The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1784-09-20 00:00:00, page 2

cannot be a more ridiculous, incongruous, and fatal
notion, propagated in any country. It is the very
reverse of all this—for annihilate commerce, and you
effe&ually ruin the landed interest by finking the va
lue of lands.
It is the opinion of a very celebrated writer on trade,
" That the lading prosperity of the landed interest of
" Great-Britain, depends upon her foreign commerce;
" that the domeftick and foreign trade, as they are
" the means of encreafing the national treasure, of
" breeding seamen, and augmenting the mercantile and
" royal navies, necessarily become the means of their
" permanent prosperity, and the fafety and preferva
" tion of the constitution of their government —and
" that the constant security of the publick credit, and
" the payment of the interest of the national debt to
" the publick creditors, depend upon the Rate of trade
" and navigation."
Maitland tells us in his history of London, " That
'! in the year 961, land fold for a (hilling an
" acre. The reason that it bore so low a value, was
" the low rate the produce fold at; for he fays, that
" in the year 1000, an ox fold for two (hillings and
" fix-pence, a cow for two (hillings, a sheep for one
“ (hilling, and a swine for eight-pence. This, he adds,
“ could only be owing to the little trade the nation
" then had."
In the year 1600, lands in England fold at twelve
yeais purchase; * in 1688, at eighteen years purchase;
and I believe the present price is from twenty-live to
thirty years purchase :—This is altogether owing to
the magick of trade. The merchant offers a price,
and of course gives a value to the products of the
land ; and upon the value of the products depends the
price of lands.
Thus it evidently appears, that it is the true inte
rest of every Rate to cultivate trade, and afford it all
possible encouragement, by offering the merchant ad
vantages, at least equal, if not superior, to any he
can derive from fixing his residence in other Rates.
But it is peculiarly the interest of New-Jersey so to
adt, as (he is thought by some to be rather unfavour-,
ably situated for trade. New-York and Philadelphia,
fay they, are the great reservoirs that receive all her
exports ; and it seldom happens, that when once a
trading place has got the Hart of another, that any
thing can be formed in the neighbourhood that may
bear the name of a rival. It is the part of candour
to acknowledge, that these cities have very attrac
tive powers, and possess many eminent advantages
from their extensive trade, and the great number of
rich and (kilful merchants who carry on mercantile
business in them.
We are destined, without great wisdom and fore
fight on the part of the Legislature, and the most spi
rited exertions on that of the community at large, to
be forever the tributaries of these cities. If we ex
ped to be emancipated from these expensive and bur
thenfome (hackles, it is necessary “ we Should open
" our ports wide to all nations," and leave our trade
free of any Rate-toll or duty whatsoever. It is the
opinion of a few, indeed, that an application Should
be made to the Legislatures of New-York and Penn
sylvania, to take off their state duties on the exports
to New-Jersey; but this opinion seems not very well
founded—For I look upon it, that every such duty
operates against their true interests with refped to
their connection with this state, and will ad as a
bounty in favour of the New-Jersey importers of fo
reign merchandize from places beyond the seas.—ls a
merchant of New-Jersey imports a thousand pounds
worth of goods from abroad, duty free, and another
merchant brings in a thousand pounds value in goods
and merchandize from New-York or Philadelphia;
then, in case there is no duty here, the former pays
nothing, and fells his cargo at firft hand ; the latter
pays the importer a profit, and a state duty from 2 to
4 per cent, and fells at second hand—which makes a
difference of at least 10 per cent, or £. 100 on every
£. 1000 ; and this operates in the nature of a tax
upon the consumer.
But if we extend our reasoning to the general in
tercourse of trade between New-Jersey and the cities
of New-York and Philadelphia, we (hall be astonished
to find what a sum we part with every year, which
might be saved to the state if our trade was once put
upon a proper footing. I will suppose New-Jersey to
export annually to the value of £. 200,000, all which
is sent to New-York and Philadelphia for sale, or to
pay for the goods we buy there; this is, in a few
words, the final account of our exports. But the mer
chants of these cities understand trade too well to rest
fatisfied with receiving barely the prime cost for these
commodities. They load their (hips with them, and
fend them to foreign markets, reaping the benefit of
the freight, and the profit arising on the sale, betides
paying insurance to the underwriter, which is an ad
vantage to the community. On the arrival of the
cargo at a foreign market, it is fold, with all these
* That is, if a farm let for £. 100 a year, the
price of it <would be £. 1 200, or twelve times the an
nual rent.
