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TUCKER —Cromwell’s commissioner on Scotch trade
— in his report,
made in 1651, gives the following account of Glasgow shipping enterprise
at that time.
"With the exception of the Colleginers, all the
inhabitants are traders; some to Ireland with small smiddy coals in open
boats from four to ten tons, from whence they bring hoops, rungs, barrel
staves, meal, oats, and butter; some to Fiance with plaiding, coals, and
herrings, from which the return is salt, pepper, raisins, and prunes; some
to Norway for timber. There have likewise been some who have ventured as
far as Barbadoes, but the loss which they sustained by being obliged to
come home late in the year, has made them discontinue going thither any
more.
"The mercantile genius of the people is strong, if they
were not checked and kept back by the shallowness of their river, every
day more increasing and filling up, so that no vessel of any burden can
come up nearer the town than within fourteen miles, where they must unload
and send up their timber on
rafts, and all other commodities by three or four tons of goods at a time,
in small cobbles or boats of three, four, or five, and none above six tons
a boat. There is in this place a collector, a cheque, and four writers.
There are twelve vessels belonging to the merchants of this port, viz,
three of 150 tons each, one of 140, two of 100,
one of 50, three of 30, one of 15,
and one of 12; none of which came up to
the town—total, 957 tons.’
in 1718
the first Clyde-built vessel sailed from the Tail ot the
Bank for foreign parts, her destination being Virginia. This vessel was
built at Crawford’s Dyke, and
was but 60 tons burthen.
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