548 



A. D. 1773. 



December — In confeqnence of the reprefentations of the Brilifli ara- 

 balTador at the Hague upon thefe contefts, the Stktes-general font over 

 two of the dire<!^ors of their Weft-India company as commiflaries to 

 London, who, however, though aflifted by their ambaflador here, con- 

 ckided nothing. 



The account of the French cod fifhery this year was as follows* : 



On the coait of 

 Newfoundland 



At St. Pierre and 

 Miquelon 



On the banks of 



Newfoundland 



Totals 



The number ot bankruptcies, which, as has been already remarked, 

 laft year exceeded the number in any preceding one, was ftill increafed, 

 and no fewer than 562 names of bankrupts appeared in the gazettes of 

 this year. 



In this year 20,000 hogftieads of fugar were imported into Briftol 

 from the Weft-Indies, being more by 5,000 than had ever before been 

 brought into that port in one year. 



It was about this time that the public botanic garden of Jamaica was 

 eftabliftied by the legiflature of that ifland, who were unwilling to be 

 outdone by the fmall ifland of St. Vincents, where the liberality and 

 public fpirit of General Melville, the governor-general of the Ceded 

 iflands, had eftablilhed an excellent public garden in the year 1768, as 

 has been related in its place. 



In the year 1771 Colonel Lawrie, fuperintendant of the Mufquito 

 fhore, in conjunction with fome others, bought from the Indian chiefs a 

 trad of land, which, they fuppofed, contained a gold mine. In the 

 later end of that year he applied to adminiftration for protedion in 

 working the mine, and was aflured, that the more valuable it turned 

 out, the ftronger protedion flaould be afforded to him. Thus encour- 

 aged, he returned in the later end of the year 1773 with a number of 

 miners, and purchafed flaves to work the mine. But, owing, as is 

 alleged, to the mifcondud of the miners, the adventurers met with very 

 little fuccefs. And in the year 1779 the war with Spain fortunately 



• This account is takeri from Raynal, {_f!i/l. by the Brilifh admiral on the flation, which will 



f/jtl. el.polit. V. X, tab. i] wh.o may be prelumtd alfo be found, along with that of fome other years, 



to be well informed upon the French fidicries. It under the year 1774. 

 Pilfers, however, from the general account given 3 



