The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-10-03
No. IL.

But if the moft nterefing and important CON
alterations forbid the dangerous guar cyeoti,o
and expeuiive fundamentally of a large navy to
protect our commerce, and iince trade is high
iy deiirabie, and lndiipenhbly necehary TO the
p'Hnters ana farmers, 1t IS proper to devile a
ttyttem OF protection for it and this is an OBJ
leet demanding the temperate invefieation and
careIui reflection OF every deicription ofour CT
tzens.
The following queftons may help to lead us
TO the true ground
/. Should the U. States have any navy, and
how ftrong or numerous ihould it be
2. what ihouId be the commercial puriuits
of the u. S.?
3. By what means, other than navy can
the U. States promote and protect their COM
merce
10 the frtt quefion, requiring much calm
InveitIgation, II is conceived that the following
ideas may ferve as an imperfect anfwer. 1t is
not byJoTee that we can protect our trade from
the great navIeS of the primary maritime pow.
ers for 1t is conceived that zve eauuot at bre
lrnt and ought not to etabliih a naval force e..
quail TO theirs, on account of the mon0rous
expenfe, the danger TO our civil inltitutions and
for the other reaions before aligned aganli the
etabliihment of great naval power in the u. S.
But we may protect our trade by force from
the petty and irregular fates, whole commerce
with us affords no means of acting upon them I:
iuch, tor example, as the feveral flates of Bar
barry. Heet concentrate with fuch obir6ts
and no more, appears to be that limited force.
which we may eltablilh without any of the OBJ
Jeaions to great navy which have been fug.
geited. If ave are 10 go further in tbi5 dange-
roHJ and esRLy operation, it is rejbeffuLy re-
commended fbaf tie fnljed be mn fborgngbly ex-
a0li1ed and 7veI eonEdered.
The iecond queflon propofed is, what mould
he the commercial purfuits of the United
States To this it may be generally replied,
that no trade whatever, internal or external,
qvbieb HtaTeJ agriculture or benefits The ,ner-
ebanf5 only, at a great eepenJ, to ibe reR of fb,
community, ihoud be purified.
1T is our intereR to import implements and
materials for manufactures, and manufacturer,
themielves, which will employ many vefTeIs,
rather than to import manufactured goods
which will employ very few.
III Us our lnteret to promote and elfablifh in.
ternal trade, of which manufactures are a ~ of
valuable part, rather than external trade be.
cauie the raw materials and family 1upplies OF
the American manufacturers, f(hermen and
coafers, are drawn from ourfelyes, or from
our carrying trade, which an is very little pro.
NOTED by the importation of compact foreign
manufactures.
Livery act or unlawful impeachment, iniuftice
embarraiiment, or injury to our foreign trade
and navigation, and to our navy, ought to be
Hrong and animating incentive to our do.
meitic trade and manufactures, becaufe they arc
Iefs fubjeet TO thofe foreign injuries, and be-
caufs The cultivation of internal trade anr
manufactures, filently operates as q fine or peaal
~ upon the foreign invaders of our marlin,
lights, and the foreign violators Of our CONNER
cial intereits.. We hould render it perfectly
manitet, and absolutely certain to Europe