Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-07-23

the money directly Hob' wv" ~ -.
it in your treasury. They can recover
nothing of the tax paid from the consul
mers, as European nations are the con-
sumers, and We arc wholly unable 10 re-
culate or control their markets. he
above remark is equally true and appl-
cable to the duty paid on salt.
The amendment proposed is most I'M
portant as it affects the interests oil the
nation. You can obtain little from tsh-
ermen. The business Is too poor IL
will not afford it. They are now DIS
tressed more than any other class OF Gle
tizcns. | assure you they cannot pay
into YOUR treasury one ihisd OF all the
profits of their voyages. Wy therefore
YOU prosecute the notions OF some, you
may destroy the fisheries, but vii gain
very little revenue.
Snail call the attention OF this house
to Encland and France as examples tor
US? Much as those nations need reVe.
nue. thew have not resortcd 10 taxation OF
their fisheries. They have uniformly
encouraged their fisheries. They have
laid duties on the importation OF foreign
fish, or prohibited them altogether and
given beumies to their own fishermen.
Shall we tax our fisheries, and to SO
great IN amount trust not.
The fisheries have been Justly consi'
dered the nurseries OF seamen; the best
seamen in the world. Without hshe'
ries we can have but few good seamen,
unless we continue to employ foreigners,
which will always involve US IN war.-
Without seamen we can have no COM
merce. certainly shall not attempt to
prove to this House the intimate and ne
cessary connection between commerce
aud agriculture and manufactures, and
every other species of interest in the
country.
" The loss Of seamen unnoticed would
be followed by other losses In a long
train. If we have no seamen, our ships
will be useless, consequently our ship
timber, iron ard hemp, our shlp-bulid-
lug will be all at an end ship-carpen-
turs go over to other nations our young
men have no call 20 the sea, our produce
carried in foreign bottoms, be saddled
with war freight and insurance, IN time
Of war;"
"France, sensible of the necessity OF
balancing the power of England on the
water, and therefore OF improving every
resource for raising seamen, aud seeing
that her fishermen could not ma'n'aln
their competition without some public
patronage, adapted the experiment oil
bounties on her own fish and duties on
that Of foreign nations brought into her
markets.
"The plan Of the English govern
ment since the peace, has been to prs
hibit all foreign fish in their markets, *
they have given from eighteen 10 fifty
pounds sterling, on every fishing vessel
complying with certain conditions. This
policy is said to have been SO tar sue
cessful as to have raised the number OF
seamen employed in that business since
1886, to fourteen thousand, and the qusn-
tity of fish taken to seven hundred and
thirty two thousand quintals.
GA view Of the Cedhshery enables as
to mark the fact, that 1t is too poor bn-
siness to be left to itself, even with the
nation most advantageously situated.
"The Cod and Whale Fisheries car
ried on by different persons, from differ
eDt ports, in different vessels, In differ
ent seas, and seeking different markets,
agree in one circumstance, In being as
improbable to the adventurer as Impor-
tart to the public"
"On the whole the historical view we
have taken of the fisheries, proves they
are so poor in themselves as 10 come 10
nothing with distant nations who 90 not
support them with their treasury. We
have seen that the advantages oil our po-
silien place our fisheries on ground
some what higher, such as to relieve our
treasury from the necessity OF giving
them support, but not to permit. II t.
draw support from them, nor to dispense
the government from the obligation for
effectuating free markets Tor them.
In every vieu in which have been a.
bic to examine the subject, II dogs ap.
pear 20 me that the proposed amend
ment ought to be adopted l do believe
it COMFORTS with the true policy ct the
United States as we'll as the interest of
those whom il is intended more immc-
diateIy TO affect.
five lock back to the commencement
of the law laying duty on salt in the
wear 1870, we shall find drawback oil
ten cents per quintal was also allowed Oil
the expectation Of dried Fish A draw
back was also allowed on the barrel or
the expectation ofprovisiOns and picked
FISH.
The law allowing drawback on the
expectation of dried fish, was repealed
in the year 1872. but an allowance was
made to vessels engaged in the Goldfish.
cry, similar to the allowance proposed
by the amendment on your table. TINS
.t.o~...,a 20. ,1oderetcnd and q ire sEI