Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-10-27

viii corn. Without the oil and the silks, and
The cotton, these countries might exist !; but
the southern could not, IN many cases pos
s;bly exist without the nccessaries OF NC
from the north; and of carrying on tEis
commerce there are no means o''et 'i' q
those ofamaritI,ae ma. ure.
The extent of this commerce, IN the co.
miuiops ef Napoleon, is scarcely to Deere
di,cd by those who are not acquainted VIA
the facts. Along tbs coast OF Nap! $, US
cany. Genoa, aud Piedmont; from the.
southern provinces of France and Mar
settles. thro' Cette, and the grand canal OF
Louis XIV to Bordeaux, and THENCE along
the Atlantic coast of France, the whole OF
the coast of Holland, and into the hibe
in short from the Baltic to the southern
point of Italy, all the countries are con
nected by chain ofcommerclai intercourse
as complete perhaps as ever existed IN the
world, and as ad, antageous as 1t is extern
siye. This commerce is, by your maJes;ys
servants. spoken of under the dsgrad ng
appella,ion of "a mere casting trade;
but thi. is precisely that trade which is real
Ii advantageous 10 a nation. IL England
were cut off from all communication with
foreign nations she wouldin pointof strength
and happiness suffer nothing at all. But
cut eff the communicates between London
ard the coal mines, the inhabitants OF Lon
don must perish or dispense. There arc Sc
veral branches of our coasting trade, ct
degree of importance to US greater than all
our foreign commerce put together. 1t tor
instance, oily one years interruption were
TO take place in the exchange OF Goals tor
timber between Cumberland, on the one
part, and Hampshire and SussA on the
other part. the woods of these latter coun'
tries must be burnt to Keep the people from
perishng, whereby as the exchange now
going on these woods are preserved, the
people have fuel in plenty, and that fuel, al
.er having given comfort in that capacity,
becomes valuable manure tor the land
One years interruption Of this exchange,
would do England more harm than would
Be done ty the sinking of all foreign conn-
tries TO the bottom of the sea. This 49,
how. yer, orlv one instance out OF hundreds
which might be enumerated /; and, without
any thing more being said, it must, | think,
be as clear as The sun at noon-day, that II
The enemy ere at,c to put stop 10 our
coasting trade, it sht at cnce be asserted,
that he had it in his power 70 reduce Us to
his own terms, be they what they might.
Is it TOT then worth IT,; while Of your ma
j. IA. 10
Of those who are entrusted with the con-
ducting of the war, to inquire what is the
cxeen, of the coas;ing trade OF the French
empire, and TO inform themselves as to the
means Of destroying, or, at least, interrupt
ing that trade? To attack, or to oppose Ma
poison in Spain, Naples. Sicily, Sweden,
Denmark, Hanover, or in the East or West
Indies, is what it would be for an enemy to
attack us in Nova. Scotia, Canada, or IN
any of our colonies, where, though defeat
might produce modification, it would not
seriously affect lis neither in our comforts or
in the sources Of our national strength. We
should regret the loss of Canada, perhaps,
or of West India island; but the loss,
Ike that of Child our of a numerous taml-
ly. wouG not be felt in our affairs. we
should still be rs rich and as strong as be-
tore but cut off the means Of sending corn
and timber and iron, and tin, and coal, a
| ing our coast, from one part of the king
dom TO the other, and the distress is Instant
" felt. In fact, the different parts OF the
kingdom can no more dispense with the
coasting trade, than the farmer can dis
pense with the aid of the blacksmith and the
wheelright.
This, it will perhaps be said, is not the
case with the countries under the dominion
of Napoleon. But will it then be asserted
that those countries, though extending al
most across The whole oft European con-