An Account of the European Settlements in America in six parts

355 Pages·1760·26.535 MB·English

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AC
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In Six Parts. . A^-l
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I* A(hort Hiftotyofthe Dif- III.OftheSpanUhSettlementi* %' M^
covery ofthat Part ofthe IIV. Ofthe Portuguefe*
World. V. Of the French, Dutch,
ILTheMaqnersaiidCuftoms and Danifli. ' >,'
ofthe original Inhabitants. VLOftheEngliih. ^
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Each PakT contains
An accurate Defcription of the Settlements in it,
their Extent, Climate, Produftions, Trade, Geniui
and Diipolition oft^ir Inhabitants the Interefts of
:
the feveral Powers of Europe with refped to thofe
Settlements ; and their Political and Commercial
' ^ Views with Regardto each other.
InTWOVOLUMESw
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The Third Edition, with Improvements.
LONDON:
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Printed for R. and J. Dodsley in Pall Mall,
MDCCLX,
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ET affairs of America have lately eft"
g^g^^^ g^^^^ ^^^ ofthepublic attention*
Before the prefent war there were but a very
few who made the hijiory of that quarter of
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the world any part oftheirfiudy\ though the
v-t
matter is certainly very curious in itfelf and
extremely imerejiing to us as a trading people*
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'The hifiory of a country which, though vaji
in extenty is theproperty only offour nations% K
andwhich, though peopledprobablyfor afenies
ofages, is only known to the reft of the world
for about two centuries, does not naturally of"
fordmatter for many 'volumes, Tet it is cer^'
tain, that toacquire aproper knowledge ofthe
hiftory of the events in America, an idea of
its prefent flate, and a competent judgment
of its trade, a great deal of reading has ^1
been found requifite. And I may add, that
the reading on many parts of this fubjeSi i$ 1^1
dry atid difgujiing ; that authors have treated
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PREFACE.
y
ry&^
•if on it, fomewithout afufficient knowledge ofthe
fubjeSiy and others in fuch a manner as no
knowledge oftb^fubjeSi in the author could in-
duce any body to become readers, ^hatfome are
^,_.<;//^. . ": loadedwith a lumber ofmatti^ - that can interefl
iseryfeWy and that others obfcure the truth in
manyparticulars, togratify the lowprejudice
ofparties, and I mayfay ofnations. Whatever
is written by the Englijh fettled in our colO"
nies, is to be read with great caution j becaufe rewi
very few of them write without a bias to the trea
intereft of the particular province to which asf
they belongs orperhaps to a particularfaBion tion\
in thatprovince. It is only by comparing the aBoi
printed accounts with one another, and thofe feem
with thebefiprivateinformations, andcorreB^ leng
ing all by authentic matter ofrecord, that one ever,
pan difcover the truth ; and this bath been a f co?i^
matter offeme difficulty. com
With regard to theforeign feftlements, re-^ I
mm
courfe was had to the befl printed accounts of
travellers and others j and in fome points to fof
private information from intelligent traders. plat
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PREFACE. jy ./
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'Jge ofth? ^he materials for the foreign fettlements are
ler as no far from being as ferfeSi^ or as much to be
could iri' depended upon as we could wijh j it was very
tfome are feldom that I could venture to tranfcribe any
in intereji thing direSilyfrom them withoutfome addition
» truth in orfome correvive.
prejudicea In the hijloricalpart ofthis work, Ifixed
Whatever my eye principally on fome capital matters^
our colO" which might the mofifully engage and befi
I
I J becaufe reward the attention of the reader 5 and in
ftas to the treating ofthofe Idwelt only upon fuch events
to which asfeemed to me to affordfomepolitical inftruc-
xrfaSiion tiony or to open the characters 0] the principal %..
tring the aBors in thofe greatfcenes, The affairs which
and thofe feemed moft worthy of an account of any
icorreB-^ length, are thofe fplendid and remarkable
that one events of the difcovery of America, and the
th been a cotiqueft ofthe only two civilized kingdoms it
contained.
entiy re^ In treating of other parts, Ihave givenfo
:onnti of much ofthe hiftory of each country as mayferve
points to tojhew, when and upon what principles it was
traders, planted^ to enable the reader the better tojudge
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of
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PREFACE.
The
ofitsprefentcondition, ^befeaccounts arevery
fiort and conjldering of whatfort ofmatter
',
fuch hiftories are compofed^ I believe IJhall
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deferve as muchfor what Ihave omitted, as
for what Ihave inferted* JfIcould not write
>-5.
well upon any fubjeSf^ I have endeavoured
! ,
always to write concifely.
!'*', My
principal view in treating ofthefeve-
ralfettlements, wastodraweverythingtowards
their tradcy which is the point that concerns
us the moft materially for which reafon I
;
have but little confidcredtheir civil, and yet
lefs their natural hiftory, further than as they
tended to throw fome light upon the commerce
of thefe countries ; except where the matters
were very curious, andferved to diverfifyft the
work.
It is not to be expelled thata performance of
this kind can be written equally throughout.
Infomeplaces thefubjeB refufes all ornament
;
and the matter, dry in itfelf is by no art to
be made otherwife: infome a cmtagion commU"
i. piicatedfrom the dulnefs of materials, which
yet
P R E F A C
ri&^ fi.
yet tvere neceffary to the icork, mayprobably
'
appear\ in many^ andperhaps the mofi blame-
able parts, the author alone muji be anfwer-
[able.
Having fpoken perhaps a little too hardly
\of my materials, 1 muft except the ajtftance
Ihave hadfrom the judicious collediion called
\
[Harris's voyages, Inhere are not many finer
{pieces than the hiftory of Brazil in that col-
leSlion j the light in which the authorfets the
events inthat hiftory isfineandinftruBivej an
uncommon fpirit prevails through it ; and his
remarksareeverywhereftrikinganddeep, T^he
I
\littlefketch Ihave given in thepart ofPortu-
Iguefe America, ijithasany merit, it is entire-
Sly due to that original. However the accounts
riven of many things in that part of his
livork which relates to the Englijb and French
fettlements may be defedlive, andfuited ra-
ther to the ancient than to the prejentftati^ I,
of affairs in that part of the world: his
remarks have rarely thisfault and where 1
-^
differfrom him in any refpeB, it is with defe*
rence
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PREFACE.
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fence to the judgment of a writer to wboni
this nation is much obligedt for endeavouring
e^ery where with fo muchgoodfenfe and elo-
tQi
quence to roufe that fpirit ofgenerons enter"
prize, that can alone make any nationpowers-
ful orglorious.
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,i ;* ANl
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A N
ACCOUNT
OF THE
UROPEAN SETTLEMENTS
IN
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