A. D. 1771. 5i^ 



The feveral ads — for regulating laftage and balaftage in the River 

 Thames; — for admitting rum, and other fpirits, imported from the Brit- 

 ifti fugar iflands, to be flored without paying down the excife duty ; — 

 for the punifhment of perlons armed or difguifed, acting in defiance of 



the revenue laws ; for preventing the deftruclion of the roads within 



ten miles of London by overloading waggons or carts ; — and for ex- 

 porting barley (or bigg) from Orkney to Portugal, were continued for 

 limited times. [11 Geo. Ill, c. 51.] 



The harbours in the ifle of Mann were formerly fupported by duties 

 levied under the authority of the ftatutes of the ifland upon the con- 

 traband trade. Thefe, fince the fovereignty of the ifland has been in 

 the king's hands, having entirely ceafed, the harbours of the ifland 

 were confequently now in a ruinous condition, and unfit to afford a 

 refuge to fhips taken by fudden or crofs gales of wind. Therefor, as a 

 fund for their improvement, certain regulated harbour-dues were al- 

 lowed to be taken from all vefl'els arriving in the ifland ; and alfo 

 fmall duties upon fpirits, tobacco, tea, coffee, wine, and other foreign 

 goods, except fait. 



The bounties granted by a former acf to the boats employed in the 

 herring fifhery on the coaft of Mann, and on the linen manufacture, 

 being made payable out of duties arifing from the herring fifliery itfelf, 

 were found ineffectual, only about a tenth part of the fifliermen in the 

 ifland having conformed to the regulations required, and they were there- 

 for repealed ; but the duties were continued, and added to the funds 

 for the reparation of the harbours. [11 Geo. Ill, c. 52.] 



Several adts were pafTed for improvements in various parts of Lon- 

 don and the fuburbs ; as alio in Winchefter, Worcefler, Edinburgh, 

 Leith, Wakefield, &c. Many ads for inland navigation, and for roads, 

 in various parts of the united kingdoms were alio paifed in the courfe 

 of this feflion. 



Among thefe it ought not to be omitted, as one of many proofs of 

 the increafing opulence of the commercial town of Liverpool, that a 

 theatre-royal, fandioned by ad of parliament, was now ereded in it. 



The governor of New-York was authorifed, by inftrudions from 

 home, to grant a leafe to Mr. Philipfe of all royal mines of gold and 

 filver, difcovered, or to be difcovered, within the manor of Philipfeburgh 

 in that province. 



In confequence of an application to the king by the royal fociety, 

 Lieutenant Cook (who has already been noticed for his accurate charts 

 of Newfoundland) failed from Plymouth in Augufl; 1768, in order to 

 make, in conjundion with Mr. Green of the royal obfervatory at Green- 

 wich, an accurate obl'ervaiion on the tranlit of Venus over the lun in 

 a fouthern latitude. After making the obl'ervation on the tranfit on 

 the 4'" of June 1769 at the ifland of Otaheite, in the courfe of his 



Vol. III. 3 T 



