Jenks' Portland gazette. Maine advertiser., 1803-01-10

ton Lay before you an a6 Of the Bri-
iiih Parliament anticipating This fubIef.
70 far as to authorize mutual abolition
Of the duiies and countervailing duties,
permitted under the treaty Of roe
1t ih1ws on their part q fpirit Of iuGic.
| and friendly accommodation, which Il 10
our duty and our intereas to cultivate
with all nations" We recolled the
famous Revolutions brought forward
lat winter by General Smith, for re.
pealing the law laying discriminating
! duties, and.we recollea too thar it ap-
peared pretty clearly, from fair exam
inalion Of The fpeeehes which he and his
friend Giles made On the occalion, that
neither Of lhem underaood one word
about the fubjed. The project was
then given up, at lean for thar feafon
bur from THIS allnGcn to il in the Mef4
fage, we prefume il IS again to be brot'
forward few remarks on it COW
therefore, may not be deemed imperti-
nent.
1t was at that time Gated By the mo-
yer OF the Refolution that J" by the
operation of The exiting laws of Great
Britain, laying counteryailing duties,
they Polek .ao advantage 70 great as 70
MAKE a difference in their favor of as
Retling gihead, upon the freight Of
every hogihead Q. tobacco fhipped frcm
our ports in a Britilh yefel they will
t6erefore have the whole difference Of the
market price in their favor, ,againlt
American clippers, and of courfe If we
do not make proviiion 70 guard agaidlt
the contingency, the ovbols Of CIR eoa0oy
ing trade may go into tbcir bands" Thus
fpoke the great general Smith, pickt
forward by the great PreliJenr ia ad-
dtion TO which he alto faid that !. Great
Britain had laid countervailing duties
to an extent net perhaps autbOried By the
treaty. And then his honorable friend
Mr.. Giles got up and faid that the
countervailing duties of Great Britain
operate at this time injurionly 70 our
commerce he believed it had been
carried BY them beyond TIE legal Emifs Of
| ibe treaty" Thus ipoke he.
1t appeared however On a far exam
ination into The fubjea that G.eat Bri.
tain had no; only not exceeded the legal
limits OF The treaty, but that in her
countervaiIing duties fhe bad itopped
very far ihort Of the length expressly
allowed her by that inttrument thar
even 10 tobacco (th= very article felea-
ed by Gen. Smith to fhewshe ir1meof=
advantage fhe had over Us, and what
an "excellive ule'' ihe had made os
n,) fhe. had not carried it 70 high by
about o-ioths. as fhe might have done,
and that inliead Of laying duty of
10 per cent on the duties paid By Ter
own importers, aa BY treaty fhe had 4
right to lay, THAT beng The rate Of our
| alien duties, which ihe was therefore az
liberty to counteryai, the duly adual.
| ly laid, Of IS. the hogthead or loths.
of farthing per 10. was not quite one
per cent. So thai all this complaint of
unfairnels or even a rigorous exercil1
of right on the part Of Great Britain
turned out to BE- the mere creature, of
their imaginations. .s..
. But 1t was alledged that our difcri,a-
mating duties which it was granted by
the honorable mover hi:nlelf had q op-
Grated like charm il time of war.
was nc. calculated for time Of peace.
and that fomething mutt be done TO
| provide asqp means TO guard our trade
and retain il in our own hands," all
which it was fuppoied, would be com
pletely efeaed by rerealing the law
laying Discriminating duties. We beg
permiaion to repeat on this location
what we faid on that.
I" So far from our PROPERTY 10 this
rapett, being owing 10 the European
7uar, il is alerIed with rome confidence.
that had not that war have occurred,
foreign tonnage would by this time.
hardly have been kno wn in our ports
The war, by turning 90 our flores the
| Daniih, Swedilh, Han sfc- Town, Raeu-
f.n and NeaPolitan veiIels, SC. to lupply
the vacancy occafoned by the ualult
captures and deteniions Of our own
veiiels by the beligeItnt powers, kept
up the foreign tonnage, which IN a time
Of peace would have been nearly. car orr
by the gradual, but fure operation os
| this wife and polite aa. As. it is,
however, we now carry by far the grca-
ter part Of what is imported, and Of
| the experts we carry O Izths.