A. D. 1 741. 231 



Ships. 



There came from Sweden - - - 25 

 Ruflia, and other parts of the Baltic fea 405 



Greenland and Davis's ftraits - 150 



France _ > - ^^6 



Spain - - - III 



Portugal - - - 80 



Italy - - - - 23 



The Levant - - - 10 



Barbary - - - 5 



Eall-India - - - 15 



The Weft-Indies " " 99 



1259 



As England, Scotland, Ireland, and Flanders, are not named, the reft 

 muft have come from thence, as being near neighbours, and may very 

 well be fuppofed to have amounted to 554 yeffels of all kinds. It is 

 needlefs here to remark, how vaft a commerce muft be carried on by 

 this mighty city, and confequently what immenfe riches its inhabitants 

 muft be poflefled of. 



1742. — After twenty years filence concerning the much wiftied for, 

 and frequently attempted, north-weft paflage, an ingenious and know- 

 ing gentleman of Ireland, Arthur Dobbes Efquire, (fmce governor of 

 Nortli-Carolina) earneftly applied to the admiralty board to make a 

 new attempt for finding that fuppofed paftcige, at the government's ex- 

 penfe ; urging the great probability of finding it, by lundry very plau- 

 fible arguments. The king and his minifters being unwilling to dif- 

 courage a propofal, which, if fuccefsful, muft be attended with great 

 advantages to the nation, gave diredhons to the admiralty board (where 

 Sir Charles "Wager, an experienced navigator, at this time prefided) to 

 fend out two of the king's ftiips on that difcovery, under the direction 

 of Captain Chriftopher Middleton, who had been twenty years a com- 

 mander in the Hudfon's-bay company's fervice. 



His inftru<ftions * from the board of admiralty, on a fuppofition of 

 finding a pafllige, were in fubftance as follows : 



In places where you meet with inhabitants, make purchafes, with 

 their confent, and take pofleflion of convenient fituations in tlie coun- 

 try, in the name of his majefty of Great Britain : but where there are 

 no inhabitants, you muft take poftelTion, by letting up proper infcrip- 

 tions, as firft difcoverers and pofieilors. If in your pafiage you meet 

 with any ftiips trading to the wefteru countries eaftward of japan, or 

 any Japanese fliips, and you apprehend any danger from them, either 



* The iii(lrii(5lions .ire printed in Captain MidJleton's defence of his own conduifV, publiflicd in tb.* 

 V av r743. ^- 



