When Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1558, the commerce and
navigation of England were still of very small amount. The
population of the kingdom amounted to only about five
millions--not much more than the population of London is now.
The country had little commerce, and what it had was still mostly
in the hands of foreigners. The Hanse towns had their large
entrepot for merchandise in Cannon Street, on the site of the
present Cannon Street Station. The wool was still sent abroad to
Flanders to be fashioned into cloth, and even garden produce was
principally imported from Holland. Dutch, Germans, Flemings,
French, and Venetians continued to be our principal workmen. Our
iron was mostly obtained from Spain and Germany. The best arms
and armour came from France and Italy. Linen was imported from
Flanders and Holland, though the best came from Rheims. Even the
coarsest dowlas, or sailcloth, was imported from the Low
Countries.
The royal ships continued to be of very small burthen, and the
mercantile ships were still smaller. The Queen, however, did
what she could to improve the number and burthen of our ships.
"Foreigners," says Camden, "stiled her the restorer of naval
glory and Queen of the Northern Seas." In imitation of the
Queen, opulent subjects built ships of force; and in course of
time England no longer depended upon Hamburg, Dantzic, Genoa, and
Venice, for her fleet in time of war.
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