59« 



A. D. 1776. 



raerce, for his great improvements on the diving-bell, whereby the div- 

 ers can lower themfelves down without fear of being overturned by 

 rocks or other impediments at the bottom, and can re-afcend to the fur- 

 face at pleafure : and they can alfo, when at the bottom, move to a con- 

 fiderable diftance from the fpot on which they lighted *. 



A much more ufefiil and important difcovery was this year made 

 public in France by Mr. de Brofles, prefident of the parliament of Di- 

 jon. His granaries being infefted by weevils, he threw fome lobfters 

 among the wheat, the fmell of which, whether alive or dead (and the 

 more putrid, the better) is fo noxious to thofe infedts, that they imme- 

 diately come out of the corn, and leave the granary. The fimplicity of 

 this remedy puts it in the power of every farmer and dealer in com to 

 preferve from the depredations of devouring vermin a property, fo ex- 

 ceedingly valuable to the owner and to the community, fo very import- 

 ant in commerce, and fo efl'entially neceflary to the fubfiftence of man- 

 kind. 



There belonged this year to all the ports 

 of England 7,7 84 veffels of the reputed burthen of 604,07 1 tuns ; 



and of Scotland 1,640 _ _ - gi,^02 



Total 9,424 _ 695,573 



There were entered this year in all the ports of Great Britain, from 

 and to foreign countries, including repeated voyages. 



Inward 

 Outward 



Britifh. 



Vefftls. Tuns. 

 ». 135765. 220 

 9,946872,108 



I'oreign. 



VelTels. 

 1,569 



643 



Tuns. 

 191,999 



74.323 



Total. 



Veffels.. 



9.7°4 

 10,589 



957.219 

 946,431 



The net amount of the cuftoms, including the Weft-India four-and- 

 a-half-per-cent duty, paid into the exchequer in the courfe of this year, 

 was 



from the cuftom-houfe in London ^2,460,402 11 2 



and from the cuftom-houfe in Edinburgh 20,000 o o 



Total net revenue of the cuftoms of Great Britain ^^2,480,402 11 



There were coined at the mint in the courfe of the year 

 107,145 pounds of gold, value /'5,oo6,350 2 



and I o I pounds 9 ounces of filver, 3^5 ^ 



6 

 6 



£5,006,665 II 



* The ingenious author of thefe improvements fell a vidllm to his own art on the coaft of Ireland io 

 May 1783. 4 



