Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1820-05-17


The ILL from the Senate to continue IN
force the act " to provide for reports OF de-
cisions of the supreme court" passed thro
the usual forms, and was read third tiTe'
and finally passed as also did the bill from
the Senate, for altering the times torhoidlni,
the court of the United States tor the western
/ district af Pennsylvania.
The bill for the relief Of Thomas Hunter
rassed through committee OF the whole.
and was. on motion of Mr.. Cobb, ordered to
lie on the table. -
The hills from the Senate fof the relief of
Richard Smyth and for the relief OF Ambrose
Vase. passed through the usual forms, and
were read third time and finally passed.
The bill from the Senate for the relief OF
Thomas Leiper, passed through the usual
forms, being opposed by Mr.. Rhea, and
supported by Mr.. Sergeant and Mr. Mac
Law, and was read third time and finally
passed.
The bill from the Senate for the relief Of
Richard O'brien and James L. Cathc art,
passed through committees OF the whole,
and were read a third time and passed, the
| latter with an amendment.
TONNAGE DUTY ON FRENCH SHIPS.
The House then resolved itself into a
committee of the whole, on the bill to
impose new tonnage duty on French
ships and vessels.
The first section Of this bill provides.
that. in lieu of the tonnage duty row
Maid or French ships or vessels. there
shall be paid duty Of eighteen dollars
per ton. on all French ships or vessels
which shall be entered in the United
States, any act to the contrary notwith-
standing: Provided, hozCeper, That no
thing contained in this act shall be so
construed as to prevent the extension
Of the pro, isions of the act, entitled
Gan act to repeal so much of the seye-
raj acts imposing duties on the tonnage
of ships and vessels. and on goods,
wares and merchandise imported into
the y. States, as imposes discrimi-
mating duty on tonnage between foreign
vessels and vessels of the United States
and between the goods imported into
the United States in foreign vessels, Il
vessels of the q. Staies;" to French
ships and vessels, and the goods i'm
ported therein. whenever the govern
ment OF France shall accede to the pro.
visions of the act above referred TO.
| Sec. Q. That the tonnage duty, laid
and directed to be paid by this act
shall be collected and paid according
to the provisions of The act, entitled
"An act to regulate the collection of du.
ties on imports and tonnage" passed
the second day of March, one thou
sand seven hundred and ninety nine.
Sec. s. That this act shall COM
mence, and be in force, from and after
the first day of July, one thousand
eight hundred and twenty.
MIR. Newton, the chairman of the
committee of Commerce. gave brief
exposition of the causes which render
ed expedienl the passage Of this BILL
The documents laid before Congress
on the subject, he said. showed that all
attempts at negotiation on it had failed.
The policy of the United states had
been lust and liberal: We had offered
every thing that could be offered, on
terms of reciprocity, to induce France
to abandon her policy, SO injurious to
our commercial and navigating interest.
We hau offered her the same terms as
had been accepted by Russia, by the
Netherlands, by the Hanseatic cities !;
but we had offered ii in vain.
He was very sorry, he said, that it
became his duty now to advocate po.
licy which Ut all others, was most alb
horrent t. his mnd-that ofrestrictions
on commerce. He was happy that our
government had shewn to the nations
Of the world the exam, lie of placing
commerce on the most liberal footing !;
hut as France had refused to recipro-
cafe that liberality, it has now become
our imperious duty to come back, in re-
gard to France, to the policy which she
herself pursues. In consequence other
iIliberality in ttis respect, We are con-
pelled to resort to the measure now un-
dor consideration. She is now in pos.
session of positive advantage over us,
by her regulations. VIII she volunta-
rily give il up3 1t has been already
4lot chm u III not and che "a IN