Page:The child's pictorial history of England; (IA childspictorialh00corn).pdf/181

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

6. You remember how the American colonies were first settled. Well, they had now become large populous places, and cities had been built there; but the people were cultivators, and had no manufactures of any kind, for they were obliged to have all they wanted of manufactured goods, either for clothing, or any other purpose, from England, which was a great advantage to this country, by furnishing employment for English manufactures.

7. Perhaps you will say, why could they not have things from other countries, as well as from England?—but you must bear in mind that the American states were then under British government, and remained so till the reign of George the Third, when the Americans established a government of their own, and went to war with Great Britain, as you will presently read, and with the assistance of France, made themselves independent of this country.

8. George the First died in 1727, having reigned nearly thirteen years, and he was succeeded by his son, George the Second.

9. There had been a great change in the mode of dress since the time of the Stuarts, for queen Anne had introduced a fashion of setting out the gowns with hoops; and gentlemen wore coats with broad square-cut tails, waistcoats with