A. D. 1763 Mr. Grant, of Grant, invited them to fettle on their new ground in the counties of Inverness, Murray and Banff, with a promife to let them have from five to fifteen acres of land rent free for seven years, paying afterwards one fhilling per acre per annum for twelve years, with timber for building, mofs or peat ground for firing, and lime ftone from the quarries. The latter end of this year, judgment was pronounced at Paris against several persons who had been employed by the King of France in the government of Canada, and had been found guilty of mal-administration in the conduct of it. These refpective officers, befides the sentence of banishment, whofe term was varied according to the nature of their offences, were, moreover, condemned to make restitution of several fums in proportion to the frauds of which they had been found guilty; amounting in the whole to the sum of thirteen millions fix hundred and fixty-five thousand livres. The names, employments, and fines of thefe officers are as follows: The Sieur Bigot, Intendant of the Province of Canada, The Sieur Varin, Director of the Marine at Montreal, M. Bread, Comptroller of the Marine, M. Cadet, Purveyor General of the Army, M. Pennifiant, M. Maurin, M. Corpion, Livres. 4,500,000 800,000 300,000 6,000,000 As foon as the English merchants trading to Canada, who were largely concerned in the paper money of that colony, were informed of thefe fines, they made immediate application to the Secretaries of State to obtain the fulfilling his most Christian Majesty's declaration, with regard to the bills of exchange, drawn by the government of Canada on that of Old France. But, as the final determination of this business between the two courts did not take place till the year 1766, we shall defer entering further upon the subject till we come to the hiftory of that period. The linen cloth stamped in Scotland for fale, from the first of November 1761, to the first of November 1762, amounted to The fame, from the first of November 1762, to the first of November 1763, amounted to, Which quantity exceeds that of the preceding year Yards. 10,303,237 12,399,656 2,096,419 An account of the fums granted this year by the Irish House of Commons, for promoting the manufactures, trade and commerce of Ireland. To John Wetherell, for preparing and framing the intended book of rates, four hundred pounds. For A. D. 1763 For carrying on the inland navigation from Limerick to Killaloe, two thousand five hundred pounds. For ditto, from Inishannon to Dummanway, two thousand pounds. For ditto, from the tide water at St. Mullins, to the town of Monafterevan, four thousand pounds. For ditto, from Kilkenny to Inifteague, one thousand five hundred pounds. For improving Cork harbour, one thousand five hundred pounds. For the pier of Balgriggan, one thousand five hundred pounds. For carrying on the inland navigation by making the river Lagan navigable, and for opening a paffage from Loughneagh to Belfast, two thousand pounds. For ditto, for compleating a navigation for fhips of one hundred tons burthen, from Fathom Point, near Newry, to Drumglafs Colliery, in the county of Tyrone, four thousand pounds. To St. Patrick's hofpital, one thousand pounds. For Dunleary pier, one thousand pounds. For finishing an harbour at Wicklow, one thousand pounds. For carrying on the ballaft office wall, four thousand pounds. For re-building St. John's church, Dublin, one thousand pounds. To Meffrs. Colvill, Civill and Bryan, to affift them in leffening the expence of their compleating a dry dock in the city of Dublin, one thousand pounds. To the Lying-in-Hofpital, one thousand pounds. To the widow and children of Dr. Moffe, five hundred pounds. To the Incorporated Society, twelve thousand pounds. For carrying on the inland navigation from Dublin through the bog of Allan to the Shannon, fix thousand pounds. For carrying on a whale fifhery on the north weft coaft of this kingdom, one thoufand pounds. For finishing St. Catherine's church, Dublin, one thousand pounds. For enlarging the quay at Londonderry, one thousand fix hundred pounds. For carrying on the inland navigation, by making a navigable canal between the loughs Foyle and Sivilly in the county of Donegal, four thousand pounds. For erecting a pier at Killileagh in the county of Down, fix hundred pounds. For re-building John's and Green's bridges in the city of Kilkenny, and Bennet's Thomastown and Castlecomer bridges, in the county of Kilkenny, and for repairing the bridge of Enifteage, in the faid county of Kilkenny, eight thousand pounds. To Henry Cottingham and James King to reimburse their loffes, occafioned by the tumultuous proceedings of the late mobs, eight hundred pounds. For widening the paffage leading from Anglefea-street to College-green, three hundred and forty pounds. To the city work-house, three thousand seven hundred and feventy-one pounds. To Hugh Boyd, Efq; for his having made an harbour at Bally Castle: and for his keeping the faid harbour in repair for twenty-one years, three thousand pounds. To the Dublin Society, two thousand pounds. To ditto, to be applied for the encouragement of fuch trades and manufactures, and in such