A. D. 1780. 671 



force than any other nation in the world unconneded with the war ; 

 while even thofe called neutral nations kept up a very confiderable 

 navy with defigns at befl: not friendly to Great Britain. And all this 

 formidable combination (for fuch it may be juftly called) of all the 

 fhips of the Ocean did not fliake the maritime power of this one 

 ifland. 



Mr. Alexander Fordyce, in a petition to the lords of the treafury, 

 reprefented, that he had invented a method of extracting from fea and 

 rock fiilt a marine acid and a mineral or fofFile alkali of the nature of 

 barilla, fit for the purpofes of foap-makers, bleachers, calico-printers, 

 and glafs-makers : that he had eftabliOied a manufaclure at South 

 Shields, and propofed to eftablidi another on the weft coaft of England, 

 if government would exempt him from the very heavy duty payable on 

 fait, for which he adduced feveral precedents in fimilar cafes. But he 

 alleged, that it would be utterly impoflible to carry it on, if the fait, of 

 which three tuns are expended in procuring one tun of pure alkali, is 

 loaded with a duty of 800 per cent above the price of fait in France, or 

 even in Ireland, in both which countries the price of labour is much 

 lower than in England. He ftated the value of foreign alkali annually 

 confumed in the manufadures of England and Ireland at /?400,ooo *, 

 befides what is expended in Scotland, and was confident, that the whole 

 of that fum might be faved to the kingdom by enabling him to carry 

 on his works free of the duty ; but that the whole advantage muft be 

 utterly loft, if the exemption is denied to him, as he muft be ruined, if 

 he were to perfift in it on fuch difadvantageous terms. 



In the year 171 2 the port of Harwich had only three fiflaing fmacks 

 of about 30 or 40 tuns burthen, carrying in all about 20 men and boys. 

 In a few years after the perfevering exertions of Richard Orlibar, the 

 owner and mafter of one of them, in extending his voyages to the 

 Cromar and Dogger banks, encouraged them to attempt to come in for 

 a ftiare with the Dutch in the fupply of frefli fifli at the London mar- 

 ket. About the year 1 770, by means of an Englifliman who had been 

 in the Dutch fidiery, they acquired the method of ufing long lines in 

 the winter. By the fucccfs attending thefe improvements the fiihing 

 fmacks of Harwich gradually increafed in number and fizc ; and this 

 year there were Jeventy-two of from 45 to 55 tuns, carrying on an 

 average 4 men and 5 or 6 apprentices each f. It is computed that they 

 fupply the metropolis with about 2,000 tuns weight of cod, haddocks, 

 wliitings, holibut, ikaie, and coal-filh, frefli or faltcd. They complain 

 of the reftridions and duties upon fait, which frequently oblige them 

 to throw away their fifli rather than cure them, and of the charges at 



• In tlic cudom-h, iifi: hooks the value is dated + Tlic fiHiery declined from llic year 17S0; 

 to be /'350,0c o ; and it p.iys on entry « duty of .Tiul in I 7*?5 tlie nnmbtr of fmacks was rcdurcd 

 about /,'i 1,1 ifi. 1 to 53^ 



