of the public fo high, that, to their honour be it recorded, they made Dr. Blair a prefent, firft of one fum, and afterwards of another of 501. thus voluntarily doubling the ftipulated price; and when he prepared another volume, they gave him at once 3001. His Lectures on Rhetoric afford the best fyftem of the principles of taste and the laws of literary compofition, which has been offered to the world fince the age of Quintilian. From about the time of the publication of the fecond volume of his fermons, he had a penfion from her majesty of 2001. annually, which, when he ceased to lecture on rhetoric, was augmented to 3001. The copy-money of his works, received at different. times, might amount in all to nearly 40001. CHAP. VII. COMMERCE AND MANUFACTURES. AFTER the revocation of the edict of Nantz, the perfecuted Proteftants of France, to the number of aloft a million, who had been chiefly employed in the French manufactures, took refuge in England, Holland, and other countries, where they could enjoy the free exercise of their religion; carrying along with them their arts and ingenuity, and even the fruits of their industry, to a very great amount, in gold and filver. They were much careffed in England, where they improved or introduced the manufacture of hats, of filk, and of linen. The importation of thofe articles from France was foon prohibited, as inconfiftent with national intereft; the culture of flax was encouraged; raw or unmanufactured filk was imported from Italy and China; beaver fkins were procured from Hudfon's Bay, where fettlements had been established, and where all forts of furs were found in the greateft plenty, and of the most excellent quality. Clock and watch-work was executed, in England, with the utmon utmoft elegance and exactnefs, as well as all other kinds of machinery, cutlery, and jewelry; the cotton manufactory, now fo highly perfected, was introduced; and toys of every fpecies were at length finished with: fo much tafte and facility, as to become an article of exportation, even to the European continent, and pri vately to France itfelf, the birth-place of fashion, and the nursery of fplendid bagatelles. In the mean time, the colonies in North America. enlarged their boundaries, and increased in wealth and population. New England furnished mafts and yards for the royal navy, as well as timber for other uses ;; New York and New Jersey, formerly known by the name of Nova Belgia, conquered from the Dutch, and Pennsylvania, fettled a few years before the revolution, produced abundant crops of corn, and a variety of other articles for the European markets, as well as for the fupply of the English islands in the West Indies; the tobacco of Virginia and Maryland was become a ftaple commodity, in high requeft, and a great fource of revenue; and the two Carolinas, by the culture of rice and indigo, and the manufacture of tar, pitch, and turpentine, lo neceffary to a naval and commercial people, foon became of vaft importance. But the moft beneficial trade arofe, and ftill conti nues to proceed, from the colonies in the Weft India' islands. The rich produce of thofe iflands, which is chiefly intended for exportation, and all carried in the fhips of the mother-country, affords employment to a great number of feamen; and as the inhabitants, who do not fo much as make their own wearing apparel, or the common implements of hufbandry, are fupplied with clothing of all kinds, household furniture, tools, and even the luxuries of the table, from Britain and Ireland, the intercourfe is active, and productive of mutual profperity and happiness... Of the British commerce, that branch which we enjoyed exclufively, viz, the commerce with our calo nies, was long regarded as the most advantageous. Yet fince the feparation of the American ftates from Great T:5 Britain, Britain, the trade, the industry, and manufactures of the latter have continually increased. New markets have opened, the returns from which are more certain and lefs tedious than thofe from America. By fupplying a great variety of markets, the fkill and ingenuity of our artifans have taken a wider range; the productions of their labour have been adapted to the wants, not of rifing colonies, but of nations the moft wealthy and the moft refined; and our commercial fyftem, no longer refting on the artificial basis of monopoly, has been rendered more folid as well as more liberal. The trade of England to the Eaft Indies, conftitutes one of the moft ftupendous political, as well as commercial machines, that is to be met with in hiftory. The trade itfelf is exclufive, and lodged in a company, which has a temporary monopoly of it, in confideration of money advanced to the government. Befides their fettlements on the coaft of India, which they enjoy under certain restrictions by act of parliament, the Eaft India company, through the various internal revolutions which have happened at Indoftan, and the ambition or