The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-10-24

some or these articles can possibly be bro't
to the arscncls at Portsmouth and Plymouth.
II this be the cases and sccuple not to as
sert that il is the Case. what are we doing |.
What is the use which your Majesty's SER
wants are making of the immcnse means
which the iadustrv aud patience, of your
people put into their haudsf If there be a
commerce, such as have described car
rled on between the different ports Of Napo
leon, of what use. as the means of keeping
him in check are the thoasend ships OF war
now employed? Of what use is il. if this
commerce is to go on uninterrupted and
OF what use is it that the sea is covered with
your majesty's ships. and that history will
record the valor of YOUR seamen A.. OF what
avail is It, that we DESTROY French ships OF
war. while we leave in full vigor, all the
means OF creating others TO supply their
place IT this be the way of making war,
1t must be clear to every one that we C an
never have peace, without being exposed to
imminent danger; for it will require but y
short space Of time for France to raise a
navy equal, in number at least, to any that
we can possess.
! The security of this extensive and most
valuable commerce of the French dominions
arises in great part from the use of land ST,
mails, or teiegraphs, constructed, placed
and managed as to keep the vessels upon
the coast at all times correctly informed of
what is passing upon the whole line of coast
From Flushing to Baycnne a report is ex
changed tour times day at light, ten o.
clock in the forenoon, two o'clock. and lust
before sun set. So that at Flushing they
know, four times during the day, what is
pass'rg at sea. within sight Of the highest
hill in the neighborhood of Baynnne, and of
Course they are informed of what is passing
at all the Intermediate ports of the coast
The same system is established along the
coast of the Mediterranean. from the Gulph
of Spezzia TO Rosas. The coasting vessels
thus instructed how to move; thus kept con
s.anty in state of perfect knowledge as T.
the situation of our fleets or cruigers, are
bic to sail in safety. carrying OF their trade
in as much security as If those ships were not
in existence and this only as Shall here
after prove to your majesty, from causes
which prevents the necessary exc r,iuns from
being made, and which causes may instant.
ly and easily he removed
The advantages to the nations flor they
are rnany) which carry on this commerce,
are not igreater than they are to Napoleon
himself IN his views of conquest and domi-
Mon From this commerce, notw ithstand-
| ing our opinions TO the contrary, he derives
no small part. of his revenue through the
means ut stamp-taX, imposed upon every
article exported or Imported and hence he
is able to dispense with direct fares which
are ALWAYS odious, and which are indeed
those which have uniformlv ended in excle.
ing the feelings and producing the acts, un
der which SO many governments have pc
rished. This is great point BY the means
OF this commerce, he DISCUSSES from his peo-
! pie the burdens which thev bear. 1t is in
deed gross imposition to tell people, hat
commerce pays taxes, the fact beng that
IN ia he
selves ; bu as your Majesty must have nb
served, it is an IMPOSITION, it is a fraud II IS
an act of duplicity and knavery, the success
OF which, in other countries, warrants the
belief that it must be greatly useful 10 your
Majesty's implacable and powerful enemy
Very much then, are your Majesty servants
deceived, when they suppose, that the EN-
peror Napoleon has no custom house, where
at to collect duties His Gale may not be
so noble as to afford him Dukes for receivers :;
he may not have Marquisses for Collectors.
B'ronets for wharhngers, and Knights ofthe
Eagle tor wine tasters but 1 am of opinion
that his custom house yields him much
greater clear revenue than is derived from
any similar establishment in the world-and
that 1t affords him the means of drawing
upon other sources of taxation with so spar
ing hand, that his people, especially with
in the ancient boundaries of France, have
reason to congratulate themselves upon the
comparative lghtness of their burthens A
great many of your Majesty's subjects in
Guiding some in hig IN station, have AT differ
ent times expressed their establishment, and
indeed their vexalion, that the people of
France should be slow in rebelling against
their Emperor with whom your Majesty
made treaty of peace and " amin" only
about seven or eight years ago but if they
had been informed of the facts here stated
relative to the commerce of France, and
especially relative tothe revenue yielded by
that commerce, together with the relief gil
ven thereby to all the other sources of tax
alton, itself not appearing as tax if they
had been duly informed of these facts, and
had been possessed of but very moderate
portion OF that sort of knowledge which en-
ables men to trace popular discomfort to their
real causes-they never would have enter
tanned hope of seeing rebellion in France
But great as are the financial advantages
OF this commerce, Napoleon derives from it
the still greater advantages attending such
a nursery of ssamen. 1t has been most clear
ly proved, over and over again, that for our
navy the nursery is our coasting trade
There requires, therefore, nothing more to
sanity us, that from a coasting trade such as
hav' described, the advantage to Napoleon
is so great as to excite well-grounded alarm
IN the m1nd of every rejecting Englishman.
Ut is from this cOpious source that the Empe-
ror OF France has drawn those hundreds of
thousands of sSamen with whom he has
manned his fees and squadrons for many
! years past, and which fleets and squadrons