3o6 A. D. 1755. 



1755. — By an act of the 28th of King George II, for furiher explain- 

 ing, amending, &c. an act of the 23d of that king, for the encouragement 

 of the Britifli white-herring fifliery, it was enacted, that the feveral al- 

 lowances of three per cent, on all the principal money employed by 

 the corporation of the free Britifli fifliery, and alfo the bounty of ^of 

 per ton on their fliipping, be farther continued for three years from 

 the expiration of the former term, with fome other lelTcr privileges 

 now enadled, fuch as liberty to let to hire any of their bulfes to others, 

 fo as they may be employed in the fiflieries only, with fome other be- 

 nefits relating to the tonnage bounty, and to their fifliing at other Na- 

 tions than thofe directed by former ads, &c. 



In this fame year, by an adl [28 Geo. IF] for continuing, explaining,, 

 and amending, the feveral ads made for the further encouragement of 

 the whale fifliery, &c. it is, inter alia, enacted, 



' I) That every fliip employed in that fifliery fliall have onboard an 

 '.apprentice, indentured for three years at lead, for every fifty tons 

 ' burthen, who fliall be accounted as one of the number of men who 

 ' by law ought to be onboard fuch fliip. 



' II) That no fliip employed in the fifliery, above the burthen of 400 

 ' tons, {hall be entitled to a larger bounty than a fliip of 400 tons would 

 ' be entitled to. 



' III) Ships under 2Co tons btu'then fliall hereafter be intitled to the 

 ' bounty of 40/ per ton, as well as thofe of 200 tons and upwards, are 

 ' intitled to it by former flatutes.' 



On tlie firft of Noveniber, this year, the dreadful earthquake began, 

 by which the great and mercantile city of Lifbon was almofl: utterly 

 overturned and deftroyed by repeated fliocks for feveral fucceeding days : 

 whereupon the king and parliament of Great Britain, to teftify their 

 great compaflion for the fufferers, and in general their great regard for 

 the king of Portugal and his fubjeds, fpeedily feiit thither Lioo,ooo 

 flerling, for the relief of the difl:rcfled furviving inhabitants of Lifbon, 

 in money and provifions. 



During the courfe of the year 175 J we were advifed from Port 

 L'Orient, that no fewer than twenty-five French Eaft:-India company's 

 fhips had fiiiled thence for India and China, which fliews the vaft in- 

 creafe of the French Eafl:-Indian commerce in a few years. 



The Englifli Eafl:-India company's difputes with the French company 

 in India, which had brought on the lofs of Fort St. George, our prin- 

 cipal fettlemcnt there (though afterward refl:ored by the treaty of Aix- 

 la-Chapelle) having occafioned a large debt on that company in India, 

 their neceflary payments alfo of many fubfidies to the nabobs and other 

 great officers in India, for keeping them in their interefl:, together with 

 the mihtary force they were at this time obUged to keep up in India, 

 altogether induced the company about the end of the year 1755 to re- 



