Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1821-08-24
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s. 90
Should the trade turn through Liverpool.
allowing one half for British ships from this
to Liverpool, they would get on -four, the
freight of 1874 cents-and our ships 6aA cts.
the half of the freight to Liverpool: of slaves
they would get in freight 2S dollars per NJ
and our ships 10 dollars.-I have presented
these views and facts, in rather n desultory
manner, which has been produced partly, by
being occasionally called oil on other matters,
not admitting of delay.
think there is not the most remote chance
of Our rcstrictives system, producing any change
in the British colonial system.-That il will
not increase our navigation and depress hers
that the loss oil the little part OF the CARRYING
trade, which the ships owner would or might
sustain, bears no proportion To the loss which
agriculture and revenue, sustain by the sys-
iem.-Our policy, it appears TO me, should
have been, TO have kept the British colonies
as dependent upon us as possible, instead of
which, we appear 10 have been trying expert
ments to teach those colonies how To be indie
pendent of us. Our measures, have had three
ELECTS of putting those colonies upon their
own resources for some articles, of seeking for
supplies of others in other quarters and OF
diminishing their consumption in ali. What
time may produce, / cannot say but Judging
of the future, from the past, it appears, that
each measure has been productive ofinc-eascd
INJURY to our country, but to Norfolk, ruino,ls
1t appears to me, that the impediments which
any nation causes in the expectation of its pro-
ducts, to that part of the world where thew
are to be consumed, acts as tax on the eX-
ports.-By our present system, the charges
on barrel of flour in freight ONLY. by way of
Bermuda or Liverpool, is from S / IS to 9 s5
per barrel, whereas the direct freight would be
only about one dollar and so, as to all other
articles.
You will perceive that have treated this
SUBJECT more with general, than local views :;
but when consider its effects rs applicable
To Virginia, and the lower counties of North
Carolina and then as to Norfolk, am aston
lshed that the only representatives from either
OF those states, who favoured this restrictive
system, were from the lower part of North
Carolina and Norfolk. Before the first act
oil restriction, passed after the late war, went
INTO operation, the trade from Norfolk 10 the
british colonies, was great indeed, and was
daily increasing, and by this time, do be-
lleve that more than one half of all the bust
ness done from the United States TO the Bri-
fish colonies, would have been done from
Norfolk. Nor is this calculation any way I'M
reasonable, when the wants of the colonies
ara other clrc umstances are considered
i-'NIf dihtit tidl Can DE wanted Tor the
" est Indies, is to be had at Norfolk. at Il
may say) first hand, with the exception of
rice and yellow pine lumber: with the first, no
vessel bound TO the West Indies ever takes a
full cargo, perhaps from 10 to SO tierces at
the most, as part of an assortment The vel
low pine of Georgia, is, and will always be
preferred TO ours. Cargoes for the West In
dies are, most always, assorted. If vessel
goes to Philadelphia, she can get flour upon
equal terms ;butI Indian corn, lumberofal kinds,
tobacco naval stores sc. are cheaper and gen
orally better in Virginia, and our flour as good
and as cheap. II you go to the North and
East, there our advantages are greater. If
you so TO Georgia or South Carolina, YOU
may get yellow pine lumber and rice, but
slaves, flour, corn, and naval stores are not To
be had as good in quality, or as cheap, as in
Virginia ;indeed, the principal part ofthcsc arti-
cles. are imported into Georgia or South Carroll
ma Thenthe Chesapeake has great preference
on account of its navigation free from ice. and
OF easy and safe access. The canal, would have
been the means of bringing to Norfolk a vast
increase of lumber of superior quality, with
corn, fish, tobacco, pork and Naval stores
from all parts of North Carolina so that both
in quality and quantity, Norfolk could not have
been rivaled. There are many things, which
are so plausible in theory, that it would appear
scephcal to doubt, and yet they will not stand
the test of experience. As a merchant and
citizen, would rather that the cargocs, were
purchased and sold here for British account
than that we should ship the cargoes, and have
them sold for our account. In the first case
we secure the commissions upon the business,
which with the commission on the vessels ex-
pcnses. and on account of the high duties (for
commissions are charged upon the gross a.
mount will put into the residents pocket here
not less than 122 to ID per. cent upon the orr
Sinal investment. the nature of the connex-
ion between the West India merchant and the
planter, is such that the latter never deals with
an adyenturcr, who arrives in the Islands: the
consequence is, that when an American vessel
arrives, she must sell to the wholesale mer-
chant, and eXceptin times of distress, gene
rally at his own price. ] speak from expert
ence, that except to Jamaica, do not think,
] ever made half freight to a British Island,
for the reason | have stated. There mer-
chants give long credits to the planters, and
charge prices to meet the risk, and interest Of
money this an adyenturer cannot do.
BY accident have fallen upon a file of pnper, Of
1901, which furnished nc Will! the amount OF xpor,s
from this port TO the West Indie. for quarter in tlia
year, from, LIST April to lst Of June and which i a.
below. Now YOU viii remark that this quarter IN
mercantile phrase is always the Gullost in the wear
and my own experience warrants me in saving, tiat
the exports ofthc is and last quarters would one year
with another, exceed the other two . 10 35 rs per
cent.
You will bear in mind, that VIC never exported TO a
British COLONY, other than native produce whereas To-
colonies of the other nations, we exported CONSTANT
" foreign articles. The exports from Tie United
States that year amounted 6,i0f ,59l, 10 the West
Indies.
To the British Yves, Indies quarter ending 3Odh
June 2OgO5O
Spanish o1.qg6
Dutch 2,g7L
French m ,a7