120 A. D. 1721. 



This lilT;, which was pubhflied at London at this time, probably, hi 

 part, encouraged the new South-fea court of directors to propoie a 

 whale fifliery to their general courts, which however they did not final- 

 ly agree to till three years after. 



The preamble of an act of parliament of the 8th year of King George I, 

 for giving farther encouragement for the importation of naval flores, 

 Sec. declares, 



That, in confequence of former legal encouragements, it is found by 

 experience, that great quantities of good and merchantable pitch and tar 

 have been imported from the Britifti plantations in America, which 

 have been found ufeful for the fervice of his majefty's navy; and that 

 it is necelTary to give farther encouragement therein ; fo as the tar be 

 clean and merchantable, as herein farther directed, for making cordage. 



Moreover, it being probable, that the owners of large tracts of land 

 in America and in Scotland, lying near the fea or on navigable rivers, 

 would he induced to fow the fame with hemp, if farther encouragement 

 were given for that purpofe : it was therefor enadted, that the pre- 

 mium of L6 per ton of hemp, fo raifed and imported, be farther con- 

 tinued for iixteen years, and be free of all cuftoms whatever. 



And whereas great quantities of v/ood and timber, and of the goods 

 commonly called lumber, (of many feveral forts of wood therein enu- 

 merated) have ufually been imported into this kingdom from foreign 

 countries at exceffive prices, whereby foreigners have found opportuni- 

 ties to export the coin of the kingdom : and it is well known, that the 

 faid commodities, being of the growth and produdt of the Britifli plan- 

 tations in America, may be furnifhed from thence ; for encouragement 

 thereof it was enaded,that the faid timber goods be exported, duty-free, 

 from the plantations, for 91 years to come : excepting marts, yards, 

 and bowfprits, touching which, duties and premiums are afcertained by 

 former ads in that behalf. 



The commiflioners of the navy muft have the pre-emption or refufal 

 of the hemp, for 20 days after landing, for the ufe of the navy-royal. 



The laws already made for the prefervation of white pine trees in his 

 majefly's colonies in America, for mafting the royal navy, being found 

 infufhcient, it was now enacted, that no perfon fliould prefume to cut, 

 fell, or deftroy, any white pine tree in the American provinces, named 

 in former ads of parliament, (to which Nova-Scotia was now added), 

 without the kirg's licence firft obtained, under the feveral penalties for 

 the various fized trees herein fpecified. 



In this year (according to Keyfler's Travels) the famous fine porce- 

 lain of Saxony was brought to perfedion, being the invention of one 

 JBotticher, a chymift, who died in the year 171 9. But he carried it no 

 farther than to the white fort, the art of making brown and blue por- 



4 



