486 A. D. 1799. 



exertion, which had been confidered as a fountain of wealth and pro- 

 fperity to all conneded with the Wefl-Indies, turned out a confiderable 

 caufe of the hardfhips under which the Weft-India merchants now la- 

 boured. The importation was fo very much beyond the demand, which 

 for foreign countries was lefTened by the convulfed ftate of Europe, by 

 the bankruptcies in Hamburgh, the principal market on the continent, 

 and by the operation of the late ad; for diminifhing the drawback, that 

 it was impofTible to fell at any price not abfolutely ruinous ; and many 

 of the importers were rendered unable to advance the duty payable 

 upon landing, notwithftanding that the bank gave the moft liberal ac- 

 comodation by enlarging their difcounts — The parliament therefor 

 enafted, that, till the 1" of April 1800, Britifh-plantation fugar might 

 be lodged in warehoufes, to be appointed by the commiflioners of the 

 cuftoms, under the joint locks of his Majefty and the importers, on giving 

 bond for the duties, payable upon taking out the fugars, or, at fartheft, 

 in fix months after date ; failing which, the commiflioners of the cuf- 

 toms are authorized to fell them by audion. They alfo allowed the 

 whole of the drawbacks granted by former a6ls on the exportation of 

 fugar, and permitted fugar imported by the Eaft-India company to be 

 exported, without payment of the duty impofed in the preceding feflion, 

 till the 5'" of January 1800, and further till the 5'" of May, if the price 

 of fugar, including the duty, on an average of fix preceding weeks be 

 under 70/" per hundredweight, [c. 12] 



In September three French frigates of 32, 40, and 44, guns, having 

 onboard 1000 foldiers, and attended by gun-boats, went upon the coaft 

 of Africa, where they took fix fliips belonging to Liverpool, carrying 

 from 16 to 26 guns, and a vefFel belonging to Barbados, together with 

 feveral veflels belonging to Portugal and the United flates of America. 

 As fome compenfation for fuch a fweeping capture, two Spanifh frigates, 

 with near three millions of dollars and valuable cargoes onboard, were 

 taken in Odober by a fquadron of Britifli fliips of w\ar. 



The Greenland whale iifhery was uncommonly fuccefsful this year. 

 The Hull fhips, in particular, caught a prodigious number of whales 

 and feals, and alfo fome bears and fea unicorns. Nor was the unufual 

 abundance of whales confined to the Greenland feas : about 200 fmall 

 ones, from 8 to 20 feet long, ran themfelves aground at Trefta found in 

 Fetlar, one of the Shetland iflands, and afforded a good prize to the 

 natives. 



The herring fifhery on the coafi of Sweden, which for a confiderable 

 number of years had been remarkably abundant, was fo very fcanty 

 this year, that the exportation of herrings was prohibited till November 

 1800 : and the fupply being found infufhcient for the home coniump- 

 tion of the Swedes, they even imported fome from Scotland. 



In the year 1793 the herrings were found to be more abundant in 

 the Firth of Forth than they had been known for many years bypafl. 

 ,In 1794 confiderable quantities of fait, barrels, &.c. were provided, and 



