The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1783-12-30 00:00:00, page 1

Viewed in this light, the pamphlet, though in some
parts dextrioufly written, is an absurdity: It offends,
in the very ad of endeavouring to ingratiate; and his
Jordihip, as a politician, ought not to have fuffered
the two objects to have appeared together. The let
ter alluded to contains extracts from the pamphlet,
with high encomiums on lord Sheffield, for labori
ously endeavouring (as the letter Riles it) " to shew
the mighty advantages of retaining the carrying
trade."
Since the publication of this pamphlet in England,
the commerce of the United States to the Weft-In
dies, in American vessels, has been prohibited; and
all intcrcourfe, except in British bottoms, the property
©f, and navigated by British fubjeds, cut off.
That a country has a right to be as foolifh as it
pleases, has been proved by the practice of England
for many years past : In her island-situation, seques
tered from the world, fire forgets that her whispers
are heard by other nations ; and in her plans of poli
ticks and commerce, she seems not to know, that
ether votes are necessary besides her own. America
would be equally as foolifh as Britain, were she to fuf
fer so great a degradation on her flag, and such a
stroke on the freedom of her commerce, to pass with
out a balance.
We admit the right of any nation to prohibit the
commerce of another into its ow% dominions, where
there are no treaties to the contrary ; but as this
right belongs to one fide, as w^l as to the other,
there is always a way left to bring avarice and inso
lence to reason.
But the ground of security which lord Sheffield
has chosen to ercßhis policy upon, is of a nature
which ought, and I think must awaken, in every Ame
rican, a just and strong sense of national dignity.—
Lord Sheffield appears to be sensible that in advising
the British nation and parliament to engross to them
selves so great a part of the carrying trade of Ameri
ca, he is attempting a measure which cannot succeed,
if the politicks of the United States be properly di
re&ed to counteract the assumption.
But, fays he, in his pamphlet, “ It mill be a long
« time before the American States can be brought
" to act as a Nation, neither are the, to be feared
" as such b, us."
What is this more or less than to tell us, that while
we have no national system of commerce, the British
will govern our trade by their own laws and proda-
IN" Rivington's Neve-York Gazette," of De
cember 6, is a publication, under the appear
ance of a letter from London, dated September
30th ; and is on a fubje& which demands die
attention of the United States.
The publick will remember, that a treaty of com
merce between the United States and England was
set on foot laR spring, and that until the said treaty
could be completed, a bill was brought into the Bri
tish Parliament, by the then chancellor of the exche
quer, Mr. Pitt, to admit and legalize (as the case then
Required) the commerce of the United States into the
British ports and dominions. But neither the one nor
the other has been completed. The commercial
treaty is either broken off, or remains as it began ; and
the bill in parliament has been thrown aside, and in
lieu thereof, a felfilh system of English politicks has
started up, calculated to fetter the commerce of Ame
rica, by engrossing to England the carrying trade of
the American produce to the Weft-India Islands.
Among the advocates for this last measure, is lord
Sheffield, a member of the British Parliament, who
has published a pamphlet, intitlecb, " Observations on
the Commerce of the American States.'' The pam
phlet has two obje&s ; the one is, to allure the Ame
ricans to purchase British manufactures; and the other,
to spirit up the British Parliament to prohibit the ci
tizens of the United States from trading to the WeR-
India Islands.
To the PEOPLE of
AMERICA.
[Vol. VIL] ' ' THE [Numb. 294.]
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
From the New-York Packet.
TRENTON: Printed by ISAAC COLLINS, Printer to the State.
TUESDAY, December go, 1783.
It is very probable, that the ingenuity of commerce
may have found out a method to evade and fuper
cede the intentions of the British in interdicting the
trade with the Welt-India Islands. The language of
both being the fame, and their customs well under
stood, the vessels of one country may, by deception,
pals for those of another. But this would be a prac
tice too debating for a sovereign people to Roop to,
and too profligate not to be difeountenanced. An il
licit trade, under any Ihape it can be placed, cannot
be carried on without a violation of truth. America
is now Sovereign and Independent, and ought to act
ail her affairs in a regular idle of clueafter. She has
the fame right to lay that no British vessel shall enter
her ports, or that no British manufactures shall be im
ported but in American bottoms, the property of, and
navigated by American fubjeds, as Britain has to fay
the lame thing refpeCting the Weft-Indies. Or she
may lay a duty of ten, fifteen, or twenty Killings per
toa (exclusive of other duties) on every British vessel
coming from any port of the Weft-Indies where she
is not admitted to trade, the said tonnage to conti
nue as long on her lide as the prohibition continues
on the other.
Among other circumstances which led them to this
difeovery, none could operate so effe&ually as the
injudicious, un,candid, and indecent opposition made
by sundry persons in a certain ftaic, to the recommen
dations of Coagrefs last winter, for an import duty
of five per cent. It could not but explain to the Bri
tish a weakness in the national power of America, and
encourage them to attempt reftridions on her trade,
which otherwise they would not have dared to hazard.
