528 A. D. 1772. 



bay company, who, in confequcnce of fome information received from 

 the Indians, was fent by the governor of Fort Prince of Wales on a 

 journey of difcovery in the year 1770. He penetrated to the Frozen 

 ocean at the mouth of the Copper-mine river, which he makes to be 

 in about 72° of north latitude : and in the courfe of the journey he 

 learned by converfation with the Indians, that the continent ftretches 

 from thence a prodigious way to the weftward. From his journey we 

 know for certain, that any communication between the Atlantic and 

 Pacific oceans mull be beyond the latitude of 72° : and no man will 

 ever venture his life or property in a long coafting navigation upon a 

 frozen ocean beyond that latitude. 



October 14''' — The king of Pruflia, in order to encourage and extend 

 the commerce of his fubjects, eftabliflied by patent a company of mari- 

 time commerce with a capital of i ,200,000 crowns in Ihares of 500 

 crowns each. And with a view to encourage his fubjefts, and alio fo- 

 reigners, to take fhares in this vaft: capital, he took feven eighths of the 

 whole to himfelf *. 



Irifli linens to the amount of 1,954,496 yards were brought to Lon- 

 don by fea, and entered at the cuftom-houfe, of which 776,625 yards 

 were from Belfaft, whence the finefl linens are (hipped. Eefides the 

 above gi*eat quantity, there is a continual importation to Chefter, 

 whence the linens are forwarded by land carriage to London and other 

 places. 



Notvvithftanding the flourifliing ftate of the linen manufadture in the 

 north part of Ireland, it does not appear, that the people of that coun- 

 try found themfclves happy at home. In the courfe of two years there 

 failed from the northern ports of Ireland for North-America, 



in 1771 32 veffels meafuring 8,900 tuns 



and in 1772 30 - 8,450 



62 i7'.35o 



It is fuppofed, that thofe veflels carried as many paflengers as they 

 meafured tuns-j and as mod of the emigrants paid for their paflage at 

 /^3 : 10 each, and a great proportion of them were lineii manufacturers 

 and farmers, and many of them poffefled of fome property, which they 

 carried off in money, we may eftimate by how many fubjeds, and how 

 inuch treafure, thefe emigrations weakened the Britifli empii'e in Eu- 

 rope, and ftrengthened America. 



December 3'' — The Swedes had formerly prohibited the importation 

 of fait in foreign veflels. But now, in order to remove every reftraint 

 from the herring fidiery, they admitted vefliels of all nations, loaded 

 with that important article, to enter the ports of the provinces of Got- 



♦ How it could be an encouragement to the owners of 300 (liares to find thcaifelves only as one 

 to feven in the balance with their royal partner, I cannot conceive. 



