OOMPARATIVE VIEW. — JJRlfAlN. HI 



paid 94,858 /., and that, from the consequent re- 

 duction of the price of the fish, the public at pre- 

 sent paid Go per cent, upon every cargo. In the 

 Greenland fishery, there are employed GOOO seamen, 

 and these seamen cost Government 13/. 10,9. per 

 man per annum, though we were never able to ob- 

 tain more than 500 of that number to serve on 

 board our ships of war. Besides, the vast encou- 

 ragement given to the trade, had occasioned such a 

 glut in the market, that it was found necessary to 

 export considerable quantities of it, and thus we paid 

 a large share of the purchase-money to foreign na- 

 tions, as well as for our own people, besides supply- 

 ing them with the materials of several important 

 manufactures." This proposition was opposed by 

 several members, but was finally carried ; and the 

 propriety of the measure became very soon appa- 

 rent. At that time, tiie number of ships em- 

 ployed from England in the whale-fishery to Green- 

 land and Davis' Straits, amounted to l63, besides 

 23 from Scotland *. The proposed alteration took 

 place the following year (1787) ; and notwithstand- 

 ing the diminution of the bounty, the trade in- 

 creased ; the number of ships fitted out of Bri- 

 tish ports the same year, amounting to 250, and 

 the next year to 255 ; " tlie cargoes of wliich, in 1788, 



Encyc. Brit. 4th edit. Art. Cetology 



