Imatges de pàgina
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New-York

and New

Jersey.

New-Eng

land.

to pay

1

regard to its Produce and Trade, may be faid of New-Jersey and New-York, except that they do not build fo many Ships: They fend fewer Ships to England it is thought, yet those richer, as they deal for more Skins and Furs with the Indians. Thefe Countries fend us all the Money which they can by any of their Trades; they do not take lefs from us than Penfylvania, and are, in all refpects, of equal Advantage to us. New-England takes from us all Sorts of Woollen Manufactures, Linen, Sail-Cloth, and Cordage for Rigging their Ships, Haberdashery, &c. To raife Money for what they want of us, they are forced to visit the Spanish Coaft, where they pick up any Commodity they can trade for: They carry Lumber and Provifions to the Sugarplantations; exchange Provifions for Logwood with Logwoodcutters at Campechey: They fend Pipe and Barrel-Staves, and Fish, to Spain, Portugal, and the Streights. It is computed, that, by the New-England Trade, there are not lefs than 600 Sail of Ships and Sloops employed; one half of which trade to Europe; and alfo, that, by the Fisheries, and in the Shipping together, there are not lefs than from Five to Six thoufand Men employed. It is prefumed, that the Trade we have to New-England is advantageous and profitable to England; for it seems, they take from us annually, of our Manufactures, and Linens imported here, alfo India Goods, &c. to the Value of 400,000 Pounds, for which they remit to us their Gold and Silver; and we alfo take from them Pitch, Tar, and Turpentine, with fome Skins, &c. Newfoundland is of prodigious Advantage to us: It is computed, that we take, one Year with another, about Two hundred thousand Quintals of Fish there, which will fell for One hundred and twenty thousand Pounds clear of all Charges, and which may be reckoned clear Gain to this Kingdom; for the Oil would pay for Salt, &c. and all this Sum is actually got by our Labour, and is of more Service to the Kingdom, by breeding ufeful Seamen, than if fo much were to be dug out of the Mine by a thousandth Part of the Labour. From Newfoundland we have great Quantities of Skins and Furs, namely Seal, Deer, Fox, Otter, Minx, and Bear-fkins, likewife fome Beaver, &c. We fhall

Newfound
Land.

Jamaica.

be able to form fome Judgment of the Importance of Jamaica, by the Quantity of its own Produce shipped off annually to us; namely, in

Sugar,

of which

Barbadors,

and the other Sugar Plantations, viz.

Antega, St. Chriftopher, Nevis, Montferrat, &c.

Sugar, 10,000 Tons; in Cotton, Indico, Ginger, Pimento; Rum, Lime-juice, Cocoa, Mahogany-Wood, &c. 2000 more. By this it will appear, that there is not lefs than 12000 Tons of our own Shipping conftantly employed in that Service only, over and above what is employed between that Ifland and the Northern Plantations. They take from us all Sorts of Cloathing, both Linen, Silks, and Woollen, wrought Iron, Brafs, Copper; all Sorts of Houfhold Furniture, &c. The Trade of the other Sugar Colonies is vaftly profitable, Barbadoes is an Inftance; for it appeared to the Parliament in 1730, that this Inland exported 22,769 Hogfheads of Sugar into England, valued at 340,396 Pounds; and that this was the net Profit, because it was admitted, that the Rum and Melaffes of a Sugar Plantation bear the Charges of it. We may from hence conclude, that the net Product of all the Sugar Colonies brought into the Ports of Great Britain muft be an immenfe Sum to England. Befides this confiderable Article of Sugar, thefe Iflands produce great Quantities of Cotton, Ginger, Indico, Aloes, &c. which are all brought to Great Britain, where the whole Profit of all our Plantations Product does and muft center. They have been, and perhaps are, equal, it is faid, to the Mines of the Spanish Weft-Indies; and have contributed in a particular Manner to the Trade, Navigation, and Wealth, of this Kingdoin. It is calculated, that there are 300 Sail of Ships fent from Great Britain every Year to our Sugar Colonies, which are navigated by about 4500 Seamen; and that the Freight, from the Sugars brought here, amounts to 170,000 Pounds a Year; and the Duties, Commiffions, &c. to little lefs than 200,000 Pounds more, which upon the Whole, is about 1,200,000 Pounds a Year Profit to Great Britain, befides the Profit arifing from the other Articles.. These Sugar Plantations alfo take from England all Sorts of Cloathing, both Linen, Silks, and Woollen, wrought Iron, &c. as Jamaica; and we receive from them Sugar, Cotton, Ginger, Indico, &c..

