Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-05-27
SKETCHES.
.agricaltaral s. commareial-sNI9. 2.

q !
! By staple, is meant some article.
abounding in particular region, whe-
tter It springs from the waters, the weeds
.r the fields, which the labor of man ga
theirs from these natural sources---Ar-
ticles which are comparatively raw, MOI
nianufactured---which come, as it were,
from the plastic hand of nature; before
.shey are wrought to use by much me-
chanicaI skill.
OF this description. are fish,. lumber,
ashes, grams, tobacco, rice, cotton they
are agricultural, more than maapfactar-
ing products--They seem rather to sprung
from nature than art--they are gathered
from the fields aud the waters, rather
than the celebrating work shops.
Sugar and Flour, too, are staple, be-
cause they not only abounded in certain
places, but they naturally abound there
The raw material, of which they are
tramed,i Just, as it were, out OF the
hands Of nature the straw or the cane
might have grown in the next field to the
mill or the press-frequen,iy On the same
farm aud the same proprietor.
lst Propositiop--Whereye these sta
pies are the richest, the Stale, which pos
sesses them, is 50 far likely to be the
richest.
I'd Proposition Wherever these sta
pes do not ficurish, where the soil is a
iho III noay onJ A. 4. mo farc ORR II Ia sfitufP OI
fish, the State is so far wanting in the
means Of prosperity. The axe, the
plough and the seine, being comparative
y useless, it must hy to some other
means Of support ; to manufactures, TO
|navigauon. :.
Which of the U. States, then boasts
tot the richest staples
Which Of them must bend its attic lion
to some other than agricultural Iaboutfs
One is at no loss TO see, that the
States, which have the richest staples,
Iare so far Superior TO others, not ONLY 10
I;heir trade with each other, but with to-
eign ports.
those, which are most defcientia sta
lies, may be superior in commercial
|capitai. They may purchase and ship
he staples oi'thc other states but this
cry operation so far lays them under
debt to the producing states. A mass OF
deb is accumulated, in favor OF the lat
er. which the former mast discharge in
some other WAY. Thas, the balance OF
trade is m ST likely to preponderate in
their favor. Thus, when, during the late
war, there was door left open Tor tbs
shipment of Carolina cottan, the north
ern merchants grew in debt to the ma
tive of S. Carolina, his cotton was bro't
up, and to pay for it, drafts on Carolina,
or what was nsarIy the sane thing, her
bank notes grew in request. Ia the
language OF the money market, The Ex-
change grew in favor ofS.s Carolina. The
same eject was not SC striking in the
trade for the tobaccces OF Virginia be-
cause the door was blocked up by the
squadrons CT tie eneny. But the mo-
MEET the seal vas broken, and tobaccoes
could be shipped, the balance OF trade.
the rate of exchange, all the symptoms of
returning prosperity were seen IN or ia
vOr.
The same effects ara visible in the
trade with foreign ports. How Go we
pay for the articles we import ? Psin-
cipaly with the staple productions ct this
country, With our cotton, tobacco, rice,
grain, fish, sugar, &c. &c. These are
either di ectly shipped to the country
whence we get our goods; or, sent 20
other markets, on whom we d.aw bills il
favor of the country from which we get
those goods. Without the expectation
of staples, we should be unable to pay
for the greater part of the goods which
we consume. Such states, than as "a
bound in the richest staples, are SO far
most likely to have the balance of trade
in their favor. Bills Of exchange abound
among them.
Which are the States, then, dist;n-
euiskea by the richest staples And, il,
the quantity corresponds with the value
are most likely to advance in wealth, s;
most able to command the labor, and the
fruits of labor, of other countries?
The South seems most likely, in these
respects. to take the lead of the North.
Sugar on;the banks Of the Mississippi, tho
cottons Of Georgia and S. Carolina, fine
Tobaccoes of Virginia, are the richest,
because they are confined to certain
spots, and nature seems to have declar-
ed to the powers of supply, Thus far
shalt thou go and no farther! =
Sugar would be the richest staple in
the Union, if it were not common to,
to Georgia, and to the circle