A. D. 1778. 617 



fifting between France and Great Britain, and hoping his Britannic 

 Majefty would equally avoid every thing that might tend to interrupt 

 their harmony. The declaration concluded, however, with an afTur- 

 ance, that the king of France was determined toproted the lawful com- 

 merce of his fubjeds, and to maintain the dignity of his flag, and had 

 in confequence taken eventual meafures in concert with the United 

 ftates. 



Immediately after this declaration, which was virtually u declaration 

 of war, the Britifli ambaflador was recalled from France, and the French 

 arabadador left London. The French laid an embargo on all fliips in 

 their ports, and, in return, an embargo was laid on all the French fliips 

 in the ports of Great Britain, which were, however, very few, moft of 

 them, in apprehenfion of fuch a meafure, having previoufly failed. 



February 1 1'" — In a committee of the houfe of lords upon the flate 

 of the nation, the lofl!es fuftained by the war with America were ftated 

 as follows. 



There were 733 veflels taken by the Americans, of which 47 had 

 been releafed, and 127 retaken. The value of the remaining 559 

 appeared, from the examination of merchants, to be at lcafl^2,6oo,ooo; 

 and the lofs in falvage, intereft on the value of the caj-goes, and lofs 

 of markets, on the retaken fliips muft have amounted to a very con- 

 fiderable fum. Of 200 fliips, annually employed in the African trade 

 before the commencement of the war, there were not now abovt 

 40, whereby there was a deficiency of 160 fliips, which, valued on an 

 average at ^{"9,000 each, made a diminution of /^i, 440,000 annually 

 in that one branch of trade*. Infurance to the Weft-Indies and North 

 America was raifed from 2| to 5 per cent with convoy, and to 15 

 per cent, if without convoy and unarmed, though in general no infur- 

 ance at all could be made on fliips in fuch circumftances. Seaniens 

 wages were raifed from £ i 10 o to/? 3 5 o per month ; 

 Potaflies, - - -080 — 3100 per cwt ; 

 Sperma-ceti oil, - 35 o o — 70 o o per tun; 



Tar, - - - 070 iioo per barrel; 



and fugars, and other Weft-India commodities, as well as all kinds of 

 naval ftores from North America, greatly advanced. The number of 

 American privateers, of which authentic accounts were received, was 

 173, which carried 2,556 guns, and near 14,000 men. Of thefe 34 

 were taken, which carried 3,217 men. 



In order to comfort the nation for thefe lofles, it was urged on the 

 other hand, that the lofles of the Britifli merchants were not fo great as 



* With grcit deference to llie high authority, year 1777 (tlie year to wliich the (l.itemciit muft 



from which tl.i; ilatcinent is derived, it may here be finniofcd to refer) vvcro jS.and th.»t thecargoei 



be obfcrvcd fium later and more coricft iitcounts, of fucli tlu'ps, on an avcMgc of fcveral years, were 



that in tlie year 1771, whci tlic African trade was under ;^4,930. The numbers of (liipi, &c. will be 



at its greatcll liciglil, the rtiijjs fitted out for it ftated more fully under llie year 1788. 

 from Britain w\rc onlv \(j2, thjt the ft^ips in lie 



Vol. III. 4 I 



