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rice of individuals Added every idea, both of her former power and the public good.
Her neighbours, in the mean time, acquired great ftrength ; at length the Englilhgave her a kick on the breech, and waked her out of her fieep : when the had openedher eyes and feen how far fhe was gone backwards, Ihe ftrove to make amends for hernegligence; but all her efforts were little better than grimaces, and only expofed her to. the derifion of the world.
LETTER LXXL
Ojlencl.
SINCE this town has been made a free port, the trade of it has very much increas-
ed ; it is, however, much to be feared, that after the war it will relapfe into its formerinfignificancy. All the Englilh, who are here, cry out on the dangerous entrance intothe haven, by ftormy north north-weft and wefterly winds, the narrow bafon,, and thewant of many other conveniences.
The fituation of Antwerp would have been much more advantageous for the ad-vancement of trade, but the Dutch have locked up the mouth of the Scheid. Theirforts not only govern the river, as they fhould do according to treaty, but they haveliterally flopped up the mouth of it. Sunken fhips filled with ftones, immenfe dykes offtone, pallifadoes, and other things of the kind, barely leave room enough for fmaliboats to go by. Twenty millions of guilders would not be enough, in twenty years, to.
There is no want of gold in Brabant and Flanders. Antwerp, Brufiels, Ghent , andBruges , are ftill filled with the treafures which were amafled, when thefe towns werewhat England and Holland now are.. The burgeffes of thefe cities have a fhare in all.the great undertakings, and loans of the neighbouring nations.' Their commerce ofexchange is iuimenfe, probably infurance is not fo fafe among the Dutch themfelves asit is here. Antwerp is one of the moft famous places of infurance in the world.—Inthe laft Bavarian war, the court of Vienna , having determined to raife a loan in thefecountries, were aftonifhed at the quicknefs with which the money was railed ; but theinhabitants of. Ghent and Antwerp let the regency know, that if there was occafion forthree or four times as much, it would be as eafily procured. Ever fince that time thecourt feems to know the value of its poifeiiions m the Netherlands .
Notwithftanding this, the induftry in thefe countries is upon the whole very differentfrom what it was. The heirs of thofe treafures, which were accumulated between thetwelfth and fifteenth centuries, endeavour to make money of them in the eafieft: way jnor is their way of living calculated to improve them to the utraoft. They are thetnoft extraordinary compound of flothfuinefs and mduftry, ftupidity and acutenefs,,a&ivity and cowardlinefs, goodnefs of heart and treachery, that can well be conceived.AnEnglilhman once faid of them, “ They have the impudence of the French , withouttheir pleafantry - f the pride and bigotry of the Spaniards, without their fenfe of honour;the ferocity and harlhnefs of the Dutch , without their punctuality ; the debaucltery ofthe Germans , without their integrity ; and as to their bodies, they are blocks, from■which the carver attempted to make Englithmen, but could not cut them out.” Thepicture is in general juft, as thefe inhabitants of the Netherlands are an aftemblage ofall thefe nations.—But what they are moft confpicuous for, is want of honour. Y ouRtuft have agreements in writing in all the common tranfadlions of life. You are in.
danger of being ftrft overcharged, and then carried into a court of juftice by every
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