110 WHALE-FISHEllY. 



become siilijected, by the liberal encouragement 

 given to the wliale-fishers in the way of boun- 

 ties. This expcnce was found to be very great. In 

 twenty years, included between 1750 and 1769? 

 613,261/. 9s. lid. had been paid in bounties to 

 British whale-fishers ; the average number of vessels 

 employed during that period being 39t^o from Eng- 

 land, and 11 A from Scotland, and the average sum 

 paid annually in bounties to both, being 30,663 /. 

 l-S". 6d. This great expenditure, together with the 

 belief that the intention of Government in the ef- 

 fectual establishment of the fishery was fulfilled, 

 occasioned the bounty to be reduced to 30^. j^f?' 

 ton ; but the number of British whale-fishermen 

 having diminished from 98 to 39, in the course of 

 the five years following, the bounty was again raised 

 to 406'. 



" It was afterwards found, however, that so great a 

 bounty was neither necessary to the success of the 

 trade, nor expedient with regard to the public. 

 In 1786, therefore, the acts conferring the said emo- 

 luments being upon the point of expiring, the sub- 

 ject was again brought under the consideration of 

 Parliament ; and it was proposed to continue the 

 former measures, but with a reduction of the bounty 

 from 4iOs. to 306"." In proposing this alteration, it 

 was stated, " That the sums which this country had 

 paid in bounties for the Greenland fishery, amounted 

 to 1,265,461 /. ; that, in the last year (1785), we had 



