In 1793, the first year of the war, the number of vessels was 38; the war, however, seems to have af fected this fishery ; for, in 1797, the number was re duced to 23 ; and it continued nearly the same till the conclusion of the war. At present, the number is again raised, there being usually between 35 and 40 vessels, the tonnage of which is between 12,000 and 14,000, and the number of men employed between 800 and 1000.
From this brief sketch of the fisheries of England, both domestic and foreign, it is sufficiently obvious that they are not carried on with nearly the same degree of enterp•ize and spirit which is displayed by the English in almost all the other branches of their trade. Yet frequent attempts have been made to extend and im prove them : companies have been formed by indivi duals, and bounties granted by government. Whence then does it happen, that the fisheries of this country, especially those on the coasts of the island, are so im perfectly and languidly pursued ? Probably, because in other branches of trade and commerce we have made such great advances, and can secure, or at least render probable, such large profits, that the compara tively small profits which the fisheries offer to our com mercial ambition, are not sufficient to turn the adequate capital aside into that channel.
In considering the trade of any maritime country, it naturally divides itself into three parts; the coasting trade, the inland trade, and the foreign trade : the last, strictly and properly speaking, constitutes its commerce. The two first are versant either about the supply of the inhabitants of the country, or they indirectly consti tute part of its foreign commerce. They must be con sidered in the latter light, when they merely bring. goods to the ports of shipment; and in the former light, when they contribute towards the interchange of arti cles of domestic consumption.
The coasting and inland trade of England, though of great importance and value, even when considered as confined to articles of domestic consumption, cannot be brought within an estimate at all approaching to the truth, the details being much too extensive and scatter ed, and many of them too minute.
The coal trade comprises one of the most consider able branches of the coasting trade of this country.; the coal ships on the east coast alone, belonging to Newcastle, Shields, Blyth, Hartley, 'Whitby, Sunder land, Scarborough, &c. amounting to about 1500 sail, of from 150 to 400 tons; the number of men employed in these vessels cannot be fewer than 12,000.
According to the account drawn up by the Custom house in the year 1785, already referred to, the number of coasting vessels at that period was 3445; their ton nage 256,648; and the number of men employed in navi gating them 17,107: but this account seems to include the coal vessels. From the same statement, it appears,
that the following ports had the greatest number of coasting vessels: Newcastle, 358; Sunderland, 258 ; Beaumaris, 249 ; Cardigan, 190; St Ives, 173 ; Hull, 165 ; Yarmouth, 104; Liverpool, 75; and Scarborough, 75. It is a singular circumstance, that, according to this statement, not a single coasting vessel belonged to the port of London.
In the year 1796, a committee of the House of Com mons drew up a report on the London Docks, from which the following particulars respecting the coasting trade of London is extracted, which may serve to point out the great increase in this branch of trade, so far as relates to the metropolis; and we may safely infer a si milar increase in the coasting trade between the diffe rent provincial ports. In 1700, the coasting vessels (including their repeated voyages) which arrived in the port of London, were only 5562 ; their tonnage, 218,100. In the year 1750, 6396, and their tonnage 511,680 : in 1790, the number of vessels 9278, and their tonnage 927.800 : in 1795, the vessels 11,964, and their tonnage 1,196,400 : and in 1796, the vessels were 10,629, and their tonnage 1,323,532. From the report of the select committee, on the improvement of the port of London, in 1799, it appears, that in the year 1797, the number of vessels, (including their repeated voyages), which entered the Thames from the provincial ports, was 10,781, and their tonnage 1,360,823 ; and in 1798, the number of vessels was 10,133, and their tonnage 1,250,449. Considering, with respect to their ton nage, there were of coasters in 1798, 5873 vessels (including their repeated voyages), under 100 tons; 809 from 100 to 150 tons; 98 vessels from 150 to 200 tons; and 14 from 200 to 400 tons; the total number of vessels being 6844, and their tonnage amounting to 500,636, besides 3289 colliers (including repeated voy ages), the tonnage of which, on an average of 223 tons to each vessel, amounted to 749,813, making the total of vessels, as before stated, to be 10,133, and the total of tonnage 1,250,449. If from these we deduct one tenth as the proportion of Scotland, we shall gain a pretty accurate idea of the coasting trade from the provincial ports of England to the metropolis, in the year 1798. Of these coasters, the port of Hull sent nearly one-fifth, (not including the colliers), there being 100 from Hull, and 396 from the other ports of Eng land, and 32 from the ports of Wales.