Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1827-05-29

created Tor herself monoroly of tie indirect trade
which must grow out OF il, requiring much long eI
voyage and, OF coarse, much more tonnage. Tbl-
equality, was precisely the OF that which
the cabinet of the u. States wished 10 establish
They, therefore, could 10, think Of sceediDg 10
this proposition.
To reject IL outright, however, as they had he
fore done that made by Lord Csstleresgh in 1917,
would certainly put stop 10 all further negoiis-
,ion upon The subject; and leave the trade un-
der the simple Influence of the act of April is,
1878, which, by this time, ,hey plainly saw, was
IN exact accordance with the policy of Great Bril-
! tain, manifested in this very project 10, the
| Convention OF 1915, had then recently beeo re-
newsd tor a tenn OF ten years: therefore, the old
! argument of Mr. Adams, that the only chance Of
getting il renewed, was by " effective couai sract-
ing regulations in respect TO the commerce with
the British Colonies in the West Indies" could
| not now be urged to induce Congress 10 try new
experiment. And some cause or other, Ind pre-
vented the Senate, to whom the subject had been
conhdentisy referred by the Executive, Gas we
shall by and by seq from giving any opinion in
relation to it,
The American cabinet being thus left to it's own
discretion. and the rejection or acceptance of the
BrItish proposition being alike objectionable, the
only course left to try 10 amend il. No
able expectation could have been entertained, how
ever, that any material alteration would bave been
accepted by &. Il. For this proposition Of their.
was but contraprojetto one " hich had been prev-
! ously offered by the nego,iaors of the U S.. ANY
1 amendment therefore which could now he suggest,
ed, must necessarily vary from tie original American
pr"Jst, or it would have been worse than idle TO
propose it. And any different amendaiory propo-
eItIon, must either deny some OF the principles a.
greed upon By both parties basis, or avoid the
eiisc. OF these principles, by the assertion of some
new doctrine, tina; ii would be difficult to sustain
by any proper argument. Amendment, howeve
was the only alternative left and il it answered no
other purpose, it would at least serve 10 pass
away the time until The next meeting OF Congress-;
and might possibly produce something calculated
to have eject upon the future deliberations of that
body.
The British proposition Gas have said1 was
transmitted 10 the Secretary of State, by Messrs
Gallatin and Rush, on the goth of October, 1878
and nearly seven months afterwards, to wit on The
9TH OF May, 1919, Mr.. Adams writes 10 Mr.
hush, in order 10 communicate TO him, the course
which had been resolved upon by the American
cabinet, in relation To it. In this letter Mr. Adams
e"'eIB into an examination of this propositions and
finding IN it no provision, but wha, was perfectly
reciprocal in terms, and equal in direct effect, he
proceeds to show It's Interior operation indirect eff
iect IN favour OF British, s against American na-i
CATION He traces up this esult 10 the very sklfu
arrangement made 10y the British nrgotators in the
ciaasication OF their ports, aud IN the enumeration
proposition admitted to be transported to or from
the ports OF the u States and the different Eri,isb
ports thereby opened. And he endeavours TO a.
VOID the effect OF this, aud of Ills own propo-
sItlon to Lord Castlereagh, (thai the U States did
not AK oil Great Britain to Tenounce the right OF
prohibiting what articles she might see fiji by stat
ihS' that no objection will, IN our par, be made
10 the exception of the articles proposed bv the
British projet to be excluded eaiireIv from the
trade" But "that the list OF mpor,abe articles 10
The West Indies, must be the same as that TO Ber-
muda and the North American Colonies: and that
The exporable aiticss must be confined to such as
are OF the growth, produce or manufacture of The.
HDlsh West India and North American CoIoniss,'
, FespectiVeiy.(I) Thus still apparently conce;Iinc
TO threat Britain, the unlimited privilege OF defn
ing what commefce she shall think fl, TO allow
I but qualifying the concession, as old Hobson i.
said TO have qualified the unlimited psIviIepe he
gave to The Oxford scholars, of choosing horse
1bis new and singular proposition, however
even If accepted by Great Rri.siD, would have
been perfectly imperative TO guard against the eff
rect whIchH was desired to prevent; provided she
was SIN suffered 10 eiain The right left to each
party by both he schemes presented by the djtfe
rent neso'lators. For, a. under each of ,bess
schemes, bo'h H. Britain and the u s. were LEI free
to impose what duties each might think prone,
upon any articles imported into their re.aeciive
ports, SUBJECT only to The condition thai these duties
should be the same, whether the article was i'm
ported tom the ports OF the other, in the vessels
OF ether IT was very obvious thai Great Br itain.
ny imposing higher duties upon articles imDor,rj
TO her colonies from the u. States, tyhe,ber IN
Brush OF American vesssl-) than UPON similar
articles, imported there from Others of her own
doninions, might so give preference in her own
ports, 10 her own productions, over those of the
u. States. This preference she had explicitly a.
Vo" ed In her proposition, ihat it her intention
10 give; and Its obvious effect must have been TO
exclude sll the ,chite pine lnBiJer of the E,s,ern
States from the West India ports, in order 10 omen
market there, for similar lumber from the cooti.
guoDs provinces OF Canada aud New Brunswick
10 guard agaIns. such result, Mr.. Adams SUE.
gesIs the popriety OF qualifying the British pro-
pos'IIon, that no other higher duties should be
payable on the mportaons allowed on either side
inln On similar articles, when imported from auy
other foreign country, By adding lin reference 10
imPortalions from the u. S. to The West Indiesl
Inc words ." or from any other country or place
whatever" but emitting such Qualification ss
10 'mpottaiions from the West Indies to the U
Hate7.t) Thus renouncing AZ once, the basis of
perfect equality and reciprocity; which we our
selves had proposed; and desiring OF Great Bri,.in
10 DO unto u, that which under similar circuinsau
ces, we would not do unto her
Again, the British PROPOSE I'm in describing the
ports OF either party into which the vessels Of the
other should be permitted to come, had Je.ienated
'hem a. ports &c which shall be open TO the YES
eSis OF sny other foreiGn power" This descrip.
ton was approved by the American cabinet, 20
Tar az II applied to he ports of the IT, States be-
cause IT would still leave TO them, the necessary
privilege of arranging heir custoHi-house estsb-
Iishments, as they might think proper But thcy
were unwilling TO leave to Great Britain. reci
Wocal privilege, equally necessary on her par;
sod, therefore, hr. Adams proposed, 10 amend the
British proposition, by a spccifed enumeration