A. D. 1777. 61 i 



at the fame time to obfervc, that thofe ant:;, wherever they came, com- 

 pletely cleared the cane fields of rats, another dreadful kind of enemy 

 to the fiigar planters, whofe ravages, in canes devoured. or rendered un- 

 fit for making fugar, are generally reckoned at not lefs than a third of 

 the whole crop- Mr. Edwards has been informed, that they alfo remove 

 the blaft, which, after being long fuppofed a difeafe in the cane, has 

 been found to confifl of millions of animalcula, invifible to the naked 

 eye, which extrad the juices from the cane. [HiJI. of the Wejl-lndies, V. 

 u,p. 214, ed. 1794.] 



The American cruifers now covered the ocean, and even infefted the 

 narrow feas of Great Britain and Ireland. Ships were taken in (Ight of 

 the land ; the communication between England and Ireland was inter- 

 rupted ; and a convoy was actually appointed for the protecf^ion of the 

 veffels bringing linen from Ireland, which had never been neceflary in 

 any former war. The city of Dublin was terrified, and its harbour fort- 

 ified : the coafts of England, Scotland, and Ireland were alarmed, and 

 fome places were even infulted and plundered. The citizens of Chefter 

 faw their fair poftponed, becaufe no linens were arrived from Ireland. 

 But another fight, not lefs melancholy than new to the prefent race of 

 Britifh merchants, was exhibited on the River Thames, which was cover- 

 ed with foreign vefiels, and particularly French ones, loading for vari- 

 ous parts of the world with Britilh cargoes, the fhippers of which were 

 now afraid to truft their property under the prbtedion of the Britifh 

 flag. 



The American cruifers found fhelter, and alfo. Underhand, encourage- 

 ment, in the ports of France. However, partly in order to fave appear- 

 ances, but more to protracl the commencement of open hoftilities, for 

 which France was not yet fully prepared, an order was iflued by the 

 French government, in confequence of a remonftrance by Lord Stor- 

 mont, the Britifh ambaflTador, enjoining all the American privateers 

 with their prizes to quit the ports of France. But the order was fo uni- 

 verfally eluded, that it was evidently never intended to be enforced. 



The Britifii and French imports at Hamburgh and Bremen in the 

 courfe of this year were in value as follows. 



Hamburgh Bremen 



From Great Britain, Ireland, and 7 /-oo. ^ r r o 



the BrmOi Weft-Indies, |/;884.497 : H :o £97filC>:x%:o 



from France - - 1,129,616:18:0 259,409: 5:0 



The cargoes carried from the Britifli dominions to Hamburgh cm- 

 ployed 167 vcflels, whereof 135 were Britifli. The French trade to the 

 lame port employed 185 veflels; but only 13 of them were French. 



The total number of veflels arrived this year at Hamburgh was 

 2,991, whereof 2,420 were fmacks and other finall craft from Holland. 

 Yuteland, Bremen, &c. 



4 H2 



