The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-07-09 00:00:00, page 1

For the PENNSYLVANIA EVENING POST.
Mr. Towne,
Your inferring the annexed will oblige many of your readers.
A $ there have lately been great complaints of the mer
/Q chants exacting extravagant prices, for the goods they
/have imported, 1 have endeavoured to prove by the
' following account that they are a&ually lofef^f near
19s. 3d. per bufhei on every bushel of salt they impo[t"&hild
it continues at the present limitation of 7s. 6d, per bufhei. It
is an eld ellablilhc, maxim amongst merchants, that; a tra'de
which will not bear insurance is not worth following, and also
he that doth not infere is to calculate as though he did/'
I have allowed that insurance might be effected out anfhome
at leventy-iive per cent, which is 1 believe greatly under what
has lately been given, or it could now be procured at ; I have
likewise allowed the salt to cost only eightpence per bushel,
when by a late letter from the Weft-indies thatartice is quoted
at two fhillirigs per bushel, treble the price that 1 have allow
ed ; upon the whole I have calculated as low as the nature of
the affair would permit, and believe if 1 have erred, it has
been more againil than in favor of the importer.
Suppose a ship of 2700 barrels to cult £ 2700
Her outfits, ^oo
Freight, , 9 oq
Cargo, 400
t Cutfet, £4200
Now that I may run no rifque, but be fully ini^ed in fuc-h
manner as in case the vdfel should be taken, fefoove sum
of £. 4200 may be recovered, and no more, du'find that I
mail insure upon £. 18606 13s. 4s. to prove v^reh, ftypofe
the veficl to be loft, the account will hand thug , J
Pitmium on £. 18666 34. at7s P^ cent, is'F4 OOQ 0 0
Abatement to underwriters of two per cent, is 7 fi'373 6 8
Brokerage half per cent, is 93 6 8
V — ° —
£. 34406 13 4
The outset as above, h',oo
1- =
Makes the sum necessary to be insured, Z%,8666 13 4
We will now reverse the scene, and fuppcfcf the voyage
completed without accidents; allow the cargof&rried out to
be invested in salt at eightpence per bushel, the four hundred
pounds will purchase twelve thousand bushels, 0, which allow
there be loft at lead four hundred bulhTs, a frail quantity
to what is generally loft upon such carg^eC there will
remain eleven thousand fix hundred buthels-^oftouife, if flie
arrives fife, the account win hand thus :
The fiilt outset 4200
The premium paid as before mentioned, 14000
'£.182000
From which deduct the vessel still valued at 2700
Remains, £. 'ss°°
It will then be evident that the eleven thousand lix hundred
bulhels delivered at market will colt the importer the above
The PENNSYLVA NdA EVENING POST.
Vol. ILJ
Price only °^o Coppers. Published very Tuejday, TburJday, and Saturday Evenings.
TUESDAY, JULY 9 , 1776.
339
sum of fifteen thousand five hundred pounds, exclusive of com
missions, measuring or other charge, aqd in consequence any
sum that he may fell it for underYhat, Ih.be considered as a
real loss to him, he is allowed nothing for the use of his mo
ney, the freight he gets for his vessel is the only compenfatiori,
and that at these times cannot by any person be thought an
extravagant one, when feamep's wages are risen to almost
treble, and pork to double what it was some time ago.
The 11600 bushels at market at z6fy per bushel is £. 15515
Cost to the importer as above, >ss°°
Difference to avoid fractions „ £. 15
By the above calculati< n it is evident that though the prices
of goods imported are greatly above what they formerly were,
the merchant hath not now the profit he then had, whereas
the articles of flax or country manufactured linen, on which
there is no rifque of importation, is increated to double the
former price.
To sum up the whole, the less restraints there are upon trade,
the more trade will be carried on. If the farmer pays more
for the goods he purchases, he will in return have more for
his produce ; our merchants cannot, if they would, procure
specie to ship out, they mud therefore take produce.
But what certainty hath the merchant when he begins a
voyage, that the goods he may import shall not be fubjed to
a limitation at their arrival, and after he hath run all the
rifque be obliged to take a lower price than what they really
coll him, allowing for insurance. Let us live, and let live.
M ERCATOR.
C™ OOD wages and constant employ to JOINERS, par-
J T ticularly to those who have been used to CAME
WORK, given by George Haughton, next the Coffee-houfe,
Front-street, who furnishes gentlemen for the camp or sea on
a day's notice.
Province Island, July 9, 1776.
WAS STOLEN the fifth instant, between the hours of
eleven and twelve o'clock, from the house of the sub
scriber, at the Lower Ferry on Schuylkill, or Province island,
a SILVER CREAM JUG, with the letters J MR in a
cypher on the beby of the jug, and the letters J L damped
on the bottom, with chafed feet. If offered for sale it is rb
quested to be stopped, and information given to the printer, or
the fubferiber, for which a reward of FIFTEEN SHIL
LINGS will be given. JOSEPH RUDULPH.
TO be SOLD, at the London Coffee-houfe, on Friday
the 12th of July, a neat new well built two story
SI ONE TENEMENT, eighteen feet in front, and twenty
eight in depth, with,a cellar under the whole. The Lot
belonging thereto is fifty-five feet in front, one hundred
and twenty in depth, has a good spring of water at the end of
the lot, clear of ground rent, and situated nearly opposite the
'g n °f the Whitehorse in Germantown. For farther parti
culars inquire of Henry Fraly, house-carpenter, opposite the
Markei-houfe in Germantown,- who will give attendance at
the time of sale. *
[Num. 229.