In the above estimate I have under-rated the ad
vantages arising to the two Rates, in order to prevent
cavil: I am sensible some of the articles might, with
propriety, have been carried much higher ; and there
are several which I have not enumerated at all.
It appears then, by the above account, that if the
Rate of New-Jersey had exported her produce, and
imported the proceeds of them in foreign articles, in
her own bottoms, die would actually have gained the
sum of £. 80,000, except the state duty, which I
(hould in this case take off, on a presumption that no
state duty will be laid here for many years to come.
But there are several collateral incidents to be con
sidered besides those I have mentioned, which are ab
solutely necessary for the encouragement of trade, the
chief of which is the security of personal property, in
which I include the facility and certainty under the
laws of the Rate of recovering debts. And without
this certainty it is vain to expert to allure merchants
to your ports, or even prevail on those who are al
ready here, to remain with you.
For, if the due and regular course of justice is in
terrupted with refpeCt to the recovery of just debts ac
tually owing to the merchant, by the ill-timed and
imprudent interference of the Legislature, it will
not only check, but utterly destroy, the spirit of trade,
by rendering the merchant incapable of making good
his payments.
If the goods and merchandize have been purchased
for ready money, and fold an time, the merchant's
capital will soon be exhausted, and his business at an
end. But if the goods have been purchased by the
trader in New-Jersey of the merchant in New-York
or Philadelphia, on credit, and the former has in
dulgently fold them on time, his case is truly deplor
able; he must either go and throw himfelf on the
mercy of his creditors, or remain here and plead that
very law, the injustice of which he abhors, and which
is the cause of his own ruin.
But the evil ceases not here; for if the merchant
in New-York or Philadelphia cannot compel the
debtor in New-Jersey to pay, he will be unable to
make his remittances, and of course be incapacitated
to perform his contrads abroad.—Loss of credit in
the mercantile world, is loss of reputation ; and
the consequence of this is the ruin of trade, which, as
I have before (hewn, is deftrudive of a nation's wel
fare and prosperity.
It is evident from what has been mentioned, that
I refer to the law palled in the last session of Assem
bly, to prevent the recovery of hard money debts by
any perlons whatsoever, " except the fubjeds of the
" King of Great-Britain, or the fubjeas of any foreign
" Prince or State," who, exclusively, may recover
" their debts due from the citizens of this State, in
" the fame manner they might and could have reco
" vered the fame, had not this ad been palled*."
In one and the fame session of the Legislature we
have seen a law palled " for eftablifting certain Free
" Ports, and for the encouragement of trade," and
another law as it were clapping an extinguisher upon
all our ports with refped to the citizens of this state.
This is indeed a law peculiarly calculated for the be
nefit and advantage " of the fubjeds of the King of
" Great-Britain, and other foreigners," in all points;
for they may come here with their wares and mer
chandize, dispose of them and recover their debts,
whilst a citizen of this state, who may import goods
from abroad and fell them here on time, is, under this
law, debarred from recovering his debts for a twelve
month.
But the operation of this ad upon those who are
* See the second feßior. of this aft.
.charges added to it, for a profit, and the ship returns
with her lading, consisting of foreign goods and mer
chandize, on which there are also freight and insur
ance arising to the owner of the vessel and insurer, a
profit on the sale to the owner of the goods, and a
state duty to the publick treasury.
I will now state the account.
Dr. The Rates of New-York and Pennsylvania. Cr.
To amount of
products from
New-Jersey, £.200^00
To balance
gained by N.
York and Penn
sylvania, 80,000
- - - £.280,000
By prime cost
ofproduds fliip
ped, - £. 200,000
By freight &
insurance, fif
teen per cent. 30,000
By profit on
files at foreign
markets, 5 per
cent. - 10,000
By freight &
insurance home,
suppose only on
£. 200.000, at
10 per cent. 20,000
By profit on
files at home
and Rate duty,
10 per cent. 10,000
£.280,000
Foreign Intelligence.
