from the extremity of the torture they had endured, or faw awaiting them, pardon was interchanged, and they embraced as friends and fellow-fufferers.

The remainder of this doleful night was spent in religious exercises, and in ftrengthening the refolution of each other to bear the laft conflict. The Dutch, who guarded them, offered them wine to drive away their forrow; but the English rejected this false opiate, and prepared themfelves by a dependance on God.

Next morning, the 27th, being the day of execution, Powel was admitted to his countrymen, and found them at prayers. They all conjured him to publish their innocence, and avow the falfehoods which had been extorted from them..

Every thing being prepared for winding up the tragedy, the condemned were brought forth along a chamber, where the acquitted waited to. take a last adieu. They renewed the proteftations of their innocence, and the anxiety that their friends in England fhould be made acquainted with it.

Being brought into the yard, their fentences were read from a gallery, and then they were carried to the place of execution, together with nine Japanese and a Portuguese, while the Dutch foldiers were drawn out under arms, and a vaft concourse of the natives attended to see the cataftrophe. All of them fuffered protesting their innocence to the laft. The Japanese too made the like profeffions, and there appears no reason to doubt but with equal fincerity and truth.

The Dutch had prepared a cloth of black velvet for Captain Towerfon's body to fall on; which

X 3

being

being stained with blood, they afterwards placed to the charge of the English company. This act of infolence and avarice was of a piece with the reft.

In an age when fuperftition had a very strong hold of the minds of men in general, it is not to be wondered at that they should believe that Pro vidence attefted the innocence of thefe victims to Dutch monopoly and rapacity, by fome extraor dinary figns. We are told that, at the inftant of the execution, a sudden darkness overfpread the heavens, and a violent guft of wind arofe, which drove the Dutch hips from their anchors, and nearly wrecked them on the rocks. Other circumftances of the fame kind are mentioned. We difpute not the reality of the events, but caution against the general application. The fame might have happened had they been guilty of all that was laid to their charge. The rewards of virtue, and the divine atteftations to innocence are referved for another occafion. At that grand folemnity, when the accufers and the accused, the revilers and the reviled, are called upon to attend, Providence will then difplay its juftice and its mercy, in characters not to be doubted, and in a manner that will ftrike conviction into the guilty breaft,

The day following the execution was spent in triumph, and in public rejoicing for the deliverance from this pretended plot. In a fhort time the English were expelled the island; and the Dutch reaped the withed-for fruit of their crimes, against the law of nature and nations.

Nothing can be more improbable, than that a few men, engaged only in the purfuits of trade, fhould ever conceive the idea of attacking a

1

castle,

castle, well defended and garrifoned; but the innocence of our countrymen does not reft on probability alone-it was confirmed by the dying words of those who fuffered, by the whole tenor of their conduct, by the tacit acknowledgment of the Dutch themfelves, who never pretended to produce any evidence of the imputed plot, except fuch as was extorted by torture. No written documents were ever found—no voluntary confeffions were made-intercepted letters gave not the most distant fufpicion of such a scheme; and, in short, the proofs of the honour of our countrymen were as confpicuous, as the cruelty of the Dutch was execrable.

It may be aiked, why flumbered the national vengeance? To this we can only anfwer, that the death of King James soon followed, and the troubles of various kinds, which early difturbed the reign of Charles I. put it out of his power to attend to fuch diftant concerns. In the be ginning of his reign, indeed, he granted letters of request to the ftates general for obtaining fatisfaction, which, however, had no effect; neither did the king purfue that point any farther. The Dutch, atrocious as their behaviour was in this inftance, gave him greater causes of complaint. To repel their meditated attempts, he was induced to demand fhip-money; and this imprudent exercife of the royal prerogative began those confufions, which terminated in the ruin of our government, and gave the Dutch an ́opportunity to fecure themselves in the fpice trade, which they had acquired at our expence.

HISTORICAL

OF

RUSSIAN DISCOVERIES,

IN THE

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE.

BEFORE the middle of the fixteenth century,

Northern Afia was almost wholly unknown to the Ruffians. The firft foundation of the conqueft of Siberia was laid by a celebrated adventurer, named Yermac, who, at the head of an uncivilized and ignorant band of men, difplayed more wisdom and moderation than the more enlightened conquerors of the new world. By the acceffion of this vaft territory, the Ruffian empire was not only enlarged beyond the limits of the moft powerful nation that ever exifted, but the way was alfo paved for fubfequent discoveries and acquifitions.

The Ruffians having first fubjected the western part of the country, now called Siberia, to their dominion, gradually extended their knowledge of that vaft region, by advancing towards the eaft, into provinces yet unexplored or unknown. The original knowledge of thefe was derived from hunters, who fometimes ftrayed to a great distance from the ufual scene of their sports, or from foldiers employed in levying the taxes;

and