The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-12-29

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,Pri.'ccting &dty has been laid on fish in,,or-
ted fron foreign countries - secure the co:i-
sumption OF out own >~-in;ry to- the labor of
its own fishermen, tnwtich little opposition
was made hv agricultural men. lntruth, MIR.
President, there has been no act OF hostility
shewn BY Congress to the COMMERCIAL inter-
est, and much, Very much OK real friendship
has been apparent in all the acts OF that boz
dy.
Ihave in my hand, Mr.. President, a re-
port of a committee made to Parliament in
! June last. The object of which was to
point out what aid could be afforded to their
sugar planters of the W. Indies. In this re-
port it is recommended, vigorously TO
6iockadc re colonies of their enemies, to
prevent any c2Gec, sugar, or Other colonial
PRODUCE being brought t6the u States from
thence, to compel Us to go to their islands
FOR the supply of all our wants of sugar,
coffee, rum, and molasses, and be subject
there to whatever high price they may
Charge thereon, and to whatever duty on
the expectation thereof they NAV think
proper to impose. This system which viii
be TO us system of taxation, has already
commenced, as may be seen by the block
ade lately declared of all the French islands.
1t will be continued, sir, and il the cn'h2r-
So were or, we should find ourselves CON-
pletely excluded from the benefits which
gentlemen have promised themselves BY q
trade thereto kctract our present mea-
sares. MIR President, and We submit to eve
, ry species OF taxation and oppression on our
commerce that q Britain or France may
think proper to impose thereon They will
think you degraded people, fit only to be
hewcrs of wood and drawers of water for
them. Nor is this visionary: six years ago
the british parliament taxed you in compa-
ny with their own colonies, (for they still
consider you IS co!onies) with duty on all
goods exported from G. Britain, of four per
cent. when toall other nations they charge
bnt one and half Per cent. Thus impos-
ing OH the u States an annual trihyte of one
million of dollars. We submitted TO that i'm
position, and this has encouraged them 10
proceed wiki other and heavier Cppres-
sions.
The gentleman from Connecticut, (Mr.
Hillhouse) has observed that we're the en-
barge oil, merchants would buy the produce
OF the land, the farmer would be relieved,
q the loss arising from capture by the belli-
Serents would fall upon the merchants
Why should we take care of them, said he, let
the merchants take care of themselves Is
TINS the language used when the memorials
were presented Did we then tell the mer-
chants to protect themselves? And is this
the tender friendship the gentleman from
OF he union Had such language come
from southern gentleman, dc honorable
gentleman trom Connecticut would have
good right to call it hostility 10 commerce
J he same gentleman has told us, that al
though France had interdced our COM
merce with England before the passing of
the embargo law, yet insurance did not rise
hVe per cent. on that account. The gentle
man rs correct /; it did not rise at all, for no
4
French capture under the Berlin decree;
ior the explanation given to Cen Armstrong
ny the French minister CT marine gave fail
security against every capture sn me nigh
seas ny he cruizers OF France for not one
Vessei was taken under that decree on the
hlSn seas; ct course insurance never did
rise on that account Ill America, nor in
Ehgiand, asappears by the examination of
iheichan before parliament, except for a
snort time The moment the explanation
given TO Gen. Arm strong Came 20 London
the insurance fell its usual rates, and this
viii account why Insurance did not rise in
America prior TO the passage Of the eu.aar-
go law But, sir, it wou,dD De verF diff rent
were the trade open and our vessc 5 subject
'oCaPtGre under the Milan decree. FiIva-
teers OF france knowing that our trade was
unprotected, would swarm upon the ocean,
and capture all that would be lett from the
expectations of G.. Britain.
Should the resolution to repeal the EN-
barge prevail, / have very little hesitation
lii saying. that the premium of insurance on
vessels bound to England would, in a short
tne, rise to twenty or twenty five per cent.
against capture by French cruizers and
mat no premium would induce the offices 70
underwrite vessels bound to the Continent Of
Europe against British cruizers.
we are ted by the gentleman from Mas
sacf'iaetts, (Mr. Lloyd that one Of the bel
iigeients makes war upon the world FOR uni
versal dominion, and Tie other for natal So
ium. For my part, Mr.. President, cannot
conceive why the United States should take
Part with either. Our policy has been en-
fanglemcntS sciM no foreign nati17,. | hope
Sir, We shall never turn Don Quixotcs in
support of one nation whose object is univer-
sal dominion on the land, nor in flver Of
the ether whose object (more injurious to
us)is tyra'.ny and universal dominion OH the
seas. he same gentleman has told us OF
immense fortunes being made in Canada, by
the advantages deriving to the merchants
there from embargo / beheNe there
nave been cvasions III the articles Of pot and
pearl ashes, which went to Canada but
cannot think it could amount To the guam
tity insnuated. The principHi trade to that
colony has been the export Of specie where
bills ot exchange on London have been pun
chased at 8 DCI cent below mar and cold at