The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-07-23

colonies all means of iupply, initead of Tending
them any, that letters OF the flri6tet and harih-
eft tenor were received by the chief of colony
respecting The admiflion of American velIels,
and holding out inprofpea the dangers annual
ly Unidentified againit, although the colony was
at that very time in late of the greateit diff
trefs, and many whites and negroes had actually
periihed Of famine, or of difeafes which famine
had provoked. At this very period, fupplics of
-four, embarked in this kingdom for the colo
mics, were by order actually re-ianded and re-
tsined."
Lord Sheffield is here fhewn TO have cenfured
the licenfes, without Rating the IL, gent circum-
Nances which rendered them absolutely indif-
penfable. It is alto proved that he charges the
merchants and planters with fceking an unli-
mited intercourie with America, while they on
ly fo,icit that the wifdom of the Legislature
mould provide efettual means for carrying on
that reitritte,l communication, without which
the i1ands cannot fubtift, and which Great-Bri-
tain has hitherto allowed.
MIR. Jordan is anxious not To entrench on the
claims of the parent late he acknowledges her
right to monopoze the whole trade of her CO.
, lcnies, and all its apprrtenances, imports, ex-
ports, and carriage: but if, from choice or ne
cefIity, The abandons any part OF this commerce,
in the cafe of the prefent inftance with regard
to the more heavy articles required by the colo
; mics, fle either ought to leave them 20 fupply
the defeG in their own way, or ellie fhould eff
fe6tually make this psovifion on their behalf.
The Brisifh government fanetoned the inter-
courfS, but it provided an Inefficient channel
for IT; and when the Legislature had granted.
+. inch permiilion, fhall it be reproach to the
planters and merchants TO require that without
which the grants Intellectual, and without which
they NUT have died of famine, and the produce
havc peri.hed for want of the means of package
Yet it &c fuch difpenfation with the requiiti-
ons of an Imperfect act Of parliament which the
noble lord 70 ftrongly- centuries. 1t is not diff
renting power, as oppofed TO regular and &c
tahlilhed law, that forms the burden Of his la
menta.ion, but the exifcnce of TIE drpeufltions
! in AIRY ihape; yet The real iituation nf things
procaims that the fland would have been ciepo-
printed, their produce wtfsC,, ii the act OF
parliament lad been rs lie dcGgcd, rsorouGy
enforced.
It is here iufiy obitrvtd that, If Grea; Britain
allows colony to carry on branch of com
merce with another tate, ii ought to be govern
ed by the fame policy with that which regulates
the like intercourc the part of the mother
country. Now Great-Britain allows goods to
ne imported in its own fhipping, and in that of
the ftate OF which they are the produce; the
principal navigation laws are therefore founded
IN national reciprocity; and it would be mpof-
iible to pats more ftrict navigation Ra,utes, fee
ing that they affected other ftates rs well as the
fate enattng them. In our traffic, then, with
another nation, the fhips of that nation and the
ihiPs of this country indiferently import the
goods which belong to that nation. If we place
colony in the fame lituation with regard to
branch of commerce, it is natural that the fame
rule fhould be obferved namely, that the goods
imported ihould be brought indifferently in the
thippirg of Great Britain, or of the COLONY, or
OF the th'ppng of the country whence they are
derived.
Mr. Jordan, who views this fubieGi in all its
bearings, rightly remarks, that another fate is
party in this matter; that we mutt lcgiflate with
her in view as we'll as ourielves; and that we
ought to obfrrve the reciprocity which is con-
fulted in the chief navigation acfs. We may en-
act that we fiall export and import in colonial
or Br1tIfh bottoms between the colony and a.
merica; but America will have right to COM
plain OF the want of reciprocity, and mott pro-
badly will not fail to excrcife that right. The
colony, qnoa4 this particular traffic, fhould be
regarded as identified with the Metropole; and
the fame rnle fhould direct the intercourse with
foreign ftates.
1t is alto very important obfervaton of this
author, that, ifin peace we fupply the colonies
with American articles in Britiih bottoms, the
conveyance of the fame articles in time of war
IN American bottoms will be, on our own con-
ftruetion ofthe laws of the nations, a contra
band trade, and be liable to lawful capture bv
our enemy; whereas, by acting on the provi!i-
ons OF our leading marine ftatutes, that is, by
admitting American produce Ito the extent IL
mited by the 2sth of George HI.) TO be brought
indifferently in Britifi or American bottoms,
the colonies in time of hofiility will, in regard
to necefarics and other efTential articles, be put
out OF all hazard. We truft that considerations,
10 ably lated, and 70 temporarily urged, win
not fail OF producing the deiired end namely
an act which would effettualy fecure to the
colonies the Benefits contemplated by the 2:th
OF the king, bctto which i: has proved utterly
Inadequate.
If thecoloual intercourfe with America conf
nedtots legalhmts, * Mr.. J. otferves, that frich
rs the vigilance of the revenue officers, that
there can be no apprehension of this not being
done) It ought to be regarded with fatisfac,icn
rather than jealoufy fnce it can only grow in
proportion to the great carrying trade with En-
gland. It's, he tells IN, as little the interef.
as it is the duty of the Weft-India proprietors,
TO with that this valuable monopoly glould be
invaded. On the part of bimfelf and his confti
tuents, he renounces any intention of directly
or indirectly diminifhing this grand fource Of
Britiif, wealth and on the contrary, he con-
tends, that the nece1ary regulations, which he
recommends, if once fixed ON legal unchang-
ing BATS, would materially increafe the con(ien-
ments 70 the parent ftate.-For the particulars