The American herald of liberty — Exeter, N.H., 1794-01-21 00:00:00, page 1

ordinance excluded from that country.
r The circumstances of the war have necef
farf!y given usfreeaccefs to the Weft-
India islands, whilst they have also drawn
on our navigation, vexation* and dep
redations of the most (erious nature.
' To have endeavoured to describe all
theie, would have been as impraaible
as useless, since the feenes would have
teen (hitting while under dcfcription.
], therefore, think it bed to leave the
report, as it was formed, being adapted
to a particular point of time, when things
<*ere in their fettled order, that is to
fav, to the summer of 179 Zt 1 -■ e , thc
honor to be, with the moll profound re
p-ett, Sir, yoitr most obedient, and molt
humble krvant. j EFF ERSON.
1 To the Speaker of the of Re
prefentativo of the United States
, of Atncriee. ’ .
■
Os the SECR f T a RY of State, on the
' PRIVILEGES and RESTRICTIONS
on the COMMERCE of the United
States in Foreign Countries.
[Pubßfted by order of Congrefs]
Philadelphia, Dec. i 6, 1793.
f IR,
CCORDING to rhe pleasure of
the House of Repicfentativetj expressed
in their resolution of February 23, 1791,
J now lay before them, a Report on the
Privileges and Reflriflions cd the Com
merce of the United States in Foreign
Countries. In order to keep the fub
jefl within those bounds, which I (up
poled to be under the contemplation of
the House, I have reftraimd my state
ments to those countries only, with
which we carry on a commerce of fame
importance, and ro those articles also of
our produce, which areof sensible weight
in the fcJe of our exports ; and even
these articles are sometimes grouped to
gether, according to the degree of favour
or reftriflion, with which they are re
ceived in each country, and that degree
expressed in general terms, without de
tailing the exafl duty levied on each ar
ticle.
To have gone fully into these min
utias, would have been to copy the tar
iffs and books of rates of the different
countries and to have hidden under a
■inafs of detail, these general and impor
tant truths ; the extraflion of which in
a Ample form. I conceived, would best
tnfwer the enquiries of the house, by
condensing material information within
those limits of lime and attention, which
this portion of their duties may justly
-claim. The.plan, indeed, of minute
derails, would have been impraflibie
with some countries, for want of infor
mation.
Since preparing this report, which
was put into its present form, in time
to have been, given in to the last feflion
of Congress, alterations of the conditions
of our commerce with some foreign na
tions have taken place, some of them
independent of the war, fame of them
arising out of it. France has proposed
to.enter into a new treaty of commerce
with us, on liberal principles; and has,
ih the mean time, relaxed some of the
restraints mentioned in the report. Spain
ba«, by an ordinance of June latt, eftab
liflied New-Orleans, Petfacola, and St.
Augustine into free ports, for the veflels
of fiirndly nations having treaties of
commerce with her, provided they touch
for a permit, at Corcubion in Gallicia,
or at Alicant, and ourriceis by the fame
[Volume VIII.
Congrefilonal Hiftory.
EXETER ( New-Hamp/hire ) Printed and Published by Sterns and Winslow, in Main-Street, at 6/8 per annum.
fy%%^-&^ I .
American Herald of Liberty.
REPORT
Bread fluff, that is to fay,
bread grains, meals, and Dollars,
bread to the annual amount of 7,649887
Tobacco 4 349 5^7
Rice 1 753.790
Wood 1.263 J. 34
Salted fift 94 1 6 9 6
Pot and pearl ash 839 093
Salted meats 599’ 1 3°
Indigo 537-379
Hories and Mutes 339'735
Whale oil 252.591
Flax teed 236 072
Ta-, pitch and Turpentine 217,177
Live provisions 1 37.743
Ships
Foreign gcods 620,274
To dccend to articles of fmdlcr value
than those, would lesd into a minuteness
of detdl neither neceflary nor uleful to
the present objefl.
