Present stele of Lynn, as to its shipping, trade and commerce, exports and imports, population, &c.
In former times, and even at some pretty remote periods, Lynn stood high among our English sea-ports, in regard to its shipping. Hence, as long ago as the year 1374, when Edward the III was fitting out an expedition against France, and required his principal sea-ports to furnish ships to enable him more effectually to accomplish his purpose, he is said to have had from Lynn 19 ships, when London sent only 24, Bristol 25, Plymouth, 26, Sandwich 22, Dover 21, Weymouth 20; and Newcastle only 17, Hull 16, Harwich 14, and Ipswich 12. So that Lynn appears to have been then among the first of our sea-ports, as to the number of its ships, or the extent of its trade and commerce. In after ages it is supposed to have maintained its rank among its sister ports; but we are not able to ascertain the exact degree of its weight and consequence among them during all the subsequent periods.
Of late years our trade and commerce have fluctuated with the times, and our shipping and tonnage have increased or decreased according to the natural operation of a state of peace or of war. In 1776, being the earliest period at which any record appears to have been preserved of them, the number of trading vessels belonging to this port [1161] was 85, and the amount of tonnage 12,700; in 1777 and 1778, ( and probably in 1779,) they continued in much the same state, as appears from a MS. account which belonged to a late shipmaster: but in 1780, or 1781, there was an increase, though we cannot learn how much. But in 1791 the ships were 125, and tonnage 17,000; in 1801, ships 108, tonnage 13,000; in 1806, ships 134, tonnage 15,600; in 1811, ships 106, tonnage 12,000.—From this it would seem, that our trade is not now in a progressive or thriving state; and though our shipping are still considerable in number, yet in point of tonnage they are less than at any former period here referred to, or probably than at any one period since the commencement of the present reign. What effect a peace would have, it is impossible precisely to say, but the probability is, that our trade would then revive, and things revert again into their old channels.
The trade of this town formerly to different parts of the continent was very considerable, and particularly to the Baltic; but it is now almost totally deprived of all its foreign trade; and except some little intercourse with Spain and Portugal, its trade is at present almost wholly confined to the importation of Coals, and the exportation of Corn coastwise to different British ports. The quantity of coals imported these years is said to have been very great, and that of last year has perhaps exceeded any other year: and as that article bears a very heavy duty it has greatly helped to keep up the revenue of the custom-house. Foreigners, under the licence system, bringing the produce of the Baltic, may also be supposed to have contributed considerably to produce the same effect. The tables below will serve to cast some further light upon the subject, and help the reader to judge of the trade of this place for the last fifty years. [1162a]
As to the Coal-trade, which now constitutes the chief article or main branch of our remaining commerce, and which of late has employed so large a portion of our shipping, and is thought likely to decline considerably this year (1812,) owing to the price of that commodity having been lately lowered, so as to diminish the profits so much, that it will be no longer worth the while of the private ship-owners, who are pretty numerous, to employ their vessels in the trade: and it is supposed that they will therefore be obliged to lay them up. This seems a great hardship upon them, for which our principal merchants are much blamed, whether justly or not, the present writer will not take upon him to say. Powerful merchants, most certainly, as well as powerful men of other professions, have before now acted very unfairly and oppressively towards their weaker neighbours.
The trade to Greenland and to Davis’s Straits, or what is called the Whale Fishery, is another branch in which Lynn has been concerned for many years: and as it is still persevered in, it may be presumed to have proved no ungainful concern. The ships fitted out for this trade generally sail in March and return about July. Three or four ships have been usually employed in this trade, and sometimes more, but we understand that there are only two fitted out this year. Some ships also of late years have traded between this town and Canada, chiefly, we believe, for timber: and as we are now quite shut out from the Baltic, this trade will probably increase. On the whole, we presume it may be very truly said, that the trade of Lynn is at this time at a lower ebb than it was ever known to be at any time within the last hundred years or more. When we shall have driven the French out of Spain and Portugal, and obliged Napoleon to restore all his conquests, and allow us a free trade to every part of the continent, it may be hoped it will once more revive and flourish as much as ever.
The population of Lynn is between ten and eleven thousand. The census taken in 1801 fixed it at 10,097, and that taken in 1811 at 10,253. But there is no reliance to be placed on the accuracy of either. The real population probably exceeded both these numbers, and it is uncertain at which of the two periods was the most numerous. Some have thought that it must have been in 1801, and the present writer was once of that opinion. What led him to that conclusion was, the great and unusual number of untenanted houses found in different parts of the town in 1810, amounting in all to above one hundred. But observing, upon further deliberation, that a still greater number of new houses, of a smaller rent, had lately sprung up in certain alleys and outskirts of the town, and all tenanted, he was induced to relinquish his former opinion, and conclude that our population had not actually decreased. Nor can he now help thinking the real population of the town at each of those periods to have much exceeded the numbers made out by the respective persons employed on the occasion; and moreover, that our present population is not below 10,500 souls.
Of this population, it is a melancholy consideration that the greatest part are still very ignorant and unenlightened, and never frequent any place of worship, and are in fact in a state of mere heathenism, though they are all absurdly considered as members of the established church. It is indeed by such members that this same church is enabled so greatly to outnumber our great body of dissenters, or the nonconforming party throughout the nation. Were only the sober and devout on each side to be numbered, it is highly probable that the established church, with all its vast wealth, and alliance with the state, would be found to be the minor party. As to the regular communicants, it is the opinion of some, that even the very methodists alone could at present muster a number not inferior to those of our establishment. Be that as it may, it must be exceedingly absurd and stupid to consider the ignorant, the irreligious, and heathenish part of the community as belonging to any church at all.
The religious functionaries or ministers of this town, both churchmen and dissenters, are allowed to be in general very assiduous in the discharge of their clerical and ministerial duties; and were they at the same time less subject to prejudice, bigotry, and intolerance, and more disposed to believe what their Lord and Master has declared, that they who are not against us are for us, they would certainly deserve great commendation. But they and their flocks are, for the most part, so deficient in the articles of christian charity, forbearance, and liberality, that they may be said to dishonour the very cause they have espoused, and the service in which they are embarked. The more orthodox and evangelical they pretend to be, the more uncharitable and intolerant they are generally found. Their evil spirit of intolerance and infallibility seems to carry them so far as hardly to allow those who stand without the pale of their respective communions to be worthy of even the name of christians. Sometimes they have been heard to pronounce such as they fancied to be heterodox, as presuming to teach men to be christians without believing any one principle of that institution; as if God had endowed them with the infallible knowledge of christian truth, and constituted them judges of the very state and destinies of their fellow professors. It was a saying in the primitive times, “See how these christians love one another;” but here it might rather be said, “See how these christian parties and sects envy, vilify, and hate one another.” In short, they may be said to possess so large a portion of that unworthy spirit of jealousy and rivalry as would disgrace even the meanest tradesmen, or the very lowest orders of shopkeepers and mechanics: and what is still worse, they seem quite incapable of blushing for their absurd and unchristian conduct. There are however some honourable exceptions to this representation, though they seem to be very few. But we will now close this section, and here conclude the regular series of this history.