268 A. D. 1748. 



have been raifed on the perfonal eftates of the citizens, this furplus fhall 

 be appUed to pay off the principal fum of the orphans debt. No or- 

 plian under age fliall be paid oft', fo long as there (hall be others not 

 orphans, or not under age, to be paid off. The chamberlain of Lon- 

 don fhall yearly, at mlchaelmas, lay before both houfes of parliament 

 an account of the furplus arifen on the faid fund, what has been paid 

 off" the principal, and what fhall remain thereof unpaid off. 



By a fcheme, publiflied in 1755, for building a new bridge over the 

 Thames from Blackfriars, the above furplus, on an average of five years 

 to midfummer 1755, amounted to L4444 per annum, upon which the 

 propofer was for raifing annuities for lives, which with L20,ooo more 

 to be raifed by voluntary fubfcription, he fays, would raife a fum fuf- 

 ficient to build fuch a bridge. He alfo fays, that the whole orphans 

 debt amounted at midfummer 1755 to L687,234 : 6 : 10. 



1749 We have feen that feveral flatutes have been made at dif- 

 ferent times to encourage the fubjedls of Great Britain to carry on and 

 improve the whale fifhery : and as the enlargement thereof would be 

 of very gi'eat advantage to our trade and navigation, an adl of parlia- 

 ment paffed, whereby the feveral ads of parliament in favour of that 

 fifhery were now farther continued : and, over and above the allowance 

 of 2q/perton enaded by the 6th, and continued by the 13th, of King 

 George IT, a farther bounty or allowance was hereby granted of 20/' 

 more per ton. Moreover, for the encouragement of the Britifli co- 

 lonies in America in this fifliery, and to promote the building of large 

 fhlps there, It was hereby farther enaded, that every fhip built or fitted 

 out in any of thofe colonies, being 200 tons and upwards, and not more 

 than two years old from the firfl building thereof, fetting out from any 

 port of the Britifh American dominions on the whale filhery, manned 

 and navigated according to the navigation ads, and properly fitted and 

 furnifhed for that fifhery, fhall likewlfe be entitled to the faid joint 

 bounty of 40/" per ton, on her arrival from the whale fifliery in fome 

 port of Great Britain, on certain farther conditions therein flipulated. 

 Foreign proteflants who fhall ferve three years onboard Britifli whale- 

 fifhery Ihips, and fhall take the ufual qualification oaths, fliall be deem- 

 ed natural-born fubjeds of Great Britain to all intents and purpofes, as 

 far as other foreign proteflants can fo be ; provided they fliall have re- 

 ceived the facrament of the Lord's fupper in fome Britifli proteflant or 

 reformed congregation, within three months before taking the flate- 

 oatlis, and fliall produce certificates thereof figned by the minifter and 

 two other witnefles. Yet fuch naturalized foreigner fhall lofe his natu- 

 ralization upon his being more than twelve months out of Great Bri- 

 tain or Ireland, or his majefly's plantations in America. [22 Geo. II, 



c. 45-]. 



While Sir Benjamin Keene, the Britifli minifter, was treating with the 



