Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1823-10-28
BRrrsu CoMmrncrAn RreuLArIoNs.

w" give below, from the last ntinbcr of
the Edinburgh Review brief but compre-
hsnsiv' notice, of the alterations which will
be produced in the existing comrt,rrcial r.gu-
latons of England. by the relaxations lately
allowed for their old aci of navigation. TIL
extracts subloined form part of an article on
the system aud spirit of the Ma, igation laws
generally, that is worthy of perussi, both fur
he information which IL imparts and the tlnc-
trines which il iuculcates. Interested AS This
country is in the removal of all restrictions
upon the freedom of navigation, we have
thought 1t would not be- unacceptable, tn our
commercial readers a, least, 10 be apIirzed If
the changes in the British system and we
have no where seen the effect of them stated
81 clearly and conrsely, as in the annexed
extracts. NJ y. american.
"The new bills hare either wholly repeal.
ed or greatly modified some fthe mos iibe-
raj and offensive provisions in the acts of 1860
and 1868. In the first place, it is eriacted,-
That the commerce with all the European
countries i'll amity with Great Britain, shall be
placed on precisely the same footing, and sub
Jected to precisely the same regulations. The
existing memorials of our former luminosity,
and of our jealousy of the prosperity of our
neiShbors, have thus been abolished. The
commerce with Holland, Belgium. aud Ger
many, has been relieved from prescription !;
To import articles from Amsterdam or Ost, nd,
which II was highly meriforuus Ia import
from Calais ar any other European port Be-
sides the gran,' distinction in the case of Iio-
land and the Low Countries, there We're sons
less important DISTINCTIONS affecting the COM
merce with Russia And T.rk-y bat lhosc
are also abolished, and the same law is hence
forth To regulate our intercourse with every
| European power. This uniformity will be of
"A.
scope tn mercantile operations, and extending
oar traffic With some of our most upuent
neiglibo g, IL will rrmo,e a gri at >ouccp of ru
barrassment, uncertaioty, and Ii iSntion. If il
does rot excite the gratitude, it will at rasi,
weaken the resentment of the Holland, rs and
Belgians, and will delract considerably from
that character of sefshness and exclusion,
which is believed, on the continent, and not
without good reason, {" he the animaing ptin-
| cipie ofopr commercial system.
In ;hr second place, il is enacted, that tho
produce of all European countries shall be- al
lowed 10 be imported into Britain in the ships
belonging 10 the ports where such produce.
may happen TO bp deposited. ~ the old
law, no produce could he imported except in
British ship, or in ship belonging To the
country where the article was produced, or
from which il was first exported. The con-
sequence was, that when articles, the produce
of France, Spain, Italy. sc. We're found in IA
foreign port, all of which it might be- extreme
iy desirable Ia send 10 This country, they
could nnly come in a British ship, or separate
ly, in French, Spanish, ADD Italian ships. This
was obviously very great hardship on the
/ foreigners, without being Of any real advan-
| tage &c "uI OVID ship owners. When the To-
reign n1prch tDi - vessels of his own il was
not very probable lie wauld permit them to
remain unoccnpied, and freight British YES
| sci and il was stated by Mr.. Wallace, in his
| speech ON introducing the r.w hills, that there
WAS sca' cely port in which iarrign bnttoms
might not he found, in which ia articles
c"ald he legally imported. The real cfec; af
the old law was not, therefore, to cause the
| employment Of British ships, hut 10 oblige
| foreigners To assor: their cargoes less advanta-
geousiy than they might otherwise have done,
and thus To lessen their intercourse with our
| markets. The new law will obviate this in
convenience ; while, by restricting the impor-
tatioD of European goods 10 the ships of the
build of the country ofwhich the goods are The
growth or to those of the hnild of the country
or port from which the goods are shipped
and which are wholly owned by the inhabitants
of such country port, il is rendered inpos-
slble for the people u: a particular country TO
become the carriers of the produce Of other
| countries To our markets.
"Thp third new regulation is ofsuch obvi-
ons and unqursionable utility, that it is sur
prisIng IT was not l"ng since adopted at the
suggestion of the ship owners themselves. By
the old law, all articles which are The produce
of Asia, africa, ar America, could only be i'm
ported directly in British ship, from the
| place of their production. This law had al
ready been repealed in so far as respected the
| United States, whose ships were allowed iu
| import their produce directly into this coun-
! try but it was maintained with respect fo
Asia. Africa, and South America. A nd hence,
although British ship happened To Gnd in
South American, a (ricsn, or Asiatic ports, ar
ticlrs the produce of any of the other quarters
of the globe, suitable for our markets, and
with which it might have been extremely adj
vaniaSeous for Der to complete her cargo. she
was prohibited taking them on hoard under
penalty uf forfeiture aud cOufsration, NOT on
| ~ of the goods, but also Of the ship THIS
most absurd rrguation s now repealed and
| IT has been made lawful for British ships To
| take on board articles whose impOr alton IS NOT
| prohibited, wherever they find them. without
regard to the country where they were pro-
duccd.
The fourth grand regulation in the new
| Navigation Law, and the last fn which we
shall now advert is that hich goes io rrgu-
late our intercourse with South America. Ia
stead of excluding all the products 0f the free
states now forming oui Of the Ct dtvapt Spa
nish colonies from our markets, that are net
imported In British ships, il is enacted thai
thr ports of Britain shall be opened To- South
American ships, on their paying The same du-
lies rs the ships hf this country. This is one
of the. very fpv insfapces Crorn Tho retrn oI