THE BOUNTY SYSTEM 185 



Even under this increased bounty the fisheries 

 remained stagnant (p. 306), so that in 1749 a further 

 increase in the bounty was decided upon. The ton- 

 nage bounty was now fixed at forty shillings per ton, 

 and immediately there was an increase in the number 

 of ships fitted out, the average for the ten years 

 1740-9 being 37 ships, and that for the ten years 

 1750-9 43-3. This bounty was also extended to 

 ships built in the British colonies i~ North America, 

 of two hundred tons and upwards, on their arrival 

 from the whale fishery at some port in Great BrKain, 

 subject to certain conditions set out in the Act. In 

 1755 the Bounty Act was amended so as to provide 

 that every ship should have on board an apprentice 

 for each fifty tons burthen, anH that no bou 

 shall be payable for i grtaier u^iage lor any 

 one ship of more than four hundred tons, and ship! 

 under two hundred tons were to be entitled to the 

 bounty. 



By 1759 it may fairly be claimed that a regular, if 

 small, Greenland whale fishery had been established 

 for British vessels. Thirty-four British vessels took 

 part in the fishery, the aggregate tonnage being 

 ten thousand three hundred and thirty-seven, while 

 this same year one hundred and thirty-three Dutch 

 ships brought home the produce of four hundred 

 and thirty-five whales, a little more than three 

 and a quarter whales per ship. The Ham- 

 burgers with sixteen ships only captured eighteen 

 whales. 



By this time also there was a small Scottish whale 



