648 A. D. 1779. 



The Britilh fettlers on the Mufquito fl)ore having, by a memorial to 

 die lords of the trcafury in March 1779, requeued permiffion to import 

 lugar and rum produced on their plantations without beln;.; fubjected to 

 the duties payaoie upon foreign produce ; and the law, which fubjecled 

 them to thofe duties, having been intended merely to guard againft 

 foreign fugars being fmnggled from the Britilh- Atnericnn province-; lying 

 north of the Gulf of INIcxico, it was thought iuf^ aud proper that the pro- 

 duce of the Mufquito fliore fhould he exempted froui the operation of that 

 law : and therefoi: 



The rigour of the aft 18 Geo. Ill, c. 58 was fnftened, and fugar ac- 

 tually the growth of any of the Britifh fu;^ar colonies, though i?nported 

 into Britain from other Britiili colonies, was adiniited to entry without 

 being charged with a foreign duty. [20 Geo. 11/, c. 7.] 



The northern ports were now indulged in building a few fhips for the 

 navy. Several fhips of war were built in the River Were. J he Syren, 

 a frigate of 32 guns, built at Newcaftle, and the Fury, a Ihip of 16 guns, 

 built at Leith, were launched in the courfe of this year, 'fhe Fury was> 

 1 believe, the iirfl; fliip for the navy built in Scotland fmce the acce/Iion 

 of Jame? VI to the crown of England, 



The invention of extracting tar from coals may be confidered as a 

 fmall mite of alleviation of the multiplied calamities flowing from the 

 American war. The failure of the fupply of tar from America put the 

 proprietors of a manufacture of lamp-black at Briftol upon making ex- 

 periments on the oil extraded from pit-coals in their works ; and they 

 found, that, by different degrees of boiling, it could be brought to the 

 confluence of tar, and alfo of pitch. The tar, befides being much 

 cheaper, proved more efficacious in preferving the bottoms of fhips from 

 the worm than vegetable tar. Moreover the coal, after the tar is ex- 

 traded, becomes excellent coak, whereby a great faving is made in many 

 manufadures, for which coal ufed to be charred on purpofe, in which 

 operation the valuable tar was totally loft in fmoke, as it is in a great 

 meafure in our common fires This invention has been greatly im- 

 proved, fo as to make the coal produce oil, volatile fpirits, and varnifh, 

 as well as tar, pitch, and coak, by the earl of Dundonald, a nobleman, 

 who devotes his time, his fortune, and his great knowlege in chymiftry, 

 to advance the national profperity, and improve the condition of the 

 people in his neighbourhood. 



Before the war flax-feed ufed to be a confidcrable article in the im- 

 ports from America, efpecially to Ireland. The annual quantity on an 

 average of the years 1768, 1769, and 1770 was 



to Great Britain 1 2,436 bufhels * , 



to Ireland 255,851 



268,287 at 2/3 amount to - £3^>'^3^ '• 5- 9^ ^ 



