A. D. 1786. 



lOI 



Each of the firfl hundred vellels 

 Each of the fecond hundred veflels 



carrying 1 2 or more men , 



on wages wholely on shares 



25 



35 



carrying from 7 to 1 1 men. 



on wages wholely on shares. 



£23 

 18 



£^5 



21 



The velTels muft be Britifli built, and v/holely owned by Britifh fub- 

 jeds refiding in Great Britain or Ireland, or the iflands in Europe fub- 

 jed to the Britifh crown ; and the raafter, and at leaft three fourths of 

 the crew, muft be Britilh fubjeds : but there is no limitation of the tun- 

 nage of the veflels in this ad, as in the former one. The precautions 

 againft the defertion of the men, and their refufal to do their duty,, 

 were repeated with fome improvements. The mafter of every veffel 

 importing oil, blubber, or feal fkins, is required to make oath, that they 

 are the produce of fifli or marine animals caught on, or near to, the 

 coafts of Newfoundland by Britifh fubjeds carrying on the fifhery from 

 Europe, in order to get them admitted to entry free of duty. To pre- 

 vent the deftrudion of fmall cods, nets with mefhes of lefs than four 

 inches were prohibited to be ufed in that fifhery under a penalty of 

 ^100. The fifliermen and the inhabitants of Newfoundland were 

 flridly prohibited from felling vefl^els or any thing belonging to them, 

 fifhing tackle of any kind, bait for fifhing, or any produce of the ifland 

 or of the fifheries, to any foreigners ; and from purchafing any thing 

 whatever from foreigners, with the exception of provifions under the 

 reftridions enad^d in the firft ad of this feflion. The importers of 

 foreign fait into this kingdom are permitted to give bond for the duties, 

 which may be cancelled by the exportation of the fait within twelve 

 months. [26 Geo. Ill, c. 26.] 



May 26"* — The feveral provifions hitherto made for the redudion of 

 the national debt by a finking fund had been rendered inefFedual by 

 the liberties frequently taken of diverting the money to other purpofes. 

 And as the fund itfelf was alfo of an uncertain amount, it is not to be 

 wondered at, that the operation of it had been languid, and the redudion 

 effeded by it inconfiderablc. It was now determined to make a certain, 

 permanent, and ui:ialienable, provifion for that neceflary purpofe, to 

 confift of an annual million to be paid quarterly, and of all the annu- 

 ities for lives or for limited terms of years, as they fhould expire, the 

 taxes appropriated for the payment of them ftill continuing to be levied 

 upon the people. And the sinking fund, thus fecured, was vefted in 

 fix commiffioners of high rank and charader, for the purpofe of paying 

 off any branch of the debt, which may be above par (parliament pre- 

 vioufly taking the neceffary fteps to enable them) and buying, from 

 thofe who offer them for fale, any branches of it, which are below par*, 



* ;C'°o 's the par price of an annuity of yfj. 

 ;C3 by moft writers on the finances. 



It has alfo been ftated as the par price of one of 

 N3 



