818
Such were the registered shipping of Greenock and Port-Glasgow in those
several years. It will give a different view of the shipping of those two ports
if we show how they were employed.
Foreign Trade.			Coasters.		Fishing.		Totals.	
	Ships.	Tons.	Ships.	Tons.	Ships.	Tons.	Ships.	Tons.
Greenock in 1800,	204	26,707	165	9546	187	7954	556	44,206
Port-Glasgow in 1800,	51	8837	29	2117	7	218	87	11,172
Greenock in 1810,	181	32,508	110	7468	69	2911	360	42,887
Port-Glasgow in 1810,	65	12,646	39	2624	1	18	105	15,288
Greenock in 1818,	171	34,296	99	6310	68	2774	338	43,380
Port-Glasgow in 1818,	66	11,242	14	962	—	—	70	12,204
Such are the accurate representations of the custom-house registers, and
from statements with regard to shipping we are easily conducted to the
analogous doctrines of trade.
We may easily suppose that the commerce of a shire enjoying such opu-
lent manufactures, and such a numerous shipping, must be considerable.
The traffic in corn and flour, and the manufacture of corn for the supply of
such a population, forms a necessary and important branch. The value of
the corn and flour which were imported into the Clyde in 1810, amounted to
£397,000. The increase of the foreign trade at Greenock and Port-Glasgow
since the commencement of the present century is considerable, while the
coast commerce of both those ports seems to have declined since the year
1800. But this domestic traffic has only shifted the scene of its operations
to Glasgow, many of the coasters going now directly to Glasgow instead of
stopping at Greenock or Port-Glasgow. This evinces the beneficial effects
of the improvements in the navigation of the river Clyde, there having been
expended £2700 annually since 1797, in deepening the channel of the
river (h)
The very material of such a manufacture as the cotton of Renfrewshire
creates much trade (i). What must the export by land and water be of fine
manufactured cotton ?
(h) The number of vessels that came up to the bridge of Glasgow in 1796 amounted to 1326,
carrying 55,980 tons; but the number in 1806 amounted to 1678 vessels, carrying 80,683 tons, being
an increase of 24,703 tons. Wilson's General View, 211.
(i) In 1790 there were imported into the Clyde of cotton wool     -	1,757,504 lbs.
In 1810 there were imported into Greenock and Port-Glasgow	9,962,359  "
In 1811             "                              "                     "                     -	11,002,723 "