The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-04-17


and the trade was throw open to such neu-
trails AS we Thought fit to allow to partake
in this licence trade. Now, with regard to |
these neutrals, he would ask, what was the !
:operation of their admission to- this trade \
upon cur own policy, which had been al |
ways reckoned of SO mitch importance,-the |
policy of encouraging OUR marine, and OF en- |
crossing, as far as possible, the carrying |
trader What must be the effect, in tins !
view, Of holding out such facilities to those /.
neutrals who were most under the power OF
the eneinys 1t was by such neutrais that tie
l,cence trade was conducted. Papcnburgh-
e,s, Embdeners, Swedes, Danes, &c. came
0ut, he did not know from what ports; and
by means Of these licences, were often ena-
bled to carry on 4 direct trade with France
and Holland. Suppose, for instance, YES
sci cleared out from Papenburgh.- wherever
that was, whose ultimate destination was
Rotterdam, port somewhat better known.
with licence bearing, that she was to touch
1t the Downs; was it not obvious that she
might make directly, for Rotterdam, 1t she
scould escape our cruizersl And so, in tact,
1t often happened, as was we'll known in our
courts of admiralty But admitting that
they carried on a trade that entirely centred
In this country. not one of those VOYAGES but
t1raed as much to the advantage ct france
as ourselves and by whom was this trade
conducted! What was the effect ofthe sys-
TEN in this respectl sHow much had TO
reign tonnage, and seafneh employed in our
trade, increased since 1867 1t appeared
ID at the tonnage had doubled, and the mum :.
Der of seamen much more than doubled since
that period. 'sWllat nursery of seamen for.
the fleets of the enemy had this system pre-
-pareds IF these facts did not prove the ne
sessity for enqui,y. he could hardly figure 10
himself any case that would call for it. The
complaints of, the ship-owners of Hull,
Shields, &c. were borne out by the papers
on the table and the subject demanded the
most speedy and serious investigation. The
sncouragemcnt'thus given to neutrals under
the power of the enemy was in itself sufi-
GENTLY alarming; but it was to be observed,
that all the trade which,we carried OH by
their means might have been conducted by a
neutral not subject to the power of the enc
my. The favour shewn to 9onaparte's neu-
trails was at the expence o. America, a
power with whom we had norivalship-Lfrom
whose prospeEAy and greatness, we had no.
thing to apprehend. Yet. instead of resor,-
ing to American tonnage and seamen, We
threw every advantage into the hands of
those who. being under the power of France,
means; and with these means we were now
doing our utmost to furnish them. (Hear,
8.or = -. =, r
What was The effect Of this system on
England itself? 1t was novelty in the ST.
tuation Of. the trade of this country mot
that government interfered with it, for it had
often been medtiled with before, perhaps,
not much to its advantage,-but that it was
constantly, system atically, and almost en-
tirely managed by the executive. The ge-
neral trade of the country was-not now CON-
Quoted by the merchants of London, Liver
pool, Hull, and the other great commercial
cities, but by the president and vice presi-
dent of the Board of Trade. They were net
employed like those: who formerly sat at
that Board, in devising the means of giving
encouragement TO our commerce on great
scale, and in considering how that of the
enemy might be best depressed; but their
mornings were occupied in asserting car
goes. and settling the proportion of the va
rious sorts of goods that ought to be carrie
out in vessels of given burden ~. 81. v..ri-y
the city of London, were the most incompe-
tent. He was only dealing with the right
hoaourable. vice president. (Mr. Rsse) in his
mercantile capacity, not in his political; and
De again affirmed, that he knew no more
about asserting cargoes than. the honorable
gentleman who sat near him (Mr. Whar-
ton,) who being secretary of the treasury,
had lately come out as an epic poets: Was
it = suitable employment for my lord Ba-
thurst, and the right honourable gentleman.
10 pass their mornings in asserting careoes
in laying their heads together, and weighing
with the most serious attention and delibera-
ton, what proportion of cargo should con-
sist of II lis, what of cotton twist, and what OF
scissors,-whether it might not be best to
exclude the scissors altogether, and aug
nlent the proportion of nails, or retain the
nails and exclude the scissors Ia laugh,
or whether the country might not be entire
ly ruined by the introduction of a little
henp.f These lucubrations did not become
them :. and having a great respect for the
right honourabie gentleman, III his political
capacity, he had really so little for him in
his mercantile, that ne could not help trem-
bling to think what would he the conse-
quenoes OF leaving our trade to such ma
nagcment, -,
: He lid mot mean to say. that they were
gnilty of abusing this power--that the licen-
tcs were given from favour and partialty !:
but it had appeared, that by the mistake OF
q clerk in one word, paper had been de-
ivercd from the Office for which his Hon.
Friend near him (Mr. Baring,) the grea-
test. merchant in the world, declared il
would have been worth his while to have
given $4,000. Was it not dreadful, that
our trade should be carried on in such n
manner, that an effect like this should
have resulted from so trihing mistake !!
Who knew if this was the only mistake, and
whether the hint might not be taken to do
these things Intentionally ? But wac there
no other way by which this system might
ILL.