70* WHALE-FISHERY. 



original acts, in which the perpetuity of the trade. 

 and the economical application of the bounties were 

 generally prominent objects. Thus, in the year 

 1755, an act of Parliament for continuing, explain- 

 ing, and amending the several previous acts for the 

 encouragement of the northern whale-fisheries, con- 

 tained the following additions. 



" That every ship employed in that fishery, shall 

 have on board an apprentice, indentured for three 

 years at least, for every fifty tons burthen, who 

 shall be accounted as one of the number of men 

 who, by law% ought to be on board such ship. 



" That no ship employed in tlie fishery, above the 

 burthen of 400 tons, after the 25t]i of December 

 1757, shall be entitled to a larger bounty than a ship 

 of 400 tons would be entitled to. And, 



" That ships under 200 tons burthen, shall here- 

 after be entitled to the bounty of 40s. pei^ ton, the 

 same as those of 200 tons and upAvards, are entitled 

 to it by former statutes*.". 



Parliament, the same session, empowered the 

 Treasury to pay the bounty to the owners of three 

 ships fitted out from London to the whale-fishery, 

 but unavoidably lost in the ice ;. and at the same 

 time declared it lawful in future, for owners of fish- 

 ing ships to insure the bounty f. 



The Eritish whale-fishery of 1758 was very un- 

 successful, the weather was vei y stormy, and seve- 



* Anderson's Commerce, a. d. 1755. + 28th Geo. II. 



