72 A. D. 1785. 



June 13'" — An annual tax, of from fix pence to two fliillings in the 

 pound of the rent, was impofed on all fhops throughout Great Britain, 

 from which baker's fliops, warehoufes for wholefale only, and manu- 

 faduring fhops were exempted, fo that the tax fell entirely upon the 

 retail fhopkeepers *. [25 Geo. Ill, c. 30.] 



The remainder of the navy bills, and other fuch floating public debts, 

 were now funded, and added to the five-per-cent joint fund created laft 

 year by funding the firfl divifion of them. But the general price of 

 the funds being lower now than then, the proprietors received ;^i 11:8:0 

 for every X^ioo. [25 Geo. Ill, c. 32.] 



Do6lor Edward Bancroft, having difcovered a method of applying 

 certain vegetable fubftances of the growth of America to the purpofes 

 of dying, ftaining, printing, and painting, the parliament granted him 

 the exclufive fale of them in England and Wales for fourteen years. 

 [25 Geo. III., c. 38.] Such difcoveries are of great confequence to com- 

 merce. The fuperiority of a colour is fufficient to fecure an extenfive 

 fale to the goods dyed or printed with it. 



The woollen manufadurers in the counties of Bedford, Huntingdon, 

 Northampton, Leicefter, Rutland, and Lincoln, and the ifle of Ely, be- 

 ing expofed to great damage by the fraudulent pradices of the people 

 employed by them, regulations, nearly fimilar to thofe enaded in the 

 preceding feflion \c. 3] for the county of Suffolk, were now enaded for 

 thofe counties f . [25 Geo. Ill, c. 40.] 



July 4'" — The earl of Dundonald, having made great improvements 

 in the art of extrading tar, pitch, &c. from coals, had taken out a patent 

 in the year 1781, and in order to carry on fo important a bufinefs on a 

 large fcale, had taken fome gentlemen of large capitals into partnerfhip, 

 and entered into extenfive contrads and heavy expenfes. But, his part- 

 ners having failed to make good their engagements, he found himfelf 

 involved in difficulties, which threatened to be ruinous to his paternal 

 eftate. Other gentlemen of property were defirous of being conneded 

 with him, if the exclufive patent could be enlarged, for which purpofe 

 a petition was prefented to parliament on the 4'^ of March. And it 

 being proved by the evidence of men of fcience, and of naval officers 

 who had ufed Lord Dunddnald's coal tar, that his procefs was a great 

 improvement upon the method difcovered in the year 1779, the parlia- 

 ment vefted in him and his heirs, &c. the fole ufe and property of his 

 method of extrading tar, pitch, efl^ential oils, volatile alkali, mineral 

 acids, falts, and cinders, from pit coal, throughout the whole of the Brit- 



* The (hop tax was moft loudly complained of nical matter, the detail of which could only be inter- 

 as opprefiive and partial, the greatefl part of the efting, or indeed intelligible, to thofe concerned in 

 tax for the whole kingdom being paid by the fhops the manufactures, who confequently need noinforra- 

 of London and Weftminfter, ation upon the fubjeiJt. 



\ Doth thcfe ads contain much local and tech- a 



