The gazette., 1799-04-15
ny DEAR sIE,

lketoh OF the principal acts OF COngrets dur
ing the feIion which cloled on the cd infant,
and Of The Qlt: Of public affairs at the preient
moment.
In that letter mentioned that a vote had
pa1ed fer adding 70 our Prefent navy fix fhips
Of the line Of "a guns each. and fix Aoops Of
war of IS guns each. This vote afterwards
paIed into law, and the building of the ihps
will ffeedily commence. The meafure was
Funded on a conviction, that the commerce Of
this country, whith is the great fource of our
revenue, and eaential to the encouragement
and PROPERTY Of our agriculture, cannot exit
wir1nnt maritime protection. This convic-
tion is not only fupPcrted by general realoning,
AM the experience Of all nations, but is fully
coniFmtd by tl~: experiment which we have
made F; for, before we began TO ann, our com
&C was in Rate OF deprelli0n which indi.
Gated approaching rain; at prefert It is -four
iihing and prolperous in very high degree.-
The layirg on in.urance alone, is eaimated, on
fair principles OF calculation, at nine millions OF
dollars per annum independently Of the de-
oreaf- of captures, which have been compari-
lively few Gnce we began TO defend our veftls,
and luiFer them 10 defend themfelves. The
fun EXPENDED, before the beginning Of this year,
towards equPPing and preparing for fea the
naval armament heretofore provided for, and
fupporting fuch part Of it as was fent to fea in
the courle of the lat year amounted 10 about
$3.50 oco dollars. For Completing that ar
Inament one nillicn more is appropriated. For
the iupport of the whole eaablilhment, during
the preient year, including the marines, the
revenue cutters, and the fix additional locps Of
war provided for BY the late ad, the appro-
Pratio1 is fomelhing lefs than 2,35o,oco dol
lars. The expence of building and eduipping
thole Gx iloops Of war, and the tx ieventy tours.
will be not quite z.35o 900 dollars. Thee
fums, added together, make an aggregate Of
Q,o5o.ooo dollars. From whence i appsars,
that the iaying made, by our de(shGve mea-
fu es, in the article of infurance alone, without
calculating the d!minution Of captures, the be
nefts rtfaltng from the encreaied fpirit and
activity of commerce, and the confequent rife
10 the price of produce, is fluff icut, in one year,
70 pay for the whole naval armament which he's
produced hi, efFsa, to fupport it for year, TO
build FIX ihips of the liae, and to build and iup-
port fix IS gun i'oops. When thus whole navy
il complete, the annual expence Of mairtain ng
it, in time cf war, will be about 8 $50 ooo dol
lars. In peace, the lhips will be laid up, and
viii cot very little SO that if We fuppcle the
protection TO be afforded BY it, in its perfea
ftate. To be only as eficaCious as that now de
rived fyom the pant Of il which is Actually in fer
vice, this protection will pay for the exPence,
and le We a balance Of FIVE millions annually TO
the nation. in addition TO this, we ihall be re-
jpe7ed by foreign nations and our citizens,
finding themltlves protected, in their Lawful!
purfuits, by the government OF their country,
will pFo!ecute their enterprises with vigour and
fpirit from whence matt naturally reiult
high degree of public and private PToiperity.
1t has teen lore.imes faid that this mode Of
calculation Is unfair b-cauie the iay.ng in ia
f1rance, and captures, is ftving 10 the uer
chants alone whereas the expence cf a feet is
to BE borne By the nation at large. But it is
rot true that the faving is TO the merchants
alone To fay that it is to the coniumsrs alone,
would be much nearer the truth. The mer-
chant will havc his profits on lis goods, whe
ther they come HIGH or low 10 him and this
profit, together with the original price, the con-
funer muf pay. If ntnrance rife from leven
per cent 10 fifteen rer cent. The additional eight
psr cent, is laid on the price Of the goods, and
they come eight per cent. higher ~ the conlum-
er. If il falls from fifteen 70 feven per cent.
the goods com. eight per cent. cheaper. The
faving, therefore, Ike the lofs from a rife, tho
hrR felt BY the merchan', goes fnally to the
conunlers that is, to the nation at large IF
the nation, therefore, by erPending four mil
lions annually in tie fupport Of a navy, can
prevent infurance from riiiog to IS per cent
from feveo, or can lower it from IS TO feven,
it prevents itfeiffrom being taxed to the amouat
Of nine millions inRead Of four, and iaves Eve
millions by the bargain.
When we rehe6t, moreover, on the advan.
tages Of navy, we are not to coniIer merely
the expe1ce, but the Gtuation in which we
ihould be without the navy No farmer heG.
tates to make fence round his fields, on ac-
count Of the expence or trouble. He confde-s
that without a fence, bis whole crop mbit be