Royal Society of Arts including Cheere and William Hogarth, or were involved in small-scale private art academies, such as the St Martin's Lane Academy. Although Cheere's attempt failed, the eventual charter, called an 'Instrument', used to establish the Royal Academy of Arts over a decade later was almost identical to that drawn up by Cheere and the RSA in 1755. The RSA also hosted the first "exhibition of contemporary art" in 1760. Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds were among those who exhibited at this first exhibition, and were subsequently founder members of The Royal Academy of Arts in 1768. The Society was a pioneer
Betsey (1768 ship) Betsey (1768 ship) Betsey was a Guineaman (slave ship), launched at Liverpool in 1768. She made several voyages transporting slaves from West Africa to the Caribbean until 1777 when the British Royal Navy purchased her at Antigua, named her rHMS "Comet", and armed her as a sloop-of-war. She sailed to England in 1778, where the Navy sold her. Between 1768 and 1777 "Betsey" made some seven or eight voyages transporting slaves from West Africa to the Caribbean. The 1776 issue of "Lloyd's Register" is the first issue available online that lists "Betsey". It shows her trade as Liverpool-Africa, and her