Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1817-03-11

p
dace 10 the free ports be coohned 70 our
vefels, 40 il ought to be, our ihips will
again have employ, under the difadvanta-
yes, indeed, of throng ofvelfcls preaing
10 thefe free ports, and liable to produce
a glut in the market bur Gill It may be
preferable to the preient tate of things.
From this view of the fubject, | think
it may be inferred, hat the adoption #
the meafure will not produce the lois Of
market for our own produce. Meth
err, ] think, ihall we fultain any diiads
vantage from lois of the fuPples which
us low .ceive from the colonies They
AZ. 81 conveyed to us through the fame
free part. ID if not, we are cot de-
pendent or he Britiih Wet Inuies. for
our fole lupoly # Welt In ia goods,
rum perhaps excepted, which comes
principally from the Enghth Islands :
But if deprived wholly Of their lum it
would in the opinion of fome &c no lofs,
and It any rate, might be fupplied by
the brandies from Europe, and the fpirits
ditlIed in our own country
Should the prohibitory law not find
fupport in this committee and the a.
mendment be preferred, | lhall feel my
self bound to fuPpou that, as the next
belt provided TIE rate of duties
be not fixed too high. For or this fub-
ject, my opinion. is thar if you mean
prohibition ard EXECUTION, the fairea and
bef courle is to pats the ptohibuory law,
and 90 the thing openly and boldly
Il you fill mean 10 almit foreign
veheIs from the ports and places where
the United States yeilels are excluded
! let them come undts beaVy, but not in
tolerable burdens. IL 70 doing, while
Won tax then to an ar unit which they
are able TO bear, you add an income to
yoDr own rsvenuc, an important and ell
!:ntiAl q cuuttance III national point
of vic~, and you prele,ve and contirue a
proper price end rsiee - eur farPsus
produte
In addition to thefe circumstances, /
think you will by this msalure excite fuch
an nteref in the Wet I.dIa planters, as
on lome future occaGol may turn TO good
advantage. The heavy tax on foreign
tonnage and goods importrt in foreign
vedels, NUT eventually fall on the con-
(rmer Of our furplus produce in the col
oDies-fo / view it--and, if am cCrrect
1t will operate as powerful inducement
in the Wet India planters, to ute all their
Influence to obtain a free trade They
now pay, venture to afert, for every
thoufand feet of lumber, double the price
they would pay, if free trade was per-
mitted to United States vefcls, and prob
ably if not double, comfortably more for
every other article derived from the u
nited States.
Mr.. Chairman-In the courfe of this
debate, the fituation of the platter trade
has bfen defcribed. Tho it may appear
uncomfortable in the eyes of honorable
gentlemen here, permit me to fay that it
is trade of comfortable value and inns
portance to the fiction of the country
from which | come. A law has pahed
the Legislatures of the Brtiih Provinces,
} and received the regal ianction, which
impofes IN eBFe6f duty on thar article of
about four dollars per ton, which is a.
bout the frt cot Of the article, II landed
at any place north of Cape Cod, The
prime object of this meafure is probably
to fecure TO their own vefels the excu-
five carriage of the article to he middle
and iouthcrn fates, where il q chiefly
ufed. But, if carried into execution,
will produce another effect; il compels
the inhabitants north of Cape Cod, TO
pay tax of four dollars per ton, for
what may be had in that portion Of the
country. The law is however at preient
tufpended by the authority of the Provin-
cial Governor. But it is jufly viewed
by the inhabitants of Maine as a mott
odicus meaiure-and the interference Of
congrefs is respectfully claimed tor iome
defenfipe countervallIrg meaiuTe-as
well 70 avoid 70 difgraceful tax, as that
they may participate in the carriage of
the article, which now gives employ to
20 600 ton # Tipping and conedera.
bic number of leamen
In conclgiion fr. permit me 10 exprefs
nv a Gil iiucers Niihes, that Congrefs
will ouly regard the complaints and suf-