Whereas the fisheries carried on by his Majesty’s subjects of _Great Britain_, and of the _British_ dominions in _Europe_ have been found to be the best nurseries for able and experienced seamen, always ready to man the royal navy when occasions require; and it is therefore of the highest national importance to give all due encouragement to the said fisheries, and to endeavour to secure the annual return of the fishermen, sailors, and others employed therein, to the ports of _Great Britain_, and of his Majesty’s dominions before-mentioned, at the end of every fishing season: Now, in order to promote these great and important purposes, and with a view, in the first place, to induce his Majesty’s subjects to proceed early from the ports of _Great Britain_ to the banks of _Newfoundland_, and thereby to prosecute the fishery on the said banks to the greatest advantage, may it please Your Majesty that it may be enacted; and be it enacted by the King’s most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords spiritual and temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That, from and after the first day of _January_ one thousand seven hundred and seventy-six, the respective bounties herein-after mentioned shall be paid and allowed annually, for eleven years, for a certain number of ships or vessels employed in the _British_ fishery on the banks of _Newfoundland_, under the limitations and restrictions herein-after expressed; that is to say, such vessels shall appear by their register to be _British_ built, and owned by his Majesty’s subjects residing in _Great Britain_ or _Ireland_, or the islands of _Guernsey_, _Jersey_, or _Man_; and be of the burthen of fifty tons or upwards, and navigated with not less than fifteen men each, three-fourths of whom, besides the master, shall be his Majesty’s subjects; and in other respects qualified, and subject to the same rules and restrictions, as are described by an act, made in the tenth and eleventh years of the reign of the late King _William_ the third, (intituled, _An act to encourage the trade to ~Newfoundland~_); and shall be fitted and cleared out from some port in _Great Britain_ after the said first day of _January_ one thousand seven hundred and seventy-six, and after that day in each succeeding year, and shall proceed to the banks of _Newfoundland_; and having catched a cargo of fish upon those banks, consisting of not less than ten thousand fish by tale, shall land the same at one of the ports on the southern or eastern side of the island of _Newfoundland_, between _Cape Ray_ and _Cape de Grat_, on or before the fifteenth day of _July_ in each year; and shall make one more trip at least to the said banks, and return with another cargo of fish catched there to the same port; in which case, the twenty-five vessels first arriving at the said island of _Newfoundland_ from the