The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-05-17

cOvtr them, 5-iS with iiaves tor making ;h,. |
hog'Eeads and pune hecns wherein TO tcnd tl,e !
produce Of the co'opy, 10 the mother country.
In payment for there articles of prime neceiiity |
the. planters have been hitherto permitted to
'cmploy, in part, the produce or their land
but this pcrnihion has extended, believe. no
further than the,articles OF rum and molanes,
and has been confined, as to value, always with
in the amount Of the importation in each A
n'erican yelel respectively, fill preierving 10 the
mother country all the uieful and practicable
advantages of colonial moaopoly. This inter
ceur!e is new TO l,e putan end to; and, obferve.
700, that this itcp is taken in time OF war, and
at "A time when the colony is already linking nm
der the burthens imrofed upon its predictions
That the articles above enumerated are abfo
iutely neceiiary to- the very exiitence of the CO.
iony of Jamaica cannot be denied and, that
they are to be obtained, in fufficient quantity,
no where but in the American Gates, isauother
incOntroverlible roition. But, fay the part-
fans of this meaiure theie articles viii be Jun As
good when conveyed in Britiii ihiPs, as when
conveyed in American ihips and when rgo-
rous adherence to the navigation laws, in this
refoeet, will tend to increaie the Brtil,, and 10
diminiih the American mercantile marine.
True, the articles will be full as .2ood, when con-
veyed in Brtiih fhips, but there is little .ik in
anerting that they will not be half 20 ctt4b or,
to !peak more correctly, that they will 6e twice
rs dear as when conveyed in American ihips.
Britifh ihips, from the high price Of their build
ing and repairs, and from the dearneis CT their
provihons. always fail dearer than American
| ihips. Then, obierve, that the carving trade
between America and the Welt-Indies Will be
| nine times out of ten at ditance from the
owner. AT preftnt. and always in time OF war,
the Britifi Hips will he liable to be ftripped OF
their men every time they come into Wet
India port, while the infurance on the vellcls
and cargo mut be five times as high as upon a.
! merican veflels circumstances that will caufe
very great addition TO the expences of
navigating, and, of courf, to the amount
| OF the articles imported in fuch h;ps
| But, is this all ? Is there nothing to be ap.
pretended from thecountera6tng meafures, that
viii be adopted, on the part OF the United
States? In order to anfwer this queition, we
mutt form All opinion of what thofe rneafures
will be and, i'll Older to form that opinion
with tolerablc correctness, we have only to read
the report made to the Congrefs by MIR. Jeffer-
ion, in the year 793, when he was Secretary
of State for foreign affairs. In that report
(Which will be found entire in the Political Re-
glitter, vol. /. p. SOL he frt delcribes, with
great preciion, the checks which the different
nations of Europe have oppofed to the COM
mercc and navigation of the United States
then he comes to the remedies, which it NAV
be wife to adopt, in order to produce the re-
moval OF thofe checks. Amongst the fcveral Ca
les, for which thefe remedies calculated, he
itates precilely that which will arife out OF the
ireioution adopted by the governor and Coun
Gil of Jamaica and here is the remedy he pro-
lpofes. ''Where nation refufes to our vellcs
(, the carriage of any of our own productions, to
certain countries under their domination, we
might refnje TO Theirs, of every defcription, The
carriage Of tie fame productions to THE tame
Countries. But, asjufice and good neighbour
hood would dictate, that thofe who have no
part in impoiing the refrictions on us,'' mean
ing the Wet India colonilts &c ihould not be
the victims of meafnres adopted to defeat tn.
effect of thofe reftrietions, it may be proper to
conhne our refrictions to veilcls owned, or na
vleated by any fubject of the fame dominant
power, other than the inhabitants of the coun
try, to which the faid productions are TO be
carried" That is to fay, that with regard to
Jamaica, for inftance, no American produce
ihall be fuffered to be. illipped .hither in anv
Iveiel belonging to fubjt6ts Of England, except
thoie tubjectS live in the iiland of Jamaica.
|" And" continues he, &c to prevent all incon-
venience the faidinhabitants, aswell as to our
own, by too hidden checi, or the means of
transportation, we may continue to admit. the
vefiels marked for future EXECUTION, on an All
Vanced tonnage and for fuch length of time on
ly, as may be fuppoicd necetary to guard 4
gainft that Inconvenience" Thus, fnppoGnp
this, the mott mild meafure to be adopted. the
immediate confequence of the Jamaica regula-
ton will be an advance upon the tonnage duty
of Britifh ihipsi in all the American ports and
this will, of courfe, form another item in the
additions which will be made to the neceGaries
of life in Jamaica. 1t may be aiked, whether
the Americans will adopt fuch meafures to the
certain dmunition in the amount of their pro-
duce fold to the Wef-Indies. To which this
is Mr.. Jefferfon's anfwer. at is true. we muf
expect fome Inconvenience in practice, from
the eftablifhment Of discriminating duties.
But, in this, as in 70 many other cafes, we are
left to chooie between two evils.-Thefe in
convenience are nothing, when weighed araint
the lofs of wealth and lofs of force, which will
follow our perseverance in the plan of indic
elimination" When, therefore, we recollef
that this Mr.. Jefferfon is not only nozu Pref.
! dent of the United States, bit that he has been
again choien to fill that Office for four wears.
beginning in the next month, when his prefent
Proficiency will expire I; and, when we recolle6t.
that there is now no party OF any confeouence
to oppofe any meaiure that he may with TO A.
dept; when we recolle6t how great fayorite
| the Wen India commerce is in the u. States
! and how necefIary an exchange of commodi.
ties with the iflands is to the people of Ameri-
ca when we recolleet thefe things, it is i'm
NIf n.,f rot, T..,.4 IL, !. H..