A. D. 1768. 483 



thcin three lafts of herrings, caught within forty-eight hours, at the rate 

 of £i2 : 10:0 per laft, or about a farthing a piece, viz. the firft: boat 

 jC^y : 10:0; the fecond jT^o ; and the third ^22 : 10 : o. 



The king by additional inflrndtious (dated 6'' Odober 1768) to 

 General Melville, governor-general of the ceded iflands, confirmed the 

 conftitutions he had drawn up for the feveral idands, or divifions of his 

 government, viz. Grenada widi the Grenadines, Dominica, St. Vin- 

 cent, and Tobago. In thefe inftrudions the king obferved, that juftice 

 and found policy required, that the new fubjects (formerly fubjcds of 

 France) remaining in Grenada and the Grenadines, and having liberty 

 to profefs the Roman-Catholic religion on the faith of the treaty of 

 peace, fhould be admitted to a limited proportion of the executive and 

 legiflative offices of government : and he therefor diredled, that a num- 

 ber of them, not exceeding two in the council, three in the aflembly, 

 one as an afliftant judge, and one in each town and parifh or diflrid as 

 a juftice of peace, might be chofen and adniitted to cxercife the func- 

 tions of fuch offices in Grenada and the Grenadines, without being 

 obliged to take any other oaths than thofe of allegiance, fupremacy, 

 and abjuration, together with thofe for the due adminiftration of office. 



General Melville this year fent home very flattering accounts of the 

 profpedl of flourifhing fettlements in Tobago, an ifland, which, when 

 he entered upon his government, was one entire wood. 



November i 8"" — The king inftituted the royal academy of arts, con» 

 filling of painters, ftatuaries, architeds, &c. and allotted them a houfe 

 in Pall-mall for holding their meetings, for the accommodation of the 

 fludents, and for their annual exhibition of paintings and other works 

 of art. This inftitution has been of great fervice in promoting the 

 ftndy of the fine arts, and alio a tafte for them, in this country. 



December 20'" — The powers polTelTed by the officers of the cuftoms 

 to feize horfes, carriages, &c. employed in carrying fmuggled foreign 

 fpirits, were extended to the officers of the excife. [9 Geo. Ill, c. 6.] 



Funds were appropriated by parliament for improving and prelerv- 

 ing the harbour of Wells in Norfolk. [9 Geo. Ill, c. 8. J 



Governor Fallifer's report of the Newfoundland filTiery for this year 

 reprefents the number of veflels employed, and the quantity of fifli, 

 8cc. as romewhut larger than in preceding years. In the lalnion parti- 

 cularly there was a very great increalc, the quantity fliipped for foreign 

 markets, being no lefs than 40,386 tierces. The trade and fifliery car- 

 ried on by the American coloniRs was nearly the fame as lad year, 

 with this diiVerence, that their whalers in the Gulf of St. Laurence were 

 fo unluccelsful as to get only three whales. 



The feafon being very ftormy, about thirty fliips and a great number of 

 flialops were wrecked, and between four and five hundred men were loft. 



The French this year employed in the filhery on the coall of New- 

 foundland 109 vellels of the burthen of 17,125 tuns, and carrying 

 3 3 P 2 



