Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-02-08

employ our carpenters to build many az
the vessels which are not only employed
10 carry OH the direct trade with Great
Britain, but TO carry our lumber, our live
stock, and our provisions, To their colo
MES. hundreds OF our artists and labor
ers, formerly employed in ship building.
are reduced To poverty, and the owners
oil our ships, there being neither sale nor
employment for them, are, many OF them.
bankrupt, without even the last consola-
ton of unfortunate merchants, a bank
rupt law. TO save them from prison. and
many of ourtowns and villages, once flou-
rishing by commerce and navigation, de-
prived OF both, now rapidly decay. Will
the bill on your table have a tendency to
r'iie,e some of these misiortuucs /
think II Will. IL II should not open the
British Islands to us, 1t will at least en-
pioy many OF our ships and seapien 10
carry some of our productions necessary
for the British Islands, to other Islands i'm
the West-lndies, 10 be carried thence in
british ships, imto their own ports civ
ing US the privilege OF CARRYING, nearly to
the port of consumption, many OF, those
articles which now are enly carried In
British vessels. 1t viii, too, prevent some
OF their merchants, and some portion of
their navigation from ilonrisling OIL The
ruin ofour own. But we have every rea-
son to suppose that, 10y measure Of
this kind, we shall render the British gov
ernmenta little mere inclined, because it
Will he for her interest, in any future ncgo-
cation, TO allow us participation i'm the
trade with many of her Islands, equally
beneficial TO tliem and ourselves. The
bill on your table must have an injurious
effect upon the trade OF those Islands.
Although the plantations are III the West
lndics, many OF their owners are in En-
gland, and there form Il wealthy and nu-
merous class of subjects. Jhei, com
plants al least viii he attended 10 by the
British cabinet. Far be it from me, sir.
10 wish To inilict any suffering on the
British co!onists; their commerce, like
our Own, Is 100 often sacrificed to The in
tcrest OF the parent country; and the
measure proposed, if it produces the de-
sired effect will be equally beneficial TO
the Islands and TO this country.
Some Inconvenience of Il temporary ma
-ttrc n'ay S'!li from the adoption of the
regulation proposed; and il Is my sincere
desire, as FAR as IN my power, TO consider
Inc measure III lis most Important bear
lngs. Ii will for time depress in our
market, the price of those articles which
are now carried in British ships 10 their
Islands. In the north and.east, the value
of our lumber will be less; but ifthc mer-
chants concerned i'll that trade can see.
that what they may lose inthe price ofthe
article Will be gained by another and
equally deserving class OF their fellow CT
tlZcns; that, IN national! point of light,
nothing will be lost, and the measure
will tend to cqualize the benefits os trade
throughout the country, they ought and
Will be satisfied; in this view, it Is "a call
upon their patriotism, which will not he
dlsregardcd. The effect upon Ile price
OF the products which we receive from
their Islands, iii British vessels must be
small indeed. Rum, sugar aud molasses.
are the principal HIEiclcs which we thus
receive. Their rum We can well dispense
with; Ii there never should be another
gailonimported into this country, it would
be Il favor To the nation. We now receive
large quantities of sugar and molaSses
from the HAVANA, and some from other
Islands than British we formerly receiy-
ED considerable quantities of sugar from
the last Indies y South America (i5raliI)-
we now obtain considerable quantities
from the southern portion of the United
States, and with suitable encouragement.
great portion oil our whole consumpti.
on could be obtained from that source
lthas hecn pretended by some, that the
trade now carried on between this country
and the British islands, Is not profitable
one; and we see calculations in some of
our public papers, made, no doubt, by
Brirlsh merchants or British agents
among us, to this effect. But WHY do
they preserve in this trade if it be I'M
profitable Why not permit others to
participate IN the loss? The suggesti-
ons on this head reuiind me of cir
cuDstance mentioned respecting The first
merchant in New orE who shipped fax
seed To the Irish market. On the return
of this ship, he was asked how the article
answered MOI at all was tie reply, If
was ruIuous business but it was OBJ
served lie soon loaded another vessel with
the same article, and then another: still,
on the return OF each, the sto.y WAS, that
tie trade was most rulnous. His friends
asked him, why lie perse, cred in such Il
losing trade ! He replied, that he must
do something to support his family. So
those British merchants and agents, who
complain that the colonial trade with this
country is losing one, get something to
support their families, and what is more,
greatly to benefit the English nation.
1t may be asked, will not this measure
aid Ill building mp the neighborng British
colonies OH the continent of America
Sanguine calculations, know, have been
made by some English writers OH this
subject; that large quantities of timber
are aud will continue 10 be exported from
the Canadian territory, by the ST. Law
renee, including that which they receive
from the United STATES l,N AXE (,h.,n,