6o8 Charles II. Naval Expeditions, dec. of the English, Book lH.

1678. pier's Voyage round the World; Forwhich he left England only as a Passen-ger to Jamaica , the Beginning of thisYear : But as well this as others of hisVoyages having already appeared, inmore than one Shape, and containingtoo large a Space of Time, to be pro-perly brought within the Limits I couldallow here, I {hall refer to the Ac-counts already publifh’d. (b)

1680. In 1680, and 1681. Captain Sharp,In trod to having been Buccaneering in the Southp 0 ^ 8 ofVc Y ^ ea > and notable to recover theStreights

of Magellan, to return home, he ran far-ther to the South, beyond le Maire andBroivers- Streight, 'till he came intosixty Degrees of South-Latitude; Meet-ing with many Islands of Ice, and Abun-dance of Snow, Frost and Whales, andcalled a small Place he found the Dukeof York's Island. Thus he came into theNorth-Sea a new Way, and therebyproved, that the Land in the Streightsle Maire and Brewer must be Islands,and not joined to any Continent.

The JirJl Settlement of a Colony inPenfylvania.

1681. The Year 1681. was remarkable forBrit. Emp. the first Settlement of a Colony in Pen-w America. jyi van ' ia ^ w slich for the few Years that

0. .p.149. Yi-act of Land, which goes by thatName, has been inhabited, has per-haps thrived more, and is richer andmore populous than any of our Amen-*can Plantations.

The Proprietary was William Pen ,(as the Name is now written) Esq; Sonof Sir William Pen-ne, who, with Gene-ral Venables , commanded the Expedi-tion in Cromwell's Time, at the Takingof Jamaica, and of whom I have hadOccasion to speak in the Dutch Wars.As this William Pen had put himselfat the Head of the Quakers, it was notwithout Difficulty he obtained theGrantof this Province, in Return of the Ser-

vices his Father had done the King and x 68the Nation ; The Patent was, however,at last, procured, and bears Date, thefourth of March, of this Year.

Pensylvania consists of all thatTract; of Land, in America, with all theIslands thereunto belonging, from theBeginning of the fortieth Degree ofNorth Latitude, unto the three and for-tieth Degree of North Latitude, whoseEastern Bounds, from twelve EnglijhMiles above Newcajlle, (or DelawareTown) runs all along upon the Side ofDelaware River. So that it is boundedon the East by the River and Bay ofDelaware, and the Eastern Sea ; On theNorth, by Wejl New Jersey, or ratherNew York, for it goes a great Way a-bove the Jerseys ; On the West, by theIndian Nations about the Heads of Sus-quahanaugh and Delaware Rivers. And,on the South by Maryland ; And reachesfrom Pensberry, near the Falls of Dela-ware River, to Cape Hinlope, at theMouth of Delaware-Buy, near a Hun-dred and fifty Miles. The first Colony,

Part of which Mr. Pen carried alongwith him, when he went to take Posseslion, and the Rest soon follow’d, con-sisted of about two Thousand Souls,which soon encreased to a Number al-most beyond Belief.

The one and twentieth of Oflober, of , /fthis Year, the new Parliament met, as- plrlia^f,ter a whole Years Prorogation, and re- 7 he If.fumed the Bill of Exclusion. It passed f tonin the Houje of Commons ,but was thrownout by the Lords. ...

In the Year 1681. the King dissolved ^ ^ n f c a^the Parliament, and to shew his Dis- ^ n 0 e et s *pleasure at the City of London, called Oxfordanother to meet, the one and twentiethat March, at Oxford. This Parliamentmet accordingly, and brought in a new .

Bill of Exclusion, but was dissolved as- g>after having fate but seven Days: Andfrom this Time the King governed arbi-

tarily. !l

r-.c\ ,

In

Pepys'i Me-moirs.

In the Year, 1679. when Mr. Fepys wasnder Confinement, he gives us the State ofnglijh Fleet then in Pay, as follows :

D ~*"' Men.

Rates

1

2

3

4

5

6

Fire-lhips

Ships.

1

3

15

3 °

12

7

8

I

2040 Men.

Besides the Additional Force of thirty Capi-tal Ships, then actually in Building ; whereof ele-ven’ were launched, and the Remainder (all ofthem) under an assiduous Prosecution On theStocks. An Addition (continues the seme Au-thor) rendering the whole a Security not unequal(ordinary Providence concurring) to the PublicsEnds of it, in the Maintenance of the Peace andHonour of the Government on Shoar, and' Supportot its ancient, rightful asid envied Title to Domi-nion at Sea.

76 Ships.

Small Craft not reckoned.