purchase and consume more. A very remarkable instance of the effect of
skill, capital, and industry, is mentioned by Mr. Lewis, a merchant, who
published a work entitled, _The Merchant's Map of Commerce_, in 1641. "The
town of Manchester," he says, "buys the linen yarn of the Irish in great
quantity, and, weaving it, returns the same again, in linen, into Ireland
to sell. Neither doth her industry rest here, for they buy cotton wool in
London, that comes first from Cyprus and Smyrna, and work the same into
fustians, vermilions, dimities, &c., which they return to London, where
they are sold, and from thence not seldom are sent into such foreign parts
where the first materials may be more easily had for that manufacture." How
similar are these two instances to that which has occurred in our own days,
when the cotton-wool, brought from the East Indies, has been returned
thither after having been manufactured, and sold there cheaper than the
native manufactures.

But though there are no particulars relative to the commerce between
England and Europe, which call for our notice, as exhibiting any thing
beyond the gradual extension of commercial intercourse already established;
yet in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, there were other commercial
intercourses into which England entered, that deserve attention. These may
be classed under three heads: the trade to Africa, to America, and India.

I. The trade to Africa.--The first notice of any trade between England and
Africa occurs in the year 1526, when some merchants of Bristol, which, at
this period, was undoubtedly one of our most enterprising cities, traded by
means of Spanish ships to the Canaries. Their exports were cloth, soap, for
the manufacture of which, even at this early period, Bristol was
celebrated, and some other articles. They imported drugs for dyeing, sugar,
and kid skins. This branch of commerce answering, the Bristol merchants
sent their factors thither from Spain. The coast of Africa was, at this
period, monopolized by the Portuguese. In 1530, however, an English ship
made a voyage to Guinea for elephants' teeth: the voyage was repeated; and
in 1536, above one hundred pounds weight of gold dust, besides elephants'
teeth, was imported in one ship. A few years afterwards, a trade was opened
with the Mediterranean coast of Africa, three ships sailing from Bristol to
Barbary with linens, woollen cloth, coral, amber, and jet; and bringing
back sugar, dat