Hair-Powder, Cyder, Strong Beer, Tanned Leather, Linfeed Oil, Cordial Waters, Deer-fkins, Beaver, Otter, Fox, and other Skins, and fome Tobacco. They export alfo Lumber, as faw'd Boards, and Timber for building Houfes, Cyprefs, Pipe, Hogfhead, and Barrel Staves; Mafts, Yards, &c. Drugs, as Safafras, Snake-root, &c. To fhew the Advantage arifing from this Province to this Kingdom, let us fuppofe, what is a pretty conftant Practice: A Londoner, or any Englishman, lays out here in our Manufactures to the Value of 500 Pounds; it will purchase there 6666 Bushels of Wheat; which, fent to Lisbon at 4 Shillings per Bufhel, will come to 1333 Pounds, 4 Shillings, which is fure to be fent Home to England at leaft, if not im→ mediately, and it is of the fame Advantage for Remittance or Exchange, as any fuch Sum produced by Goods or Merchandize fent from hence directly. It is pretty common for the Captain, if the Ship be Plantation-built, to have Orders to fell the Ship, if he can get a certain Price for it, which often happens; and in that Cafe, generally, the whole Produce of Ship and Cargo is fent to England; and, if it was not the Property of Englishmen refiding in England, it is always ordered to be laid out in Goods of all the Manufacture of this Kingdom, or fuch as are imported here, and fent to Penfylvania. In another Branch this Province is also of fignal Advantage to us; for all the Money they get by trading with the Dutch, French, Spaniards, or any others, which are not inconfiderable Sums, are fent directly hither. It is computed, that, as many of their Sloops make several Trips in the Year, they cannot export lefs annually than 12,000 Tons of their own Commodities. Befides their own Produce, they frequently fend us Logwood, Sugar, Rice, Pitch, Tar, and Train-Oil; in fine, whatever they think we want, or they can spare: And as there are in the City of Philadelphia many Merchants of Ability, and good Capacity, they carry their Trade into all Parts, where Gain and Advantage are to be made. It has been computed, that 60,000 Pounds in Cafh have been annually remitted into England, for which there were always ordered Goods and Manufactures from this Kingdom only. Whatever is faid above of Penfylvania, with regard |