254 A. D. 1792. 



almofl continual lofs, and with charges of trade fometimes exceeding the 

 whole amount of the fales, they furely hold out no temptation to any 

 perfon to engage in that branch of commerce, efpecially if he confiders, 

 that mofl of the fine manufadures, which from the moft remote anti- 

 quity have been peculiar to India and China, are now made in great 

 perfection at home *. 



It is proper here to obferve, that the Eaft-India company had at this 

 time, befides the botanic garden at Calcutta, (already noticed, V. iv, 

 p. I ^^) botanical eflablifhments at Madras and S'. Helena. They re- 

 prefented to the committee of privy council for trade, that they had in- 

 creafed the culture of filk and cotton to a very great extent ; that they 

 had made experiments with almofl; every article which India affords, or 

 which could be procured from the more eaflern countries ; and that 

 they had great confidence in their recent attempts with regard to fugar. 



November 9'" — A number of veflels, loaded with corn for France, 

 were obUged to land it, and others were prohibited from takuig in corn 

 for that country, by an order of the king in council. This meafure 

 being confeffedly contrary to law, the advifers of it were indemnified 

 by a fubfequent acfl of parliament. 



In the month of November this year there were no fewer than one 

 hundred and five bankruptcies. There were very few months in all the 

 years preceding 1792, wherein the gazette, that doleful regifter of com- 

 mercial mifcarriage, has exhibited above the half of that number f . 



The Wefi;-India planters were much alarmed by the adt of this year 

 for regulating the allowance of drawback and bounty on the exportation 

 of fugars from Great Britain, &c. -which they confidered as bearing hard 

 upon themfelves in a limitation of the price of their principal ftaple. 



Soon after the ad was received in Jamaica, the afl^embly of that ifland 

 appointed a committee to inquire into the ftate of the fugar trade, and 

 the probable efFetSl of the aft upon it, who gave in a report to the houfe 

 containing much valuable information upon the progrefs of cultivation 

 in that important ifland, and of the changes in the prices of iugar. In 

 a comparative view of the ftate of the cultivation, exports, and proceeds, 

 of fugars during two periods of four years each, which were exempted 

 from wars and hurricanes, they ftated the following fads, w-hich I have 

 reduced as m.uch as poflible to the comprehenfive form of a table %. 



* Though the importation of manufatlured ter into any degree of competition. And the other 



goods is by no means profitable to t>ie Eail-India countries of Europe have not hitherto rivaled the 



company, (for h>:avy charges and duties fwallow Brltiih manufaiftures. 



lip the great apparent advance of price) the merch- f Tlie higheft number before this November 



ants of the United ftates of America find their ac- was 85 in November 177S, as appears in the table 



count in importing the piece goods of India and made up by Mr. Chalmers in his EJlimaU, p. xlvi, 



the porcelain of Ciiina ; becaufe the moderate ex- ed. 1794. 



penfe of fubfiftence enables the Oriental manufac- | For the information contained in this report 



turcrs to furnifh their goods at prices with which I am indebted to Mr. Edwards, ".'•ho has given an 



the '■normous expenfe of living in this country rcn- abridgement of it in his valuable li'Jtvry of the I'/cji 



dcrs it impcffible for our manufaclurers, .with ail InJ:es, V, v, p. 493- 

 thcir wonderful improvements in maghincr)', to en- 



