ably doubted, whether the defire of humbling France was not stronger than that of exalting England: of this, however, it is not neceffary to inquire, fince, though the intention may be different, the event will be the fame. All mouths were now open to declare what every eye had obferved before, that the arms of France were become dangerous to Europe; and that, if her encroachments were fuffered a little longer, refiftance would be too late.

It was now determined to re-affert the empire of the fea; but it was more eafily determined than per- 、 formed; the French made a vigorous defence against the united power of England and Holland, and were fometimes masters of the ocean, though the two maritime powers were united against them. At length, however, they were defeated at La Hogue; a great part of their fleet was deftroyed, and they were reduced to carry on the war only with their privateers, from whom there was fuffered much petty mifchief, though there was no danger of conqueft or invafion. They diftreffed our merchants, and obliged us to the continual expenfe of convoys and fleets of obfervation; and, by kulking in little coves and fhallow waters, cfcaped our purfuit.

In this reign began our confederacy with the Dutch, which mutual intereft has now improved into a friendship, conceived by fome to be infeparable; and from that time the States began to be termed, in the file of politicians, our faithful friends, the allies which Nature has given us, our Proteftant confederates, and by many other names of national endarement. We have, it is true, the fame intereft, as op,

pofed

posed to France, and some resemblance of religion, as oppofed to popery; but we have fuch a rivalry, in refpect of commerce, as will always keep us from very close adherence to each other. No mercantile man, or mercantile nation, has any friendship but for money, and alliance between them will laft no longer than their common fafety or common profit is endangered; no longer than they have an enemy, who threatens to take from each more than either can fteal from the other.

We were both fufficiently interefted in repreffing the ambition, and obftructing the commerce of France; and therefore we concurred with as much fidelity and as regular co-operation as is commonly found. The Dutch were in immediate danger, the armies of their enemies hovered over their country, and therefore they were obliged to difmifs for a time their love of money, and their narrow projects of private profit, and to do what a trader does not willingly at any time believe neceffary, to facrifice a part for the prefervation of the whole.

A peace was at length made, and the French with their ufual vigour and industry rebuilt their fleets, reftored their commerce, and became in a very few years able to conteft again the dominion of the fea. Their fhips were well-built, and always very numeroufly manned; their commanders, having no hopes but from their bravery or their fortune, were refolute, and being very carefully educated for the fea, were eminently skilful.

All this was foon perceived, when queen Anne, the then darling of England, declared war against France,

X 4

France. Our fuccefs by fea, though fufficient to keep us from dejection, was not fuch as dejected our enemies. It is, indeed, to be confeffed, that we did not exert our whole naval ftrength; Marlborough was the governor of our counfels, and the great view of Marl borough was a war by land, which he knew well how to conduct, both to the honour of his country, and his own profit. The fleet was therefore ftarved that the army might be fupplied, and naval advantages were neglected for the fake of taking a town in Flanders, to be garrifoned by our allies, The French, however, were fo weakened by one defeat after ano, ther, that, though their fleet was never deftroyed by any total overthrow, they at laft retained it in their harbours, and applied their whole force to the refiftance of the confederate army, that now began to approach their frontiers, and threatened to lay wafte their provinces and cities.

In the latter years of this war, the danger of their neighbourhood in America feems to have been confidered, and a fleet was fitted out and fupplied with a proper number of land forces to feize Quebec, the capital of Canada, or New France; but this expedition mifcarried, like that of Anfon against the Spaniards, by the latenefs of the feafon, and our ignorance of the coafts on which we were to act. We returned with lofs, and only excited cur enemies to greater vigilance, and perhaps to ftronger fortifications.

When the peace of Utrecht was made, which thosẹ who clamoured among us moft loudly against it, found it their intereft to keep, the French applied themielves with the utmost industry to the extenfion

of

of their trade, which we were fo far from hindering, that for many years our miniftry thought their friendship of fuch value, as to be cheaply purchased by whatever conceffion.

Instead therefore of oppofing, as we had hitherto profeffed to do, the boundless ambition of the Houfe of Bourbon, we became on a fudden folicitous for its exaltation, and ftudious of its intereft. We affifted the schemes of France and Spain with our fleets, and endeavoured to make those our friends by fervility, whom nothing but power will keep quiet, and who must always be our enemies while they are endeavouring to grow greater, and we determine to remain free.

That nothing might be omitted which could teftify our willingness to continue on any terms the good friends of France, we were content to affift not only their conquefts but their traffick; and though we did not openly repeal the prohibitory laws, we yet tamely fuffered commerce to be carried on between the two nations, and wool was daily imported, to enable them to make cloth, which they carried to our markets and fold cheaper than we,

During all this time, they were extending and ftrengthening their fettlements in America, contriving new modes of traffick, and framing new alliances with the Indian nations. They began now to find thefe northern regions, barren and defolate as they are, fufficiently valuable to defire at least a nominal poffeffion, that might furnish a pretence for the exclufion of others; they therefore extended their claim to tracts of land, which they could never hope to occupy, took

care

care to give their dominions an unlimited magnitude, have given in their maps the name of Louisiana to a country, of which part is claimed by the Spaniards, and part by the English, without any regard to ancient boundaries, or prior difcovery.

When the return of Columbus from his great voyage had filled all Europe with wonder and curiofity, Henry the Seventh fent Sebaftian Cabot to try what could be found for the benefit of England; he declined the track af Columbus, and fteering to the weftward, fell upon the island, which, from that time, was called by the English, Newfoundland. Our princes feem to have confidered themfelves as entitled by their right of prior feizure to the northern parts of America, as the Spaniards were allowed by univerfal confent their claim to the fouthern region for the fame reafon; and we accordingly made our principal fettlements within the limits of our own difcoveries, and, by degrees, planted the eastern coaft from Newfoundland to Georgia.

As we had, according to the European principles, which allow nothing to the natives of these regions, our choice of fituation in this extenfive country, we naturally fixed our habitations along the coaft, for the fake of traffick and correfpondence, and all the conveniencies of navigable rivers. And when one port or river was occupied, the next colony, inftead of fixing themselves in the inland parts behind the former, went on fouthward, till they pleafed themfelves with another maritime fituation. For this reafon our colonies have more length than depth; their extent from eaft to weft, or from the fea to the interior country, bears no proportion to their reach along the coaft from north to fouth.