386 A. D. 1763. 



There were coined at the mint in the courfe of the year 

 10,980 pounds of gold, value - - £5i^,o/\.o 10 c 



and 848 pounds of filver, _ _ _ 2,628 16 o 



£515^9 6 o 



1 764 January — As the charter of the bank of England was nearly ex- 

 pired, an agreement was entered into between the government and the 

 bank, whereby the later agreed to pay cafh for exchequer bills to the 

 amount of a million, for which they were to receive interefl at the rate of 

 three per cent till the year 1766, when the bills were to be paid off; 

 and aifo to pay £1 10,000, for which they were to receive neither in- 

 terefl nor repayment : but in confideration thereof they were to be 

 continued a body corporate with all their advantages as before, and to 

 the exclufion of every other body politic, and partnerfliip exceeding fix 

 perfons, from carrying on the bufinefs of banking in England till the 

 redemption of the debt due to them by government, and one year's 

 notice after the firfl; day of Auguft 1786. 



The agreement was foon after confirmed by an a6t of parliament, 

 wherein it was made felony without benefit of clergy to forge powers 

 of attorney or other authorities for receiving dividends, transferring or 

 felling flock, or to perfonate the proprietor of any flock in order to re- 

 ceive his dividend or transfer his flock (April 18th). [4 Geo. Ill, c. 25.] 



In the enfuing Oftober the dividends on bank flock were raifed from 

 four and a half \.o five per cent. 



The fcheme of fupplying the nietropolis with frefli filh at moderate 

 prices under the patronage of the fociety for the encouragement of arts, 

 manufadlurcs, and commerce, and the management of Captain Blake, 

 in the year 1761, had been flrongly oppofed, and in a great meafufe 

 defeated by the arts of thofe, who were interefted in keeping up the 

 price of fifh. The fociety, who had advanced /^2000 as the foundation 

 of the bufinefs, and /^i56o further as a loan to Captain Blake to affifl 

 in carrying it on, being fully fitisfied of the propriety and integrity of 

 his condudi, entirely releafed him from the obligation of the debt con- 

 tradled in his zeal for the fervice of the public. As it was evident, that 

 this undertaking, though attended with lofs to the patriotic fociety and 

 the manager, had been very advantageous to the public in greatly re- 

 ducing the price of fifli, parliament foon after allowed Captain Blake 

 >(!^2500 to enable him to perfevere in his laudable attempt. 



The fociety of arts, flill defirous of exerting themfelves for procur- 

 ing a plentiful fupply of fifh, and encouraging native fifhermen, foon 

 after offered a premium of £^ for every hundred of turbots meafuring 

 i6 inches from the eye to the fork of the tail, and ^2:10 for every 

 • hundred not under 10 inches*, caught by Britifh fubjedls, and offered 



* Pope, in his Satires, informs us, that it was ihe faJJAon to prefer fmall turbots in liis time. 