manner and subject to fuch regulations, as fhall be directed by Parliament, eight thousand pounds. A. D. 1763 For compleating a convenient way, ftreet, and paffage, from Effex bridge, to the cft le of Dublin, five thousand pounds. For widening the paffage leading from the Inns Quay, to Arran Quay, Dublin, one thoufand pounds. The following general flate of the Land-carriage Fishery, as it ftood on the thirtieth of September, in this year, according to the account of Mr. Blake, the original propofer, and indefatigable conductor of it. Capital advanced by the fociety, £. s. d. 2,000 o a Addition made by Mr. Blake at his own risk, being borrowed of the society, on transferring two thoufand pounds of three per cent. confolidated annuities, as a fecurity to repay fuch loan on fix months notice, 1,500 0 0 A further addition by the fuperintendant, on the thirtieth of September, 1763, being wanted to make good all payments to that time, 235 15 7 To answer which fum, there is the following ftock in hand of materials:Ninety machines, which, with the neceffary alterations and improvements, coft Fitting up a receptacle office, and fundry shops, Seven horses, to carry the fish to market, with harness and fadlery, Scales and weights for receptacle fhops and fea-ports, A compleat fet of turbot-lines, and other apparatus for two fmacks of fixty tons each, 50 19 6 A water-cart and tubs for the receptacle, and a large lanthorn erected at 28 39 Befides fundry other utenfils in the fhops and receptacles. Thus it appears, fays Mr. Blake, that there is a stock in hand amounting to four thoufand and fifty-three pounds one shilling and eight-pence, to answer the capital of three thousand feven hundred and thirty-five pounds fifteen fhillings and feven-pence; and to carry on the undertaking, in cafe the public fhould be difpofed to encourage and affift the profecution thereof by a further aid. And in regard to any objections which may be made, that the above stock, on account of its being used, would, if it were to be fold, fall far fhort of its prime coft; which, it must be allowed, will always be the cafe whenever a business is dropped fo foon after its commencement, (and, in this particular circumftance, it is probable would not produce fufficient to reimburse the fuperintendant the monies he has advanced) it may not be improper to observe, that the alteration and improvements in the machines, which were found neceffary, have put them in a better state than when they were first made.-Hence there is the greatest reafon to believe, that by an additional aid, this undertaking may be carried on in a more enlarged manner, and to the additional benefit of the public; who could not expect that the fuperintendant, with two thousand pounds, fhould feed the multitudes in this metropolis, A. .D 1763 when it is well known that the fales at Billingfgate, in the course of a year, amount to between two and three hundred thousand pounds. But, nevertheless, he has brought upwards of two hundred tons of fish from diftant parts of the fea-coafts, which has produced nineteen thoufand fix hundred and forty-one pounds nineteen fhillings and nine-pence halfpenny and if it is allowed, as in juftice it ought, that fuch fish has been fold at lefs than half the former ufual prices, the public will find they have gained an advantage of nearly twenty thousand pounds from this undertaking, befides the effect it has had on the general fale of fish, which is probably equal to more than double the above fum; from whence the fuperintendant prefumes to think, that his endeavours have benefited the public to the amount of fifty or fixty thousand pounds. That this patriotic scheme of the Land-carriage Fishery, fhould meet with the most ftrenuous and artful oppofition from a body of men whofe wealth flowed from the monopoly it was intended to deftroy, was a natural expectation; but that the public fhould fuffer a plan which promised fuch very extenfive and folid advantages to the inhabitants of London to become abortive, is an equal matter for wonder and lamentation: but fo it was;-the body of fishmongers made their well known opulence the engine of carrying on their defigns, and, in the end, triumphed over one of the most beneficial and practicable projects that the patriotic zeal of a private individual ever suggested. If it were the practice of this country, as it was of ancient Rome, to bestow a civic crown on those citizens, who by inventions or measures of public utility, have promoted the public welfare,—Mr. Blake would have been found worthy of that distinguishing reward. It becomes us, however, to record his name with all the honour which this page can beftow upon him, for his public humanity in fuggefting, as well as for the difinterefted and indefatigable zeal with which he fuperintended the scheme of fupplying the city of London and its environs with fish by land-carriage. As a curious article of information, and, as we conceive, perfectly appropriate to this work, we shall give an account of the fale, charges, and nett proceeds of the La Hermoine, a Spanish register-ship, condemned in the high court of Admiralty of Great Britain, on the fourteenth of September, 1762. |