Denmark and Sweden 76,215_l_ 39,543_l. 36,672_l_.
East Country 181,296 149,893 31,403
Russia 112,252 58,884 53,568
Sweden 212,094 57,555 154,539
- - - - -
Total annual average loss 275,982_l_.
II. Ships. In the year 1530, the ship which first sailed on a trading
voyage to Guinea, and thence to the Brazils, was regarded as remarkably
large; her burden amounted to 250 tons. And in Wheeler's Treatise of
Commerce, published in 1601, we are informed, that about 60 years before he
wrote (which would be about 1541), there were not above four ships (besides
those of the royal navy) that were above 120 tons each, in the river
Thames; and we learn from Monson, in his Naval Tracts, that about 20 years
later, most of our ships of burden were purchased from the east countrymen,
or inhabitants of the south shores of the Baltic, who likewise carried on
the greatest trade of our merchants in their own vessels. He adds, to bid
adieu to that trade and those ships, the Jesus of Lubec. a vessel then
esteemed of great burden and strength, was the last ship bought by the
queen. In 1582, there were 135 merchant vessels in England, many of them of
500 tons each: and in the beginning of King James's reign, there were 400,
but these were not so large, not above four of these being of 400 tons. In
1615, it appears, that the East India Company, from the beginning of their
charter, had employed only 24 ships, four of which had been lost. The
largest was 1293 tons; one 1100, one 1060, one 900, one 800, and the
remainder from 600 to 150. In the same year, 20 ships sailed to Naples,
Genoa, Leghorn, and other parts of the Mediterranean, chiefly laden with
herrings; and 30 from Ireland, to the same ports, laden with pipe staves:
to Portugal and Amsterdam, 20 ships for wines, sugar, fruit, and West India
drugs: to Bourdeaux, 60 ships for wines: to Hamburgh and Middleburgh, 35
ships: to Dantzic, Koningsberg, 30 ships: to Norway 5; - while the Dutch
sent above 40 large ships. The Newcastle coal trade employed 400 sail; - 200
for London, and 200 for the rest of England. It appears, that at this time
many foreign ships resorted to Newcastle for coals: whole fleets of 50 sail
together from France, besides many from Bremen, Holland, &c. The Greenland
fishery employed 14 ships.
The following calculation of the shipping of Europe in 1690, is given by
Sir William Petty. England, 500,000 tons; the United Provinces, 900,000;
France, 100,000; Hamburgh, Denmark, Sweden, Dantzic, 250,000; Spain,
Portugal, Italy, 250,000: total 2,000,000. But that this calculation is
exceeding loose, so far as regards England at least, is evident from the
returns made to circular letters of the commissioners of customs: according
to these returns, there belonged to all the ports of England, in January
1701-2., 3281 vessels, measuring 261,222 tons, and carrying 27,196 men, and
5660 guns.
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