Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1812-12-07
4 dollars per annuin.l


| importation has not been actually and ma,cA
rally advantageous to the gn.ernment.
Having IN the answer already transmitted.
| stated all the important facts within my
knowledge, / cannot present the subject INA
| any new or other view than that exhibited
by those facts.
The payment OF five millions ofdollars fo1,
duties on those impostatiUns had been sta
ted, and IS advantageous to government
lntln ect aid may also perhaps be derived
from the i-creasc of supplies, and from the
return Of American capital produced by that
event. But these advantages, whatever they
may be, have been forced upon government,
and cannot be urged as a service rendered
by the importers. Had those advantages
been supposed sufficient 10 outweigh other
ohlical considerations, the imported ms
might have been, and still might b e III
te' 1and1 tguiased by law. in the case cfthc
Sa'cutta vessels, whose Cargoes Gor the
landing of which in the United States b. nd
bad been given in India have by the act OF
5,h jnly last en- admitted u entry this
was d}ne on the exp ess Condition If the
merchandise being warehaused md remain
ing subject To- the future discussion of go
vernment thus reserving the power q fix
the terms on which those cargoes sho Id be
restored to the ow .cr- and their sale per-
mltied. In the case now under consitlsrati-
Oh, the persons who have imported Contra
ry tn law do not seem entitled to more adj
vantagcs shan woul,' probably have been m
posed, had previoul permission been era Mt
ed.
Upon the whole Continue in the opinion,
submitted with great Difference to the M
mit'e,, that the ne half OF the es
which would otherwise tall to the share OF
collectors ought to be remitted , that.
with respect to the on halt belonging t the.
United States, justice ITO the cnmnu..itv re-
CURES that, when RENTED, AT least IN elui-
vtient may be secured to lie .,ubac for the
extra profit, beyond that on comm II impors
titions, which arises from the continuance
o: The uen-importation act.
l have the honor to be,
With great respect,
Sir, your "bedient servant,
ALBERT GALLATIN.
Honorable LaHgdon Cheves, Cnaira.an
OF the committee of Ways and Means.
Eramination Of Committees oT Merchants.
&c.
several committees Of the petitioners and
| other merchants ntere led in :. csc irlor-
IA ms attended your committees these.
were,
John G. Coster, John Mason. Vast, ingtan
Irving, and Abraham K. Laurence, from n.
| York
| Nathan Appleton, from Boston
Caleb ericsson, junior, William Schlatter
and Samuel Harvey, from Philadelphia /;
and
Luke Herman, Philip T. Thomas and E..
van Thomas, from Baltimore.
The statements made by these gentlemen,
| who are men OF character and responsibility:
were deiiveded apparently with such fair
ness and CANTOR as induced your committee
4 Ia or liz 81,
ments made by the committee from New.
Y.rk, have been corroborated and conf ne
| ed by declarations made or oath, by persons
dsinterested, as well as those interested in
these importutons
NEW YORK
The committee rom New York stated.
that the current reports Of enormous adj
vances obtained by them were not well found
cd ; that some Of them were entirely un-
founded ; that they had, for example. heard
| Il stated that three hundred per cent had
been obtained III New York that a local.
mode OF selling English goods in New-York
must have lad the foundation of this mis-
statcment that it is usual in that city to de-
mand and 10 obtain three for one, in the sale
OF such goods, which means 6 New York
currency, iar sterling, which really Yields
| but Sixty-eight and two thirds per cent. adj
vance on the prime cost. They admitted
THAT pdTllCu!aF aruClH bad been sold foT We
ry high prices that these prices, however,
were not eXacted from a desire or determi-
nation to include in them the penalties which
might be enforced by the government; but
nom the great competition which existed in
the market tor the articles: that Tor these
articles theTs was, to use the words of MIR.
living, Dnc Of The committee, {" q. ravenous
demand :" that it was understood that there
were three aT"y Contractors ~ one time
bidding upon each other that these articles
were tewi IN number and formed but a small
part ct the amount imported that they did
not exceed one eighth part Of that amount.
that there were none nf them in the invoices
OF some importers hat Mr. Coster, ore OF
the petitioners, had imported to the amount
of nearly 6 10000 sreriing prime cost, and
had not received an article Of this descru-
, ton has he goods which commanded
such high prices consisted principally Of 5ian-
kets and coarse woollens that these were.
bulky articles and paid q high freight.
/. That the same Circumstance made them
liable To an extraordinary portion Of other
f charges; that the very high prices which
, were obtained were often received by I'd and
p Sd purchasers and not by the importers
that there are three descriptions Of dealers
in these goods in New Tock: lst, the LARGE
importers; IDLY, large purchasers, who
have money at command, who are well &C
quainied with the state Of Tire marsc. for G.
very article, and when there is a scarciiv cf
a particular article, monupnlisc itard raise
the price these are called iol5ers ard
3dly, the retailers; and they stated shat
the very high prices alluded 70 had &c
quen.ly bcrn received by thc second and