Star.
London, England, 1812-12-26 00:00:00

TRADE WITH FRANCE.

The return of EONAP.4KTE to Pails will necessarily
be followed by an immense influx of vessels from
France, %with licences to trade with this country. ucb
of th Parisians as have openly expressed their dis-
appointment will be carried off by x mock conspiracy,
while the discontents of the French merchants will be
softened by a copious issue of Licences. Against
thus permitting the enemy to draw his resources for
further mischief from this country, our G.)vernment

cannot be sufficiently on their guard, and in illustra-
tion of the policy proper to be adopted, we recom-
mend an attentive consideration of the judicious ob-
servations in the subjoined letter of a most intelligent
British Merchant :

TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR.
" Leith, December 19, 11412.

St—Permit me, through the medium of your
Paper, to call the publie attention to the great exp,r-
tation of Bullion from this country to France and her
dependencies. It will be said that this arises from
cur imports exceeding our exports, but it will be re-
collected how particularly careful the Board of Trade
were wLen the arrangements were making for the
last licences, to prevent this, that in an intercourse
with an enemy, it should not be on a principle de-
cidedly advantageous for them. Within these few
days are the following exportations from the Port of
London :

Dtc. stA—For Ostend—B. Dnrans,l, 10,000 oz. silver cain.

7th—For Havre—J. Currie, di 1 oz. silver coin.
14th—For Amsterdam—W. S q'tory, 129 oz. bar gold.

15th—For ditto-1 Clark,7oooz. gold, I 500 oz.silver coin.
—For ditto—G. Rahn, 1000 oz. silver, and 1000 oz.
gold coin.
—Fer Havre—Le Cointe and Co. 15,000 oz. silver.
•-• —For ditto—B. Durand, vO,OOO oz. silver coin, and
61 CO oz. gold coin.
Being in eleven days upwards of sixty thousand
ounces of gold and silver coin. In the commence.
ment of all BONAPARTE'S late wars his practice has
been, previous to setting out for the army, to sign a
number of Licentes ; the money arising from the
sale of these, is one of the means for filling the mili-
tary chest. We have reason to anticipate, from his
present difficulties, that abundance of licences will be
in the hands of the merchants ; it becomes the duty
of this-country to prevent his deriving the farther
advantage of draining Great Britain of gold.
64 Our importations from France consist chiefly of
prunes, bugle, perfumery, and ostrich feathers. What
silk we receive is proving very injurious to our im-
portations from onr Indian Settlements. To coun-
terbalance the advantage derived front these articles
.
of most prime necessity, we furnish our arch enemy
with the means of carrying on the war. We increase
the deficiency of our tit culating medium, and the
specie necessary for the army abroad costs the cowl.'
try a most extravagant price, beside a very great dif-
ficulty in procuring a necessary supply.. Other ar-
guments might be urged againsi the present inter-
course with France, but from these very prominent
ones, I think it will be the general opinion, that ii our
imports ate to be paid for chiefly in gold, the trade
should be abandoned. I am, Sir, your obedient
servant, 64 WILLIAM THOIMURN."

PONTEFRACT ELtc-rroN.—This Election came on
on Tuesday last, and ended on Wednesday, when the
numbers were, for

Lord Pollington. 356. lE. L. Hodgson, Esq. M.
T. H. Hodron, Esq. T.
Lord POLLIVGTON was chaired accordingly.