A. D. 1798. 461 



they were almofl completely fupprefTed in the courfe of the fummer. 

 The infurredion, as might be expeded, was attended with the moft ru- 

 inous confequences to the agriculture, the manufadures, and the com- 

 merce, of that kingdom. In many whole diflrids the farmers, from 

 alarm or difaffedion, deferted their farms, fome of which were aband- 

 oned by every human creature; and confequently nothing was produced 

 upon them : the manufadories were in like manner deferted, or were 

 deftroyed by the infurgents : and commerce, deprived of thefe principal 

 fupports, was neceffurily at a fland. 



November 1 5'" — The Spanifli illand of Minorca furrendered to the 

 Britifh forces, commanded by General Stuart and Commodore Duck- 

 worth, without the lofs of a fingle man. 



The price of flour being very high in proportion to the price of 

 grain, whereby bread was kept up greatly above its real value, a fociety 

 of gentlemen in Kent fet up a windmill to grind for the neighbourhood,, 

 where every one might have his own wheat ground, and, if he chofe it, 

 in his own fight, on paying four pence per bulhel, with an allowance 

 of only half a pound for wafte. The beneficial confequences of this unr 

 dertaking extended beyond the expeded, or propofed, fphere of its ac- 

 tion, for the millers immediately lowered their charge to one half; 

 which did not, however, prevent the mill from going on, and even mak- 

 ing a profit fufficient to reimburfe the benevolent fubfcribers in a very 

 fhort time. A fociety of ladies in another part of Kent immediately 

 followed this truely patriotic example. 



Captain Schank, whofe improvement of Aiding keels for veffels has 

 been already noticed, (fee p. 211) was the author of a plan for enabling 

 every boat belonging to a merchant veffel, every river lighter, barge, 

 fcow, and keel, to carry one great gun, to be fired in every diredion by 

 means of a Hide reaching from ftem to flern of the boat. In cafe of a 

 number of merchant veffels being attacked by a privateer in hght winds 

 or a calm, the fleet of boats, armed in this manner, which they could 

 fit out againft her in twenty minutes, would have a prodigious advantage 

 in moving more rapidly with their light oars than flie could do with 

 her heavy fweeps, and could chute their point of attack with fuch ef- 

 fed as to make her glad to efcape from fuch a fwarm of uncxpededly- 

 powerful antagonifts *. 



The fcheme of turning the whole boats ail-along the coaft inftant- 

 aneoufly into occafional floating batteries, combined with the fervices 

 of the gentlemen, feamen, carpenters, and other inhabitants of the coafts, 

 who were trained to the ufe of great guns from a fuggeftion of the 

 fame gentle*ian, was pronounced to conflitute ' a- wonderfully efHca- 

 ' cious mode of defence' for the country, at this time threatened with 

 an invafion from France. 



* If Cook's and De Langle's boats had been fo armed, thofe illuftrious navlgatcrs would rot have 

 loft their lives as they did. 



