Page:The reign of George VI - 1763.djvu/216

 other public buildings; and neglected nothing that could add to the ornament of the kingdom: the fortifications of the frontier towns, from the north of Holland, to the Mediterranean, which had in many provinces fallen into decay, were repaired, and even augmented: the royal ports were filled with workmen of all sorts: great numbers of ships, from men of war to merchantmen, were built: his Majesty's navy was continually augmenting; and as the two nations now possessed an immense trade, there was no danger of ever finding a scarcity of sailors.

The Monarch, who in England had been so great and magnificent a protector of the arts and sciences, acted worthy of himself in France. The French nation had enjoyed more establishments in favour of literature, such as academies, than Great-Britain, but