VERSAILLES, July 9 .
THE Sicur Pieres, Printer to His Majesty in
ordinary, had the honour to present to the
King on the 7th of May last, the model of a Print
ing-Press on an entire new conftruCtion, which was
executed by the King's orders, and ferup the second
of this month.
L OND O N, July i.
A few days since, a person of genteel appearance
went to a cutler's (hop in Pall-mall, and desired the
master of it to make a knife upon a particular con-
Rru&ion, which was described to him, and to name
his price ; the cutler afl<ed a guinea and an half for
it, and appointed a day on which the gentleman
(hould find it ready for him. The gentleman was
punctual in calling for it, but the master told him,
it was a job so troublesome, required so much more
time to make it, and was so out of the common pat
terns, that he could not take less than two guineas
for it. As the order was well executed, the two
guineas were handed to the maker immediately, the
gentleman put the knife in his pocket, and was going
away.—Pray, fir, fays the cutler, pulling the gen
tleman by the sleeve, give me leave to ask you for
Thea& in question will after all, in my opinion, af
ford little or no relief to the honest debtor—it may
prove an opiate, and lull his misfortunes for a while,
but they must, like all obstinate and inveterate mala
dies, have their course; at the end of the twelve
month his debts will run higher, and his ability be
Jess; the credit of the trading part of the community
will be utterly loft, and thereby the only resource of
the debtor taken away. In fine, this law cannot be
said to be a law either of humanity or good policy ;
and if not repealed, it will, in the course of one
twelvemonth, be productive of more mifehief to the
community, than was occasioned by the depredations
of the whole British army during the late war.
ONE OF THE PEOPLE.
indebted to the merchants of Great-Britain, seems to
be attended with circumstances of extreme injustice
and cruelty. Suppose a citizen of New-Jersey, in the
honest and ufeful exercise of his business as a trader,
to have contrasted a debt with a merchant of Great-
Britain ; a war ensues between the two countries, in
the course of which the national animosity is mutu
ally carried to a high degree of personal rancour and
hatred.—A peace happens ; and in one of the arti
cles of the treaty it is mutually conceded, that the
fubjeds of either country (hall be permitted to reco
ver the debts due from those of the other. All this
may be perfectly right, and ftridly conformable to
the rules of justice and the practice of civilized nati
ons. But while this article is in full force against an
American debtor in this State, he is absolutely bar
red and precluded, in the 4th section of this ad, from
proceeding in the courts of law for the recovery
of his debts for a twelvemonth, unless he determines
to accept the publick securities in payment, which will
not avail him in the discharge of his British debts.—
This is a species of legal torture scarcely ever known
in a free country ; and I very much queßion whether
such an interference of the legislature is not an indi
ted infraction of the spirit of the treaty : For tho' the
ad allows the full operation of the article, yet by dis
abling the debtor, it indirectly obftruds the executi
on of it.
It seems a ftrarge inversion of justice, “ that the
" creditor (hall be distressed, and perhaps ruined, to
“ save the debtor." Thus intangled in a maze of con
fufion, perplexity and contradiction, are all laws which
are founded in injustice, and particularly retrofpe&ive
laws. In the latter case it cannot be otherwise : be
cause I have acted under one law, and am judged by
another.
Again; a merchant having purchased a quantity of
goods at fix months credit, on an expectation of re
ceiving from his outflanding debts a sum fufficient to
pay for them; or perhaps having obtained a judgment
in a court of law, looks for the money in a (hort time:
This law interposes—the debtor refufes payment —
the merchant fails in his contracts, and thereby loses
his credit ; the plain and evident consequence of
which is, the decay of trade, involving in it the ruin
of the best interests of the state.
The clause permitting suits before justices of the
peace will also be attended with great inconveniencies
to many. For, if A owes me £.IOO, and I owe B,
C, D, and so on, to the number of ten, £. 10 apiece,
I may be sued before a justice of the peace by these
persons to the amount of £. ico, and yet am pre
vented from recovering my debt of £. 100 from A,
which would enable me to discharge all these de
mands—but being disappointed in my only resource,
my goods may be fold to pay my debts, whilst the
goods and estate of my debtor A remain fife and un
touched.