GREAT BRITAIN

It is understood that by treaty The grants fome favours, which are not extended to the United States.

She prohibits the importation of fome American articles, in American fhips, or any but British fhips, into her European dominions.

She does not permit an American citizen to import goods into fome of her dominions, and to fell them there, even in British veffels. In other parts of her dominions, fhe lays an extra tax on him, or his fales.

She impofes heavy duties on certain articles of the produce of the American fisheries, and infupportable duties on others, in fome parts of her dominions: and in other parts, the prohibits their importation.

She prohibits the confumption of fome American articles, of which The permits the importation.

She prohibits the importation of American articles from foreign countries into the British domipions, even in her own ships.

THE UNITED STATES

They treat Great Britain as favourable as any nation whatever as to fhips, imports, and exports and in all other respects.

They do not prohibit the importation of any British article in British veffels, or any but American veffels.

They permit a British fubject to import goods into all their ports, in any yeffels, and to fell them there without any extra tax on him, or his fales.

They impofe only five per cent. on the produce of the British fisheries, which duty is drawn back on exportation and admit, every article derived from them.

They do not prohibit the confumption of any British article whatever.

They do not prohibit the impor tation of British articles from foreign countries in any ships.

Befides thefe advantages, which Great Britain derives from the commerce of America, there is no country that contributes so much to the fupport of her navy as the United States, by the employment they give to her ships. From August 1789, to Auguft 1790, no less than 230,000 tons of British veffels cleared from thefe States; which much exceed the quantity of veffels fhe employed the fame year in the Ruffian trade. -The whole Baltic trade of Great Britain, with all the countries of the various powers that lie within the Sound, important as it is to her, does not fill more. Her trade with Holland, France, Spain, and Portugal does not altogether employ as many veffels. Her whole

fisheries

fisheries, American colonial trade, and West India trade, do not em ploy and load more. And how, it may be asked, are the United States requited for thus ftrengthening the acknowledged bulwark of Great Britain, by annually giving a complete lading to the unequalled quantity of 230,000 tons of her private veffels? Their ships are feized, and detained, in the regular courfe of her trade; and their feamen are impreffed from their service, in order to fight against their friends and allies!

THE UNITED NETHERLANDS prohibit the pickled beef, pork, meals and bread of all forts, coming from the United States, and lay prohi bitory duty on their fpirits diftilled from grain.

All other of their productions are received on varied duties, which may be reckoned on a medium at about three per cent,

The United Netherlands confume but a small proportion of what they receive from America: the refidue is partly forwarded for confumption to the inland parts of Europe, and partly re-fhipped to the other maritime countries. On the latter portion they intercept between the Americans and the confumer, fo much of the value as is abforbed by the charges attending an intermediate depofit.

Foreign goods, except fome Eaft India articles, are received by then in veffels of any nation.

American fhips may be fold and naturalized there with exceptions of one or two privileges, which fomewhat leffen their value.

DENMARK lays confiderable duties on the tobacco and rice of the United States, even if carried in their own veffels, and half as much more if carried in theirs, but the exact amount of these duties is not perfectly known here. They lay fuch as amount to prohibitions on American indigo and corn.

SWEDEN receives favourably grains and meals, falted provifions, indigo, and whale oil, from the United States.

They subject their rice to duties of fixteen mills the pound weight, earried in their own veffels, and of forty per cent. additional on that, or 22,410 mills, carried in American or any others. Being thus rendered too dear as an article of common food, little of it is confumed with them. They confume more of their tobaccoes, which they take circuitously through Great Britain, levying heavy duties on them alfo; their duties of entry, town duties, and excife, being four dollars, thirtyfour cents the hundred weight, if carried in their own veffels, and of forty per cent. on that additional, if carried in American or any other veffels.

They prohibit altogether, American bread, fish, pot and pearl ashes, flax-feed, tar, pitch, and turpentine, wood, except oak timber and maft, and all foreign manufactures.

Under

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Under fo many restrictions and prohibitions, the navigation of America with them, is reduced almost to nothing.

With the neighbours of the States, an order of things much harder prefents itself.

SPAIN and PORTUGAL refuse to those parts of America which they govern, all direct intercourfe with any people but themfelves. The commodities in mutual demand between them and their neighbours must be carried to be exchanged in fome port of the dominant country, and the transportation between that and the fubject state, must be in a domeftic bottom.

FRANCE, by a flanding law, permitted her Weft India poffeffions, prior to the war, to receive directly, vegetables, live provifions, horfes, wood, tar, pitch, turpentine, rice and maize, from the States, and prohibited their other bread ftuff; but a fufpenfion of this prohibition having been left to the colonial legislatures in times of scarcity, it was fufpended occafionally, but latterly without interruption.

American fresh and falted provifions, except pork, was received in their islands under a duty of three colonial livres the kental, and their veffels were as free as their own to carry their commodities thither, and to bring away rum and molaffes.

