he thought fit to give up the point. In 1617 our company were more lucky than in any other year, and in confequence made 1900 tun of oil. The Dutch made for many years after very indifferent voyages; and, as their great ftatefman M. de A Witte well obferves, had certainly been beat out of the trade, if it had not been laid open by the diffolution of their Greenland company, to which he attributes their having beat the English and almost all other nations out of that trade, which they carry B on to a prodigious advantage. And, as the fame great author obferves, it is the beft nursery for their boldest and moft hardy feamen. D It is agreed by the Dutch authors who have written on whale-fishing, that the most fortunate feafon they C ever had, was in 1697. We will therefore confider the ftate of this fishery for that year, in order to fettle the profits of it, and will afterwards compare it with accounts received from Holland of the fishery for 1744, that we may the better judge how things now ftand. In 1697 there were 201 veffels of feveral nations employed in the fifhery on the coast of Greenland; of these the Dutch made 129; but 7 were loft upon the coaft. The Hamburghers had 51, of which they laft 4. The Sides had 2; the Danes 4; the Bremeners 12; the Embdeners 2; and the Lubeckers 1. The number of whales taken that year amounted to 1968, which the Dutch, and the fhips of other nations before mentioned, caught in the following proportions, viz. The total value of the fifhery of 1697. fishery stated. Their 41344 cafks, at 30 florins) Florins. 1240320 1255000 Florins 2495320 In our Money, £. 249532 By a letter from Amfterdam, dated July 26, the whale fishery for 1744 was pretty near over, and the proportions stood then as follows, viz. The Dutch had caught 662 whales, Hamburgbers 45, thofe from Altena 20, the Bremeners 18, Embdeners 8:- In all 573. The wife inhabitants of Holland have continually maintained and practifed this fishery, as de Witte advised them; and have thereby added immenfe fums to the wealth of the people, as well as to the ftrength E of their ftate, confidered as a maritime power. He judged it to be very beneficial to his country, because of the ease and expedition with which it was performed for in fix days time the fhips failed out of harbour, and were actually, if the feafon was favourable, engaged in their fifhery. The whole time it continues does not exceed 4 months, during which a great number of veffels are employed, in which abundance of hardy and experienced feamen are bred, by whom alfo the whole bufinefs is 1710 G performed abroad, and upon their return a much greater number of people find work at home; fo that there is no great reafon to doubt that de Witte's calculation of 12000 perfons Cafks of 41344 540 3790 37 1968 63883 F alfo prove the caufe of opening to us fome other branches of commerce hitherto not known, or which have been long difufed; and it might prove likewife a means of renewing that thirst for difcoveries, for which this nation was formerly fo famous, and to which the certainly ftands indebted for the most valuable branches of her commerce. Thefe, I mean the Orkney islands, are the islands, Shetland excepted, the leaft known, but not the leaft valuable part of the British dominions ; for befides this Greenland fishery, for eftablishing of which there is not in Europe a place fo proper, and a confiderable fishery round them, they might be made a general magazine for fuch commodities as fell to advantage to the North; by which our trade to feveral parts of Germany, as well as to Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Poland, and Ruffia, might be rendered twice as valuable to us as it is at prefent. fons maintained by this trade only is very agreeable to truth. He very justly obferves, that what renders this trade ftill more valuable, is the exportation of the greatest part of its produce; and if we confider this attentively, and make the neceffary allowances in fuch kind of calculations, we shall be able to form to ourselves a tolerable notion A of what the Dutch have got by the Greenland-Fishery from that time to this. It is now 80 years fince de Witte framed his computation; and we fhall certainly run no hazard of overvaluing the industry of our neighbours in this particular, if we fuppofe, that the whale-fithing has brought them in, one year with another, in whalebone and oil, two millions of florins, of B which we may alfo allow that they have exported at least one half; to that they have faved 80 millions of florins in what they have used themfelves in these commodities, which they muft otherwife have purchased; and have drawn besides from other countries into their own as much in ready money, which amounts to 8 millions C Sterling. A prodigious fum indeed, and which ought to cover us with fhame, confidering that we have had at least as great opportunities as they, of making a like advantage of this fishery, of which for many years paft, however, we have not made one (hilling. Whence this arifes is very hard to fay, and the more fo, as it is certain we were once the fole proprietors of the whale-fishing, which we pointed out as worthy other peoples concern, and have fince neglected ourselves, tho' many of the best writers upon commerce have taken pains to expofe the grofs abfurdity, and inexcufable negligence of fuch a conduct. prefent, perhaps, an opportunity might be gained of reviving this fishery, if the government should think fit to erect a fortress, and open a port in the Orkneys, which might in many refpects prove very bene. ficial, but