A. D. 1730. 155 



The foutli-fea company's remaining 22 Greenland fliips brought home 

 12 whales this year ; and their net lofs by this year's filherywas L8921 

 5y9, belide wear and tear. 



The French Eafl-India company's trade by this time was become fo 

 confiderable, that, inftead of one fhip from India once in two years, 

 there arrived four fliips from thence in this year. 



Yet fo much fuperior was the Enghfh Eaft-India company's trade, 

 that, in thefpring of this fame year, there failed no fewer than 17 fhips 

 from India. 



In the Britifli American provinces of Pennfylvania, Virginia, and 

 Maryland, there were about this time found mines of iron-flone, which 

 they foon after learned to fmelt down into pigs and fows, and then to 

 draw them out by flatting mills into bars. They have alfo found lead ; 

 and they had before found copper in New- York. 



The South-fea company's great Ihip the Prince Frederick, which had 

 been long detained at La Vera Cruz, by the differences between Great 

 Britain and Spain, arrived this year in the Thames with 400,000 dol- 

 lars, or Spanifli pieces of eight, in fpecie, 190,000 lib. of cochineal*, 

 47,000 lib. weight of indigo, and 167 tons of logwood, befides what 

 came in private trade ; fuppofed altogether to be worth L35o,ooo fter- 

 ling. 



We may here, for once at lead, prefent our readers with a lift of the 

 chief exportations and importations for the iingle month of May, in the 

 year 1730, from London only, viz. 



Exported Woollen cloths, long, fliort, and Spanifli, 5357 pieces 



Bays, Colchefter, &c. - - 6990 



Stuffs, druggets, 8cc. - - 24,484 



Perpets and ferges, - - 4108 



Dozens and kerfies, - - 1 879 



Hats, _ _ - 2028 dozens 



Hofe, - - . 9368 dozen pairs 



Flannel and cotton, - - 53,o53 yards 



frife, 7858 yards — gartering, 774 grofs — leather, 2290 cwt. — block tin, 

 1036 cwt — wrought pewter, 4997 cwt lead, 184 fodder, each of 19 



* Two pliyficians, to whom tlic author of tliis Indies. Its juice is of a rich crimfon colour, which 



work, llicwcd tlic cochineal in the company's vaults, may be ufcd willi a pen or a pencil for writing or 



were perfcflly fatlsfied, that the infeft, which pro- drawing ; but it fades in a few days. However, 



duces it, is the fame with our Biitilh lady-bird ; Mr. Long [in his //y7. o/" T"""""'"! ^- 'i', /• 73l] 



and that its fuperior excellence was acqiu'rcd pure- fays, that Mr. Riz, a gcntlcm.-\n of Kingllon, pro- 



ly by the infect feeding on the fine red juice or duced from it a dye-llulT fuperior to the cochineal 



fap of the Mexico Ihrub called the prickly pear, of Mexico. If that can be effeifled on a confider- 



agreeable to what had been aflerted by divers au- able fcale, the prickly pear (now a nuifance, or at 



thors. A. bell a bad fort of fence) may become one of the 



Tlic prickly pear is a plant which grows fpon- moll profitable of the tropical plants. M. 

 taueoudy and luxuriantly ev^.ly where in the Well- 



U2 



