They imported large quantities of gold dust, out of which
50,000 guineas were first coined in one year, 1673. Their other imports
were red wood for dyes, elephants' teeth, wax, honey, &c. The value of the
English goods exported to them averaged annually 70,000_l_. This
company was broken up at the Revolution.
II. Though the Portuguese and Spaniards were very jealous of the
interference of any nation with their East India commerce; yet they were
comparatively easy and relaxed with regard to their American possessions.
Accordingly, we find that, in 1530, there was some little trade between
England and Brazil: this is the first notice we can trace of any commercial
intercourse between this country and the New World. The first voyage was
from Plymouth: in 1540 and 1542 the merchants of Southampton and London
also traded to Brazil. We are not informed what were the goods imported;
but most probably they were Brazil wood, sugar, and cotton. The trade
continued till 1580, when Spain, getting possession of Portugal, put a stop
to it.
The next notice of any trading voyage to America occurs in 1593, when some
English ships sailed to the entrance of the St. Lawrence for morse and
whale fishing. This is the first mention of the latter fishery, or of whale
fins, or whale bones by the English. They could not find any whales; but on
an island they met with 800 whale fins, the remains of a cargo of a Biscay
ship which had been wrecked here.
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