s ^Q 2. an the Highlands. 37 



laws, it has been fliown, that the fifheries amon ? the is- 

 lands, and the trade in fifti, has been entirely precluded j 

 and in order to have any fifhtries at all, government has 

 been obliged to grant bounties for vefsels fifliing foi' her- 

 rings, and a debenture on the exportation of these from 

 Britain •, neither of which would have been necefsary had" 

 the trade in salt and fifh been perfectly free. These two 

 drains from the revenue must therefore be deducted. This 

 account on an average of years preceding 1783, stands 

 thus : 



Bounties paid on bufses in Scotland *, L. 14,082 15 o 

 Premiums on exportation f, . . - 6051 11 13 

 To which must be added, premiums for 



Scotch herrings, and hard fifh exported 



from England, supposed to be about, 2000 o 



Add also the annual lofs on the customs, 



as above, - - - - - - - - 5031 18 11 



Add farther the premiums granted by the 



society for encouraging fifheries in 



Scotland, at least, per annum, . - - 2000 o 9 

 Total outgivings, . - , - - - - 29,166 5 9 

 From that deduct the net proceeds of 



the salt duties, _ _ _ _ _ _ 9293 10 r 



Outgoings exceed the incomings, - L, ig,S-j2 15 8 

 So that the revenue sustains a clear annual lofs of nearly 

 twenty thousand pounds a-year. 



This, however, is only a small part of the lofs; for when 

 the matter is fairly investigated, we ought to advert, not 

 only to the net lofs that is annually sustained ; b^ut to that 

 ought to be added the net revenue which would accrue to 

 the state, were these people put into such a situation as 



• See third report of ihe co.-nm!ttec of fillierles, Appendix, Ko. 4. 

 t ib'd. 