more efpecially in this, because it would give us immediately very great advantages over the Dutch, Hamburghers, and all other nations, that at prefent frequent the Greenland feas, as we might have all kinds of utensils neceffary erected in any of these islands, which would enable us to make more and better oil than any of our neighbours, from the fame quantity of fish, as it would alfo give us an opportunity of vifiting the coafts of Greenland earlier, and remaining their later, than other people. There is no doubt, that if any attempt of this fort was once made at the publick expence of English merchants, they would be very foon able to raise a prodigious number of ftout and able feamen in those parts, as capable and as enterprifing as any other nation whatever. It might June, 1749. At D E To the AUTHOR of the LONDON SIR, is an account of a obfervation I fome time fince made, of a difeafe called the flaggers, or flavers, in horfes, which I defire you to infert in your Magazine. In the year 1736, there was a great lofs in horfes throughout the country. They were most of them took much after the fame manner as this I here give a relation of, and died in a few days. On Thursday, Dec. 16, my man informed me I had a horfe amifs; I went immediately to fee him, and ordered him to be brought out of the stable I obferved his eyes were fwelled up, and that he trembled all over as if he had an ague, and flaggered about, and could scarce ftand on his legs. I immediately let him blood, and took a good quantity from him, which was very thick and black. Then I ordered him into the ftable, and my men gave him a mash with a horn, (for he could not eat of himself.) The next morning I found him no better, when I blooded him again in both his thigh veins and tail, and put a rowel on his forehead, but to no purpofe; when I came, he flood as it were ftupified, with his head to the ground; but after blooding, he raifed up his head as high as he could reach, and with great violence thrust his breaft against the wall, clapping his lower jaw against the wall, rack, or any thing G he could; at last he run himself into a ftraw mow as far as he could get, and died on Saturday morning. When I had him opened, to fee whether I could find out is difeafe, in opening his ftomach, I obferved a great quantity of bots fixt (like N n leeches) 278 leeches to the the the Ci in t IS d tor come out of the bides) gas with done ban, and 29 tolowing, it eat Sa buk, and took wing A but was too dofe confined.) hon e bale of a have bee, which › pourkiome to horfes Noding out their tails, bing to my their ovaries upon hey leave like knits upon Now 'tis my we herte theds his coat, the hau fos.pe what they eat, and fo is conthetomach, and there the eggs agnons, and to take their feveral degcos; when ob erving them to fix upon part of the ftomach (as before) I * ev uck'd the better part of the wn thould recruit the animal fluwane of which the blood grows fizey, B , cannot pafs the capillary vef- C Cocean. This obftruction caufes the over much extended; and this wg hinders the fight and ftupifies the I think it may be advifeable for all ps who are mafters of horses, when Ny take them up to ftable at the latter of the year, to give them fome proper erch, in order to destroy the bots within the ftomach, if it thould fo happen that hey have taken in their feed, (for remove the caufe, and the effect will ceafc.) However, it fuccecded fo with me, not having any lofs, fince I took that method. I had two reafons that induced me to be fo particular in this relation; one was, I never heard, or read, of the obfervation of this infect before; and the other was, that a certain author fays, that it is as poffible for a mouse to live under a millstone whilft running, as any living creature to fubfift within the ftomach, (or to that effect ;) but I finding the above to be fact, am at present ready to judge it a mistake. Mentioning this in your next Magazine, may afford the curious an opportunity of giving their judgment upon F this fubject. In the mean time I reft your friend, and constant reader, W. F. T Abstract of the Weekly Journals. HE Remembrancer of June 3, makes one J. Michil tell a story of an apparition he had feen with 2 beads, one young, and one old, each of which had a face of brafs, and a skull of lead; his breaft was glafs; his heart, which was vifible thro' it, adamant; his arms, iron; his hands, gold, &c. That he heard this furprizing apparition make as furprizing a fpeech, beginning thus: "Mortals! Reptiles! Things! made only for our con E verience, to do us fuit and service; know, that we are the coalition, &c." and threatning what they would do against the un-v-s, the h-a-, and the people, in order to establish themfelves in power. But whilft the audacious words were yet in his ears, and he was confidering from which of the two heads they proceeded, a thousand lightnings darted themselves from a thousand places at once, and in the midft of as many thunders, the Colous burst to pieces, and cover'd the earth with its flaming ruins.-Old England of the fame day contains fome very humorous animadverfions upon the Cambridge congratulatory poems on the peace.