The proportions of our exports, which
go to the nations before mentioned, and
to their dominions, refpeflively are as
so lows Dollars. —
To Spain and it? dominions 2,005,907
Portugal and its dominions 1,283,462
France and its dominions 4,698,735
Great Britain and its
dominions 9,363,416
United Netherlands and 0
their dominions 1,963 880
Denmark and its dominions 224 415
Sweden and irs dominions 47,24°
Our imports from the fame countries,
are,—
The Secretary of State, to whom was re
ferred by the House of Represent tives,
the Report of adirnmi tec On he writ
ten menage of the PreJident of the Uni
ted States, of the l^th of February,
J 7 7 1, with infraction to report to Con
gress the nature and extent of the Frias-'
Heges and Redrifiions of the Commercial
htercourfe of the United Stases with
Foreign nations, and the measures which
he fculd think proper to be adopted, for
the improvement of the Ccmmerce and
Navigation of the fame, has had the
fame under conftderation, and thereupon
makes the following
REPORT.
THE countries with which the Uni
ted States have their chief commercial
intercourse, are. Spain. Per ugal, France
Great Britain, the United ’Netherlands,
Denmark, and Sweden, and their Ame
rican poffefTion* ; and the articles of ex
port which constitute the basts of that
Commerce, with their refpeflive amounts
are.
15,28; 428
United Netherlands and their do
minions 1,172 692
Denmark and its dominions 351,394
Sweden and its dominions 14,325
These imports consist mostly of* articles
on which industry has been exhausted.
Our .Navigation depending on the
fame commence, will appear by the fol
lowing statement of the tonnage of our
own vessels, entering in.to our ports from
those several nations, and their pofeftions,
in one year, that is to fay, from October
1789, to September 1790, indufive, as
follows.—Spain Tons. 19-693
Portugal 23,576
France 161,410
Great Britain 43 580
United Netherlands $8,858
Denmark 14 655
Sweden 750
Os our commercial objefh, SPAIN
receives favourably, our bread-fluff, ki
ted fi(h, wood, (hips, tar, pitch and tur
pentine. On our meals, however, as
well a» thofew other foreign coun.
tries, when re-exported to their colonies
they have lately imposed duties, of from
Spain and itsd^inions 335- 1 10
Portugal and its dominions 595,763
France and its-dominions 2.068 348
Great Britain and its dominions
TUESDAY, January 21, 1794.
A duty of five sous the ken’al, or near-'
If four and an half cents is paid on cur
ttr, pitch and turpentine. Our whale
oil pay fix livres the kental, and arc the
only foreign whale-oils admitted. Our
ihdigo pays five livres the kmtJ ; their
Own t«o and an half : But a difference
♦f quality, Hill more than a difference of
Huey, prevents its feel’ing that market.
SaLed beef is received freely for re
exportation ; but if for heme confump.
iti^n, it pav five livres the kental. Oi the
fated provjfotv pay that duty in all
cases, and salted fift. is made lately to:
pay the prohibiior/ one of twenty livres’
the kental.
Our (hips are free to carry thither all
foreign goods, which may be carried in
their own or any other vessels, except
robaccoes not of our own growth : And
they participate with theirs the exclu
sive carriage of.our whale-oils, and to
baccoes.
• During their former gevernment, our
tobacco was under a monopoly, but
paid no duties j and our (hips were free
ly fold in their ports, and converted into
national bottoms. The firft national »f
--fembly took from our (hips this priv
ilege. They emancipated tobacco from
its monopoly, but fubjefted it to du ies
of eighteen livres fifteen sous, the ken
tai, carried in their own vessels, and
twenty-five livres, carried in curs ; a
difference more than equal to the freight
of the article- ‘
They and their colonies tonfume what
they receive ferm us.
GREAT-BRITaIN receives our rot
and pearl 2&es, free, whilst those of oth
er nations p?y a duty of two (hillings
and three ^nce the kentak There is
an equal diftindion in favour of our bar
half a dollar to two dollars the barrel,
the duties being so proportioned to the
current price of their own flour, as that
both together are to make the constant
sum of nine dollars per barre).
They do not difeourage our rice, pot
and pearl aft, failed provisions, or whale
oil ; but thele articles being in small
demand at their markers, are carried
thither but in a small degree. Their
demand for rice, however, is increafirg.
Neither tobacco, nor indigo are receiv
ed there. Our commerce is permitted
with their Canary Islands, under the
fame conditions.
Out navigation is free with the king
dom d Spain foreign goods being recei
ved there in cur (hips, on the fame con
ditions as if carried in their o*n, or in
the veffeh of the country of which such
goods are the manufaflure or produce.
POR I UGAL receives favourably our
grain and bread, salted fift and other (ai
led provisions, wood, tar pi ck, and
turpentine.
