The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-06-16
CONGRESSIONAL.


/ votes on each baottng.
message was received from the President III
response TO the resolution Of the Senate seeking In
\ formation relative to the finances; which, with the
Il most material of the accompanying documents, viii
be found in another column For want of room we
arc compelled to postpose the publication OF this
days Senate proceedings until our next.
In the HOUSE, an unsuccessful effort was made by
i Mr. Mcdowell, of Ohio, to introduce certain resou
IONS on the subject of the Oregon treaty. They
4 will be found in their proper place.
The supplemental war bill was finally disposed
Of
The House spent nearly the whole day on the
indian appropriation bill, which is yet pending.
COMMERCIAL LEGISLATION OF THE U
STATES AND ENGLAND.
We promised yesterday TO lay before our readers'
10 connexion with this subject, some extracts from
the recent statistical work compiled by Mr.. Mac
gregor under the direction Of the English board Of
trade This volume is one of an extensive series
Of statistical compilations, prepared by the command
of her Britannia majesty, to be presented to both
houses of Parliament. Fourteen parts Of the series
have already been published and laid before Par.
lament, in two volumes, containing together $500
pages. They embrace the commercial statistics of
Austria, Denmark, France, Belgium, Germany,
Holland, the Italian States, the Ottoman Empire,
Greece, African States, Russia, Sweden and Nor
way, Spain, and Portugal.
q The third volume, being the fifteenth part Of the
series, is devoted to the United States exclusively
Il contains more than 400 royal octave pages, and
s in amount Of matter one-third part Of the whole
series thus far publshed-flling, that is to say with
the commercial statistics Of country alone, one
half as much space as is given to account Of the
combined commerce Of all the other nations above
mentioned. Considering that this publication is
work strictly Official in its character, and that it is
intended to be executed on the same scale through
out, no fact could present more strikingly the inn
mense expansion Of our commerce, and the great
space occupied by it in the commercial industry of
the world.
John MaCgregor (by that name he is best known,
having lately refused, with some indignation, the IT,
To ofbaronet, which was secretly intended to be
conferred upon him) is secretary of the English
ing many commercial treaties in England and has
the credit of contributing indocrinate Sir Robert
Peel in the principles of free trade which the minis
ter is now carrying out
Having received this volume but lately, we have
of course given t'as yet only very cursory exam
ration; but we feel warranted in stating that it en-
braces by far the most complete and comprehensive
body of American commercial statistics that can
be found, so far as our knowledge extends, in
any single volume. The object of the work is,
to present complete and full view of the COM
mercial resources, operations, and regulations
of all those nations whose commerce is most
closely connected with that of England This
immense field, MIR. Mscgregor, from the opportu-
mites afforded by his official station, has been ena-
bed to survey-at least in so far as our own coun-
try is coneerned-with singular cearness and accura-
cy. The whole vast picture of American commerce
is in his volume. He deneates the resources out of
which it springs He enumerates the various pro-
he shows the rules 10y which it is regulated. Nor
is his work, in the first view of it, exclusively COM
mercial. He gives at considerable length the phys-
cal geography and climate Of the different regions
of our country; the statistics of our popuation and
full view of federal polity and of the constitu-
ton of each of our States. All this mass of infor-
nation is indeed shown in connection with
the working of the trade system both foreign and
domestic, Of the whole Union and of each of the
States In a word, this commercial work is the
production ola man thoroughly master of his whole
subject. He has been led by his station and curse
Of life to study it in all its bearings He gives us
At the result of his reflections, and the vast
volume of facts upon which they are grounded. 1t
IS no more than justice to Mr.. Macgregor to say
hat his compilation seems to have been framed at
'nce with great judgment and with great candor
And in this view we commend the extracts which |
we have made to the attention Of our readers. Mr.
Macgregors opinions in favor of free trade go quite
Is far as any other authority with which we are &C
luained, and they are presented with an explicit
ness of detail which shows clearly that the expe-
fenced author does not shrink from any Of the prac-
lca conclusions to which his premises lead
II England has made great advances towards an
qultable and liberal system of commercial legsla-
ION, the free and United States of America have ac
ually retrograded from system fscaIy and com |
nercally unsound in its origin, into the most |
vretched, and unenghtened schemes of customs du-
Ies framed on the faacious basis of protecting man
Ifactures. |
The numerous customs tariffs ofthe United States |
would be discredtasle to the most ignorant and bar
'arous government; and, when we consider the in
diligence Of the citizens and the condition of the
ountry, when Congress first passed laws to impose
utes on tho importation Of foreign commodities we
an only account for the blunders committed by an
ereditary attachment to the bad example of the
mother country.
fanny country was ever placed by favorable cir
umstances to agislate wisely, on sound CONNER
laI and fiscal principles, that country was, and is,
he United States Of America. |
In comparing the constitution, agreed to by this
reat republic, with that Of the governments OF other
ations, we must remember that when the Anglo
American colonies declared their independence their
moral and physical condition was very different
rom that Of all republics that had previously |
existed. The people were generally intelligent and |
thoughtful; their habits frugal and industrious; and,
mike the Europeans Of South America, their ideas
we're free from religious intolerance, and from the