440 A. D. 1798* 



1798 — The parliament having pafTed an adt, whereby voluntary con- 

 tributions for carrying on the war were rendered legal, the bank of 

 England took the lead by contributing two hundred thoufand pounds, and 

 the city of London contributed ten thoufand pounds. A temporary office, 

 or hurting, being ereded under the eait piazza of the Royal exchange 

 for the purpofe of receiving fubfcriptions, the area was filled with many 

 hundreds of the merchants, traders, and others, who eagerly crowded 

 in to fubfcribe fums from one guinea to three thoufand pounds *, the 

 whole of the fubfcriptions amounting at the clofe of the firfl; day to 

 /^46,534. It is no flight proof of the opulence and the commercial 

 profperity of the Britifh empire, that this voluntary contribution pro- 

 duced the vaft fum of two millions of pounds Jlerling, exclufive of three 

 hundred thoufand pounds remitted from India f. 



Though the importation and confumption of Britifh goods was form- 

 ally prohibited by the French government, the warehoufes and fhops of 

 Paris were filled with Britifh manufadures, which the war between the 

 two nations did not prevent the people from preferring to all others. 

 The diredory, who are faid to have hitherto connived at the import- 

 ation, now thought proper to make a general feizure of all Britifh goods 

 found in the polTeffion of any trader, which they confifcated for the 

 benefit of the national treafury. This rigorous ad was immediately 

 followed by a law, which declared all neutral veflels, found with Britifh 

 merchandize of any kind onboard, lawful prizes to the captors. This 

 meafure, which, it was prefumed by fome, would give the death-blow 

 to the Britifh manufadures and commerce, and prove an eflfedual fup- 

 port to the manufadures of France, was pronounced by others exceed- 

 ingly impolitic, not only as exafpcrating the neutral nations againft 

 France, but alfo as transferring that part of the carrying trade, which 

 had been conduded by means of neutral vefTels, entirely to the well- 

 proteded flaipping of Great Britain. 



.In confequence of the menace of the French diredory, the Britifli 

 government appointed a fhip of the line and two frigates to convoy a 

 fleet of American veflels to their own coaft. 



The parliament of Ireland had very properly laid a duty on the ex- 

 portation of live cattle. But notwithftanding, above 3,000 head of 

 oxen from the north of Ireland were landed at Port Patrick in one 

 week in the beginning of March. 



The watchmakers were the clafs of people, who confidered them- 



* This fum was fubfcribed by Medieurs Boyd fum ? It is proper to obfcrve that the extenfive 



Benfield and Company, with a promife of an anniiid manufaftiire conduced by this gentleman crives 



repetition of it during the war. Mr. Robert employment and comfortable fublillence to 6,800 



Peel of Bury in Lancafhire, a manufadurer and men, women, boys, and girls. 



printer of calicoes, paid into the bank /(■;; thotifanJ •)- So the amount of the voluntary contrihutioR? 



■pounds as his own voluntary contribution. — Is there from the different parts of the Britirtt empire was 



any other country on the furface of the globe, that dated in parliament by Mr, Pitt in June 1799. 

 i:an produce a mamifadurer, wl-.o can fpare fucli a 