-The Weftminster Jour nal has a long letter, fign'd Friendly, on the affair of Algiers, wherein the c-1 is fuppos'd to have fent faithful accounts from time to time, of the humour that republick was in, and that it was neceffary to renew the peace and fend prefents; but his repeated remonftrances were fmother'd by fome little c-ks in office, who wanted to have him recall'd, and a friend of theirs to be fent as c-l in his room. Mr. Touchit fays, he knows no more of the matter than what he has from his correfpondent; but is of opinion, that if we made the fame figure abroad as we did formerly, we should not be infulted by thefe piratical ftates. With ftates fo remote, fays he, and fo Dconftituted, as thofe African republicks, it is not what power a nation actually has, but what power it occafionally exerts, that must fix the terms of its friendship. Nay, the fame maxim evidently prevailed within a century paft, among our nearest neighbours the French, who were, undoubtedly, as well acquainted with our abilities at that time, as our governors theinfelves. The natural ftrength of the nation was not leffened by the restoration of K. Charles II; on the contrary, that refettlement of the conftitution upon its old bafis ought to have added firmnels to it: But our political ftrength, foon after, appear'd to be fo diminifhed fince the days of Cromwell, that Lockhart, who reprefented us to the court of Lewis XIV. at both periods, was greatly mortified by the different regard he met with at one time and the other. Thefe loose remarks will fufficiently fhew what are my own fentiments with regard to the treatment I think due to these Barbarian rovers : But the method of by, in thefe days, feems preferable to all other methods of gov――nt, not Gonly in the management at home, but in the confervation of our intereft and character abroad. The Remembrancer of June 10, is upon the affair of standing armies in time of peace, particularly the prefent one, and touches touches upon fome nice points, both with regard to perfons and things.-In the Weftminfter Journal, a correfpondent who figns himself of the Old English Stock, reprefents our tameness and complaifance to the French, and their artful incroachments upon our trade and commerce; wishes that Nova Scotia, after it has been peopled and A planted, may not fall into their hands; afks why fuch concern about peopling Nerv Scotland, whilft Old Scotland is neglected, whofe coafts abound with fish, in quality and quantity inferior to no country in the known world; and then says: We have been lately told, that one or two regiments of our foldiery are cutting roads in the barren highlands of this Old Scotland: And pray, Sir, why may not feveral other of the faid regiments he employed in repairing and cutting roads in our own country; in clearing and making our rivers farther navigable; in uniting one branch to another by canals, &c? Thefe are concerns which have been a long time talked of, and I am fure a long time wanted.-We are prodi- C giously fond of imitating France in her fopperies; and why can we not imitate her a little in that which is more substantial, and of benefit to the community, especially in this one very advantageous article? B Our beau monde, I know, account themfelves as pretty fellows as the French petit Maitres; and fo they are, to outward ap- D pearance. But they ought to be made to know, that under thofe gay appearances in France are often concealed arts and fciences, particularly military knowledge. 'Sdeath! Sir, could I have my will, not a man in England fhould wear a sword, but what was able to eat a Frenchman for his breakfast; none prefume to wear a lac'd waistcoat, who was not skill'd in fome ufe- E ful branch of the mathematicks, or drawing, or fculpture; none cock his hat fiercely, or look big, till at least he knew the right end of a cannon.-Hem! - But of these, and fome other advantages, which by due decorum might accrue to Old England-more hereafter. Make our rivers farther navigable,-unite F their ftreams, particularly the Severn and the Ifs (for this furely may be done); repair our roads, and make us new ones.-This ought to be the English cry ; and I dare fay, our country gentlemen, our farmers, and our laborious poor, are far more worthy to be accommodated in this particular, than a parcel of, I know not what a kind of Hottentots, who feed on garbage, and G pay no taxes.- Old England of the 17th, draws a noble character of the late earl of Sunderland, who had been fecretary of state to Q. Anne, and was afterwards fecretary of state and prime minifter to his late majesty. It was then (fays the writer) was ftruck that glorious blow in the Mediterranear, which destroyed the Spanish fleet and all the queen's and Alberoni's turbulent projects at once; fo that Spain could never recover herself, however afterwards fofter'd up and nurfed by that great man's inaufpicious fucceffor in the ministry, who proflituted the glory of the nation in enmity to the earl's memory, to make fatisfaction for the loffes the enemy fuftained by that mafter-stroke of policy. It was upon this bafis and with the fame view, that admiral Matthews was called out of his retreat, and fent by the late minifter (who is tacitly compar'd with Sunderland) into the fame feas, with orders to attack and deftroy the Spanish fleet at all events. There is no doubt but he would have given as good an account of the enemy as Byng had done before, if he had not been fcandalously betrayed by a creature of Leviathan's remains, planted upon the admiral to render all his meatures abortive, merely to caft a flur upon an administration, which they were apprehenfive would foon put an end to all minifterial corruption. According to the Westminster Journal of the fame day, inftead of reftoring Cape Breton, it was our obvious intereft not to have made peace till the conqueft of Canada had been added to the former. Every thing was ready for the attempt except in Old England, two years before