606
That most salutary event let in the traders of Glasgow to the colony com-
merce, and never did any people profit more from their opportunities than
the industrious inhabitants of that enterprising town of Glasgow. Their
skill and their enterprise were long, however, crippled by their want of
capital. This difficulty, however, was removed in a great measure by the
establishment of their two banks in 1750. Never was there a trade carried
on more systematically and prudently than the Glasgow trade in the
American colonies. This commerce, no doubt, received a great check from
the colonial revolt in 1775; but the merchants of Glasgow immediately
applied their capitals to manufacture, being too well acquainted with the
arts of industry, not to profit from every event as it occurs. Peace returned
in 1782-3, but the commercial establishments of the Glasgow merchants in
the revolted colonies were gone for ever, with the loss of debts owing to them
to a vast amount, arising from knavery on the one hand, and inattention on
the other. So much of the oversea trade of Scotland is carried on from the
Clyde, that when the general commerce of North-Britain is shown to be
progressively prosperous, this equally proves how much the foreign trade of
Glasgow has prospered (a). Such was the vast augmentation of the foreign
trade of North-Britain, notwithstanding our long wars.
The shipping of the several ports in Scotland kept pace with the great
prosperity of her oversea trade. Glasgow possessed of shipping, in 1656,
12 vessels of 957 tons (b). In 1692 Glasgow enjoyed 66 vessels, carrying
(a) In 1760, when the late reign began, a five years' average shows the oversea trade to
have been
		Imports.	Exports.
		£643,221	£862,578
The	same in 1765    -	834,042	1,136,023
	in 1775    -	1,238,411	1,405,281
	in 1785    -	1,030,693	836,835
	in 1795     -	1,569,329	1,122,792
	in 1805    -	-	2,504,867
	in 1810    -	3,671,158	4,740,239
	in 1818    -	4,129,338	6,769,533
It is surely important to prove from the custom-house books that the oversea trade of Scotland had
increased in 58 years from £862,578 to £6,769,533.
(6) The ships  of Glasgow   consisted   in   1656,   according   to  a   MS.   in   the  Adv.   Library
Edinburgh,
	Vessels.	TODS.
of           ....	3	of 150 each.
of	1	of 140
of           ....	2	of 100
of           ....	6	of 167