LONDON. 



foon g'ave birtfi to numerous aTifurditics and eontradiftory 

 tji'.eliio-is of rii;h\ Thefe circuiv.ftances, and fome others 

 which !t is unnecofTary to detail in this place, eventually pro- 

 duced the confolidation of both into one, in tlie firll and 

 fevL-nth years nf qneen Anne, hy the title of " The United 

 Company of Merchants trading to the Eaft Indies." vSee 

 Companies, £n^li/h, the Enjl India, vol. ix. for a full 

 account cf this efta!)lifhmcnt. 



The number of vcflels bi'longing to the port of London, 

 as appears from returns made to circular letters from the 

 commiffioner^ of the cuftoms, amounted, in 1701, to 560; 

 carrying 84,882 tons and 10,065' men. In 1710 the cuf- 

 toms of this city are dated at 1,268,095;/., ^"'^ thofe of all 

 the out-ports only at 346,081/., which is more than three 

 and a half to one. The following year beheld the incor- 

 poration of the South Sea Company, afterwards io baneful 

 in its efil'fts to numerous individuals, and fo generally hurt- 

 ful to the commercial enterprife of the country at large. 

 The Royal Exchange AfTurance and the London AfTurance 

 Companies were chartered about the fame time. 



JDaring the reign of George I. the trade of London made 

 ■very little, if any, progrefs. The failure of the Sjuth Sea 

 fcheme, the rebellion in Scotland, and the Spanifh war, 

 were the combined caufes which operated to produce its re- 

 tardation. In the year 1732, however, commerce began 

 again to revive ; but its advances continued comparatively 

 flow, till the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, after 

 which it extended with uncomm.on rapidity. The next 

 conllderable check it fuftained was the refult of the .Aime- 

 rican war. No fooner, however, was oeace iigned than it 

 proceeded with renewed vigour. The grievous conlcquences 

 which many perfons apprehended to our trade, from the 

 declaration of the independance of the United States, were 

 only imaginary. For, even fo foon after that event as the 

 year 1784, the value of exports to America only had iu- 

 creaied to 3,397,500/., fomewhat m.ore than 332,000/. 

 above the grealeil amount in any one year before the war. 

 The net ium of duties levied in the port of London, and 

 paid into the exchequer this year, arofe to the vaft fum of 

 4,472,091/. 1 3 J. 3(/. From this period to 1703, when the 

 French revolution began, the commerce of London con- 

 tinued unifonnly increaiing. In tliat year, however, the 

 value of exports was upwards of two millions lefs than 

 in the preceding year ; though the imports fcarcely fuf- 

 fered any diminution. Numerous bankruptcies confequentlv 

 took place ; but the timely interference ct the legiflature, and 

 the voting of exchequer bills to the amount of 5,000,000/. 

 for the life of fuch perfoas us could give fufficient fecurity, 

 foon checked th.e growing diftrefs. 



In tlie courie of the three iucceeding years, the appear- 

 ance of thrigs was entirely altered. In 1796 the exports 

 of London amounted in value to 18,410,499/. 17^. 9^., 

 and the imports to 14,719,466/. 15J. qd. The number of 

 Britifli (liips that entered the port amounted to 2007, car- 

 rying 436,843 tons;, and 2169 foreign vefTels, carrying 

 287,142 tons. The total entering coaftwife was 11,176, 

 including repeated voyages, which made a tonnage of 

 1,059,915. The following year, fome alarm was Ipread 

 among the merchants by the ftoppnge of the bank payments 

 in fpecie ; but, through the intervention of parliament, con- 

 fidence was foon rellored. The net amount of tlie cuftoms 

 was 3.950,608/. In 1798 the importations of fngars and 

 rum far exceeded thofe of any preceding vear, as did like- 

 wife the revenue of the cuftoms, which amounted to the 

 fum of 5,321,187/. 7^. id. In 1759 it had increafed to 

 7,226,353/. 0.r. id., Well India j^i; per cent . duty included ; 

 but ne.\t year fell to 6,468,655/". i^s. 7,;.'. The ejji:id 



value of the imports, in iSoo, was 18,843,172/. if. roif-j. 