Neither is there any Rate in the union, whose policy
was more mil-directed to its interest than the Rate I
allude to, because her principal fwpport is the carrying
trade, which Britain, induced by the want of a well
centered power in the United States to protect and
secure, is now attempting to take away. It fortu
nately happened (and to no Rate in the union more
than the flare in question) that the terms of peace were
agreed on before the opposition appeared, otherwise
there needs not a doubt, that if the fame idea of the
diminished authority of America had occurred to them
at that time as has occurred to them since, but they
would have made the fame grasp at the fiflieries, as
they have done at the carrying trade.
It is furprizing, that an authority which can be
fwpported with so much ease, and so little expence,
and capable of such extensive advantages to the coun
try, should be cavilled at by those whose duty it is to
watch over it, and whose exigence, as a people, de
pends upon it. But this, perhaps, will ever be the
case, till some misfortune awaken us into reason, and
the instance now before us is but a gentle beginning
of what America must expert, unless she guards her
union with nicer care and ftri&er honour. United
flic is formidable, aid that with the leaß possible
charge a nation can be so: Separated, file is a medley
of individual nothings, subject to the sport of foreign
nations.
mations as they please. The quotation discloses a
truth too serious to be overlooked, and too mifehiev
ous not to be remedied.
But it is only by anting in union, that the usurpa
tions of foreign nations on the freedom of trade can
be counteracted, and security extended to the com
merce of America. And when we view a flag, which
to the eye is beautiful, and to contemplate its rife and
origin, mfpires a sensation of sublime delight, our na
tional honour must unite with our interest to prevent
injury to the one, or insult to the other,
COMMON SENSE.
New-York, December 9, 1783.
©Ujiromra 1 3 i<Fro@m,,•,^urammraaniCTrWTtrarcTrerwmßnCTra
Foreign Intelligence.
BRUNSWIC K, June g.
According to the publick prints, the 960 Hessian
recruits, w^ich were enlisted to complete the regi
ments in America, are given to his Prussian Majesty.
The above corps was to have marched from Ziegen
hayn for Lipftatt, on the 19th wlt. under an cfeorte
of dragoons and hufasg
O F F E N, (Hungary) June 4
On theist inst. the two artillery companies.
were quartered at this place and Raizeaftat, embt /
for Elieck, in Sclavonia.
L E G H OR N, June 4 .
An armed vessel, from Naples, has taken two Al
gierenian xebecs, after a most desperate and bloody
engagement.
Extras of a letter from Silefa, June 1.
" On the 28th ult. at four o'clock in the after
noon, the town of Glacow was visited with a most
terrible thunderguft and rain, attended with hail as
large as pidgeon eggs, which knocked down trees, da
maged all the grain in the fields, a number of horned
cattle and sheep were drowned in the stables, and the
inhabitants obliged to retire from their lower apart
ments to the garrets. In the vicinity of Hirfhberg
it was not less violent—the lightning struck the hotel
of the Count of Shaffgotch, at the time his Lordship
and household were at dinner, which broke the roof,
damaged several chambers, also the one in which
company were affcmbled, but not one peric,.
PA R I S, June 6.
A court-martial was lately held at St. Domingo,
at which four sailors were tried, and found guilty of
treachery to their country. Sentence of death was
passed on them before the court adjourned.
va HAMBUR G 11, June 6.
kelterday afternoon, about three o'clock, several
thundergufts appeared in ou.r horizon, which broke
out about four. Such hard claps of thunder, and
great rains, have not been remembered by the oldest
people here.
^uguft io. According to letters from Saxony, a
plan is forming there for opening a trade diredly with
North-America. This commerce will be directed by
a company, whose fund will amount to 25,000 rix
dollars, divided into 50® shares, of 500 rix dollars.
T h ; j h % wlll make thr ee payments; as soon as
the firft deposit 1S completed, the firft expedition will
commence; immediately after its departure a second
deposit will be made for the expence of the second
expedition, which will depart as soon as ready, but
this will be suspended till the return of the firft'/hip
Ihe company will be dissolved if the firft voyage be
unprofitable. It is assured that the Elector will take
on his own account 150 shares.
ROTTERD A M, June 7.
On the 3d instant the ship Rotterdam, of 60 guns
was launched in presence of his Serene Highness the
Prince Stadtholder, his consort and children, who
afterwards dined at the admiialty-houfe, and returned
to their summer-seat in the evening
r L I S B O N, June 8.
Intelligence being received here, that a banditti of
robbers had afiembled at Eftramadura, and murdered
a number of people, a detachment of our soldiers was
lent off, in order to put a Rop to this inhumanity. A
detachment of Spanish troops was also sent off, for
the purpose of apprehending the above villains.'
CONSTANTINOPLE, June r o
A Imall squadron has failed to the Archipelago in
order to gather the usual tribute at that place." The
above squadron is commanded by Kiaya-Bey, or Vite
hdmiral, as the Captain Bacha's attendance at this
capital is of more cosfequence; the people putting
their whole dependence on him.'
August n. Ail the Pachas on the frontiers have
orders to entrench tbemfelvcs in the ftropgeft manner
and put die fortreffes under their command in the best
Rate of defence possible. The accounts from Crimea
mention, that the Ruffian are strongly eutreoched
POLAN D, June 4.
A very smart engagement between a body of Ruf
fians, under Prince Potemkin, and a body of Tar
tars, happened on the Cubanian Tartary, in which
the latter, being more numerous than the Ruffians,
received little advantage over them.