THE RENAISSANCE OF THE FISHERIES 137 



to exceed one hundred and seventy dollars. 1 These rates 

 of allowance were further increased one-fifth by the pas- 

 sage of an act May 2nd of the same year which provided 

 that "from and after the first day of January next, there 

 shall be an addition of twenty per centum to the allowances, 

 respectively granted to ships or vessels employed in the 

 bank or other codfisheries, ' ' and in the terms of the above 

 act. 2 



An act of a different nature was passed in 1793 for the 

 further encouragement of the fisheries. Collectors of cus- 

 toms were empowered to grant vessels duly licensed per- 

 mits "to touch and trade at any foreign port or place,' 

 to procure salt and other necessary outfits, without being 

 subject to the payment of duties. This act continued to 

 be of great convenience to the fishermen for many decades 

 although its privileges were admittedly liable to abuse. 



In 1797, the allowance on pickled fish exported was 

 changed to twelve cents a barrel, and the yearly allowance 

 to vessels engaged in the codfishery was increased one-third 

 over the former rates; by this act, the maximum allowance 

 was two hundred and seventy-two dollars for a single ves- 

 sel. 3 These allowances were to continue as long as duties 

 on salt were paid. The bounty act was repealed by the 

 abolition of the salt duty, March 3, 1807. 4 From 1807 to 

 an act of July 29th, 1813, there were no bounties or allow- 

 ances to fishing vessels. 5 By this last act, a duty of twenty 

 cents a bushel was placed on foreign salt imported ; after 

 December 31, 1814, the annual allowances (four dollars 

 per ton for vessels above thirty tons) according to tonnage 

 were restored to vessels engaged in the bank and other cod- 



1 Annals of Congress, 1791-1793, pp. 362-363. 



2 Tariff Acts, pp. 30-31. 



3 Sabine, p. 160. 



4 Benton, Thirty Years' View, II, pp. 194-198. 



5 Andrews' Report, pp. 632-633. 