 and of the exports, 25,428 922/. 16/. 'jd. Their r^'a/ value 

 amounted in all to 68,000,000/., nearly two-thirds of the 

 value of the whole trade of the kingdom. The number of 

 velfel.'! belonging to the port in that year appeared, from 

 official documents laid before parliament, to be 2666, car- 

 rying 568,262 tons, and 41,402 men. Comjiaring this 

 number with the number returned in the beginning of the 

 lail century, the increafe will be feen to be aftonifhing. Oa 

 the q\rantity of tonnage, it is nearly in the proportion of fix 

 to one; and on the amount of men and (hips, as upwards 

 of four to one. The Eatl India Company's (hips alone 

 carry more burthen, by 21,166 tons, than all the veffcls of 

 London did a hundred years ago. The average number of 

 (hips in the Thames and docks is lioo, together with 30CO 

 barges employed in lading and unlading them, 2288 (mail 

 craft engaged in the inland trade, and 3000 wherries for 

 the acco[nmodation of palfengcrs ; i 2,000 revenue officers 

 are conllantly on duty in different parts of the river ; 40CO 

 labourers-arc employed in lading and unlading, and 8000 wa.- 



termen navio-ate the wherries and craft. See Docks and' 

 o 



C0MP.\S-IES. 



The Port of London, as adually occupied by (hipping, 

 extends from London bridge to Dsptford, being a dillance 

 of nearly four miles, and from four to five hundred yards in 

 average breadth. It may be defcribed as confilli.ng of four 

 divifions, called the, Upper, Middle, and Lower Poob, and 

 the fpace between Limehoufe and Deptford : the Upper 

 Pool extends from London bridge to Union Hole, about 

 1600 yards; the Middle Pool, from thence to Wapping 

 New Stairs, 700 yards ; the Lov.-er Pool from the latter 

 place to Horfc-ferry Tier, near Limehoufe, 1800 yards j 

 and the fpace below to Deptford about 2700 yards. When 

 the houfe of commons commenced an invelligation refpeft- 

 ing the port of London, the land accommodations were found 

 to confiil of only the legal quays and the fufferance wharfs. 

 The former were appointed in the year 1558, under a com- 

 miffion from the court of exchequer, autho"rized by an aft 

 of the firll year of Elizabeth, for the exclufive land- 

 ing of goods, fubjedt to duty : they occupy the north bank 

 of the river Thames, with fome interruptions, from London^ 

 bridge to the wellem extremity of Tower ditch ; the whole 

 frontage mcafuring about 1464 feet. Till of lare years 

 thefe quays conllitutcd the whole legal accommodation for 

 the prodigious fiiipping trade of London ; tliough i'rom the 

 increaied ilze and tonnage of merchant velTels, &c.the depth 

 of the river in this part was found too (hallow to admit cf 

 that fpcedy clearance which the trading and mercantile inte- 

 reils require. The comminioners of the culloms, therefore, 

 occafionally permitted the ufe of other landing places, which 

 were thence called Sufferance wharfs, and of which five were 

 (ituatcd on the north fide of the river, between the Tower 

 and Hermitage Dock, and eighteen oit the oppoiite fide : : 

 the whole having a frontage of 3676 feet.. Notwithiland- 

 ing thefe additional conveniences, the whole number of quays 

 v^fas ilill very far from pofleillng futBcient accommodation: 

 for the increafed trade; and more cfpccially in times^f war,, 

 when large .leeti of merchantmen arrive at once. The nu- 

 merous evds arising from this want of a fufficient fpace for 

 (hipping and landing goods, and among which, the mono- 

 poly throv.n into the "hands of the few legal quays was not. 

 the lead, ware for many years fubjecls of vexation and com- 

 plaint. So long ago as 1674, the merchants of London, 

 petitioned the houfe of- comn-.ons for rcdrels agaiufta com-- 

 bination, which the whole body of wharfingers had entered' 

 into; and in the year 171:, when tlte tonnage of the 

 •r«fftU bcloBj^iig to I..ondon did, not amount, to one-third"; 



