A. D. 1775. 581 



' expedled from the difcovery of any northern paflage for vefTels by fea 

 ' between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans,' a reward of/j20,ooo was 

 offered to the commander and feamen of any {hip belonging to his 

 Maiefty, or to the owners and company of any merchant fhip, which 

 fhould difcover luch a paflage to the northward of 52° of north latitude. 

 A reward of ^{^5, 000 was alfo offered to the firfl: fliip which fhould reach 

 the latitude of 89", fuch a near approach to the pole being confidered 

 as a very great advance to the defired paflage*. [16 Geo. Ill, c. 6.] 



As the great trade, which the merchants of Glafgow carried on with 

 the tobacco colonies, was now to be interrupted, if not aboliflied, I here 

 infert a fliort view of their imports of that article in the courfe of this 

 year. 



From Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina : Total. 



40,854 ^ 15.040 i»249 57,143 hhds. 



Their importations from Jamaica and the other fugar iflands were 



4,621 hhds, 691 tierces, and 462 barrels, of fugar, 

 1,154 puncheons, and 193 barrels, of rum, 



and 503 bags of cotton. 



The whole of thefe imports employed about 6o,ooo tuns of fliip- 

 ping. 



The fadors, whom the Glafgow merchants had efl;abliflied in Ame- 

 rica, by their prudent exertions, and the friendly terms on which they 

 generally were with the planters, had been enabled to make large re- 

 mittances to their conftituents, before matters were brought to the lafl 

 extremity. But very large fums ffill remained due, and as many of the 

 merchants had the greateff part of their fortunes embarked in that 

 trade, the event proved ruinous to fome of them, and would have been 

 more generally fatal, had not the great rife on the price of tobacco in 

 fome meafure made amends for the deficiency of their remittances, and 

 enabled mofl: of them to bear up againft: the general fliock. 



Mr. Humphry Jackfon brought to perfedion a method of feafoning 

 timber for fliip-building, fo as to make it refifl: putrefaction and admit 

 no water within its pores, whereby fliips may be rendered not only 

 more durable, but alfo more wholefome to live in, and may carry a 

 greater burthen by being more buoyant: and fome fliips of war, built 

 of timber fo prepared, were found to pofl'efs all thefe qualities. About 

 this time alfo the method of laying the waves of the fea in a florm bv 

 the fiinple operation of pouring a little oil upon it, which had already 

 been known to illiterate people in various parts of the world, began to 

 attracl the attention of philofophers, by whofe writings it was made 



• Tliis aft ivas pafTed in contcmplaiioii of C.ip- former aift of i8 d'o. IF, c. 17 .illowej the re- 

 tain Cook's tlilrd voy.igo of rlifcovcry, a brief ac- ward only to private lliips, and confined the fcarch 

 count of wliicli will be found in ilu tr.ir.f.iClions to Hudlon's bjy, where, it \v.is now known, ihert- 

 of the year 1780, when it was concluded. The was fcarcely a jioflibility of finding a pafT.vge. 



