In 1730, Portuguese merchant Manoel Gonzales listed Britain’s advantages as a trading nation. He noted how being an island helped both defence and global trade, but reserved his highest praise for the country’s liberty of conscience, something he found nowhere else in Europe, and he traced England’s prosperity to it.

Having listed Britain’s blessings, Gonzales went on to point out some flaws. He lamented her people’s high consumption of meat, which he believed had a negative impact on their merchant shipping, and drew attention to their various coughs and sniffles. His most scathing criticism was however for excessive litigation, and the lawyers who encouraged it.

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