the ceffation of hoftilities; and the people of New England, who should know beft, looked upon the fuccefs of it, if made, as almost infallible. The fituation of France, and her many convenient ports, need have filled us with no apprehenfions of the increase of her naval power, if we had only taken care, as with this conqueft we might have done, that he had no country of her own to fend her a conftant fupply of fhips: Whereas, in the present state of things, they are left in the poffeffion of all the facilities they could defire, of becoming our rivals and equals. Extract from the Remembrancer of the fame day. As, according to the Old Confitution, the kings of England were never meant in a capacity to act as kings, but by advice of council, fo the councils of thofe times were of a very different compofition from those of the prefent: For not only all the great officers of state, but all that had been called to the hoard by grace and favour, attended indifferently: All measures of all kinds were debated before them; all reports were made to them; all orders were iffued by them; every man was free either to propofe or diffent; and the major vote determined their proceedings. But when affairs of ftate began to multiply, or rather when statesmen began to Nn 2 multiply 280 The KING'S SPEECH, &c. one multiply their refinements, this numerous, I Come now to put an end to this feffion June demands of my allies, is very agreeable to me, and cannot fail to produce the best effects. My Lords and Gentlemen, Let me recommend it to you to improve and the true intereft and happiness of my the advantages of our prefent fituation for the quiet and stability of my government, people; and, in your feveral countries, to promote fuch principles and difpofitions, as may be most conducive to thofe defirable ends. From the London Gazetteer, June 16. Muft at prefent defire your thoughts up on a fubject of the nearest concern; I mean, by what methods the publication of thofe fcandalous books, which debauch the morals of the British youth, may be most effectually prevented. 4 It was a truth univerfally acknowledg.. ed by the antient Romans, a people that upthan we do, tho', on fome others, on fome accounts we ought lefs to revere we more precifely copied after their examwith ple: It was a truth univerfally acknowledged amongst them, that the licentiouf nefs and profperity of a people lay in conponderated, in the fame proportion the lattrary scales; by how much the former preter approach'd towards diffolution: And D with us, tho' no Romans, hardly any truth will be more readily affented to by all men of fedate reflection, than, that virtue is the beft principle of protection, which will ever profper in the fame proportion as that obtains a footing in the world. The definitive treaty of Aix la Chapelle, having been, by my order,laid before you, feveral months ago; you have all been fully informed of the terms and conditions on which it was made; and have already had the fatiffaction to fee them carried into execution, C by the several contracting parties, with great punctuality and good faith, fo far as the time and distance of place would admit. Nothing now remains, but to preferve and improve the peace fo happily reestablished. All the powers concerned. have declared themselves, in fo clear and friendly a manner, on this fubject, as leaves no room to doubt of their fincere difpofition to render the peace lafting in all parts. My earneft defire to promote the welfare of my own fubjects, and the general tranquillity of Europe, will make me exert my endeavours for the fame good end, by fteadily adhering to the engagements I have entered into, and cultivating the most perfect union and harmony with my allies, E upon whofe ready concurrence, per measures for that purpose, I have the in all progreatest reafon to depend. It is with great fatisfaction I have feen part of this feffion employed in confiderations for advancing the trade and navigation of my kingdoms. I hope, at your next meeting, you will be able to perfect what has now been begun, particularly, by taking the proper methods to render our naval force the most useful and ferviceable, which is fo effential to the protection of our commerce; and to our fecurity in all times. Gentlemen of the House of Commons, I return you my thanks for the fupplies you have granted me, and for the attention you have fhewn to maintain the publick G credit, which I rejoice to fee in fo flourishing a condition at the end of an expensive, tho' neceffary war. The readiness with which you have enabled me to fatisfy the Here he mentions two moft profligate and wicked books, that have frequently of concern and astonishment at the run they late been advertifed, and justly expreffes his have had, and that any fhould be fo funk below the dignity of human nature as to be pleased with fuch vile and shocking obfcenity; and concludes thus: If the laws already enacted against the publication of fuch pieces as teach us be not fufficient, it is much to be wifhed the a-la-mode path to vice and knavery, the legislature would render them fo; but, if they are already fufficient, and ineffectual only for want of being properly put in execution, it is to be hoped the magiftrates will remove from us all reasonable ground of complaint on this head, by being active, each in his fphere; for the promotion of this great end is the best prinand, till that prevails, we have no founciple of true politenefs, is a moral virtue, dation in reason whereon to reft our hopes either of perfonal, family, or national happiness. The |