Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1803-01-08

ford their own inlpP'Eg iucA W.
vantage over foreign chipping as almoit 20
enture them the carrying trade OF their
own country. The immediate con,eqnenee
: 4 relaxation in our navigation, the ltap!e
Of The eafern and middle ftates thereby
throwing out Of employment that hume
rous clals of valuable mechanics, who are
more or lefs connected with fhip building;
it will drive great portion Of our failors
into foreign fervice, or leave them at home
without employment, and confequentiy
without bread; by de!froying the nuEiefy
for our feamep, ii will weaken our primer.
pal reliance in time of war; point OF I'M
menie national importaace. AS TO the
effect in the revenue We have Teen what
that would be, and that for the lait zen
years, it would have amounted 10 lois OF
4, 900, 900 dollars.
And what, we ak sgsin, are the good
effects to be expected : Are they not un-
defined, ard DO they not altogether ref IN
conjecture On wild incoherent guehes ?
And thofe TOO the guefes Of gentlemen,
one of whom appears TO know nothing at
ali Of the lubjeit, and the other owes 1t TO
our charity that his approximations are al.
lowed the fhield of iimilar ignorance.
Our commercial treaty with G. Brl.
cain expires in LET'S than two years from
this time. when il is expressly coniemplat-
ed in that inl}rumen,, that the two natl.
ons G,all renew their negotiations, 6 tor
the more exat equalization Of the duties
on the REFLECTIVE navigation of their tuo-
jetls and people in fuch manner as may &c
met beneficial to the two countries.
1t was fuppofed that it wonld reqalTe
two years fer either nation to be at'e cor
really 10 climate the effects of peace on
their commerce, 70 as TO afford bails TOR
placing them with reipea u each Other,
on permanent and mutually advantage
Gus footing. And does not common pru
dence then require US TO wait Tor this perl
cd and fee the consequences /?
But the preGdent declares that It is
with latsfartiou he finds that " the Bri-
ti(h parliament have anticipated the inb
ieef 70 far as TO autnolife mutual aboliti
on of duties and countervaling duties.
We lhal! rot flop here to enquire by what
authority the Britilh parliament can pals
a mutual law between Tie countries, but
capnos avoid obferving that after the pre-
ceding dilculion, 10 one, we fancy' will
doubt the resdinels Of Crest Britain TO
abolifh the counseryailing duties on her
part. Her Hatesnen would have ihown
themfelyes iefs quick lighted than we
have ever known them, if they had refu-
fed their acquieicenee TO a measuse 70 On
cquivocally in favor Of their own COM
merce. Have we not feen that the an
nnal balance Of duties has been greatly
and invariably againR her, and that by
this /" friendly accumulation as cur
preGdens calls it, Che efetiually removes
this uat1icudly balance at a ffroke? With
out meaning tocall in quefion the !ibeIali,
ty of tina, country in this infance, fill
we cannot regard this mealure in any O.
Their light than merely as an acceeding on
her part to an invitation given on ours
(for we do rot forget that this has been
aated on the floor of the houfc Of ccm-
mon.) in which her inclination and her
interea are no way at variance with her
complaifance.
While engaged in writing the above pa
ragraph, gentleman has called at the OF
fee who was in London at the time this
fubieea was before the Briti(h parliament,
and aiIures the editor that but one imprei-
fion prevailed there at that time, which
was, an unaffected furpriie that the ATse-
ricans fhonld thus haltily abandon the only
navigation aA they ever had, and the con-
Cant operation of which, had been highly
beneficial TO them. Well might they ex-
prefs iurprife but they knew not what 1t
IS for nation to be blcfed with phllofo-
L.I L:.c ,,,n;nrafa uho fuhtf,tuteS