GREAT BRITAIN admits in her iflands, American vegetables, live provifions, horfes, wood, tar, pitch, turpentine, rice, and bread ftuff, by a proclamation of the executive power, limited always to the term of a year. She prohibits their falted fish, and other falted provifions: she does not permit their veffels to carry thither their own produce. Her veffels alone may take it from them, and bring in exchange, rum, molaffes, fugar, coffee, cocoa nuts, ginger, and pimento. There are, indeed, fome freedoms in the island of Dominica, but under fuch circumstances as to be little ufed by the Americans. In the British continental colonies, and in Newfoundland, all their productions are prohibited, and their veffels forbidden to enter the ports; the governors however, in times of diftrefs, have power to permit a temporary importation of certain articles in their own bottoms, but not in thofe of the Americans. American citizens cannot refide as merchants or factors within the British plantations, this being exprefsly prohibited by the fame ftatute of 12 Car. II. c. 18, commonly called the Navigation act.

any

of

In the Danish-American poffeffions, a duty of five per cent. is levied on the corn, corn-meal, rice, tobacco, wood, falted fish, indigo, horfes, mules, and live ftock of the United States, and of ten per cent. on their flour, falted pork, and beef, tar, pitch, and turpentine.

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In

In the American iflands of the UNITED NETHERLANDS and Swe. DEN, their veffels and produce are received, fubject to duties, not fo heavy as to have been complained of; but they are heavier in the Dutch poffeffions on the continent.

To fum up these Restrictions, so far as they are important:

IN EUROPE.

American bread ftuff is at most times under prohibitory duties in England, and confiderably dutied on exportation from Spain to her colonies.

Their tobaccoes are heavily dutied in England, Sweden, and France, and prohibited in Spain and Portugal.

Their rice is heavily dutied in England and Sweden, and prohibited in Portugal.

Their fish and falted provisions are prohibited in England, and under prohibitory duties in France.

Their whale-oils are prohibited in England and Portugal.

And their veffels are denied naturalization in England, and of late in France.

IN THE WEST INDIES.

All intercourfe is prohibited with the poffeffions of Spain and Por tugal.

Their falted provisions and fish are prohibited by England.

Their falted pork, and bread ftuff, except maize, are received under temporary laws only, in the dominions of France, and their falted fish pays there a weighty duty.

IN THE ARTICLE OF NAVIGATION.

The carriage of their own tobacco is heavily dutied in Sweden, and lately in France.

They can carry no article, not of their own production, to the British, ports in Europe.

Nor even their own produce to her American poffeffions.

Such being the reftrictions on the commerce and navigation of the United States, the question is, in what way they may best be removed, modified, or counteracted?

As to commerce, two methods occur, By friendly arrangements with the feveral nations with whom these restrictions exist: or, By the fepa rate act of their own legislatures for countervailing their effects.

There can be no doubt, but that of these two, friendly arrangement is the most eligible. Inftead of embarraffing commerce under piles of

regulating

regulating laws, duties, and prohibitions, could it be relieved from all its shackles in all parts of the world-could every country be employed in producing that which nature has beft fitted it to produce, and each be free to exchange with others mutual furpluffes for mutual wants, the greatest mafs poffible would then be produced of thofe things which contribute to human life and human happinefs; the numbers of mankind would be increased, and their condition bettered.

Would even a fingle nation begin with the United States this fyftem of free commerce, it would be advifeable to begin it with that nation; fince it is one by one only that it can be extended to all. Where the circumstances of either party render it expedient to levy a revenue, by way of impoft, on commerce, its freedom might be modified, in that particular, by mutual and equivalent measures, preferving it entire in all others.

Some nations, not yet ripe for free commerce, in all its extent, might ftill be willing to mollify its reftrictions and regulations for them in proportion to the advantages which an intercourfe with them might offer. Particularly they might concur with them in reciprocating the duties to be levied on each fide, or in compenfating any excefs of duty, by equiva lent advantages of another nature. Their commerce is certainly of a character to entitle it to favour in moft countries. The commodities they offer, are either neceffaries of life, or materials for manufacture; or convenient fubjects of revenue; and they take in exchange, either manufactures, when they have received the laft finifh of art and induftry, or mere luxuries. Such cuftomers may reafonably expect welcome, and friendly treatment at every market; cuftomers too, whofe demands, increafing with their wealth and population, muft very fhortly give full employment to the whole induftry of any nation whatever, in any line of fupply they may get into the habit of calling for, from it.

But fhould any nation, contrary to their wifhes, fuppofe it may better find its advantage by continuing its fyftem of prohibitions, duties, and regulations, it behoves them to protect their citizens, their commerce and navigation, by counter-prohibitions, duties, and regulations alfo. Free commerce and navigation are not to be given in exchange for reftrictions and vexations; nor are they likely to produce a relaxation of them.

Their navigation involves fill higher confiderations. As a branch of industry, it is valuable; but, as a refource, effential.

Its value, as a branch of induftry, is enhanced by the dependence of fo many other branches on it. In times of general peace it multiplies competitors for employment in tranfportation, and fo keeps that at its proper VOL. I.

PP.

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