avarice of their fervants and officers, have acquired fuch territorial poffeffions, as render them the moft formidable commercial body that has been known in the world, fince the demolition of Carthage. Their revenues are only known, and that but imperfectly, to the directors of the company, who are chofen by the proprietors of the ftock. The annual amount of them is fuppofed to be about four millions fterling. The expences of the company in forts, fleets, and armies, for maintaining thofe acquifitions, are. certainly very great; but after these are defrayed, the company not only clear a vaft fum, but were able to pay to government four hundred thoufand pounds. yearly for a certain time, partly by way of indemnification for the expences of the public in protecting them, and partly as a tacit tribute for thofe poffeffions that are territorial, and not commercial. This company exports to the East Indies all kinds of woollen manufacture, and all forts of hard-ware. Their imports ports confift of gold, diamonds, raw filks, pepper and China ware, for home confumption; and of wrought filks, muflins, callicoes, cottons, and all the woven manufactures of India, for exportation to foreign countries. With Turkey, Italy, Flanders, and Holland, the balance of trade is in favour of England. The goodsexported to Poland, chiefly by way of Dantzic, are many, and the duties upon them low. A greater quantity of manufactured tobacco is fent to that country, than to any other. The acquifitions which the Englifh made upon the coast of Guinea, particularly their fettlement at Senegal, opened new fources of commerce with Africa. At prefent, England fends to that coaft, iron, brafs, lead-fhot, fwords, knives, fire-arms, gun-powder, and glafs manufactures.. The returns are in gold duft,, gum, dying and other drugs, red-wood, and ivory. During the infancy of commerce with foreign parts, it was judged expedient to grant exclufive charters to particular bodies or corporations of men; hence the Eaft India, South Sea, Hudson's Bay, Turkey, Ruffia,, and Royal African companies; but the trade to Tur key, Ruffia, and Africa, is now laid open, though. the merchant who purposes to trade thither muft be-come a member of the company, be subject to their laws and regulations, and advance a finall fum at admiffion, for the purposes of fupporting confuls, forts, &c.. With regard to the general account of England's foreign balance, the exports have been computed at feven millions fterling, and its imports at five, of which above one million is re-exported: fo that if this calculation be true, England gains, annually, three millions fterling in trade; but this is a point upon which the most experienced merchants, and ableft calculators, differ. It must be acknowledged, however, that many exceptions lie to particular eftimates. The improvements at home, in iron, filk, linen, cotton, and other manufactures, and the imports from America, must greatly diminish the English imports from abroad. On the other hand, fome of the other European nations are making vigorous efforts for rivalling the English manufactures. Yet our foreign trade does not amount to one-fixth part of the inland; the annual produce of the natural products and manufactures of England amounting to above forty-two millions. The gold and filver of England are received from Portugal, Spain, Jamaica, the American colonies, and Africa, but great part of this gold and filver we again export to Holland, and the Eaft Indies; and it is fuppofed that two-thirds of the foreign traffic of England is carried on in the port of London. Cornwall and Devonshire fupply tin and lead, and woollen manufactures are common to almost all the western counties. Dorfetfhire makes cordage for the navy, and feeds a great number of fheep. Somerfetfhire, befides furnishing lead and copper, has large manufactures of bone-lace, ftockings, and caps. Bristol is faid to employ 2000 maritime veffels of all fizes, coafters, as well as fhips employed in foreign voyages. It has many very important manufactures. The glafs-bottle and drinking-glafs works occupy fifteen large houfes. Liverpool, which at the commencement of last century was only a hamlet of the parifh of Walton, is now become, with refpect to commerce, the fecond port in the kingdom. It has an excellent harbour, formed with great labour and expence, fhips being admitted into noble wet docks, fecured by large flood gates. Its trade to America and Ireland is very confiderable. A great number of fhips are employed in the Greenland whale-fishery, and in the coafting trade to London. Many good fhips are built at Liverpool. Manufactures of all kinds are carried on in London and its neighbourhood. The gold and filver manufactures of the metropolis, through the encouragement given by the court and the nobility, equal, if they do not exceed, thofe of any country in Europe. Colchefter is famous for its manufactures of bays and ferges, and |