RELIGION. The Indians in Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, believe in One God,, the Creator of all Things, who is infinitely happy in himself, but has little or no Regard for the trifling Concerns of Men; having committed the Government of the World to certain inferior Deities or Demons, to whom therefore the Natives pay their Devotion; and these inferior Deities moft of our Travellers have indifcreetly denominated Devils.

VOL. I.

X

THE

Of the Spanish Empire in America.

HE Spanish Empire in America contains, 1. Old-Mexico, or New-Spain. 2. New-Mexico, or Granada. 3. California. 4. Terra-Firma. 5. Peru. 6. Chili. 7. Paragua. 8. Land of Amazons. 9. Magellanica, or Patagonia. 10. Terra del Fuego. 11. Cuba. 12. Hifpaniola. (1. French, and 2. Spanish.) 13. Porto-Rico. 14. Florida. CLIMATE.] Mexico is very much imcumbered with

Old-Mexico.

Mountains, which are, for the most part, covered with Woods; but there are a Chain of Hills higher than ufual, that run almoft the whole Length of it, from the South-weft to the North-east: Between thefe Hills and Mountains are many fine fruitful Valleys; but fcarce any Plain of a confiderable Extent. And it is very remarkable, that the Mountains on the Weft Side of Mexico, are moft of them Vulcanoes, from whence Fire and Smoke are perpetually iffuing. In every Ocean, whether the Indian, Atlantic, or Pacific, the Wind continually blows from East to Weft, between the Latitudes of 30 North and South (a little Distance from Land); only to the Northward of the Equator it inclines to the North-eaft; and to the Southward of the Equator, South-eaft; to which Rule there is only this Exception, that under the Line, and for two or three Degrees on each Side, the Winds are variable, and perpetually changing; and fometimes there is fo little Wind, and fuch Calms, under the Equator, that a Ship shall not fail a League in a Month's time. However, upon every Coaft almoft, within the Latitude of 30 North or South, there are other periodical Winds and Storms, that return at certain Seasons of the Year, called Monfoons; and there are, during the fair Season, Land and Sea Breezes, which conftantly take their Turns at stated Hours every Day, and particularly upon the North and South Coaft of Mexico. The Land Breezes begin late here in the Evening, and blow till Six or Seven the next Morning, when they die away infenfibly; and, from that time till near Noon, it is generally calm. About Noon the Sea Breeze rifes, and refreshes the Inhabitants, who would otherwise faint with Heat. But the Land Winds are not fo hot in Mexico as they are in the East-Indies, where they blow over a long Tract of burning Sand: On the contrary 'tis obferved, that the Winds, which blow from the Mountains in the middle of this Country, are colder than those that come from the Sea. It is obferved,