For flax-feed, pot and pearl aft, though
not diferuraged, there is little demand
Our ships pay twenty per cent, on be
ing fold to their fubjefls, and are then
free bottoms.
Foreign goods (except those of the
East lndiesJ are received on tl e fame
footing in our veflels, as in their own,
or any others ; that is to fay, on general
duties of from twenty to twenty eight
per cent, and cbnfequcntlv, our naviga
tion is unobftrafled by them. Toba.cco,
rice and meal/, are prohibited.
Themfelvrs and their colonies con
fiiwe what they receive from us.
These regulations extend to the Azores
Midera, and the Cape de Verd iflauds,
extep*, that in these, meals and rice are
received freely.
FRANCE receives favourably our
bread-fluff rice, wood, pot snd pearl aft
€5.
Themfclves, and their colonies are
the aflual ccnfumers of what they re
ceive born us.
iron ; of which article however, we do
not produce enough for our own use.
Woods ate free from us, whilst they pay
(ome (mall duty from other countries. In.
digo and flax-feed,are free from all coun
tries. Our tar & pitch pay i id. ftcrl. the
band. From other alien countries, they
pay about a penny and a third more.
Ocr tobacco, for their own ccnfump
tion, pays 1/3. fterl. the pound, custom
and excise, besides heavy expences of
collcflion. And rice, in the lame case,
pays 7/4, fterl. the hundred weight;
which, rendering it too dear, as an ar.
tide of common food, it is consequently
used in very small quantises.
Ourfa'ted fift, and other salted pro*
v fions, except bacon, are prohibited.
■ Bacon and whale oil a e under prohib
itory duties-; so are cur grains, meals,
and bread, as to internal ccniumption ;
unlcfs in times of such (carcity as may
raise the price of ch at to 50/. fieri,
the quarter, and other grains and meals
in propotion.
While the vefle’s of other nations are
secured by fencing laws, which cannot
be altered, but by the concurrent will of
the three branches of the British legisla
ture, in carrying thither any produce or
m s . Udture of the country to which they
belong, which may be lawfully earned
in ehv v. ffels, ours, wi h the fame pro
hibition of what is foieign, are further
prohibited by a ILnd'f'g law,(i2 Car 2.
18. Sec. 3 ) from carrying thither ell
and any c t our own domeflic produclios
and manufaffotes. A fubfe^uent ail,
indeed, has authorized their executive
to permit the carriage of our own pro
duflion in our own bottoms, at its foie
diferetien ; and the permission has teen
given from year to year by ■’PrccLtna
fion ; but futjecl every moment to be
wi hdrawn on that ftngle will, in which
event our veffeh having any thing on
board, (land interdiiled from the entry
of all Eritifli ports. The disadvantage
of# tenttire which may be so fuddcnly
difeontinued, was experienced by ocr
merchants on a late occafion*, when an
official notification that this law would
be llridly enforced, gave just apprehen
ficns for the fate of their veilcis and
cargees, dispatched or destined to the
ports of Great Britain. The Minifler
of that Court indeed frankly txprefled
his pei tonal ccnviilion, that the words
of the order went farther than was in
t nded, and So he afterwards officially
informed us ; but the embarrafTments
of the moment were real and ;g.eat, and
the possibility of their renewal, lays our
commerce to that country under the fame
fpectes of difeouragement as to other
countries, where it is regulated by a
single legislator; and the dist nfl : on is
too ramarkable not to be noticed, that
our navigation is exdudee from the se
curity of fixed laws, while that security
is given to the navigation of otterra.
Oar veil'd* pay“in their pons 1/9 fterl.
per ton, light and trinity dues, more
than is paid by B ittfh ships, except in
the port of London, where they pay the
fame Bridfh.
The greater part of what they .receive
son us, is'e-exported to other coun
tries, unedr the u (clefs charges of an in
rermediate deposit, and double voyage.
From tables published in England, and
composed as is said, from the book.s of
their cuftcm houses, it appears that of
the Indigo imported there it? the years
1773 — 4—>s, one third was re-exported
and from a document of authority , we
learn, that of the rijee and todacco im
• • ’ , * jfyril 12, 1792.
Our ships, though purchased and na
vigated by their own kbjefls, are not
permitted to be used, even in their trade
with us.
[Number 29.