I

ferved, that as the Sun approaches either of the Tropics, it carries wet Weather fo far with it; and when it is fartheft from either Tropie, then the Weather is fair under that Tropic: On the contrary, thofe People who live without the Tropics, have their fair Weather when the Sun is nearest them, and wet Weather when it is at its greatest Distance from them. In Mexico, their rainy Seafon begins in April or May, and lafts till September: It is introduced with Thunder and Lightning, Tornadoes and Hurricanes, when the Wind blows almoft from every Point of the Compafs; but the worst Weather is in June and in July. Thefe Rains, which overflow all the flat Country, the Land and Sea Breezes, which blow alternately, and their numerous Lakes, render the Air cool, and make even the Torrid Zone pleafant; the Heats whereof would otherwife have been infupportable, as the Ancients imagined them. The coldeft Part of the Year is in the Months of July and August, when the low Lands lie under Water: Then the Natives really complain of Cold, 'tis faid, Morning and Evening, as they do in the fucceeding Months till February; though the Weather then feems very moderate. to an European Conftitution. The Tops of the highest Mountains are indeed fometimes very cold, being covered with Snow, even in 16 or 18 Degrees of North Latitude. The hottest Time of the Year is in February, March, and the Beginning of April; for then the Sun is feldom obfcured by Clouds, the Waters are every-where dried up, and it is very difficult then to meet with fresh Water in fome Places. This Country produces feveral Kinds of Fruits, as Oranges, Lemons, Citrons, Pomgranates, and other fine

Fruits. We know little more of New-Mexico, New-Mexico. than that it is an exceeding fruitful Country,

abounding with the fame Plants and Animals as our Plantations of Virginia and Carolina do; that it alfo abounds in rich Silver Mines, and has fome of Gold. There

are in Galifornia large Plains, pleafant Valleys, California. excellent Paftures at all Times for great and

finall Cattle, fine Springs of running Water, Brooks, and Rivers, with their Banks covered with Willows, Reeds, and wild Vine. On the Mountains there are all the Year long, Mefcales, a Fruit peculiar to this Country: and, in moft Seafons, Piftachios of feveral Sorts, and Figs of different Colours. The Trees are very beautiful; and, amongst others, the Palo-Santo bears a great deal of Fruit, from which they draw excellent Frankincenfe. As this Country abounds in Fruits, it does not lefs in Grain, of which there are fourteen

X 2

Sorts:

Sorts: There are excellent Skirrets, or a fort of red Straw berries, of which the Natives eat plentifully: They have Citrons and Water-melons of an extraordinary Size: The Land is fo good, that most Plants, it seems, bear Fruit three times a Year. The Heats in Summer are very great along the Sea-coafts, and it feldom rains; but the Air of the Inland Country is more temperate. It is the fame in Winter in Proportion: In the Months of April, May, and June, there falls, with a ftrong Dew, a fort of Manna, which congeals and hardens upon the Leaves of Reeds; from whence the Natives gather it, and find it as sweet as Sugar, but not altogether fo white. The Climate is extremely heathful, if we may judge of it by the Miffionary Jefuits, and the Spaniards with them; for, during five Years they were in this Country, they continued very well in Health. The Coafts of California are famous for the Pearl-fifhery; and it is thought, that there are Mines to be found in feveral Places, if they were fought Terra Firma. for. As to Terra-Firma: 1. Terra-Firma Proper has a very unequal Surface, confifting of exceeding high Hills, and long deep Valleys: The Valleys are watered with Rivers, Brooks, and Springs; fome of them fall into the North, others into the South-Sea, moft of them having their Sources in a Ridge or Chain of Mountains, that furmount and overtop the other Hills, running the Length of the whole Ifthmus, and parallel to the Coaft, fpreading along, and bending as the Ifthmus bends. This vaft Ridge of Mountains is nearest the Coast of the NorthSea, feldom more than ten or fifteen Miles diftant from it. Travellers obferve, when they pafs over them, that the high Hills, between these vaft Mountains and the SouthSea, were nothing in Comparison of them: That these Hills did not only appear much beneath the high Ridge, but the Clouds were confiderably below them, and intercepted their Sight of the Country; and all the People grew giddy with the Height, when they had climbed to the Top; but this Giddinefs went off again as they defcended lower. This Province, being very narrow, and lying between two great Oceans, viz. the North and South-Seas, is obferved to have more wet Weather, than any other Place within the Torrid Zone. The Rains ufually begin here in April or May; in June, July, and Auguft, they are very heavy; and it is extreme hot at this Time, whenever the Sun fhines out; there being then no Breezes to cool the Air. In September the Rains begin to abate; but it is November or December, and fometimes January, before the fair Seafon returns: So that

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